A trip around Iceland on the ring road – Part 7
Reykjavík is the capital and largest city of Iceland. With a population of around 123,300, it’s got a nice size to discover it on foot, which is what we did during the last couple of days following our round trip of the ring road.
Reykjavík is believed to be the location of the first permanent settlement in Iceland, which is recorded to have taken place by AD 874. The city was founded in 1786 as an official trading town and grew steadily over the following decades, as it transformed into a regional and later national centre of commerce, population, and governmental activities. It is among the cleanest, greenest, and safest cities in the world.
Since we still had a couple of local delicacies to sample according to the bucket list which Mona makes sure to create before every trip, we headed to Islenski Barinn close to our small but cosy Airbnb. We started with a mixed platter with cured and dried fin whale, country sausage, lamb bacon, dung smoked guillemot (Common murre), various local cheeses, jams and pickles. The smoked guillemot (a cousin of the cute little puffins) was our least favourite of those. This sampler was followed by a main course of fish soup, which was very tasty but a bit too creamy and not sufficiently fishy for our liking.
From the friendly, German-speaking waiter we learnt that both The English Pub and Den Danske Kro featured live music every night, so that’s where we headed after a little wander to let the heavy food settle. It was a great night with good music and lots of beer, draining our wallets because yes, Iceland and especially alcohol in Iceland is VERY expensive (1200 – 1400 ISK for a pint of beer (approx. 10 EUR / 9 GBP)).
The next day of our foody tour of Reykjavik started with a walk to the harbour where we sampled the allegedly best hot dog in town at Bæjarins Beztu Pylsur. What can I say – it definitely hit the spot but I wouldn’t say it’s the place to be when it comes to food in Reykjavik. I mean, after all – it’s just a hot dog. We continued through the little streets with their colourful and comfy looking houses back into the city centre, past the city park Hljómskálagarður, featuring beautiful gardens and a lake, and ended up at my favourite food place in town, namely Icelandic Street Food.
This time, the fish soup was really tasty and full of fish and sea fruit, so much so that we had to refrain from taking advantage of the free refills. All waiters as well as the founder and owner of the place, Unnar, were incredibly friendly and we were thrilled when they pointed out that many of the deserts on the counter were free of charge – including little pieces of carrot cake and coconut macaroons.
And after a visit of Hallgrímskirkja, the largest church in Iceland which has been designed by State Architect Guðjón Samúelsson allegedly to resemble the trap rocks, mountains and glaciers of Iceland’s landscape, it was time to end our fantastic road trip through Iceland.
A shout out to the Icelanders
I think it’s fair to say that I have travelled quite a bit and I have been lucky to meet a lot of really nice and friendly people on my trips but I was nevertheless amazed by how polite and friendly people in Iceland were. When I landed and had to wait for my friends to pick up the rental car, the rental car company Procar offered that I could leave my luggage at their premises to explore the place rather than being stuck at the airport. Waiters and staff everywhere seemed utterly friendly, eager and helpful e.g. at the first campsite in Hellisholar, where the receptionist called her boss to find a way to accommodate us despite of the fact that the place was already fully booked. Then finally, our Airbnb host Haraldur, who let me stay beyond the checkout time in spite of having other people coming so I didn’t have to drag my heavy luggage around until it was time for me to get a bus to the airport. Thank you Iceland!
