Today started in Snaefellsnes with a lovely breakfast with a German couple and a woman from Switzerland and another from France…once again, wonderful conversations…then I headed out expecting to do some more hiking but the weather had other plans…If I wasn’t heading to Greenland to hike, I would have toughed it out and hiked in the cold, wind and rain BUT I, thankfully, was saved by my future travel!

I decided, instead, to get back to Reykjavik as quickly as possible to join in their Independence Day festivities. Iceland only got their Independence at the end of WWII from Denmark. They are a very young country…which might explain why they are such big partiers…really this spirit exists mainly in Reykjavik…the town that never seems to sleep…It’s a very lively city after midnight…but a nice meandering one before…

I did make one stop in a town about an hour outside, in hopes of getting an early lunch…I went into a lovely little restaurant and asked if they were serving yet…it was only 11:30AM and there are specific hours for lunch and dinner…as the hostess was checking, I saw the menu special for the day…and it caught me completely off guard…I must be misreading, I thought…so when the hostess returned, I asked her to tell me the special and she said “Fresh Grilled Horse!”…I asked, “you eat your horses?” and she smiled and replied, “They all can’t be champions!”…yep, that was it for me…they may not all be champions but they are NOT getting onto my plate…I decided to continue on to Reykjavik…and search out more respectable meat… like Lamb! (-:  I know I know, how hypocritical of me…what is the difference, especially since I do think I have fallen in love with all the sheep as much as the horses here…they are so cute to watch, especially the little ones when they are nursing, they wag their tails with such excitement…haha what can I say…I am a meat hypocrite! Sorry to all my vegetarian friends reading this.

Once I got to Reykjavik, Ms. Garmin tried to send me back on the highway but thankfully I had seen my guest house before I left 10 days ago…so I ignored her and found it without a problem…look at me…NOT getting lost, for once…I parked the car and discovered the place was closed until 2pm…so I just grabbed my purse and headed into town…and once again, found my way as if I lived here…how cool is that? Well to be honest, it was quite easy…i just followed the crowds of all the families and baby strollers.

Everyone had told me that Reykjavik put on an amazing celebration and they weren’t kidding. There was at least 4 areas with live entertainment and areas with jump houses for kids and more little areas with all sorts of kiosks and entertainment…People were everywhere…it was a slight shock for me after being in areas with so few people…Families were out with their kids and I found myself taking umteen pictures of amazingly adorable children…I love the hats and head covering they wear…I watched as parents chased children in great play…they all shared Ice Cream..yes, Ice cream…eventhough it must have been in the 40’s today and with the wind chill even colder…I realized today how much I am really enjoying this cold…but not the wind..I am actually a bit surprised that the cold has been so tolerable for me since I am usually a big baby in it…but then, this is a very dry cold and Florida is quite biting when it does chill down…

I wandered around and just marveled at all the people and enjoyed watching the kids and families…this is definitely a big holiday here…I had been craving lamb since I was told Icelandic lamb is the best…but it is also quite pricy here…I ended up at this wonderful Traditional Icelandic restaurant called Loki’s…the Guest House I stayed at had recommended it but I never made it…so this was perfect…the waitress was kind enough to help me pick out the right meal to fit my cravings and one that is traditional…Icelandic Meat Soup with lamb and all sorts of tasty root vegetables…and a side of flat bread with smoked lamb…let me tell you…when you order soup in Iceland, it is a hearty meal…it is full of whatever the soup is….meat…or seafood…they do not skimp…Since this was my last day here, I also decided to treat myself to one of their desserts…both the local women working at Loki’s helped me decide just the right dessert…it was Skyr Cake with Cream and Rhubarb Syrup(see pics below)…OMG I will come back to Iceland for this cake!

After being completely satiated, I headed to the Hotel so I could start to repack my bags…being in a car for 10 days allowed me to spread out…and my flight tomorrow is on a small plane(I have a picture of one landing over reykjavik that is about the right size)…they are tight on weight so I need to distribute it between checked and carry on…and yes, I am aware I probably added a few of those extra pounds to my thighs with all this eating…

And I headed back, confidently…and then it happened…yes sirree…I found myself very off course…don’t know how but lost lost lost…BUT in a very beautiful neighborhood…one I had not seen before so I was ok with my detour…that is, until my internal GPS made Ms. Garmin look spot on…I did finally get somewhere to ask for directions…and boy was I far away…and cold…but on the bright side, I think I walked off…at least the rich soup…the dessert will take more time…

Well tomorrow is the next part of the adventure…and Iceland’s Independence day seems to be the perfect send off…a little goodbye party!