In an effort to economize - and to build in some normalcy to our days - we made a point of going to the grocery store and stocking up on some basics so we don’t have to go out to eat all the time. Fortunately, our room has a small kitchen in it with a 2 burner stove, so that’s a big help. We were really spoiled in Seattle with all the fresh fruit and vegetables available in almost all the grocery stores and things are a little different here. The closest store to us is called “Bonus” and it’s just about 4 blocks down the street. They have a fair amount of produce but nothing like what we’re used to. Still, we were able to find some fresh zucchini and bell peppers for a stir fry. In addition, we got some chicken breasts and couscous which made for a pretty tasty dinner, all in all. I picked up a package of lox which I thought would be like the smoked salmon I’m used to back home but once we got it back to the room, I found I had to practically rip it apart to get the meat off! So much for my tasty appetizer idea……
Interesting how the store is organized - everything that requires refrigeration is in one “cold” room - dairy, eggs, meats, etc. - that is actually a separate room from the rest of the store. All I can say is when it’s already a little chilly outside, it’s not so fun to stand in a “cooler” trying to decipher what’s soy milk and what’s regular milk - brrrr! Another difference I noticed which is kind of cool (I think I may have seen this in Europe before, but I can’t remember) is they have the same kind of hand baskets as you’d find in the U.S. if you’re just picking up a few items, but it has a long handle and is on wheels so you just pull it around - kind of reminds me of a bunch of people pulling a small wagon around the store.
We decided to invest in a Reykjavik city pass, which is a card you can buy for either a 24, 48 or 72 hour time period. With it, you get admission to all the museums and cultural venues, thermal pools, transportation on the bus system as well as the ferry to Videy Island, where we’re heading tomorrow. Today’s adventure involved walking to one of the city’s thermal pools, which was about a 40 minute walk from our place. The weather was much better today than yesterday with lots of sun so it made for a beautiful walk there. The city has a very nice walking and biking path along the waterfront that probably goes for at least 5 miles or more. Again, hard to believe I was walking around in shorts and a t shirt but it is almost summer here!
We arrived at the thermal pool which turned out to be the largest one in the city. It’s actually more like a complex - not too dissimilar than a YWCA in the states - which includes a lap pool, a relaxing pool and a couple of hot tubs of different temperatures. The locker rooms were quite educational as well: First, you have to take your shoes off before you go in (they are very clear you are not to wear your shoes into the locker room) and put everything into a locker which you can use for free. Then you shower without anything on and signs all around make it clear you are to wash everywhere with soap before putting your bathing suit on and going out to the pool. These Icelanders are nothing if not hygienic that’s for sure!
So we headed out to the pools and the first thing we noticed is the number of people that were in the hot tubs. Mind you, this was probably 1:30 in the afternoon. There were a fair number of kids - not sure if school is out here or not - but there were also a lot of adults of all ages as well. From what I understand, visiting the pools is a big part of Icelandic life and friends go there to hangout and chat. It was really interesting sitting in a hot tub with 10 or so other people all of whom are speaking another language that you can’t even comprehend. You can’t help but think they might be talking about you but I’m sure we weren’t even noticed.
Small piece of trivia here: Icelanders have the longest lifespan of any people according to a sign that was outside the pool. This has been attributed to many things - the clean environment because of the widespread use of geothermal energy vs. fossil fuels, lots of outdoor activities and the frequent use of these thermal pools. Interesting, huh???
Well, tomorrow we’re off to Videy Island. That’s not exactly how it’s spelled, but in Icelandic the “d” looks like a “d” with a curve to the left with a line through it like a “t”. Anyhoo………more later!
Interesting how the store is organized - everything that requires refrigeration is in one “cold” room - dairy, eggs, meats, etc. - that is actually a separate room from the rest of the store. All I can say is when it’s already a little chilly outside, it’s not so fun to stand in a “cooler” trying to decipher what’s soy milk and what’s regular milk - brrrr! Another difference I noticed which is kind of cool (I think I may have seen this in Europe before, but I can’t remember) is they have the same kind of hand baskets as you’d find in the U.S. if you’re just picking up a few items, but it has a long handle and is on wheels so you just pull it around - kind of reminds me of a bunch of people pulling a small wagon around the store.
We decided to invest in a Reykjavik city pass, which is a card you can buy for either a 24, 48 or 72 hour time period. With it, you get admission to all the museums and cultural venues, thermal pools, transportation on the bus system as well as the ferry to Videy Island, where we’re heading tomorrow. Today’s adventure involved walking to one of the city’s thermal pools, which was about a 40 minute walk from our place. The weather was much better today than yesterday with lots of sun so it made for a beautiful walk there. The city has a very nice walking and biking path along the waterfront that probably goes for at least 5 miles or more. Again, hard to believe I was walking around in shorts and a t shirt but it is almost summer here!
We arrived at the thermal pool which turned out to be the largest one in the city. It’s actually more like a complex - not too dissimilar than a YWCA in the states - which includes a lap pool, a relaxing pool and a couple of hot tubs of different temperatures. The locker rooms were quite educational as well: First, you have to take your shoes off before you go in (they are very clear you are not to wear your shoes into the locker room) and put everything into a locker which you can use for free. Then you shower without anything on and signs all around make it clear you are to wash everywhere with soap before putting your bathing suit on and going out to the pool. These Icelanders are nothing if not hygienic that’s for sure!
So we headed out to the pools and the first thing we noticed is the number of people that were in the hot tubs. Mind you, this was probably 1:30 in the afternoon. There were a fair number of kids - not sure if school is out here or not - but there were also a lot of adults of all ages as well. From what I understand, visiting the pools is a big part of Icelandic life and friends go there to hangout and chat. It was really interesting sitting in a hot tub with 10 or so other people all of whom are speaking another language that you can’t even comprehend. You can’t help but think they might be talking about you but I’m sure we weren’t even noticed.
Small piece of trivia here: Icelanders have the longest lifespan of any people according to a sign that was outside the pool. This has been attributed to many things - the clean environment because of the widespread use of geothermal energy vs. fossil fuels, lots of outdoor activities and the frequent use of these thermal pools. Interesting, huh???
Well, tomorrow we’re off to Videy Island. That’s not exactly how it’s spelled, but in Icelandic the “d” looks like a “d” with a curve to the left with a line through it like a “t”. Anyhoo………more later!
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