Akureyri
....which I have learned today is pronounced Ahk-oo-ray-ree, not Ahk-You-ray-ree. Live and learn!
Apparently, being forced to stay awake and be out and about really DOES help with jet-lag! We both slept well last night, me in spite of the room never getting properly dark. Woke up about 6:30, walked down to Braud & Co. for coffee, a ham and cheese croissant, a cardamom roll, and a macadamia cookie. We split the ham & cheese--bonus points for whoever can properly assign the sweets! Feel free to comment at the bottom of this post.
Eydis had ordered us a taxi for 9 am. We were packed and ready quite a while before that, so her son called and said they could come early. It was only 10 minutes to Reykjavík Domestic Airport, so we were there an easy 2 hours before departure. The only hitch was, they don't open check-in until 45 minutes before the flight. So instead of sitting in our relatively comfy hotel room, we were in the "departure lounge" for about 90 minutes.
Sheila saw a list posted on the wall, detailing everything you need to do for Security, so we rearranged a few things...and then there WASN'T any security screening. You just show your passport and ticket, go out the door marked "Gates 1-5", and walk across the tarmac to the plane. (There were no gates.)
The flight was a whopping 45 minutes, which just gave them time to come around with water and chocolate, come back to collect the trash, and boom! We were there. The clouds broke toward the end, and so we got to see the terrain around Akureyri as we came in.
There was one belt at baggage claim. These small airports crack me up!
We picked up our rental car--a Suzuki Jimny (5-speed manual, with 2WD, 4WD, and 4WDLow) and drove to our hotel (after Lars drove around the parking lot a couple of times, to get re-acquainted with a manual transmission). The car seems to handle OK, but feels a wee bit cramped compared to the CRVs we normally drive.
I think it took about 5 minutes to the hotel, which is an older building, although the rooms are very Scandinavian minimalist. There's ENOUGH room, but there isn't any EXTRA. I would say that applies to the Jimny as well. The bathroom, while elegant, is so minimalist there isn't any place to hang towels!
By this point, it was time for lunch, so we walked up into town, finally settling on Kristjans Bakari (because who can resist a bakery lunch?). We could have eaten outside, but the signs warning people to "hold onto your sandwich! The gulls can be very aggressive!" suggested we'd be better off inside.
Then we walked up the hill to Akureyrakirkja, located on the highest point near downtown. We opted to go up "Artist's Street", rather than climb the stairs. Nice views of the harbor and fjord.
Then back to the hotel for naps, and confirmation that the computer mouse had opted out of the trip. Checked with the front desk, who rummaged in a bottom drawer before confirming that no, they didn't have a spare, and telling me where an electronics store was, which would require driving. A task for tomorrow!
After naptime, back up into town for dinner at Centrum Kitchen & Bar. Sheila had the Lamb Burger: Grilled lamb burger, goats cheese, carmilized red onions, and rocket salad, served with fries and truffle mayo.
Lars had the Prawn Taccos: Prawns in coriander garlic, fruit salsa, tomato, sour chilli, amarillo and nacho crumble.
Lars got a Tuborg, Sheila went with the local Boli Ale, which was surprisingly tasty even though quite a lot paler than she usually prefers.
On the way back to the hotel, Sheila wanted to pick up an extra t-shirt, as the temps for this part of the trip are going to be in the low- to mid-60s, and the one cotton T she packed isn't going to cut it for a whole week. She found one at the bookstore/stationer's/coffee/souvenir shop, and as she was checking out asked if they happened to have computer mice. "Why yes, we do!" So we now own a WIRED "MediaRange" mouse for a mere 1,649 ISK ($16.49, give or take). The LogiTech wireless mouse was 8,749 ISK....not worth it for 2 weeks. But it sure makes doing the blog easier, not to mention all the photo editing that will happen once we break out the real cameras.
Hmmm…🤔…cardamom goodies are generally Sheila’s first choice & Papa will eat anything with macadamia nuts. So, unless this is a trick question, I will go with Papa choose the macadamia nut cookie & Sheila the cardamom roll. Just make sure you eat all goodies (or any food) inside so the opportunistic gulls don’t snatch them away.
ReplyDeleteLove the washing machine!! Maytag should offer this model!
Glad to know the jet lag dissipated pretty quickly for you guys.
The Suzuki looks zippy and fun. I would most definitely need time to reacquaint myself with a manual transmission.
…perplexed as to WHY they would not have a place to hang towels to dry. Perhaps the gulls come get the wet towels, fly them around until dry, then fold them back up in your bathroom? 🙂