Today started out with Lynn in the driver's seat, Garmin in the navigator's seat and I in the sheep-watch seat. It also included a quest for caffeine. Unfortunately all the coffee shops were opening late as it was a bank holiday, Coffee would wait. So we gassed up, got coffee and a away we went!!
A little way along we decided to stop beneath the soaring mountains for a bite of skyr.
To clarify, skyr is well...as our farm hosts tonight put it...skyr. It is made in the same manner as ricotta or German quark only in so far as it is dairy that is brought up to a certain temperature and then has something added to it that encourages curd and whey separation. It is usually made with skim milk and a little of an older batch of skyr is typically added for bacterial culture and to separate curd from whey. It is flavored here much like yogurt, but this is where the similarity ends. Tell an Icelander skyr is pretty much yogurt and I am 95% certain some form of bodily harm will be coming your way. It is thicker than Greek yogurt, but in terms of texture, it would be the most similar. It is also much drier. It's just....skyr.
Our bellies full of skyr and bodies coursing with adrenaline from the coffee and prospect of awesome adventure ahead we set off.
Next stop was at the top of a road located in a massive valley, where there seemed to be only one small cabin at the very bottom of said valley. Bladders emptied and off we went.
The final big stop of the day was a famous waterfall + mountain combo. Like much of the scenery in Iceland it was breathtaking. Pictures will never, ever do the landscapes in this country justice. I dont care how hi res your camera is or what kind of extra doo dads you snap on or how you filter it on Instagram, the natural beauty of this place is unreal and can only be seen to be fully experienced.
Pictures taken, breath recaptured, we set out for the last stop of the day - our airbnb in a tiny village I believe is called Blonduos. Dinner was hot dogs. Though not as tasty as the famous dogs in Reykjavik, they did the trick of filling out tummies.
Unpacked and ready to hit the town we decided it would be a good time for me to learn how to drive standard so I could tackle some of the driving. suffice it to say that it was neither fun nor pretty. There were a lot of swear words, lots of stalling, no getting out of second gear and I am pretty sure we both sustained major whiplash.
Our day concluded with a beautiful seaside walk, me fearing the birds circling overhead, as Lynn had once told me a horror story of her being swarmed by the buggers in Norway. They are called arctic terns. Look them up; apparently they are incredibly territorial. Crisis averted we headed back to the airbnb for sleep and a new day.
Knowing hardly anything about your trip so far, I can confidently say that you're eating too many hot dogs.
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