Night Owl's Garden

One of the wonderful things about checked luggage is the ability to bring random things on a trip. My Frodo doll = A very random thing! We’ve taken Frodo to a few places, but when we travel on planes, we often fly with carry-on luggage only so Frodo usually doesn’t make the cut. Fortunately, he could join us on our trip to Iceland. He had the time of his life!

We didn’t take as many photos of Frodo as we wanted. You can tell we took fewer and fewer photos as we continued on the Ring Road. We found ourselves swept up in the beauty of the Iceland, living in the moment and forgetting to grab Frodo. Still, we got several great photos, and we would travel with him again…he didn’t eat much!

Overnight, I tossed and turned and turned and tossed. At one point, I woke up and thought I saw Samara from The Ring in the corner. That was some terrifying shit! There’s nothing like seeing a long-haired ghoul in the corner of your hotel room to get your heart racing. I turned on the light and found our coats hanging on the coat rack.

Once we did get up and moving for the day, we headed downstairs for our hotel’s buffet breakfast. The spread covered everything: danishes, assorted breads, charcuterie, lox, eggs, bacon, casseroles, yogurt, fruit, and cereals. The breakfast crowd all around us chatted about their plans for the day while we enjoyed a leisurely breakfast, fully recognizing that we were at the end of our adventure.

I have to admit I was wrecked. We failed to bake in some relax/recharge days into our itinerary, and I was feeling it. My mind had already turned toward home, and I was yearning for familiar surroundings.

Trying to shake off my desire to crash, we took off on foot to explore the city. Although Reykjavík is Iceland’s largest city, it feels like a smaller, pedestrian-friendly town. It is easy to get from place to place without a car or taxi.

For the novelty of it all, we went to the penis museum…um, The Icelandic Phallological Museum. Their website is simply phallus.is. The museum contains some penis art, but it focuses on actual penises in jars. I cannot remember the latest count, but the museum features over 300 penises from various animals. Sad penises of all shapes and sizes surrounded me, but giggling cut through the sadness as we could hear people making jokes, and I will admit that I chuckled several times myself! It only took about an hour to wander through the exhibits. We found all sorts of hilarious items in the gift shop, including Iceland’s “Enjoy Our Nature” condoms. Here’s an example of one.

Next up, we visited the Saga Museum. The Icelandic Sagas serve as the foundation stories for sights throughout Iceland. According to the Iceland Travel website, “The Icelandic sagas, also known as Sagas of the Icelanders, were written in the 13th and 14th century. These proses are narratives based on historical events that took place in the 9th, 10th and 11th century.” I wish we had read up on the Sagas before traveling to Iceland just so that we’d have that context, but we enjoyed ourselves nevertheless and learned about the various stories from information boards throughout the country. At the Saga Museum, we strolled through dioramas depicting scenes from the Sagas. The figures look alive!

After our Saga Museum outing, we walked across the street to Flatey Pizza. We ordered the Tartufo pizza which “white pizza with fresh mozzarella, ricotta, mushrooms, Icelandic potatoes, trufe oil, sea salt and basil” (their menu). I don’t think I have ever had potatoes on a pizza. That’s some serious carb-on-carb action! Damn, it was so good!

After lunch, we decided to go back to our hotel to rest and regroup. Travel fatigue! Along the way we took some pictures beside the water.

After a brief rest, we muscled up the strength to keep going. Though we would have liked to visit more museums, we both agreed we wanted to walk the streets and see what we could see. I had two missions we needed to accomplish: rye bread ice cream and The Lebowsky Bar!

From our hotel we wandered the streets until we reached Hallgrímskirkja, Reykjavík’s Lutheran church and also the largest church in Iceland. The impressive church aligns with a statue of Viking Leifur Eiríksson (Leif Erikson). A white hearse backed up to the front of the church so we avoided inquiring about tours.

