Well today was my last day in Iceland.
The free daily hotel breakfast was only part of the tour package and I was on my own, so I went off in search of a bite to eat. The weather was warm and sunny and I was little sad to be leaving Reykjavík under those conditions.
A few blocks from my hotel was a small grocery store where I found what I wanted for breakfast.... a banana and Skyr. Skyr is an Icelandic product which I mistakenly called 'yogurt' one day. Our tour leader corrected me. "Skyr is Skyr", he said. It kind of reminds me of the Greek yogurt I have back home on an almost daily basis. It is creamy and delicious and I highly recommend it if you are ever in Iceland. (Notice the folded plastic spoon in the lid...too cool!)
I walked up and down the streets nearby and enjoyed the interesting architecture, the colorful buildings, and the artistic graffiti once more.
Just before noon I made my way over to the landmark Hallgrímskirkja Church. Two weeks ago I had passed on a summer concert there. Today I decided that some beautiful music would be a good way to end my visit to Iceland rather than a visit to yet another museum.
It was only a half hour concert but I made the right call. It was an a cappella group consisting of four women and four men. They sang in Icelandic but it didn't matter. Not only were they well trained professionals, but the acoustics of the interior were enough to send shivers up and down your spine!
Then it was time to head back to my hotel and wait for the shuttle bus to the airport. It was recommended that I be at the airport three hours in advance. I didn't find that was really necessary, but better to be safe than sorry. I took the opportunity to make some last minute purchases at the duty-free store and to have one final delicious Icelandic meal - some Icelandic lamb in a rye bread pita together with a fruit bowl.
It was an almost six hour flight on Icelandic Air and I passed the time with a couple of movies. The first one I watched was a slapstick comedy with Icelandic subtitles called "Stella Gets Her Groove Back". The main actress was an Icelandic version of Lucille Ball and it was good but weird all at the same time. The second show was an older movie called "Office Space" which I would also recommend. Below is a pic from Iceland's Keflavik airport.
I got to Toronto Pearson on time, but luggage delays and having to go through Canada Customs caused me to miss my connection. Thankfully Air Canada was able to get me on the next flight. I really didn't want to spend another night in a hotel, especially in hot, smoggy Toronto. By the time I arrived home it was 3 AM local time. I had been up for most of the past 24 hours.
Now I am looking forward to the time to go through all of the pictures I took in Iceland. That, and to start planning my next trip!
