Welcome to Iceland! Slim "chilling".
Flughotel room. We stayed at a hotel near the airport as we got in late. It was actually owned by the airline.
One-third of the breakfast buffet at Flughotel. A fine selection of lunch meats, fruit, pickled fish, cereals, breads, cheese, veggies and other sundry yummies.
PK testing out the new coat in the snow. 1030am.
On our way to the Blue Lagoon. Looking out the windshield of the taxi. 1041am.
We've arrived at the Blue Lagoon. 1053am.
The entrance wove through a lava field. 1055am.
Some pools outside the Blue Lagoon complex. 1058am.
PK checking us in at reception. Note rental blue towel under her left arm.
Showers are required for all visitors. REQUIRED! You are UNCLEAN!
Post shower, pre-soak. 1122am.
Slim in the lagoon. c.1245pm.
PK wrapped up post bathing, pre-lunch. 104pm.
Slim wrapped up post bathing, pre-lunch.
Lunch: soup, hot dog, beer.
Sun behind a mountain and mist. 125pm.
The pools outside the front: not bathing pools. 130pm
Slim with mud mask. The water is full of skin purifying minerals, including silica. There are little buckets of the silica mud that one is invited to plaster on one's face, leaving one's skin supple and soft. Like mine after the mask. 200pm.
The relaxation room. 133pm.
The relaxation room. Sun streaming in. Slimmie soaking it up.
Peekie in the pool. 136pm.
PK rented a studio apartment on the main drag in Reykjavik for us called "A room with a view", Our windows looked out onto the street. Front hall.
Kitchen closet and table.
Living/bed room.
Jacuzzi tub and sun shower.
The rest of the loo.
Saturday night we had one of the greatest meals of our lives at a place called The Fish Market. We ate the tasting menu, sitting at a bar looking into the kitchen. If you look carefully, the chef is charring some Artic Char.
Cocktails: sake mojito for Slimmie and an green apple mojito for PK.
Chinese BBQ ribs.
The third course: smoked goose salad.
Fourth course: sushi.
The arcic char, pre-devouring.
The arctic char, during devouring.
The arctic char, post-devouring.
Salt cod, an Icelandic staple, served with a dark cherry sauce.
Reykjavikers go out on Friday and Saturday nights for a pub crawl known as the runtur. It's quite a drunken spectacle but without all the fuss one would expect (i.e., no fighting, puking, or other debauched unpleasantness). This is us enjoying some famous Reykjavik hot dogs, post-runtur. 219am.
Morning (yes, very late morning, we were eating hot dogs earlier that morning) light reveals a spectacular view.
Reykjavik's main shopping street right outside our door
Favorite spot found quickly
Off to the famouse Reykjavik weekend flea market where Slimmie bought a snack for the week - pickled fish.
Outside the flea market - what a view!
Slimmie snack of said fish on toast.
No time to relax; we are off on a tour of the "Golden Circle": Thingvellir, Geysir, and Gullfoss falls. Wait til you see the vehicle...
Views leaving Reykjavik
Our tour guide, Christian
Sunset in the interior of Iceland, 1.36pm.
Can't smile wide enough! 141pm.
The edge of the North American continent at Thingvellir National Park. 155pm.
Thingvallavatn Lake in Thingvellir Park, 1.56pm.
Thingvellir Park is the site of Iceland's first parliament and the longest continually meeting parliament in the world; it was started in 930ad! Thingvellir means "parliament fields": the nation would meet here each year and hear the laws read (from memory, by the law giver, for the first several hundred years). The orator would use the dramatic cliffs to amplify his voice. 159pm.
Icelandic horses. Short, stout, beautiful and hearty beasts. 214pm.
One of the hot springs in the Geysir (pronounced GAY-zeer) area. This is where the word geyser comes from: the original geyser was just up the hill from this spring. It's not very active these days, however. 310pm.
Slimmie standing in front of Stokkur geyser, pre blast. 314pm.
Geysir is up the hill behind PK here. 316pm.
Stokkur geyser just before blasting. 316 pm.
Stokkur geyser just after erupting. 319 pm
Another random hot spring. 323pm
Steaming earth behind Slim. 326pm
The Ford Excursion that drove us on the Golden Circle tour. With some, er, special "modifications." Note waist hire tires. There were only 4 of us on the tour: us and an Australian couple living in London. They were very cold all day. 328 pm.
