ICELAND!

We´ve safely arrived in Reykjavik, and so far everything has been wonderful! Our apartment, Room with a View, is lovely and Adam and I were quick to fill it up with some delicious food and Icelandic beer. There are a few things to note: everything is "Paprika" flavoured, which is actually red pepper. Apparently paprika is red pepper in Icelandic? The beer is also not as expensive as we thought it was going to be. It is actually cheaper here than it is in Canada. We are enjoying trying out different kinds, I have fallen in love with Viking, and Adam loves Thule.

The first day we went for lunch at a Scandinavian restaurant. I had the seafood salad, which was divine! It had fish, shrimp, caviar, and smoked salmon and it was all so fresh. Adam had the cod gratin, which was buttery and delicious too. I dont know if we are being rude or not, but I do not think you are supposed to tip here. We have been kinda sorta anyway--I just feel like a rude tourist otherwise.

In the afternoon we went for a walk. We walked to the water and saw the mountain across the gulf. It was beautiful! We walked around, bought me some walking shoes because I forgot mine at home (ugh. idiot.), bought groceries, and then took a nap at home. The time is 6 hours ahead here, so it took us awhile to get synchronized. We went in our hottub on the roof of the building, and Room with a View certainly deserves the name. It was gorgeous, and we had the whole landing to ourselves.

In the evening, we went to a Beatles themed bar called Ob la di ob la da. It had Beatles posters everywhere, and there were playing their music. It had an older crowd, but we quickly made friends with some locals who kept reminding us that they could be our parents. They were really sweet, and bought us a round of drinks and some champagne to toast us for getting married. They were very helpful and wrote down the names of some restaurants and pools "where the real locals go".

Today we had breakfast in the hotel, which actually takes place in the bookstore cafe next door. It was an awesome spread, and the coffee is great here. Icelanders take their coffee seriously--you always have several kinds of raw sugar to choose from, and you get a chocolate with every coffee. They also had shaved chocolate that you can sprinkle on top.
In the afternoon we bought our first Icelandic sweaters and Adam got a really awesome hat that I am going to make him share with me. It is all furry and warm. We walked down to the harbour and ate at the famed Icelandic Fish and Chips--an organic place with the best fish and chips you can imagine. You pick a fish, which is battered in spelt, and then a skyronnaise (Skyr is sort of like Icelandic yogurt, but it is so creamy and way better), then you pick a side. We both picked the garlic potatoes, which had fresh herbs and coarse salt. Amazing!

We walked around the pier afterwards, and took many pictures which I will post when I get home. WE LOVE OUR CAMERA, thanks Hickey kids! We had a coffee this afternoon from a shop that won #2 in the world barista championship. Yum! Tonight we are going to go in the hottub again, it is cold and chilly today, and the wind will feel so nice. We are going to go to Vormagot (sp?) a bar across the street from us. There are a ton of hipster bars in the area, so I am sure we will be out late.

Tomorrow we will probably go to a geothermal pool. I have been dying to go to one. It is also culture day, so we will be wandering around the city, exploring art galleries and shops. There is a Seabear concert we are planning to see. We love and miss you all!