Notes From The Travel Journal--Reykjavik

We parted from my mom at the Keflavik airport and grabbed our rental Suzuki to make the 45 minute drive to Reykjavik - Iceland's capital where 75% of the country's residents live. Aka, not much going on in the rest of the country...

Lesson One: I will never speak Icelandic. Just the road names alone...nope, not gonna try. After navigating our way via Kronickskejordbratslauzer and Ringbrautskellerhorn (ha!), we arrived at the Kvosin Downtown Hotel and took off for dinner at Snaps, a nearby French bistro. I was hangry. That never ends well. Actually it ends well, it just doesn't start well. We devoured French onion soup, delicious duck salad, and beef bourginon amongst the mostly Icelandic crowd. Then we strolled through downtown Reykjavik before retiring for a glass of wine and game in the hotel bar. 

Travelers to Iceland often drive "The Ring," a series of roads that circumnavigate the island. We didn't have time for that, but knew we could catch some highlights along the shorter inland route, the Golden Circle. Apparently, inland equals the arctic tundra because it was crazy! We stopped along the way at the Geysir (just what it sounds like) then spent a little more time at Gullfoss Waterfall before heading to our next stop, Laugarvatn Fontana, a geothermal spa. I may or may not mention the incident where we thought we were driving out an exit but the tundra snow tricked us into driving into a snowbank. We got stuck. We got unstuck. Adventures in Iceland!

Dinner that evening was scrumptious at Grillmarkaourinn (Grillmarket if Icelandic isn't your thang) with an excellent steak for me and three grilled fishes for Simon. Dessert was the real highlight (as if that's ever NOT the case) with this decadent chocolate shell filled with coffee ice cream and marscapone cream. Before we dove in, the waiter drizzled hot caramel over the top. So. Good.

We rose with the 11:30am sunrise the next day for a stroll to Hallgrimskirkja Church atop a hill towards the edge of town. Gorgeous views out over the city, sea, and mountains and our first experience with that Icelandic wind we came to know and love before we trotted back through town (purchased a classic Icelandic sweater!) and departed for the Snaefellsnes Peninsula!