Cake & Ice Creams

Our last day in Reykjavik was a long one.  KMJ, JaSON, Frank and I started the day on a free bike tour of the city while Ambrose and his Mom went on a boat tour.  The bike tour was pretty awesome.  A couple started the business just this past July.  They pick you up at your hotel, shuttle you to the bikes, take you to less travelled tourist destinations in Reykjavik and then shuttle you back to your hotel – all for free!  Of course we pay what we feel appropriate at the end, but technically, it’s free.  We enjoyed the tour and our guide very much learning why Reykjavik is named “Smokey Bay”, riding by Bjork’s black house and I really felt like we got a more intimate taste of what it’s like to live a life in Reykjavik.

After our bike tour, it was time for lunch and we hadn’t had hot dogs from Baejarins Beztu yet.  In English, their name is “The best hot dog in town.”  While I’m sure it is the best hot dog in town, I wasn’t a huge fan of the beef, pork and lamb dog.  I ate it, of course, and the trip wasn’t a total loss as the woman who is famous for serving Bill Clinton served us too!

We spent the rest of the day wandering around the city, checking out things we hadn’t yet (like Hallgrimskirkja, THE church everyone visits because of its unique architecture, but sadly was covered in scaffolding while we were there), shopping and relaxing in preparation for our big night of runtur. 

Runtur.  Where do I start?  Well, at our apartment we started because it’s really expensive to drink (and eat) in Iceland.  We had loaded up on beer from our new friends brewery, vodka and wine and pre-funked until our midnight departure to the bars.  We were staying on Laugavegur Street, which is where ALL of the action is.  It’s a long block, but we were determined to hit as many bars as possible.  And we did.  Twelve actually.  With no covers, it was easy to pop in and out.  If we liked it, we stayed, danced for awhile.  If we didn’t like it, we left and went to the next one.  I hadn’t been out dancing in forever so it was a lot of fun – I made it a point to dance on all of the boxes or stages we could find.  The music was good.  There were a lot of Ambrose music bars, some hip hop/old school (those were my favorites) and even one indie rock bar, which you NEVER (I mean in the form of a dance bar) see around here.  You CAN dance to Kings of Leon and MGMT!

I have two favorite parts of the night.  The first is the waffle truck we found at 4am.  Most people go for the hot dogs – we got waffles!  What a brilliant idea!  So cheap and easy – the perfect post boogie, pre-hangover snack.  While we waited, KMJ and I bonded with a few guys who watched the Bachelor – instant friends!  They were two seasons behind us though so we couldn’t talk about the latest episode with them.  We hit a couple more bars, then around 5am decided to call it good.  The sun was coming up, after all.  At the end of the night as people are headed home and things are winding down, everyone walks down the street with their beer.  And when it’s gone, they throw and break their glass.  After hearing this tradition, I started hording glass bottles and glasses to take with us and break…most of mine just bounced but I got a couple good ones in.  I loved it because it was so peaceful.  ANY city in the states that had people out breaking glass, usually leads to fights and drunk idiots doing stupid things.  They just kind of tossed their glass and went about their business – it’s just what you do.  Ambrose was sad that we weren’t there Saturday to do Runtur Round 2 because Saturday’s are supposedly even more off the hook.  I decided there is no way in hell I could do that two nights in a row.  There was just no way.

To beat our hangovers and lack of sleep, KMJ, JaSON and I hit the Blue Lagoon one more time on our way to the airport.  This is not an uncommon thing to do as they have many accomodating shuttles.  It was so refreshing and a great memory to leave Iceland with.

I am positive I slept less on our vacation than I would have if I was at home.  The weird thing was, I never really felt super tired.  With it being light out so long, it just felt natural to be awake and doing things which was great as it allowed us to see and do that much more.  I wonder if people are tired all of the time in the winter when they only have four hours of day light?  All in all we had a great trip.  Had we had  two weeks to explore, we would have seen the north coast too but I feel like we got a really good taste of Iceland.  To see our “taste”, click HERE.

The Golden Circle is another one of those things that most tourists do when in Iceland.  It consists of three main stops and it has bothered me all day that it has been made into a circle because it really doesn’t need to be…I guess it’s more scenic going back a different way than you came but, really? Who made this a circle?!