We turned to see Kaffi Loki across the street. You can try the notorious fermented shark at this cafe, which is something the locals do not bother eating but tourists love to dare each other to eat. It is also the place to go for rye bread ice cream. Does rye bread ice cream sound disgusting? Well, it’s not…by a long shot! I have been wanting to recreate it since we ate it, and I don’t think it would be hard. Basically, crumbled rye bread mixed with brown sugar, cinnamon, butter, etc folded into vanilla ice cream. I need to try this recipe. That day we each enjoyed a cafe latte and a cup of rye bread ice cream.

Warmed and fueled by our lattes, we walked down Rainbow Street to Laugavegur, Reykjavík’s main retail steet. Along the way, we saw a couple wearing our exact REI rain jackets. Graham even accidentally talked to the woman, thinking it was me. Laugavegur = Tourist Trap! After being out there so far into Iceland where we felt like we were two of only a handful of tourists, we slammed directly into hoards of tourists on Laugavegur. Every other shop carried the same knick-knacks. Icewear appeared on every corner. Here and there we found shops with handmade items, including some decent woolen goods. I purchased a handmade, felted wool Jólakötturinn (Yule Cat) Christmas Ornament.

Speaking of cats, we discovered that Icelandic folks worship cats. Cats are EVERYWHERE! Shop owners welcome cats into their stores. Cat-themed street art, restaurants, gifts, clothing, cafes, and even sex toys!

After we got our fill of the shops, we popped into Lebowski Bar. Named after The Big Lebowski, this place caters to tourists. Normally, we shy aware from tourist attractions, but we just had to check out this place. Of course, they have a whole menu devoted to different kinds of White Russians. I don’t remember which White Russian I ordered, but it tasted like a milkshake, cost about $25 USD, and was totally worth it!

We returned to our hotel room to figure out where we would eat dinner. Along the way, we walked past a place named “Monkeys.” It looked very fancy, but I did not remember it being among the most-recommended in my research. We noticed that our hotel had an interesting art installation on top of one of its buildings, involving a waterfall made of hanging colored tiles (maybe made of metal) that looks like it is moving when the wind blows and that waterfall decor appears on the floors below as well.

We tried to make reservations at several places, and everything was booked up for the night. I guess Thursdays are often part of long weekends or long layovers for tourists. Graham asked about the “Monkey Place” again. I looked at the menu, and despite the lack of prices listed, I figured it would be okay. It had decent reviews. We made a reservation and went there.

Monkeys is a Japanese-Peruvian fusion restaurant. It had only been open two or three years (I think) when we went there. Walking into the restaurant is like walking into the jungle. Exotic plastic plants cover the ceiling, and the furniture and wall coverings have a whimsical 1920s flair. This might sound like tacky decorations, but it actually worked. If the lightning were not perfect, it could have looked like they raided a Michael’s store during a sale.

I ordered a spicy margarita cocktail. It arrived in a small glass with mostly ice and a price tag of about $25 USD. Compared to the giant cocktail at Lebowski Bar, this was a thimbleful of alcohol. A lot of craft cocktail venues have smaller drinks, and this one tasted mighty fine. Still, it was expensive. I should have known then what this meal would be.

We ordered some appetizers. Again, small portions for the price tags. I selected an over-priced glass of wine for my entree. We ordered what we thought were entrees. I got a tempura prawn dish, and Graham got a scallop dish. When my dish arrived, I thought it was a joke. The black bowl was cavernous with five tiny prawns the size of popcorn shrimp at the bottom. They gave me huge chopsticks for this entree. I felt like tweezers would have been more appropriate. Graham’s scallops were the same way, a tiny cluster of scallops in a giant bowl. I regret not taking pictures of these dishes. I could not believe my eyes! The food was excellent but not exceptional and not the best we’d ever had. Usually portion size does not even register for me as I typically prefer smaller plates, but this was insane! Prices usually don’t bother me either, but I could not believe how high these tiny meals cost. At this point, we had already spent about $200 USD, maybe more.

I thought for sure there were hidden cameras somewhere. This couldn’t be real! I looked around me at all these people tossing their heads back laughing and acting like they were eating the best food of their lives. Surreal! Then, the server came by and asked what we wanted next. Then I realized it’s a tapas restaurant! We’re supposed to eat more! I watched people getting plate after plate of these microscopic meals on giant dishes, and I started laughing. I told Graham I needed to get a hot dog on the way home. What the hell?! We cut our losses. We settled up and left, trying not to burst out laughing.

