(Elliot and Kieran)

Today we woke up and got moving relatively quickly to downtown Akureyri. 

We had to make another trip to a nearby BONUS, where we once again splurged on never-before-seen candies, drinks, and other various items, while buying a few of the essentials. Many laps were taken around the store for some reason, which ended up including not one, not two or three, but four passes by the wall of candy. Harrison also grabbed a bag of special dog treats for Ace, who probably won’t know the difference anyways. Eden bought BONUS socks, Mom bought a BONUS bag, and Harrison bought a stretchy rubber poop-shaped toy in memory of Elliot, who had stayed in the camper. This poop has terrorized many. (Somehow extended time together has caused us to revert to childhood silliness, which is bonding and fun.)

We were greeted by adorable heart-shaped stoplights at intersections while we parked the van to explore a pedestrian street that consisted of shops, food vendors, and even a little playground. After window shopping an array of beautiful Icelandic clothing that would have required a secret inheritance from an unknown great-great-grandfather to purchase, us four children took our chances on a teeny pedal-powered merry-go-round of which the centrifugal forces threatened to send our speedy behinds flying off our seats. After that dizzying experience, we ordered a few incredible classic Icelandic hot dogs with all of the toppings from a food truck that very well might have been the best I personally have ever tasted. However, with the threat of our expiring allotted parking time, we hurried back to the camper and set course for a destination in the next little town with seaside geothermal hot tubs. 

Dad and Eden had scoped out this location for a reason, though: the hot tubs were on an easily accessible beach, encouraging visitors to take a polar plunge in near-arctic waters before running for dear life to the hot tubs. And us, being visitors, did just that. I, Elliot D. (Dangerously-cold) Fisher, can testify that the freezing shock was not only extremely cold but also painful in particular to the leg and foot region. It was the kind of experience that absolutely sucked but also felt completely necessary because you’re there and simply have to do it. The hot tubs were a very nice remedy to the cold, and we kept returning to after subsequent plunges. [For the record, it was a super fun experience repeatedly going from the cold to the hot and back again – a highlight for many of us.]

At the recommendation of one of Eden’s friends, we stopped in Dalvik at Gisli Eirkur Helgi Kaffhüs for their soup of the day, which was a curry fish stew. It was absolutely adorable: a large counter full of mismatched china plates with trays of bread and salad and soup greeted us when we walked in; there were pastries in a display to the right; and the wooden walls were full with Icelandic knickknacks. It was awesome. Too bad we didn’t stay longer because the upstairs was adorable, too, with simultaneous views of nearby mountains and the fjord.

The next large chunk of our day was occupied by driving up around the northern part of Iceland, following the outline of the fjords. Tunnels that were enormous in length and dangerously confined in width provided us with feelings of claustrophobia in the wake of mountains above our heads. Some of the tunnels featured a single lane for two way traffic. Our only saving grace against the onslaught of a couple oncoming cars were the frequent pullover stops. There did not seem to be any rhyme or reason to the order of cars, but we didn’t want to risk anything so we dutifully pulled over whenever we saw headlights coming our way. There were some fear-inducing blind turns along the way, so I guess the Automobile Safety Guild of Iceland had gone on strike during the construction of the tunnel. Luckily, we made it through with no vehicular collisions. 

Hi it’s Kieran again. After the scary tunnels, we took a group vote on whether or not to stop at a waterfall called Reykjafoss with a hot spring along the top of it, or to just continue straight to the campsite for the night. After a thrilling vote (almost everyone saying that they had zero preference), we decided to head to the waterfall, as it was still rather early. Stepping out of the camper, we were greeted with heavy winds and looming storm clouds, which looked ready to dump rain at any moment. Despite the weather conditions, we dutifully headed along the short trail, huddled in groups to conserve energy. The waterfall was beautiful, and the rain stayed at bay, thankfully. We crossed a small bridge as Dad successfully flew the drone in such high winds. Over the bridge and a small rise to the top of the waterfall, we were protected from the winds, and found two hot springs. One of which was scalding hot and empty, and the other being a reasonable temperature with a few other people also enjoying the warmth. Eden wasted no time in getting in, while alternating between the cold river plunge and the hot spring. She finished up, and we all headed back to the camper, being goofy along the way. 

Before we had gotten to those falls, the four kids had decided to continue our watch through of the Cars series, inspired by Eden’s Lightning McQueen pillowpet, whom she had brought along. We started Cars 2, and finished it up on the way to Víðimýrarkirkja, the Víðimýri Turf Church, a cute small sod-roofed church in the middle of a giant field. From there we headed to the Tjaldsvaedid Blonduosi campground in the small town of Blonduos, which was a little over half an hour away from the waterfall. Today was a bit of a tough driving day for mom and dad, since we were going up around one of the northern “fingers” of Iceland. The roads are narrow, the winds were high, and sometimes the pavement switched to gravel for no reason. Luckily, we don’t have to drive!

We found a nice spot in the campground by the river, and quickly set up for a dinner of leftovers, which included mac & cheese, tikki malasa, and Eden’s curry. Halfway through dinner, a cat was spotted out of one of the windows, and Kieran naturally jumped up and out of the camper to pursue it. The cat was lovely, happily being scooped up into Kieran’s arms and spending close to 20 minutes in a warm bliss in Kieran’s lap on one of the camp chairs outside. But, as always, nature called so the cat returned to the wild in a hunting stance. We now find ourselves in the camper, getting ready to sleep soon, hopefully earlier than last night. The evening was pleasant, so Eden opted to set up her tent again and sleep outside, serenaded by the lovely river sound right next door. zzzzzzz