March 2^nd

In the morning, Kai headed to the bank and I tidied everything up and got ready for breakfast. I went in search of some eggs and I met a woman from Brisbane, Australia doing work on the farm in exchange for room and board. She was there originally for 2 weeks I think and decided to stay for 7. She had just done the Ring Road, which was awesome. We chatted for a bit and she helped me get the eggs.

When Kai came back, she explained how the bank was so casual and you press a button on an info terminal for Cashier and while you’re waiting, you hang out and have an espresso and use the provided computers. She said it was the place to be!

The other couple at the AirBnb made us vegan sausages to go with our breakfast and we had a great chat. They’d been to Ireland, where I’m hoping to go next year for my sister’s birthday party. And the woman was a Leap Year baby, which was so cool! Kai made eggs in a basket with cheese which was scrumptious, and we were a little late getting on the road because we were chatting so much.

We still made good time on our way to the Snæfellsnes Peninsula. We didn’t make many stops except to take photos. It was a beautiful drive and something that not as many tourists do. Our host Nina had told us about a waterfall off the beaten path and we felt extremely lucky to see it. There weren’t many people on the road and we really got a sense that we were seeing something rare, inside the mountains.

It was just after 4pm when we arrived at Arnarstapi Hotel, just in time for check-in. The hotel was really neat. Four rooms in singular blocks, many blocks making up the hotel. We had a nearly unobstructed ocean view. The interior was very ‘Scandanavian’, like a highbrow Ikea. I loved it! The windows facing the ocean were floor-to-ceiling. The bathroom was funky with a sliding frosted glass door. The only issue was the bed was two single beds pushed together without being secured, so the cuddling was a little risky as the beds would inch apart!

We decided to try to find some dinner, and we went to the next little town, Hellnar, but nothing was open. We returned and found a lovely little place, very eclectic and Icelandic. The owner, an older woman, served meat soup (basically lamb stew) and fresh bread, which was so dense and hearty! You could have as much as you liked so I had extra soup and we got more bread too. It was so filling and earthy and wholesome. The restaurant had huge, stuffed bookshelves, all kinds of memorabilia and artifacts, and rocks and candles everywhere. Kai thought maybe it was a converted schoolhouse. It had that vibe.

After dinner, we returned to the hotel. It was freezing and very windy. We made ourselves a couple vodka drinks and settled in to watch The Sound of Music because I’d never seen it and Kai loves it. I enjoyed it – I love musicals. It was a lovely night and we watched the moon rise and brighten the entire sky with clouds moving across it and making beautiful shapes.

Continue to Part 7