On the way back to our hotel, we contemplated getting hot dogs but decided we’d wait a bit and see how we felt. We’d had a full day of food. We weren’t starving, but our bank account sure was! Monkeys encapsulated all the stories you hear about how expensive Iceland is. Yes, Iceland is one of the most-expensive countries in the world (behind Switzerland and Norway), and I think Monkeys was trying to be the most-expensive restaurant. If you serve someone 5 tiny prawns for $35 USD, you’re bound to get a reputation.

Back at our room, we laughed and laughed and laughed. We could not get over the absudity of our dining experience. Maybe the giddiness of exhaustion had kicked in. Maybe we were just ready to be home.

Graham plunked down in the chair at the desk under the window in our room. We gathered all our receipts and wrote out the totals. We went through everything to figure out which items had Value-Added Tax (VAT) added to their totals. This tax is paid by Icelandic citizens but not U.S. citizens, and we had to complete paperwork to request a refund for VAT we paid. Graham started writing with dramatic flourish as though he had a quill pen, saying “Fare thee well, Iceland.”

After Graham completed his work, we decided against hot dogs and settled in for our last night of sleep in Iceland. We had our hotel arrange for taxi transportation to the airport the following morning. We had already packed everything except essentials. We were ready to go home.

The following morning our taxi driver met us in the lobby. We enjoyed talking with our driver on the way to the airport. He told us all about how the number of incoming flights increases dramatically every time a volcano erupts.

At the Keflavík airport, we met deep lines at the check-in counter. Airport security questioned us separately while standing in line and then again at the gate. We had never been through such thorough security protocols. Right before boarding, a security officer came through and did a final check on our tickets.

We enjoyed our flight home. We even enjoyed our layover in Chicago where we ate at the same Italian restaurant as we did before we left. Our kitties greeted us when we walked in the door, and several of them snuggled with us through the night. We were home again, but Iceland gave us another place to dream about revisiting, and we will one day.

After a whooping good time the previous night courtesy of the whooper swans, we decided to cram in one more natural attraction before returning our camper van. In the flurry of activity on the day we toured the Golden Circle, we missed Kerid Crater. Technically, the crater is not part of the Golden Circle, but many tours include it as an additional perk.

We pulled into a red gravel and dirt parking lot where we saw other camper vans. We had been slowly returning to more populated tourist areas since we left the Snæfellsnes
Peninsula, and this location near the Golden Circle definitely brings in the visitors. Kerid Crater is on private property, and unlike all the sights we’d seen so far, we paid a small entry fee. Graham took this opportunity to use some of the cash he took out at the airport. Iceland is a virtually cashless country, and the Kerid Crater attendant was not expecting to handle cash. Oh well, we were happy to pass it along! We prefer a cashless lifestyle as well!

At Kerid Crater, you hike up the side of the crater, walk around the top, hike down to the lake, and then walk around the lake. It is a nice little workout, and we enjoyed taking in the views. Like everything else in Iceland, it is hard to imagine the scale just from photos.

We hiked down into the crater. The owners of Kerid Crater do a good job of maintaining the trails, stairs, and platforms.

After checking out Kerid Crater, we searched for a proper lunch. I had hoped to go to the famous tomato restaurant and greenhouse, Friðheimar, but it was all booked-up. Lots of Golden Circle tour companies include a stop at Friðheimar so it was not surprising they had no availability. We ended up at Þrastalundur. It is a beautiful restaurant! Their specialty is pizza, but Graham ended up getting seafood soup with rye bread and onion rings. I got the fish and chips and regretted it. The dish was fine. I just realized that I was so done with fish! Iceland serves up some of the freshest fish in the world, and I more than ate my fill, but you just have to know when to throw in the towel. My palate was ready to explore Reykjavík, and all its wonders!

As we walked to the parking lot after lunch, we noticed the thickening clouds. We hopped in the camper van and set our navigation to our hotel in Reykjavík, Canopy by Hilton Reykjavik City Centre.

