Day 2: Reykjavik

Today we put on our fanny packs, carried big maps, were sure to always have a guide book on hand, and threw on our "I heart Reykjavik" t-shirts. Not really, but we were definitely tourists.

Our guide book insisted we start our day with "the city's best coffee" (it was great for the coffee drinker in the crowd). Then, a must for Reykjavik tourists, a city bike tour. Since we are touring the countryside by bike, we thought it only fitting to tour the city by bike. Conveniently, at the exorbitant rental cost of bikes for the next two weeks, Stefan threw the city tour in for free. It was a great simple ride around the center of town. It's easy to see quite a lot in not a lot of time (2.5 hours) or distance (~5 miles) in the capital of such a small country. We got an insider's view/perspective/knowledge of the city's history; we visited/saw all of the important buildings, like the University, Gov't buildings (we strolled right into the back garden of the unguarded Parliament), and Bjork's house (we spotted a blond woman inside - poor Bjork probably gets that a lot); visited some quiet, hidden gems right in the middle of the city (it's impressively green); and Stefan pointed out all of the popular modern day spots, like the restaurant serving the "best lobster soup in the world" (it was great for the lobster soup eater in the crowd).

Our favorite stops on the tour were seeing the oldest house in Reykjavik, Bill Clinton's hot dog stand, and an amazing 76 square meter topographical map of the country in city hall. It's the information Stefan shared that bolstered these to the top. Stefan compared the oldest house in Iceland to his great-grandfather's hammer. Sure, it was passed down to him, but his father had the handle replaced. And then it needed a new head. Bill Clinton only ate at the stand once, but now a hot dog with just mustard is known as a Clinton all over. He had said Hilary wouldn't allow him the mayo and he was meeting dignitaries later so refused the onion (could've been called a Spooner). A famous street musician was actually getting a hot dog at the time - it's on our list of things to eat when we're back in Reykjavik (for the hot dog eater...). The huge map foreshadowed some of the tough terrain that lies (lay?) ahead, and clearly laid (lies?) out the glaciers, volcanoes, and other spots we hope to get to. When talking about the 2010 eruption of Eyjafjallajokull, Stefan described the buildup of ash that accumulated in a hole in the ground that was the cause of weeks of cancelled flights in Europe, but said it was never explained well abroad because the media never called it what it was - an ash hole.

We also had some boring final preparations to do, but these highlights were more fun. We're excited/anxious for tomorrow!