Sunday, 19th August 2012
Reykjavik
I hadn’t planned to write anything today as I didn’t think I’d do much on my last morning, but I think I can eke out a small post.
I got up, had breakfast and finished packing. By this point I’d decided that I would have my final swim, the ninth consecutive swim of my holiday, so packed my swimming stuff and left my case and heavy camera bag for my host to collect for me.
I left the flat at around 9.30am. It was a beautifully clear morning so I could see the glacial mountain, towns, islands, mountains, etc, really clearly. I walked along the waterfront then to Laundromat café for a coffee. The restaurant is hip and trendy but welcoming, in part because of the huge number of books around, and there is also a funky laundromat there as well as a spectacular children’s play area, but the service was painfully slow (especially considering there were only about four tables occupied and there were at least four waiting staff around) and the cappuccino I had was too milky and the chocolate on top was very, very sweet hot chocolate. Disappointing start.
So I headed to Kaffitár, a chain that I think does decent coffee, and my coffee confidence was restored. I then headed back to the coast to continue the walk to Laugardalslaug, the biggest of the Reykjavik pools that I’d been to earlier in the week. The sea was calm, the scenery was clear and there was a ruddy great yacht anchored in the bay. I was obsessed with the yacht, it was so beautiful. I later discovered that it is a superyacht owned by Paul Allen (Microsoft co-founder, who – 2019 update – died in 2018) and can take two helicopters, two submarines, jet skiis … yeah, somewhat out of my league and comprehension.
I can increasingly see why not writing today would have been a good idea as there were no adventures or much more to report other than, “and then I went …”
I had a lovely swim and hot-tub soak, which again rendered me weak and feeble. Unsurprisingly, I walked back by the sea, ogled the yacht some more and made a bee line for the old harbour to get sushi, which I ate in the sun sitting on a rock looking across the harbour. I then, cleverly, hot footed it to Sandholt, the lovely bakery in town [UPDATE I now prefer Brauð & Co., a newer bakery which does amazing liquorice buns], and got provisions for my 5.50pm flight.
With a brief sit down in front of Hallgrímskirkja, the iconic Lutheran church atop Reykjavik, I walked to the bus station, BSI, and met Hordur and my bags before catching the bus to the airport.
The rest was even less eventful so I will end here.
In brief: I love Iceland, it has never disappointed me and it is a joy to visit. I also love that even when the weather is bleak there are things to do and enjoy and I can still be in awe of the scenery. But when the sky is blue and the sun is out, it is about 300 times better, stunning. But possibly most of all, I love that Iceland has, as ever, made me feel unbelievably relaxed and calm. Long may that last.