We planned to request early check-in or luggage storage so that we could unload our camper van before returning it to Happy Campers. Our plan worked beautifully! The hotel desk clerk not only allowed us to check-in early, but we got to pick what floor we wanted. We asked for the most privacy and a good view. They put us on the fifth floor (top floor) with excellent views.

With a fifth floor location, we did have to navigate a slanted ceiling on one side of the room. Unfortunately, Graham hit his head twice! It is amazing how your body automatically expects certain dimensions in a room. We are not slanted ceiling people!

Our hotel room also featured heated bathroom floors. We are heated bathroom floor people!

After dropping off our luggage, we headed to Happy Campers near Keflavík. Along the way, I saw a sign for Taco Bell and KFC.

From Happy Campers, we tried to catch a bus to return to Reykjavík, but we went to the wrong bus stop. We returned to Happy Campers and caught a ride to the airport where we had more options. At the airport, we took a packed bus to Reykjavík. We listened to the new arrivals talking about their planned adventures and felt like seasoned travelers.

Once in Reykjavík, we had a bit of a hike to get back to our hotel, but we did not mind at all. We enjoyed our first encounters with the city.

Back at our hotel, we looked up restaurants. In my research, I discovered Himalayan Spice, a well-reviewed Nepalese restaurant. We both wanted a cuisine change, and something spicy fit the bill. I booked a reservation online and off we went!

Cozy! Warming! Even romantic! Himalayan Spice brought it all. The dark restaurant and candlelit table for two made our first night out in Reykjavík even more special. We ordered momo for an appetizer and curries for entrees. Everything tasted like heaven!

During dinner, we overheard some loud Americans seated a couple of tables away. The noise seemed out of place given the restaurant’s atmosphere, but I am sure they were having fun. We had been so far out there in the country that more than a few people seemed like a crowd and any noise amplified as something louder. That night we’d hear all the whooping and hollering of people, instead of swans! The bars in Reykjavík do not close until very late, anywhere from 2 a.m. until 5 a.m.

As we settled down to sleep, our thoughts turned more and more toward home. Part of me wanted to be home in bed with our kitties with no place to be and nothing to do. I looked at photos of our kitties on my phone that Mom sent me a few days prior. I think they’re ready for us to come home too!

We started out on the eleventh day of our trip with cloudy skies, but as we drove off Snæfellsnes Peninsula, the clouds parted. We embarked on our last full day on the Ring Road, encouraged by good weather. We allowed our Happy Campers app to make suggestions and let the day unfold.

As we exited the peninsula, we stopped at Brákarsund. According to the Iceland Road Guide website, “Brákarsund, (‘Brák’s channel’) between the town and the island Brákarey (‘Brák’s island’), both named for Brák, a slave of Skalla­grímur’s. Fleeing her master’s anger, she tried to swim out to the island but he threw a boulder which hit her between the shoulders and killed her.” Violence drenches Iceland’s stories. If there is a marker at a place, the chances are high that someone killed somebody else there, mother nature killed somebody there, or somebody killed themselves there.

We stopped for lunch at a place called Hverinn Restaurant & Campground in Kleppjárnsreykir outside of Reykholt. What an interesting place! In addition to an apartment and bedrooms for rent, they offer greenhouses where people can set up their tents inside the greenhouses. We settled in for lunch, and we both ordered fish and chips. I drank the Stedji Northern Lights beer, which is a licorice dunkel. The decor of the restaurant even included a creepy doll.

After lunch, we drove to view a pair of waterfalls. What? More Waterfalls? Well, it is Iceland, and despite the fact that we’ve seen probably hundreds of waterfalls in Iceland (yes, hundreds!…several named waterfalls but so many random waterfalls out of every cliff in sight), each one feels fresh and exciting. Hraunfossar and Barnafoss provided a whole new twist on the waterfall theme.

Hraunfossar isn’t just one waterfall. It is a collection of waterfalls spilling out of a lava field. We had never seen anything remotely like it, and we watched the water gushing out of the lava field for a long time. We also experienced the full splendor of Icelandic fall color. It was breathtaking!

