The Ambitious Odometer: Iceland

Friday, June 13, 2025

{EUROPE} Day Fourteen - Reykjavik, ICELAND

We arrived in our final port, Reykjavik, early this morning...

but discovered that the city center is a bit of a walk away from the port.

The view of nearby Videy Island was beautiful from the ship...

We had a scheduled excursion for 9:30, so we decided to take it easy and do that first thing...

All six of us were registered for a city bus tour, and it gave us a good overview of the capital city. Our first stop was Bessastadir, the president's home. We were all amazed at how we were able to pull right up and walk the grounds!

The president even has her own church out front, too!

Next, we drove by a couple of interesting spots including Hallgrimskirkja, one of the churches that is a symbol of Reykjavik...

the University of Iceland...

the old port...

and Tjornin, a small lake in the middle of the city. Our guide said that it freezes over in the winter and is a popular place for ice skating...

Our last stop...

was the observation deck of the Perlan Museum...

where we were able to see panoramic views of the city...

On the way back to the port...

we passed Hofdi, the location of the Reykjavik Summit, where Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev met in the mid-1980s...

Once we got back to the port, Grandma got back on the ship, and we took off to explore a bit more.

Our first task was to locate the famous stand that sells Icelandic hot dogs!

We found it ~ Baejarins Beztu Pylsur ~ and Hubby & B got in line!

The girls and I decided on pizza and just happened upon the "first pizzeria in Iceland" nearby! We shared a small pizza, and it was just enough to hold us until another snack later in the day...

We met up with Hubby & B afterwards and walked a bit around town...

finding The Parliament House...

where B...

ran up the steps, of course!

We then continued our walk...

over to a school that our guide had shared is the only school in town that still teaches Latin. Our girls (both Latin students) had to grab a picture there!

Next, we did some shopping, stopping at a local grocery store first!

I found a white chocolate version of the Lion Bar I love...

and some more Cool American Doritos...

These just makes me giggle!

Last, Hubby & I decided to try some local beer...

so, we had snacks...

and shared a dessert, too...

It was a nice afternoon...

in the capital city!

We headed back to the ship...

and reconnected with Grandma for dinner in one of the formal dining rooms...

and a show with acrobatics...

Ready for a few days of rest on our way back to Southampton!

More {EUROPE} 2025 Fun...

Day One - London Day 1

Day Two - London Day 2

Day Three - London Day 3

Days Four & Five - Embarkation + AT SEA

Day Six - Stavanger, NORWAY

Day Seven - Skjolden, NORWAY

Day Eight - Olden, NORWAY

Days Nine & Ten - Alesund, NORWAY + AT SEA

Day Eleven - Akureyri, ICELAND

Day Twelve - Isafjordur, ICELAND

Day Thirteen - Grundarfjordur, ICELAND

Days Fifteen-Seventeen - AT SEA

Day Eighteen - London Day 4

Day Nineteen - London Day 5

Day Twenty - HOME!

Thursday, June 12, 2025

{EUROPE} Day Thirteen - Grundarfjordur, ICELAND

We anchored near Grundarfjordur early this morning...

and tendered to shore...

Grandma is not a huge fan of tendering in, so she stayed on the ship today as we went out to explore. Grundarfjordur is a town of about 800 people! We quickly got our bearings...

and walked around to most of the notable stops ahead of our noon tour...

One of our favorite things to do in foreign countries is go to the local grocery stores and shop...

We visited the local church...

and then walked back through town...

to catch up with a local tour...

First, we stopped at the Berserkjahraun Lava Field...

en route to the Bjarnarhofn Shark Museum...

where we learned a bit about the local Greenland shark and how it is hunted and prepared. The museum is privately owned by a family that has been in this business for over 400 years. We learned that when this particular shark was first discovered, it was noted that its meat is actually toxic to humans and all mammals. It was soon discovered that there was a process that made the meat safe to consume. In order to do this, the shark meat is first cut into smaller chunks, buried and fermented over several weeks. Then, it is hung to dry in a drying house for several months...

Once the treatment process is complete, it is actually considered a delicacy!

We all tried a piece, even old vegetarian me. I mean, when in Iceland, I guess?!?!?

{my teeny, tiny piece!}

Our last stop was at the Kirkjufell mountain and waterfall area...

Though I've never seen it, this is mountain was evidently used during filming of the TV series GAME OF THRONES (I referred to it as a movie when talking about it with my kids ~ OOPS!)...