Monday – the day I liked Reykjavik
Woke up this morning to a new roommate! Her name is Leena, and she is from Denmark. She’s here to help local farmers birth the lambs next week in a small village on the Snaefellsnes Peninsula.
After eating breakfast, I ventured out on the town, skeptical there would even be enough for me to fill the morning, and even more skeptical yet that I’d enjoy myself. Luckily, Reykjavik proved me wrong!
It was alive after the sleepy Sunday and ready to rock! The sun was shining and the wind had died down from the day before. I decided to peruse the shops in search of my souvenirs. I wanted to get them out of the way in case I took a day trip to Jokulsarlon, a lagoon with glacial icebergs on the Southeast coast. I also went I search of an Icelandic sweater, because I was sick of feeling so cold.
I stopped at the thrift store to see if I could find a cheaper (and possibly more authentic) version, and left with some woolen mittens and ear warmer for only 2200 krona. But no sweaters that I liked nor fit. No worries – pretty much EVERY store sells woolen goods. I finally found the one I liked best (added bonus: it turned out to be the cheapest) and walked back to the hostel.
Donned my new sweater and ditched my spring jacket, grabbed my swimsuit, and headed back outside. Those Icelandic sheep know how to stay warm! I had to ditch my windbreaker because I was getting too hot! Why didn’t I get a sweater like this yesterday!! It was worth every krona I spent on it.
In my new toasty sweater, I happily strolled the half hour to the Perlan, , where I got amazing views of the city against the mountains. Ate at the cafe (meat soup!) then made my way on foot another 30 min towards Laugardalur Outdoor Thermal Pool. They had two outdoor hot tubs (38 C & 42 C) that had my name on them, and I easily spent 1.5 hrs soaking up the warm. The hotter one was specifically designed for lying down in, and I would’ve fallen asleep had it not been for some loud children. Oh yeah. This is apparently THE activity for Icelanders after work/school because it seemed everyone was there! I had hoped for a massage (professional, not just some random Icelander) but they finished at 5pm. Even though the temperature outside was 1 C, I was hot tub heaven!
I completed my triangle of walking for the day, strolling along the water’s edge. I stopped to take a picture along the way, and a biker guy came and offered to take my picture for me. “You’ve come too far to take the picture yourself,” he said. He told me all about the statue and we talked about Canada (he loves Halifax, and has relatives in Calgary!). When I mentioned that it was kinda cold to be biking, he said with a grin, “But I am a Viking.” True.
Caught my roommate heading out for dinner when I returned, so I joined her for fish n chips. I skipped the chips, seeing as I’d foolishly weighed myself at the pool and figured I could do without 😉 But I couldn’t resist the skyr dessert, which I’m sure was still packed with healthiness despite the chocolate. Leena and I checked the Northern Lights forecast, and found out tomorrow night would be a better bet for seeing them, so we knit for a bit, and I decided to save my money and hang around my new favourite city tomorrow, instead of sitting on a bus all day. I’ll take an Alaskan cruise to see icebergs later 😉