Then we hiked up to Barnafoss. Of course, somebody died there. Actually two children died there, and Barnafoss means “Children’s Falls.” Check out Guide to Iceland for the full story.

We decided to stay at Akranes campground by the ocean. This would be our last night in the camper van. As we drove toward the campground, the rain returned.

We pulled into the puddle…I mean campground. Ugh! Puddles, puddles, everywhere! The dreary, gloomy feeling settled in. Graham went to the main building to inquire about check-in while I surfed Airbnb for other options.

When Graham got back to the camper van, he reported that the campground person was not there yet so we’d have to wait to check-in. I reported that I had located the perfect Airbnb for the night, a guest house in Akranes. We looked at each other. We knew what we wanted. Graham immediately booked it! We drove straight to the rental.

Our host Kathrin told us she had just received the cancellation from previous renters just a few hours before we booked the rental. She said the people who had originally rented the guest house miscalculated how much time they needed on the Ring Road. We lucked into a fantastic place for the night!

When we arrived, Kathrin greeted us and showed us around the property. She and her husband Klaus lived in the main house, and we’d be staying in the guest house next door. Both homes overlook Lake Eiðisvatn. A huge bevy of whooper swans floated around the lake. They’re called whooper swans for a reason because they did not stop whooping!

We took a moment to take in our surroundings. I used that moment to lounge on the couch!

We carried our suitcases into the guest house and re-sorted our belongings for our stay in Reykjavík the next two nights. We shuffled everything we wouldn’t be using into our large suitcase, and everything else went into our smaller suitcase and backpacks. Normally, we prefer to travel with minimal luggage, but given the need for layers, fleece, coats, and boots as well as our intentions of purchasing wool sweaters and other woolen goods, we decided that we needed to have two checked suitcases. We could have traveled with less clothing, and we might have trimmed it all down to one check suitcase, but I’m glad we had options.

After organizing everything in our luggage, we went back out to the camper van to clean it up before returning it to Happy Campers the next day. Klaus came out to visit with us. He had never viewed the interior of a camper van rental. We showed him where everything was located inside as well as how the bench seat folds down into a bed. He appreciated the intelligent use of space, and we did too. I cannot recommend Happy Campers enough!

We finally finished off the pasta we purchased on the first day in the camper van! We still had an unopened jar of pasta sauce, but fortunately, Happy Campers lets you leave unused food for other campers. I demolished the last of my box wine.

As we tried to fall asleep, we realized how much we prefer the sound of fans, air-conditioners, rain, oceans, and babbling brooks over whooper swans. Those swans whooped all night long! It must have been a wild party!

After a solid night’s sleep, we took off for the Snæfellsnes Peninsula. We made sure the pacing of our Ring Road adventure could include this side trip, which many people consider Iceland in miniature. The Snæfellsnes Peninsula includes the most-photographed location in Iceland, Kirkjufell and Kirkjufellsfoss.

Our Happy Campers guide took us south to the bottom of the peninsula and then took us north to Stykkishólmur. We thought we knew better. We were wrong! We thought a more direct road would be the better option. Instead, we encountered a very long gravel road filled with potholes, regret, and sadness. Yes, regret and sadness. This road was beyond awful, and it was still under construction. We kept thinking it would get better as we moved forward. It did not. We regretted starting down this way, and with the gloomy, rainy weather, I felt sad. We experienced amazingly good luck on our trip so far, and I should have expected hiccups along the way, but this just felt hard. I am sure the rough jostling of our camper van did not help. Of course, we just started the tenth day of our trip, and travel fatigue is real!

We arrived in Stykkishólmur to better weather and hungry bellies. Our camper van survived the terrible road, and we were thrilled to get out and walk around town before lunch. We parked at the marina, which seemed to be a good central location.

Across from the marina, we could see an interesting rock structure with a lighthouse on top of it. We then discovered that it is more than a rock structure; it’s an island! Súgandisey Island houses Stykkishólmur’s lighthouse and offers picnic areas and hiking trails.

