First of all, RIP Robin Williams. It makes me really sad to think that the funny man took his own life, kind of a joke in itself.
On a sadder, more personal note, my grandmother-in-law passed today. While I was not close to her, she was kind to me the few times I met her. She lived a long full life with many children and grandchildren around her. My heart is filled with sorrow today. It's been hard trying to keep spirits up, but I made a promise to myself a while ago to always try to be positive and upbeat. RIP, farmor. I know you are in a better place.
Today was our last day of driving. Thank goodness. I've about had it with being in the car and living out of a suitcase pretty much everyday. We did not have too much planned, so we started late and had another relaxed day.
First to Kerið, which is a tiny pretty volcano crater lake. The aquamarine coloured water was pretty. We had to pay an entry fee of 350ISK each to get in. One can walk around rim of the caldera, and/or down a path and around the water.
Next stop was to this little town called Stokkseyri. A friend said she heard good things about a lobster restaurant, Fjöruborðið, and since we decided to eat proper meals, this is where we went. I loved the lobster soup at this place, albeit a tad salty. The lobster tails were of inconsistent quality, some of the meat was nice and crunchy, and some were mushy. I had more nice and crunchy lobster compared to the previous place a few days ago (see this post), but I preferred the other sauce a little more, so overall I would say it was similar. We ended the meal with a chocolate cake which was super rich.
Stokkseyri was supposed to have "breathtaking views with canals, islands and endless unique lagoons to explore" (thanks Iceland travel website) but we found it really fishy smelling and not particularly scenic.
Next to Stokkseyri was a town called Eyrarbakki which was supposed to have the oldest preserved timber dwelling house and a historic alter piece. Did not find the former, and was too lazy to enter the latter. I think I was just over it.
Last stop on the trip was the Blue Lagoon, or Bláa Lónið in Icelandic. The entrance fee is a bit cheaper if you book in advance, but we booked at the door and it was 6,200ISK/person. There is a discount if you book in advance online, and also if you go after 6pm, but we did neither. We brought our own towels so we did not have to rent. We changed in the changing rooms and then headed out into the lagoon, which was a pretty blue cloudy colour (no negative connotation intended). The water was not as warm as I was hoping - the website said 37-39 degrees celsius - but still comfortable. There were a few mud receptables where one could give oneself a mud bath, and I gave myself a face mud mask. A Belgian commented on how my face was very white, and we had a conversation in French, and I was very proud of myself! Here is the photo I took, looks like it could be some stock photo for advertising this place.
Hog just sent me this photo with the mud mask! How nice! She has a GoPro with a waterproof case so that was helpful!
Our final hotel for the trip was Hilton Reykjavik Nordica. The hotel was not in central Reykjavik, but we thought we would have had enough of hanging out in town so it did not matter as much. It is a very large hotel, nice to finally have normal bath amenities instead of just one liquid for shampoo and soap.
For dinner, we tried going to the sushi/fish place we went to before, Fish Market, but were told the wait would be an hour to an hour and a half. Hog had found another place she was interested in, Tapas Barinn, so we headed there instead. The food ended up being super delicious and I did not overeat so I was very pleased and proud of myself. Hog got our first alcoholic beverage of the trip, a super yummy passionfruit sangria. Had I not been so tired, I would have gotten one myself. I especially enjoyed the Icelandic arctic char. It is such a simple dish when done well, but to do it well is such a difficult task. We also got the grilled lamb which I loved (I used to not like lamb, but I think I will soon be at a point when I can actually order my own lamb dish!! Progress!!), scallops (those tomatoes were unbelievable), paella and a chocolate cake (supposedly best in the world, it was indeed quite good).
Well, I'm pooped. I will be happy not to plan anything for the next few days and be taken around and I am very much looking forward to that.
Mileage: About 218.2km
On a sadder, more personal note, my grandmother-in-law passed today. While I was not close to her, she was kind to me the few times I met her. She lived a long full life with many children and grandchildren around her. My heart is filled with sorrow today. It's been hard trying to keep spirits up, but I made a promise to myself a while ago to always try to be positive and upbeat. RIP, farmor. I know you are in a better place.
Today was our last day of driving. Thank goodness. I've about had it with being in the car and living out of a suitcase pretty much everyday. We did not have too much planned, so we started late and had another relaxed day.
First to Kerið, which is a tiny pretty volcano crater lake. The aquamarine coloured water was pretty. We had to pay an entry fee of 350ISK each to get in. One can walk around rim of the caldera, and/or down a path and around the water.
Next stop was to this little town called Stokkseyri. A friend said she heard good things about a lobster restaurant, Fjöruborðið, and since we decided to eat proper meals, this is where we went. I loved the lobster soup at this place, albeit a tad salty. The lobster tails were of inconsistent quality, some of the meat was nice and crunchy, and some were mushy. I had more nice and crunchy lobster compared to the previous place a few days ago (see this post), but I preferred the other sauce a little more, so overall I would say it was similar. We ended the meal with a chocolate cake which was super rich.
Stokkseyri was supposed to have "breathtaking views with canals, islands and endless unique lagoons to explore" (thanks Iceland travel website) but we found it really fishy smelling and not particularly scenic.
Next to Stokkseyri was a town called Eyrarbakki which was supposed to have the oldest preserved timber dwelling house and a historic alter piece. Did not find the former, and was too lazy to enter the latter. I think I was just over it.
Last stop on the trip was the Blue Lagoon, or Bláa Lónið in Icelandic. The entrance fee is a bit cheaper if you book in advance, but we booked at the door and it was 6,200ISK/person. There is a discount if you book in advance online, and also if you go after 6pm, but we did neither. We brought our own towels so we did not have to rent. We changed in the changing rooms and then headed out into the lagoon, which was a pretty blue cloudy colour (no negative connotation intended). The water was not as warm as I was hoping - the website said 37-39 degrees celsius - but still comfortable. There were a few mud receptables where one could give oneself a mud bath, and I gave myself a face mud mask. A Belgian commented on how my face was very white, and we had a conversation in French, and I was very proud of myself! Here is the photo I took, looks like it could be some stock photo for advertising this place.
Hog just sent me this photo with the mud mask! How nice! She has a GoPro with a waterproof case so that was helpful!
Our final hotel for the trip was Hilton Reykjavik Nordica. The hotel was not in central Reykjavik, but we thought we would have had enough of hanging out in town so it did not matter as much. It is a very large hotel, nice to finally have normal bath amenities instead of just one liquid for shampoo and soap.
For dinner, we tried going to the sushi/fish place we went to before, Fish Market, but were told the wait would be an hour to an hour and a half. Hog had found another place she was interested in, Tapas Barinn, so we headed there instead. The food ended up being super delicious and I did not overeat so I was very pleased and proud of myself. Hog got our first alcoholic beverage of the trip, a super yummy passionfruit sangria. Had I not been so tired, I would have gotten one myself. I especially enjoyed the Icelandic arctic char. It is such a simple dish when done well, but to do it well is such a difficult task. We also got the grilled lamb which I loved (I used to not like lamb, but I think I will soon be at a point when I can actually order my own lamb dish!! Progress!!), scallops (those tomatoes were unbelievable), paella and a chocolate cake (supposedly best in the world, it was indeed quite good).
Well, I'm pooped. I will be happy not to plan anything for the next few days and be taken around and I am very much looking forward to that.
Mileage: About 218.2km
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