Iceland. It’s been an eventful first day. This is a jaw-droppingly gorgeous country, full of jagged volcanic scapes, tall blonde rawboned locals, and crisp lagers. The air smells amazing and the tap water tastes great. What’s not to love? So far we haven’t found anything, except maybe the crazy high food prices. The lifestyle seems straight out of an IKEA cataloge (just replace the meatballs with lamb hotdogs).
It wouldn’t be an adventure without some mishaps, and we have already met one major one. In Iceland, one is required to keep their lights on while driving. However, as most folks know, the lights should be turned off when not driving - this small but important detail was missed while we went hiking in Park Heiðmörk. We were saved by a passerby, who taught us how to push-start our (fortunately) manual car!
Speaking of lamb hotdogs, who knew that was a thing? Or that it was such a delicious thing? There’s a small stand, named “Baejarins Beztu Pylsur,” which holds the title of “Best Hot Dogs in Reykjavik.” There has been a star-studded cast of visitors, including Bill Clinton, Anthony Bourdain, and Elvis. We were immensely satisfied with our order of two fully-loaded dogs, which included onions, fried onions, remoulade, and ketchup. This set us back 900 ISK (~$9).
Before our evening culinary excursions, we spent the day driving and exploring our way around Keflavik, Reykjavik, and points in between. The first stop was the Iceland Rock ‘n’ Roll Museum, which introduced us to acts such as Pall Oskar and Hjalmar, and also showcased bands such as Of Monsters and Men, and Sigur Ros. Of particular note was Pall Oskar’s collection of Pride costumes on display, sequins and all. We also found some cool street art in Reykjavik!
As we write this, we’re in the Bus Hostel, Reykjavik, listening to Dinosaur Jr., and nodding off in comfy chairs. Our bunk beds await!
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