Today was an irregular day on this family vacation of ours, as it was not entirely spent as a family, but a wonderful day it was nevertheless. Anyone who knows my husband knows he kinda, sorta, has a thing for all things bike related. One might call it an obsession . . . And as anyone with their own passions would understand, being able to experience that hobby (oops, think he might object to my calling cycling a mere “hobby”), that activity that is your very lifeblood and essence (there, that’s better) in a new and exciting environment is one of those things you dream about doing. The opportunity to join a cycling expedition presented itself and today seemed like a good day to seize it. I tried to ignore the word “Extreme” plastered across the brochure’s cover. So off he went in the morning, ready for his own adventure with a group of like-minded adrenaline+cycling junkies from around the world. Though the conditions were very wet where they were, about a half an hour south of the city, he said that he had a great time riding across the lava fields and meeting some new mates.
So H, E and I planned for our own girls’ day in Reykjavik. We treated it as if we were not particularly touristy, just a Mom and her daughters enjoying a day together during summer vacation. Our morning at “home” was slow and easy, and we all agreed that brunch at “The Laundromat Cafe” was an experience we wanted to repeat. Not something I normally do when on a trip, as I typically prefer trying as many different places as possible, but considering how much we all enjoyed it, it made perfect sense for our gals’ outing, and it did not disappoint the second time. The girls hung out in the kids’ play space downstairs, next to the laundry facilities, while I continued to sip and savour my second cup of coffee and read for a little while. I’d picked up a copy of the Nobel Prize-winning “Independent People” by Icelandic writer Halldór Laxness at , as I always find that there’s something special about reading local writers’ works in the place where they’re from (See the 'Worthy Reads' section of my blog for a brief review of this fantastic book).
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| 'Eymundsson' bookstore became our 'Chapters' substitute while in Iceland! |
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| Check out the 'Worthy Reads' section of my blog for a review of "Independent People". |
After brunch we revisited the book store of seven floors, 'Eymundsson', and then headed off across town towards the botanical gardens and a swimming area we’d read about. We may have stopped into another book store or two on our way . . . okay, so there may be another obsession alive and well in our household! After a good trek during which H and E navigated our route using a map of the city, we came to Laugardalslaug, a swimming complex that piqued the girls’ excitement as soon as we were able to see the many pools and the waterslide from the windowed hallways. Bathing, swimming, soaking, call it what you wish, hanging out in the geothermal heated pools in Iceland is a national past time. M contacted me shortly before we went in saying he was back from his ride, so he was able to come join us as well. After a few warm-up laps of butterfly in the indoor lane pool for H, our competitive swimmer, the girls took to the outdoor pools featuring an awesome slide with crazy disco lights inside, and a type of obstacle course. Geared more for the adults was an outdoor lane pool and a myriad of separate small pools, each with a different posted temperature (I discovered that my ideal is 40 degrees). We wound up spending the remainder of the afternoon contentedly soaking, and decided to save the botanical gardens for another day.
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| Borrowed this photo from an online source as we left our cameras in the lockers while at Laugardalslaug (Europeanvideoproductions.com) |
Additionally, check out this YouTube clip for a great view of the Laugardalslaug facility:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=332mw10phWw
A cozy little dinner of soup in a bread bowl - true comfort food - capped off this lower-key day, and we headed to bed earlier than we had yet during our trip. A chance to re-energize for the adventures yet to come.
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| Ready to take off the lid??? |
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| Mmmmm! Soup in a bread bowl! |
Day Eight sees us visiting Iceland's justifiably famous Blue Lagoon. Stay tuned for details of this natural wonder of the world!
My wonder: Has your group ever split up during a family vacation so that people could follow their own interests and itineraries for a certain amount of time? How did it work out?
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