Iceland - Day 5
What a difference a day makes! Day 5 in Iceland was warm, sunny, and calm!
Waking early in my hotel room I had a shower and went down for breakfast. I’d been burning through calories in the last few days and was really hungry. The buffet was lovely with plenty of options including cooked items and of course plenty of skyr which I love and eat for breakfast at home too.
Today I wasn’t going to be riding anywhere as I had a day to explore Reykjavik so I headed out for a walk around town. My hotel was in the Miðbær district, in the midtown, so I started from there and visited the Hallgrimskirkja church which was just as impressive as I expected. The architecture is incredible and I’ve never seen a building like it. I also visited the Sun Voyager sculpture which is beautiful on the side of the fjord.
One thing I really wanted to buy while I was in Iceland was a hand-knitted lopapeysa so I visited the Handknitting Association of Iceland which was just around the corner of my hotel and tried a few on.
Although it would be a little bulky in my bike luggage it would prove to be quite handy to have in the evenings. Although I already have one in the same wool it was lovely to try some on and buy one that fits me well. They’re quite coarse wool so need an under-layer but they’re about as warm a jumper as you can get! They also have a lovely smell to them too.
Another of my must-visits in Reykjavik was the Punk Museum, the Pönksafn Íslands. Spending a while here I read about a lot of the punk scene in Iceland which was interesting. Of course the Sugar Cubes get a mention, along with a bunch of other bands such as the UK’s Crass, another of my favourite bands.
I absolutely loved walking around Reykjavik and especially seeing all of the wrinkly tin buildings even in midtown.
That night I’d decided to treat myself to a good dinner and it definitely did not disappoint! I booked during the day at The Fish Company and enjoyed an absolutely incredible 5-course tasting menu there, and afterwards a few drinks at the Lemmy Rock Bar in town.
After an incredible day in Reykjavik I went back to my hotel and slept really well again. The next day’s plan was to ride down to Vík via the Golden Circle and although the weather was beautiful today, tomorrow’s forecast looked like I’d need to make a decision…
Stage Distance: 0km
Overall Distance: 1050km
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