Volcanoes, Hot Springs, Waterfalls, Black Sand Beaches, and Sunsets

Iceland is somewhat romantic and mysterious. The first time I traveled to the island, was four weeks earlier for my birthday, before continuing onto Wales for the Mens Roller Derby World Championship to compete for the gold, but that is a different story.

I ended up spending most of my time exploring the capital city of Reykjavík; and after having an exceptional experience on my pioneer voyage, I was glad to end my travels with a second trip to the Nordic country.

Meeting up with Jeri, warmed the experience to an even greater degree.

Monday, October 30

Jeri picked me up from the airport a little after 4:00pm and we headed into Reykjavík for accommodations and food. She had landed early on Sunday morning, after leaving at 3:30pm the previous day and had yet to to see Hallgrímskirkja when I arrived, so we decided to visit the magnificent Lutheran church.

The regional icon stands atop a hill in the center of Reykjavík and beacons over the city as a guide through her drifting streets.

*Starting off on a good foot with a stop at Hallgrímskirkja.*

The first go-round, I only viewed the chapel from the outside, but this time we went inside as the doors were open for a lithography exhibition. The interior volume was grand, but not overwhelming, and after strolling around the display of hand-crafted lithograph images, I turned around back-toward the door we came in and was astonished at the organ that presided over the entrance!

*The organ was made by the German organ builder, Johannes Klais of Bonn, and finished in December 1992.*

After gazing at the heavenly shrine, it wasn't long until the sounds of our grumbling stomachs filled the air, like Icelandic trolls rolling boulders down the hillside; so we decided to pop over to Café Lokí and peruse the menu (I had watched an ad for the café on the flight over, which mentioned that it is known for traditional Icelandic foods).

The menu . . . didn't quite appeal to . . . our level of hunger, so we ventured into the city in search of a more agreeable selection.

Sæta Svíniað was the spot! We enjoyed a delicious flight of Icelandic beers, savory bacon wrapped dates, and oh-so-tender beef skewers; a truly welcoming meal, and the very best company. After reuniting, catching a buzz and with full bellies, we departed on the venture to our lodging for the evening.

Jeri had reserved a room for us at the swanky Apartment K, just down from the restaurant. The neighborhood surrounding the apartment was filled with activity, but yet the reserved little street that accessed the front of the building, and the intricate courtyard that accessed the rear entrance, made it feel very intimate. I would most definitely stay here again.

We finished up the evening with a hot shower, and a frozen pizza debacle. We were both exhausted and had very rough plans of what we were going to do on our adventures, so we found the pillows quickly and slept like babies in the cozy apartment.

What we had solidly was: accommodations for three nights and a car (we opted for the 4x4, but ended up not needing it). Rough plans for adventures had been discussed, but in the end we decided to play it by ear for a lot of the time.