The first stop on the Golden Circle is Thingvellir, Iceland’s most important historical site (home of their Parliament and social center from 930 to 1500) and national park.  Thingvellir lies within a rift valley caused by the separating of the American and European tectonic plates.  Also in the park is Thingvallavatn, Iceland’s largest lake.

The next main attraction is Geysir, which all other geysers around the world are named.  It used to gush water out, like a geyser should.  But thanks to tourists (probably Americans) who thought it’d be cool to throw rocks in it in attempt to set it off, it only erupts once or twice a day.  We did not leave empty handed though as Strokkur erupts every few minutes and there were other bubbly streams and steam vents scattered around the park.  Gullfoss, Iceland’s most famous waterfall was our final attraction on the Golden Circle.  It is massive in size and the sound of the falls was impressive.

That wasn’t enough for us.  We wanted a reason to make a circle out of this trip!  So, Ambrose found us a brewery!  We were all curious because all of the beers we’ve seen here are about 2% alcohol and Olvisholt Brugghus claimed to brew lagers.  We were also curious because the guide said “located just outside of Selfoss and is situated in old outhouses on the farm Olvisholt.  Um, 1. That was the extent of the directions and 2. outhouses?

Craving decent beer we all assumed JaSON would sniff it out.  KMJ and her mad navigation skills was all we needed though.  Once there, the guy was a little frightened by six Americans wanting to check out his barn, but he soon warmed up (what’s not to love?!).  We later learned that they do offer tours of the barn brewery and you are to sign up online.  We had sought out the website for more directions but it was in Icelandic – marketing tip #1.  If you don’t want PNWers driving up to your barn, get your website in English.  We like our micro-brews and we will find you!  It’s a small outfit as Icelanders don’t yet seem to have a taste for beer with more than 2% alcohol.  They are selling their beer in some liquor stores in Iceland, Sweden, Denmark and have just entered the Canadian market.  It passed our test as it was pretty tasty.  The brewer won us over too as he was super welcoming and excited to talk to people who have a taste for good beer!

When we first booked our week in Iceland, we figured we’d spend the week in different cities and make our way around the entire island.  Upon further planning we found we would probably spend most of our week in a car so decided to stick to only the south coast.  We’d fly in, drive all the way to Hofn (about 5 hours), then leisurely work our way back to Reykjavik.  As I’m sure you’ve noticed that didn’t happen either as ALL accommodations were booked along the way (there aren’t that many to start with, then add the busiest travel month plus last minute planning – we were doomed from the start!) and rental cars were in the two and three thousands for the week.

SO.  We found a cool place in Reykjavik where we could enjoy the convenience of a city and rented a minivan for a couple of days to get our nature on and explore more of the country.

Our tour of the south coast was a 17 hour day, much of it driving (Ambrose was our rock star designated driver!). Everyday has been easy to have a super long extended day as it never gets dark. Ten o’clock feels like six and with so much to see, 17 hours comes and goes really quickly.

The landscape of the south coast went from miles of rolling green hills to miles of mossy lava rock to miles of flat land. Sprinkle in some waterfalls, a few glaciers, sheep and the Atlantic Ocean and you’ve got yourself a lot to look at in one day.  Along the way, I would look out my window and would reminisce back to our New Zealand trip a few years ago. Then, an hour later, I looked out and felt like I was on the Big Island of Hawaii. I expected breathtaking scenery but I didn’t expect to have so much variety in one day.

Our first destination on our 17 hour tour was Hella. You can guess why we wanted to stop here. It had very little to do with an exciting destination and a lot to do with making our crappy “Hella” puns funny all week long. In addition to our hella good puns, every time I heard “Hella” my head also heard “Ella Eh Eh” and therefore had that fabulous Rihanna song stuck in my head.

Next stops = waterfalls!  We stopped first at Seljalandsfoss where you can walk behind the huge waterfall.  Then Skogafoss where legend has it a pot of gold is hidden behind the waterfall.  Despite all of the mist rainbows leading the way, we didn’t find it.  To wrap up the first half of our day we found Reynisfjara, a black sand beach near Vik (our uneventful lunch stop).  Here were incredible basalt columns that looked like giant church organs.  A beautiful ocean stop! 

