We couldn't leave Iceland without making a stop in the capital, a city situated on the harbor and filled with brightly-colored buildings. Reykjavik feels nothing like a major city, much less an area that's home to over half the county's entire population. It's quaint and charming and peaceful.
After packing up our cabin in Borgarnes and embarking on an hour drive south, we made a quick stop at Kringlan Mall then headed to Reykjavik City Centre for food, coffee, exploring, and more food. First up was Café Babalú, a quirky little cafe where we grabbed oat milk lattes (surprise) and a Vegan Grilled Cheese Sandwich that was so delicious and tasted no different than if it had real cheese. Neither was very expensive and we spent about $15 for two lattes and the sandwich. We also hit two bakeries, Brauð & Co. and Sandholt, and the beloved Bæjarins Beztu Pylsur (in English: "the best hot dog in town", but arguably the best in the world). Coming from someone that will eat a hot dog whenever one is presented to me, these were definitely worth the hype. The small, unassuming stand can be found near the harbor and we made sure to order them with the works ("eina með öllu"): ketchup, sweet mustard, fried onion, raw onion and remolaði, a mayonnaise-based sauce with sweet relish. There was something so different about these hot dogs and it wasn't until later that we discovered the meat is lamb-based with pork and beef, something I can't say I've ever tasted before. There are three other stands in the city and I would hands down recommend making it a point to add this stop to your tour of Reykjavik!
With an early flight to Norway the following morning, we stayed at a hostel about 45 minutes from the airport. The hostel was nothing to write home about and we only got a few hours of sleep, but it was a place to sleep. At Keflavík Airport we returned our car, grabbed some coffee at Joe & The Juice (the predominant coffee chain in Iceland -- there are no Starbucks), hopped on a 3-hour flight to Oslo, had our precious Icelandic peanut butter seized by security, then hung out in the very nice airport for a 9-hour layover before taking two more flights to our next destination: Alta, Norway!
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