Arctic Summer

Went out for a walk tonight as it's hard to fall asleep in a strange place. This is downtown at 10:00pm. It's summer so stays light most of the time. These guys are sitting on a local art sculpture having a lively conversation. They might be irish, possibly german but they definitely had enjoyed some local brews as they were quite animated. Temperature is about 50 degree fah.

I grabbed a quick sandwich from the market and ate it in the park. Sandwich options include an egg and vegetable on various types of bread. Standard vegetables on these things are cucumber, iceberg and tomato. It's actually pretty tasty and by far the least expensive thing to eat. I always grab a skyr for dessert- went with raspberry tonight. I think americans need to figure this stuff out- it's addictive.

Icelandic Fish & Chips

Every weekend for many years Reykjavik has a flea market that has everything from imported crap from Asia, vintage clothes, books and antiques as well as a food market. This city seems to wake up a little late- maybe because they all get drunk at night and stumble in late as evidenced by the smell of spilled beer and broken glass on the street- so the flea market opens at 11:00am. There were a lot of fun things to shuffle through and I did pick up a second hand sweater that I actually bargained for! It's funny how a 500 Icelandic Kronur note can burn a hole in your pocket! (translates to about $4.15 and the lady was asking 600isk- yep that's right, I saved 100!)

And then I made my way to my favorite restaurant. Have you noticed yet how much of my thoughts center around food? This is no coincidence. I'm slightly obsessed- in a healthy, non-neurotic way of course.

Icelandic Fish and Chips is a local spot that specializes in organic, local fish and chips. I ordered the fried haddock with crispy potatoes and chili red pepper skyronnes dip. The batter is somewhere between panko and tempura. It's ultra light but still crunchy. The fish is flaky and totally delicious. I also ordered the homemade ginger and lemon soda made with fresh squeezed fruits, agave syrup and sparkling water. I think it's almost worth the price of an airline ticket to come to this place.

Bjork explains American pop during the Bush years

This morning I woke to the sounds of 9 other people getting up at various times showering, dressing and climbing down from top bunks. I wasn't ready to navigate the communal bathroom and dig through my pack with everybody there so I figured I'd sleep in and hit up the shower last. Of course looking back I realized I was the 10th body to use the bathroom for showering and whatever other routine my bunk mates utilized it for. Maybe not the best strategy after all.
Headed downtown to look for coffee and found a bookstore with coffee shop upstairs overlooking the street. I ordered a cappuccino and a croissant for breakfast. They had little trays of rock sugar to add to the awesomely strong coffee. As far as the croissant- why the hell do they ALWAYS taste better outside of the U.S.? I mean we're talking the perfect flakiness with soft buttery center. I grabbed the local opinion newspaper and started reading the interview with Bjork. She opined on many things including the local environmental issues and what she's doing to contribute, her favorite bands (Dirty Projectors, Animal Collective, Grizzly Bear, Antony and the Johnsons, Battles) and more. She talked about the crazy paparazzi issues and how it's affecting musicians. She also said she believes that Americans turned to pop music like Britney Spears a few years ago when George Bush took office and so many young Americans were unhappy that they turned to that scene for something like a distraction. It was an interesting theory and I'm still trying to digest what she meant.

My first hostel

I checked in to my first ever hostel today. I have to admit I've been pretty leary of this part of my adventure. Sharing rooms, weird locations, no privacy are not my idea of great fun.

So I got dropped off a few blocks away from the shuttle service and had to hunt down this little building feeling like Atlas with a pack the size of the globe on my back. Seriously- I have to cantilever myself with my day pack strapped on to my front. I really need someone to take my pic so you all can see how funny I look.

So Reykjavik Downtown Hostel operated by Hostelling International is a very decent affair. Open 24 hours with a public room with free WiFi it is very tidy and the people working very friendly. My room has 5 double bunks with a single bathroom. We'll see how that works tonight...

When I finally found the place I walked in and realized I wasn't sure what to say. Do you "check in" to a hostel? Do you "register"? This might sound trivial but I was really tired!

One of the disadvantages of returning to a city you've already been to is that you tend to return to the places you already know or are familiar with. After I dropped my bag I was really hungry so I walked right to the little 24 market I remembered to get a sandwich, drink and of course skyr. I walked over to the little plaza to eat and looked across the street where I saw the most adorable little market and bakery. This will definitely have to be investigated tomorrow.

And for those of you who haven't tried skyr it's an icelandic yogurt. It's ultra healthy, creamy and totally DELISH! I had berry skyr for you Suzanne!!

Tomorrow a little shopping downtown and probably return to the MOST AMAZING FISH AND CHIPS IN THE WORLD restaurant...unless I see something better across the street.

A French Lesson at the Blue Lagoon

Well I have arrived! After a painful day travelling from Florida to New York, several delays (thanks Iceland Express) and the most cramped legroom I've EVER seen on a plane, I arrived at Keflavik airport this morning at 9:30am local time.

I made my way down to ground transportation where I picked up the shuttle bus to the Blue Lagoon. By the way- if you ever have the chance to fly thru the Reykjavik airport it is really great. It was voted best airport in Europe. With super cool shopping area, immaculate facilities and no crowds it's a breeze to get around in. It's also very chic in a living, breathing Ikea kinda way.

So Blue Lagoon- I came here 2 years ago and stopped at the lagoon very briefly on the way back to the airport. I've been determined to get back ever since. So this morning after locking my giant-ass hiking pack in the storage cabinet I made my way to the lagoon. When I got off the shuttle I noticed a girl, also by herself, making her way to the entrance. I asked her where she was visiting from and she told me France. It was her first time at the Blue Lagoon. I mentioned I had been once before so we ended up sticking together all day at the lagoon. She was waiting on her friends to arrive tomorrow where they will pick up a car and drive the Circle of Iceland. She was pretty stoked about it. She's from a small town in south France called Papillon. We spent the entire day soaking in the amazing waters of the lagoon, basking under the massaging waterfall and floating on our backs in the opaque blue waters. At one point she sighed and said it was amazing to be working yesterday and soaking in the steamy waters surrounded by the moon-like formations of lava rock, green mountains and steamy waters on holiday today. I couldn't have agreed more.

While we were eating a small cafe lunch I told her I was hoping to be in France soon. Fortunately she spoke some English and I was embarrassed to admit I spoke no French. So she gave me a lesson of important phrases in French. I practiced the pronunciation and she laughed with me. It was a lot of fun.

We ended up exchanging numbers and emails before I left. It was a most relaxing day.