The second half of our day took us the farthest east we would go to Jokulsarlon, a glacial lagoon.  Yes, it was as cool as it sounds (literally and figuratively).  From the beginning of trip planning we have seen pictures of people kayaking with huge pieces of ice behind them.  We assumed this was the place but failed to find a kayaking outfit to rent from.  I finally wrote to someone and they said, “there is no kayaking here because you could get berried.”  So, fearful of getting “berried” we joined the masses of tourists who floated around the lagoon in amphibious boats (similar to our “ducks” in Seattle).  We got some really beautiful pictures of luminous blue icebergs.  We even got to eat 1000-1500 year old ice – the oldest thing we’ll ever eat.  It tasted like really cold ice.

The day did not end here, headed back west again, we stopped at another glacier, Svinafellsjokull and walked around.  After Jokulsarlon it seemed like just another glacier – I know it’s sad that I just said that.  We found a place for dinner, where we all ate rotten shark (see previous post) then made the long drive home.

It was a super long day.  Well worth it and it made us thankful that we decided not to spend the whole week doing what we just did in a day.

In Iceland there are many “exotic” foods. Kevi Kev would be in heaven here with all of the crazy things he could try. Whale, puffin, horse, reindeer and putrid shark. Tonight we snacked on shark bites as an appetizer.

Here are the adjectives we came up with to describe putrid shark:

Smelled like urinal
Tough
Chewy
Full of preservatives
Lingering burn aftertaste
Ammonia-y

This is what Lonely Planet said about the shark:

an animal so inedible that it has to rot away underground for six months before humans can even digest it. Most foreigners find the stench (a cross between ammonia and week-old roadkill) too much to bear, but it actually tastes better than it smells…It’s the aftertaste that really hurts. A shot of brennivin (schnapps) is traditionally administered as an antidote.

I took a couple of chews and then swallowed it whole. I think that helped with the aftertaste because I didn’t notice one. It was pretty disgusting. At least I can say I tried it and I know Kevi Kev would be proud!

The little square bites are the shark!

When in Rome, you do as the Romans do.  When in Iceland you go to the Blue Lagoon.  Everyone goes.  Some people even arrange long layovers in Iceland to/from Europe to get a soak in the pools.

The Blue Lagoon is fed by water from the geo-thermal powerplant right next door.  It is pricey, crowded and does a doozy on your hair.  It is also a beautiful shade of milky blue, perfect temperature and rich in algaes and minerals, conditioning and exfoliating your skin as you soak.  While my hair feels like straw today, everything else is silky smooth. 

We soaked about three hours which seems like a long time.  But there was so much to do!  They have a swim up bar, which we frequented – twice.  There’s mud boxes full of silica mud to apply wherever you see fit – we mudded up three times.  We saw several men with mud all over their heads and later learned it cures baldness!  There’s steam rooms and saunas and a waterfall that delivers a powerful hydraulic massage – “…it’s like being pummelled by a troll.”  I found the troll to be a nice troll as it felt very good.  They also have real massage services but were fully booked through the weekend.  It’s ok.  We saved some money and instead let the troll work his magic!

Here’s where we’re staying and some tidbits about Reykjavik you might find interesting…

We found a phat pad, Room with a View,  in Reykjavik, right in the center city.  It’s a five bedroom, penthouse.  We each have our own room and plenty of space so it doesn’t feel like we’re stepping all over each other.  My finders fee was the sweet room with the divan!  It’s a great location and will serve us well on for the Friday night Runtur.

Reykjavik is 7 hours ahead of our friends in Seattle.

During this time of year, it’s dark about six hours.  It’s light from about 4:30am to 10:30pm.  It’s kind of weird because around 10pm, it felt like 6pm and I can see how easily one could lose sleep here.  It’s so easy to want to make the most of the day.  On the flip side, in January, they only see 4 1/2 hours of light here – how nuts!

I understand zero Icelandic (a Germanic language).  Usually I can get by fairly well in other countries but here, I have no idea what they are saying or how to pronounce the words I’m seeing.  It’s kind of frustrating.  Lucky for us, they all learn English at a young age and help us along.  I think as Americans we take for granted that everyone learns and speaks our language.

