Iceland: Conclusion Part I
So I totally neglected the blog through January. Such as it is, here is the first part of the conclusion to our Iceland adventure.
I returned to Angel Baby, who had picked out our campsite for the night. He made sure to find one with plenty of large stones we could use to anchor down our tent stakes in case the wind came up during the night. Once we had the tent set up, our sleeping bags unrolled, and our packs stowed on the once side of the tent, we both were ready to snuggle into our sleeping bags and call it a day. I vaguely remember hearing other campers laughing and singing and playing music well into the night that didn't seem like night because it didn't get dark, but I know for sure I fell asleep and slept hard.
The next morning, I crawled out of the tent while Angel Baby slept. A gray, foggy day welcomed me. I grabbed my camera and set off for the hot springs and the lava field. We had all day at the campground since the bus to take us back to Reykjavik wouldn't arrive until 6 pm.
Around 8:30 or so, the rain started. At first it was a gentle rain that didn't really bother me as I traipsed around the campground. Then it came down harder. I made my way back to the tent to rouse Angel Baby, and we packed things up so we could go find a place to sit in the big shelter. Once in the shelter, we were able to find seats at a picnic table far enough away from the entrance and rain to be dry and warm.
Not long after settling in, getting out some food to snack on, the rain began pummeling the tent roof. I was grateful we'd gotten packed up when we did and found the seats when we did because the rain sent everyone who'd been outside right into the tent. Standing room only.
A young couple from Denmark sat across from us. They had rented a vehicle to drive the ring road and camp, and were wiling away the hours since the weather didn't make anyone want to get out and really hike or enjoy the countryside. We talked education and jobs, as well as family and just a little bit of politics. The young woman delighted in Angel Baby's experiments with the burner, pan, and pancake batter he decided he needed to mix up and eat. His first "blueberry" pancake burned, but he still ate it anyway. His second and third pancakes turned out much better, so he shared them with all of us. For several hours, we sat and enjoyed just visiting. Finally, the time arrived for us to walk to the bus and head back to Reykjavik.
Like when we'd first arrived in Iceland, after we stepped off the bus back in the city, I looked at Angel Baby and said, "Well, we need to find a place to stay." I pulled out my phone and searched for a hotel near us. Several popped up, so we began walking to the closest. It was nearly 1 am when we arrived at the hotel, finding it was just across the square from the little restaurant where we had eaten the first night of our Iceland adventure. We walked up to the desk, all disheveled and stinky from our days of hiking, and I asked the clerk if they might have a room available. I'm not going to say he frowned, but he definitely didn't smile at us either.
"Do you have a reservation?" he asked.
I sort of laughed and said, "No. We don't." Seriously, who makes reservations? That takes all the fun out of the adventure. I was totally prepared to find a bench and sleep on it for the night. I knew, though, Angel Baby wasn't up for that kind of adventure.
The clerk's fingers began tapping the keys of his keyboard. After a few seconds, he looked up and said, "We have a room with one double."
"We'll take it," I said, looking at Angel Baby. He was shaking his head and giving me his look of "you are so damn lucky."
The room turned out to overlook the square, and the bed could be pulled apart to create two twins. We both showered and changed into our "cleaner" clothes then headed out to try and find something to eat. Though it was after 1 am by this point, lots of people were out enjoying the night. This whole never getting fully dark at night makes being out through the early hours a thing to do, so we did. We ended up eating right across the street from the hotel, at a place specializing in subs. And it was delicious.
We finally settled in to sleep just before 2. By 8 the next morning, I was wide awake and ready to go. Angel Baby, though, was sound asleep and I didn't have the heart to wake him even though I really wanted to go downstairs and partake in the free breakfast. I let him sleep another half hour then started pestering him to get up so we could go eat. He grudgingly roused himself.
And the breakfast did not disappoint.
***
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| A map that shows the route we hiked. |
The next morning, I crawled out of the tent while Angel Baby slept. A gray, foggy day welcomed me. I grabbed my camera and set off for the hot springs and the lava field. We had all day at the campground since the bus to take us back to Reykjavik wouldn't arrive until 6 pm.
 |
| Out enjoying the lava fields before the rain started. |
Not long after settling in, getting out some food to snack on, the rain began pummeling the tent roof. I was grateful we'd gotten packed up when we did and found the seats when we did because the rain sent everyone who'd been outside right into the tent. Standing room only.
A young couple from Denmark sat across from us. They had rented a vehicle to drive the ring road and camp, and were wiling away the hours since the weather didn't make anyone want to get out and really hike or enjoy the countryside. We talked education and jobs, as well as family and just a little bit of politics. The young woman delighted in Angel Baby's experiments with the burner, pan, and pancake batter he decided he needed to mix up and eat. His first "blueberry" pancake burned, but he still ate it anyway. His second and third pancakes turned out much better, so he shared them with all of us. For several hours, we sat and enjoyed just visiting. Finally, the time arrived for us to walk to the bus and head back to Reykjavik.
Like when we'd first arrived in Iceland, after we stepped off the bus back in the city, I looked at Angel Baby and said, "Well, we need to find a place to stay." I pulled out my phone and searched for a hotel near us. Several popped up, so we began walking to the closest. It was nearly 1 am when we arrived at the hotel, finding it was just across the square from the little restaurant where we had eaten the first night of our Iceland adventure. We walked up to the desk, all disheveled and stinky from our days of hiking, and I asked the clerk if they might have a room available. I'm not going to say he frowned, but he definitely didn't smile at us either.
"Do you have a reservation?" he asked.
I sort of laughed and said, "No. We don't." Seriously, who makes reservations? That takes all the fun out of the adventure. I was totally prepared to find a bench and sleep on it for the night. I knew, though, Angel Baby wasn't up for that kind of adventure.
The clerk's fingers began tapping the keys of his keyboard. After a few seconds, he looked up and said, "We have a room with one double."
"We'll take it," I said, looking at Angel Baby. He was shaking his head and giving me his look of "you are so damn lucky."
The room turned out to overlook the square, and the bed could be pulled apart to create two twins. We both showered and changed into our "cleaner" clothes then headed out to try and find something to eat. Though it was after 1 am by this point, lots of people were out enjoying the night. This whole never getting fully dark at night makes being out through the early hours a thing to do, so we did. We ended up eating right across the street from the hotel, at a place specializing in subs. And it was delicious.
We finally settled in to sleep just before 2. By 8 the next morning, I was wide awake and ready to go. Angel Baby, though, was sound asleep and I didn't have the heart to wake him even though I really wanted to go downstairs and partake in the free breakfast. I let him sleep another half hour then started pestering him to get up so we could go eat. He grudgingly roused himself.
And the breakfast did not disappoint.
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