Árbær Open Air Museum

The Árbær Open Air Museum is Reykjavik's version of a little Greenfield Village. Each building on the grounds, save one, was moved here in order to save it.

There newer houses,

as well as much older sod houses.

 

After all those summers cooking in the Biddle House, that hearth doesn't look like much fun. The interpreter explained to us that in the early days they often stored food in whey - the liquid left over after making butter. (The butter grew mold on the outside that preserved it.) Then, foods could be submerged in the liquid whey where they would get gross, but not unsafe to eat. This method of preservation led to the development of a type of Icelandic food called surmatur, or "sour food." It isn't really eaten anymore - except during a few festivals.

If it tasted anything like it smelled it was the kind of thing you ate because you were desperately hungry. The interpreter had a sample of whey that she passed around for all of us to smell. Just imagine the month-old milk you forgot was in the back of the fridge. You know the odor that comes off as you pour the chunks down into the garbage disposal? Make that smell about 10 times worse and you'd be getting close.

Back in those days, each Icelander owned one of these - an askur. It served as a bowl and plate as well as a place to save uneaten food. Since farm workders were often paid in food, men's askurs were significantly larger.

We enjoyed wandering around the grounds, but really enjoyed the English tour. We've been impressed that every site we've visited in Iceland has been English friendly.

Of course, the kids and I were thrilled to find the museum's  free-ranging chickens.

After exploring the grounds we stopped at the cafe for snack of traditional Icelandic foods:

one bowl of  traditional Icelandic meat soup,

a plate of smoked lamb,

and a slice of marriage cake, also known as wedded bliss. It is said that it is the secret to a happy marriage in Iceland is being able to make this cake for your husband.

Off the Beaten Path

Although I do love visiting famous sites when I travel, I also love getting off the beaten path once and a while. The little fishing village of Eyrarbakki fit the bill perfectly. Only about 600 people live there and lots of the houses date from the early 1900s.

The kids loved exploring the shoreline.

There were a number of interesting places nearby.

The Knarraros lighthouse is just down the shore from the village. It's the tallest building in South Iceland and the first lighthouse in Iceland to be built out of reinforced concrete. Not a particularly pretty lighthouse, but interesting none the less.

The kids and I opted to climb up all the way to the top.

Just down the road is an old dairy. Lots of the original equipment is there and the guide showed us how it all worked. All the machines are still connected to the water wheel. It's adorable and only open on weekends. The guide told us only about 30 people stop in each weekend.

We also happened on Iceland's only high security prison. We couldn't read the signs, but the double layer barbed wire fence kind of gave it away. A quick internet search told us it was, in fact, a prison.

Bæjarins Beztu Pylsur

Bæjarins beztu pylsur means "Best hotdog in town."

Look at that line, they must be really good.

Ooooh, look; it's our turn.

We'd like five. With everything. (Everything includes: a brown sweet mustard and mayonnaise on top, plus chopped onion and crushed up french fried onion on the bottom. I loved the brown sweet mustard, and I found it in the grocery store. Sadly I don't think I can sneak it home in my carry on.

 We all agreed,

they were delicious.

There isn't a single McDonald's in Iceland. We didn't see any Burger Kings or Taco Bells either. Which was OK since we wouldn't have eaten there anyway; one of our "travel rules" is we never eat anywhere that we can eat at home. We did however see one KFC. (At a gas station, on the ring road, just on the edge of Reykjavik, in case you're wondering.)  Hotdog stands, on the other hand, are all over the place.  They're quick, fairly inexpensive, and make a great lunch.

Icelandic Brown Cake

One of my favorite things to do while I travel is to eat every dessert I can get my hands on. One we all enjoyed was  Brúnterta (pronounced broon-terta) or Icelandic Brown Cake.  Cake is actually kaka in Icelandic and terta is tart, but terta is used when referring to a fancier kind of cake.

The only change my American palate wanted was another layer of frosting on the top. I found two different versions of the recipe (in English) one using golden syrup and one using brown sugar. I'm going to have to try both of them when I get home and see which one I like best.

Brown sugar version
Golden syrup version 

Kolaportid Flea Market

The flea market is only open on weekends, so yesterday was the day to explore it. It may have been small, but there was a surprising array of items for sale.

  Whale vertebrae? They had them.

Vintage prams or antique fish net floats?

They had those, too.

They also had a very large treadle sewing machine,

 vintage Icelandic 45s and a Star Wars All Terrain Armored Transport.

Feeling peckish?

Available snacks included traditional horse sausage

and "acidic whale." Of course they had fermented shark, but we opted to snack on Icelandic doughnuts instead.

My favorite part was looking at all the handmade items.

Especially the sweaters. They were stunning. Believe it or not, except for the doughnuts, I didn't buy a thing.

Absolute Pleasure

Get settled in your super comfy, reclining movie seat, 

make sure your family is close by (so you can explain what is going on - because you know you're going to have some 'splaining to do)

and smile at the couple hundred other people ready to have a great time at the:

Reykjavik Pride Rocky Horror Sing-Along  Friday Night Party Screening!  It makes me giggle that, in Icelandic, Fridaynightpartyscreening is all one word.

I mean, how could we not go???  Rocky Horror. In a theater. At 8:00 pm. In Iceland. It was a no brainer!

None of the Icelanders in the audience shouted out during the movie, so I wonder if that is an American thing. I bit my tongue. A lot. But there were a few places where I just couldn't keep my big-American-mouth shut.  Dammit.

In case you're curious, in Iceland Rocky Horror is rated 12+. It was shown in English with Icelandic subtitles.

Strokkur Geysir

I just love Icelandic warning signs, they make it clear that Iceland can be dangerous. My favorite is the the last one on the list: "The nearest hospital is 62 km away." Just in case you decide to do something really stupid, like put your hand in the boiling hot water.

 'Cuz the water is literally boiling.

Just in case you forgot the water was hot, there are reminders every few meters. (80 - 100 degrees C is about 175 - 212 degrees F.)

I've never been to Yellowstone, so I can't compare the Haukadalur Valley geyser to Old Faithful, but I was impressed; water blasted up at least 100 feet.

Apparently this is not the biggest geyser - there use to be a bigger one. An earthquake a number of years ago changed the geology of the area, so that geyser no longer erupts. 

Fun fact of the day - the English word geyser comes from the Icelandic word geysir, and the first written account of geysers in this area of Iceland dates back to 1294.

Öxarárfoss

Öxarárfoss is a pretty little waterfall within Þingvellir National Park. It's quite little by Icelandic standards - only about 20 meters high (about 65 feet.) It didn't seem all that small to me until we visited Gullfoss, but more on that later...

It was a beautiful spot. Grandma and Grandpa opted to rest while the kids and I explored.

S made it his mission to get as close as he could - safely. K and I were a little less adventurous.