While seafood is the main dining fare, there is an unusual amount of Thai restaurants.

You know how often times you’ll see a dog tied up outside a restaurant, patiently waiting while the owner dines?  Well, they leave their babies.  Yup, you read it right, babies.  Babies are left in strollers outside of shops while mommy and daddy run in to shop. KMJ says this happens in Copenhagen as well. 

Our shower smells of sulfur water.  Yes, rotten egg showers!

The beer is all very light.  Some only 2.25% alcohol.

We expected everyone to be giant and blonde.  However, people are normal sized and there are many brunettes.

Because of their recent economy crash, many of the people we are meeting that are on holiday are Icelandic.  They seem to be travelling within their own country for their holidays this year. 

We started our Iceland trip on little to no sleep, sans one travel buddy and kind of uncertain as to what we were doing in the Westfjords as Ambrose was the one who planned this portion of the trip.  Great.

The flight over was a brutal one.  Iceland Air is nice enough but 1. they don’t feed you – anything and 2.  I happened to be in front of a chair kicker/loud talker.  From there, half asleep, we shuttled over to the domestic airport to fly to Isafjordur in the Westfjords.  Our flight was delayed but once on the plane, I got a solid 40 minutes of shut eye!  I missed what was supposed to be a very scenic flight – oops!   Once in Isafjordur we realized the town is really small and we would be just fine.  Ambrose had booked a lovely room at the Gamla Guesthouse and a boat tour to Hesteyri – all we had to do was find them.

Our boat tour to Hesteyri was a four hour tour.  An hour to get there, an hour back and two hours once we were there.  Hesteyri is a village, with only ten houses, now frequented only a couple months out of the year by hikers and old inhabitants and their relations.  There used to be a whaling station which provided income for the 80 residents.  When whaling was banned, they changed it to process herring.  In 1952 it became completely abandoned when the herring disappeared and everyone started seeking work in larger cities.   They have kept Hesteyri the same as much as possible.  It’s nearly impossible to build a house there as one would have to prove their family’s past residence. It’s a really quaint, scenic spot. They wrapped up our tour with an accordion player and pancakes!

Today we had another full day in Isafjordur.  We slept well and woke up to super thick fog which did not excite us as we had a morning kayak trip booked.  Luckily they postponed our kayak trip until most of the fog had lifted.  We wandered the small town in the morning, walking along the water and through the shops and then paddled around the Isafjordur harbor as the sun came out and the fog slowly lifted.  It was quite beautiful to watch the transformation.  We had zero wind so very crisp waters and we were thrilled to be able to see the fjords!

Isafjordur fun fact: There are two months out of the year (Nov-Dec) that they do not see the sun. When I heard this I thought it was dark for two months straight. Not the case, they just don’t see the physical sun because it’s blocked by a mountain. There’s a street called Sun Street (that’s what it is in English) and when the first house is hit with a glimpse of sun, all of the neighbors get together and have a pancake feast!

Our much anticipated Iceland adventure is upon us! And an adventure is exactly how the trip has begun. Our final round travel buddies ended up being me, KMJ, JaSON, Ambrose and Ambrose’s parents, Frank and Tammy. Despite living in three different cities, we were all on the same flight both to and from, are all pretty well traveled and all very flexible with “must sees” while in Iceland. An easy group to travel with.

Step 1. Get to Iceland.
Step 2. Enjoy!

Step 1 got tricky when in jest I asked everyone in the car, “Did everyone call their credit cards?” and “Does everyone have their passports?” “Uh Oooh” is what came from Ambrose’s mouth. I think I asked him five times if he was really serious. He was.

The crappy thing about this is Ambrose lives in San Diego. It’s not like we could turn the car around, grab it from home and head back. I was sure he’d be fine though as I figured there had to be procedures for lost/stolen passports. Their procedure happens to be “You have to have a passport or you don’t go.” Luckily, Ambrose’s sister lives in San Diego too and was able to get his passport on a Southwest flight (for $77) and he will hop on the next flight out, Sunday. What stinks is we are all in the Westfjords right now, the part of the trip Ambrose planned and was looking most forward to.

Lesson learned. Next time, don’t ask, just run for the gate and hope you don’t get held in customs on the other end! See you in Reykjavik, Ambrose!