Oh my. I wake up in my hostel bed after a super quiet night, my roomies being silent sleepers. I slowly turn to exit the bed. My muscles creek and I groan. Even after the hot springs, my muscles are still super achy from the hike/climb around a volcano. But I don’t mind it a bit because it was worth it. Of course, my lip is still swollen. It’s probably going to take this whole trip before it heals.

One positive thing is that my lip is busted on the inside and I can still take selfies without looking like I was in an accident, because how can I make a guide and share travel selfies with a split lip!

After all that hard hiking yesterday, I’m in the mood for a hot breakfast and one that I don’t have to make. I double check my email, there’s no response from Landmannalaugar (I’ve been waiting to hear if the roads are clear so I can hike in the middle of Iceland – apparently they are not) so I head downstairs and extend my stay at Kex for one more night and that means today is a goof off kind of day. Time to for wandering Reykjavik.

Wandering Reykjavik

The other day, the guide for the food tour, Thor, suggested Sandholt as a good place to hangout for coffee or breakfast. The pastries in their window look so inviting, but I opt for eggs and toast. So good!

Over breakfast, nearby tables start conversing. The table next to me is couple from Utah. When they went to see the volcano a few days ago, it was closed because of the change in the direction of lava flow. The man across the room is from Kansas and he saw the cone when it was spitting up lava. Definitely a unique experience depending on the day you visit.

After breakfast I continue wandering Reykjavik and find a bookstore with lots of souvenirs, a perfect stop to buy some things for friends and family. Plus, I buy a map of Iceland for my drive coming up, I’ll be checking out some smaller towns and sites.

According to my weather app, a storm is coming. It’s going to get cold and rainy in a few hours so I head to the harbor to explore.

I take pictures of the fancy Russian yachts in the harbor – S/Y A, and the Le Grand Bleu which apparently the current owner won in a poker game. Huh, I wonder what that’s like, having so much money you can throw your yacht into the pot. But I also wonder if it’s lonely out there and if the two yacht owners, both Russian, are meeting over a bottle of vodka.

Am I traveling my stomach today? Yep. It’s already lunchtime and the wind has started and a line of dark clouds are coming closer to town. I walk over to a different side of the harbor to see if there are any restaurants. Just my luck I find Kopar, almost sounds Klingon. It’s perfect weather for their rock crab soup. It’s salty and hot and I love it. 

I also check Facebook. It’s morning in the U.S. My friend Barry let’s me know that there are cameras all over the volcano site and asks me when I was there.

Oh good. My giant wind proof pants have been recorded. (I’m sure you can feel the sarcasm.)

Not only does he tell me what I was wearing, he can tell me what color car I was driving. And here I didn’t notice any cameras, except for some drones that were flying around. At least there can’t be a close up of me bashing my face, right? I can only keep my fingers crossed.

I head back to the hostel in front of the rain and sit in the restaurant and bar, way more comfortable for the work/planning I need to do. For awhile, I work on my latest novel from my Idol Maker Series, but I finally open up that Iceland map and plan out tomorrow – which I’ve just decided to head to the town of Vik, so I make some reservations at the Vik hostel. Today was pretty easy but a well deserved break after yesterday.

Nicole, my roomie, shows up and we split a pizza while we watch a football match (aka soccer) on the bar’s TV. It’s her last night here too. She’s looking forward to going home and I’m looking forward to venturing to a new town. 

Do you want more information about travel to Iceland? You can sign up here to get The Single Woman’s Guide to Iceland – Post Covid Almost.

Or maybe you just need an adventurous novel for that long flight. You can nab the highly rated thriller/adventure, Toy of the Gods today!

Or check out day one of my Iceland trip or Day 4 of my travels where I visit Vik, Iceland.