As I write this post I am in the final 12 hours of my time in Iceland. Our last few days have been diverse and expensive. What the East part of the island offered in breathtaking landscapes and remoteness, it lacked a certain social element we desired. So, once again, we were back on the road at about 6 am and heading West.
Along the way we stopped at Jökulsárólon Lake which is filled with ice bergs that have broken off of Vatnajökull Glacier (the largest in Iceland). The ice slowly melts away until it is small enough to be carried out to sea.
Further on we stopped in Vik, the Southernmost city on the island which offers some stunning black sand beaches and basalt columns. The cliffs are densely populated with puffins that swirl about in the strong sea breeze.
Our day of driving concluded in the small town of Eyrarbakki. Located on the coast, it was hard to imagine that this was the leading trade center on the island a few centuries ago. Now it holds about 500 residents and the noisiest it was during our stay was when one of the houses across from the hostel was mowing her yard. The town has one bar, which is opened one day a month, and 2 restaurants, both with sporadic hours as well. There is also a prison on the outskirts of town that was very quiet each time we drove past. Apparently, in Iceland, if you are sentenced to a prison term and the prison is full at the time, you just carry on living your life until a spot opens up.
From Eyrarbakki we decided our trip would end in Reykjavik, the capitol. Iceland has a little over 300,000 residents, and 2/3 of them live in Reykjavik. At the city center there are dozens of shops, cafes, bars, and restaurants, but we had none of them in mind as we headed into town. Apparently, the best hot dogs in the world are in Reykjavik (seriously, google it. I'll wait...) so we HAD to give them a try. After waiting in line for about 20 minutes it was finally our moment of glory. I've never been great in these situations and often get overly excited, which I did and promptly ordered not one, not two, but three hot dogs. They were delicious! Best ever? I am still not sure.
Back at our hostel we met another traveler from Oregon and a girl from France. The four of us got along very well and decided to go out to see this famous bar scene we had read about in Reykjavik. The night life doesn't really find it's momentum until about 1 am and for some context, we started around 9. First we stopped in an English pub, then an Irish bar, then an American sports bar, and then a few others, each becoming more crowded than the last.
The night wore on and time seemed to have a mind of it's own. Soon the streets were crowded with locals, all looking their best. Although the sun had set, the sky was still glowing and the wind had picked up greatly. At the mercy of our bank accounts and the realization that I am not 23 anymore, we retired around 2 am. Getting old is tough.
This morning, Brian and I set out on the same streets as the previous night, this time looking for coffee. Although it was 9 am, the streets were mostly lifeless and most shops still weren't open. Iceland very much has the island mentality down pat. A chocolate croissant and large americano later and we were feeling much more energized and alert. The runaway locomotive of energy that had engulfed the streets only hours previous was only now starting to grind back into motion.
For the last time, we piled into our rented SUV and drove to the airport to return it. Brian and I said our goodbyes and he boarded his flight back to Portland while I caught a cab to my hostel in Keflavik.
Keflavik is rather unremarkable and has the feel of an Eastern European city to me. All of the buildings are concrete and mostly unfinished, the air is cold, and the people unhappy. I had read that you should only stay here if you have an early flight the next day, since it is near the airport. I am spending most of my time in my room, repacking, checking flight info, and writing this.
Tomorrow I will catch my 6 am flight and be in London in time for lunch.
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