Day 2 – Still in Reykjavík
Bike pick-up day started with a fantastic buffet breakfast at our now favourite breakfast place, Apotek (http://apotekrestaurant.is). Truly they have everything – more local lamb, many kinds and preparations of fish, as well as traditional choices like skyr, yogurt, and grains. There was also a wonderful selection of traditional Icelandic sausages including duck, blood, liver, and more. All for a mere 2,000ISK (about $20, the going rate for breakfast in Iceland). Mimosas included.
Apparently no one in Iceland answers emails so we only found out upon arrival that the shipping company office is closed on weekends. No bikes. A wrench for those with hotel reservations out of town that evening, but those camping didn’t mind. David was able to book another night at the same hotel while Warren quickly found us a less inexpensive third floor AirBnB for the night near the Hallgrímskirkja, the famous Lutheran church atop the highest hill in Reykjavík.
Honestly, we were all a little relieved. Another day in Reykjavík gave us more time to recoup and visit the city. We quickly re-planned riding routes, adjusted reservations, grabbed another pysla, bought a City Card at the tourist info place for free buses and museum admission, and set out to explore, agreeing to meet back at the famous Lebowski Bar (https://lebowskibar.is/) later that afternoon.
The National Museum is comprehensive, covering everything from the Settlement and Saga Periods to modern-day Iceland and the Maritime Museum celebrated their link to the sea. Do you know about the Cod Wars? I didn’t either until that museum. I won’t recount the history of Iceland here, but as I was reading a book on it at the time, Ring of Seasons: Iceland–Its Culture and History, it was great to learn additional background and see artifacts like the baðstofa still in use through the 1950s and Viking-era drinking horn – these made the stories more real. It also reminded us of how recently Iceland became modernized.
Dinner at the Sægreifinn, The Sea Baron (http://www.saegreifinn.is/en/), on the waterfront was a treat. It’s an informal place with long shared tables and relatively inexpensive beer, but it fills up fast. You pick your skewer of fish – in my case, salmon and Minke whale – and they grill it while you wait. There’s quite a selection, from whitefish like cod and haddock to salmon and arctic char. Warren’s lobster soup was some of the best I’ve tasted.
We also should’ve used the time to gear-up for long-term cold weather exposure as it turned out…