PK attempting to climb back into the truck. 333pm.
Gullfoss falls: one of the scenic splendours of Iceland. It's a double falls, the first drops 11 meters, the second 24 meters. The second fall is into a giant crevasse. The canyon walls were covered in snow and then sheeted in ice from the abundant spray. 348pm.
Aforementioned misty crevasse. 354 pm
Attempt at an arm's length photo number 1. 356pm.
Attempt number 2. 357pm.
Different angle on the crevasse. 357pm.
Attempt number 3. 358pm
PK and the second drop. 358pm.
Slim and the first drop. 359pm.
Slim and the first drop again. Really not standing in the river... 401pm
One last photo from a viewing platform quite a ways up. 411pm.
A turf covered hut in Stokkseyri, on the coast. This was typical Icelandic accommodation for centuries. 610pm.
Our tour included a "lobster" dinner in Stokkseyri. Lobster is really langoustine in Iceland. No disappointment on our part though: deee-licious. Interestingly, of the 5 people on the tour (including the guide), only PK and Slim enjoyed the lobster. Aussies were vegetarians and Cristian was allergic to shellfish. Too bad for them..
View from our room on Monday morning. Snowing. 1113am.
PK in front of Perlan: the Pearl (presumably for the dome on the top). The building is actually a series of reservoir tanks for Reykjavik's hot water. One of the tanks, however, has been emptied and a great museum about the Icelandic Sagas lives in it now. There's a rotating restaurant on the top and a viewing platform as well. 1254pm.
View from Perlan's platform of downtown reykjavik and suburbs. A benign enough scene, that belies the 60 mph wind blowing frozen particles through brick walls. 1259pm.
Slim outside Perlan. 324pm.
PK at Tjornin, a lake in the center of Reykjavik. Mostly frozen at this time of year. 401pm.
Austurvollur square, downtown Reykjavik. More frozen precipitation. We warmed up in a cafe on the square, Cafe Paris, with a pot of coffee with kahlua and shared a savoury crepe. 410pm.
Monday night we ate a Tapas bar: with a distinctly Icelandic menu. Slim had the Christmas tasting menu which included this divine dish: pan-fried salt cod on a bed of pureed sweet potato.
Also at the Tapas bar: turkey with Spanish stuffing. Boo-yah!
Reindeer skewer at Tapas.
Happy PK post Tapas dinner.
Back at Tjornin on Tuesday afternoon: one end was kept open for the local ducks (mainly mallards and tufted ducks), whooper swans, and greylag geese. However, we saw this common eider there several days in a row. A real treat! 101pm.
Reykjavik City Hall is right on Tjornin (you can see it in the background). It features this huge 3D map of Iceland. 110pm.
Random houses above Tjornin on our way to the very excecllent National Museum. 119pm.
One of the perks of our apartment was use of this hot tub on the fourth floor deck. Note the giant steeple in the background: a Reykjavik land mark, the 75m tall Hallgrimskirkja. 902pm
Slim cooling off in the snow. 954pm.
Frozen/melty Slim shadow. 954pm.
Sushi!!! We decided to have an "at home night" - sushi, Night at the Museum and our sweet little Reykjavik apartment.
At home night abandoned. 20 minutes of 30's left for Slimmie - this calls for a drink!
Brennivin in fact, a local liquor made from caraway.
Happy Birthday Slimmie!
Slimmie's birthday morning - 3" of fresh snow.
Look at the clock, look at the position of the sun - 'nough said.
Pretty Reykjavik homes.
The prettiest graveyard we've every seen.
The best hot dog in Reykjavik which could be argured best hot dog in the world.
Reykjavik view.
Langoustine bisque - gorgeous.
After bisque.
Amazing dessert - chocolate soufle, chocolate cake, chocolate ice cream and chocolate mouse. You had me at choc-
More Happy Birthday Slimmie!!!
Cannot leave Iceland without making a snow angel.
Smorrebrod - a favourite discovery in Denmark.
Our home away from home - Room with a View hotel, very covert.
Goodbye view.
Lovely lobby.
Goodbye snow storm.
Farewell Viking.
Lovely Reykjavik airport.
Happy birthday boy