After our hike to the lighthouse, we walked into town in search of lunch. With it being a Monday, we knew our options would be slim, but we found Narfeyrarstofa. We were not disappointed! Graham ordered the scallops, and I got a fish sandwich. My choice might not sound that interesting, but I wanted something simple and lunch-ish. That was one of the best fish sandwiches of my life! I also got a beer that wasn’t Gull or another lager. I think it was the Einstök toasted porter. Graham thoroughly enjoyed the scallops.

After lunch, we drove along the peninsula to Kirkjufell and Kirkjufellsfoss. It rained. So much rain! Oh, and fog! So much fog! We pulled into the parking lot to capture the most-photographed location in Iceland. The unusual shape of Kirkjufell mountain in proximity to the waterfall, Kirkjufellsfoss, gives the scene an other-worldly vibe. Even our Rick Steves guidebook features this mountain and waterfall. Game of Thrones contains scenes with the mountain. Kirkjufell is a big deal in the world of photography. Unfortunately for us, the fog dampened our view of the mountain, and with the rain, we could not be bothered to walk over to the waterfall. Although we expected rain and wind and more rain and more wind during our trip, and we definitely packed (and wore) the wardrobe for it, we were already over it.

Skarðsvík Golden Beach sits at the tip of the Snæfellsnes Peninsula. After seeing so many black sand beaches, we both thought it felt weird to see a golden beach, which is typical throughout most of the U.S. Rain and wind followed us down to the beach, but the rain did lift for a few minutes as we walked along the shore.

After our beach adventure, I nearly got blown off the side of a volcano! I ain’t lying! You read that correctly. At Saxhóll Crater, we climbed metal stairs…many, many metal stairs to get to the top of the crater. The fierce wind and rain pummeled us. There were no handrails! I had to stop periodically and ground myself carefully to avoid blowing over. I have laughed about this adventure many times since then with “Oh, I almost blew off the side of a volcano” or “Hey, remember that time I almost blew off the side of a volcano,” but in the moment, I was concerned I wouldn’t make it back down to the parking lot. Scary!

Again, we were done with the rain and the wind, and our Saxhóll Crater adventure heightened our awareness of how done we were. We checked our Happy Campers app for campsite options. Most of the campsites in our direct area were closed. We could have backtracked to the Arnarstapi campground, but the listing said it was open “until September” so we were thinking it was likely closed, and again, we were done. I got gloomy feelings thinking about being cooped up in the camper van in the rain all night, walking to the bathrooms in the rain, etc. Instead of looking for more campground options, I popped open the Airbnb app and found a cottage at Miðhraun – Lava Resort. We booked it immediately and drove straight there.

What a delight!!! Our cottage at Miðhraun provided a perfect, dry place to escape the dreary weather and refresh. When we checked-in, the host told us their restaurant was closed but their bar was open! Yay!!! The host also pointed out the saltwater and algae geothermal bath. What?! A geothermal bath!!! Iceland once again surprised us.

We unloaded our bags into the cottage, hit the showers, put on our bathing suits and robes (yes, they provided fluffy robes in the cottage), and headed to the geothermal bath. I strolled into the bar…in my robe and ordered an Aperol spritz in a plastic glass to carry into the bath. The large, hexagonal, stone pool greeted us and us alone. The pool could have comfortably fit ten to fifteen people, but it was just the two of us, and it was glorious! After a rainy, windy day, we never imagined we’d be enjoying a light drizzle in a geothermal bath before dinner. Heavenly!

Back at the cottage, we showered again and started dinner. Once again, pasta was on the menu, and that was just fine! We ate at the little table in the kitchen and talked about the days ahead.

Our cottage offered everything we needed, and we loved its clean Scandanavian decor. It also felt like we were living in an IKEA, which I found oddly soothing! As someone who grew up with lots of stuff and clutter, richly-colored fabrics and walls, and mismatched wood furniture, I vibed with the Scandanavian clean sense of design. Everything made sense. Everything looked neat and tidy. Despite the reputation of white walls and furniture as being cold, I found them warming. If I had to start all over with nothing, I might consider decorating my home just like this.

We drifted off to sleep listening to the winding brook outside our window. Sweet bliss!