Last day in Iceland

The guesthouse where we stayed is on a working farm. There are sheep, horses you can ride, ATVs you can rent, and a camping and RV park. We were told the owner is the farmer and also the main chef sometimes.  After being cooped up yesterday,  we decided to take a walk because the sun was out and there was about a 0% chance of rain. It was cold and windy. We didn't go far. When we turned back, rain and sleet started falling from the sky so we were soaked once again. Lola believes the country leaks. Some of the rain wouldn't be so bad if the wind wasn't blowing little pieces of ice into your face.

We looked for a site we could visit on the way back to the airport. The attraction closest to us was the Kerid Crater. The crater is about 270 m long, 170 m across, and 55 m deep. There is a lake at the bottom where Bjork once held a concert from a raft in the stagnant water. The acoustics weren't very good which apparently no one figured out ahead of time.The crater was created about 6500 years ago by a collapsing magma chamber at the end of a volcanic eruption.  It's very impressive and colorful.

The Kerid Crater

There are hiking trails around the crater, down to the lake and up the rim for the best view. We didn't hike because,  once again, when we got out of the car, rain and sleet poured from the sky. It has become clear that we are the cause of the bad weather.

We have been disappointed that we didn't get reindeer hotdogs in Reykjavik and also haven't seen hotdogs on menus or in the gas stations like the guidebooks say. We decided to find a hotdog place on the way to the airport hotel. People recommend Pulsuvagninn which is a chain so we stopped at one before we got to the hotel. I doubt these were reindeer. People rave about Icelandic hotdog sauce but I'm not sure which of the condiments they put on the hotdogs is their special sauce. There's something that looks vaguely like ketchup and something that looks like brown mustard and some white sauce we've had on burgers that has a little curry in it. Interesting but not something I'd eat everyday.

Hotdogs to takeout

The hotel I booked because it was in the list of top hotels that have airport shuttles turned out to be a hotel and hostel. I had booked the hotel. The woman who checked us in said the two triple rooms they have are on the 3rd floor (no elevator). She took one look at us and upgraded us to a family room so we could be at ground level. Sometimes it pays to look old and bedraggled. We have a very large room and 5 beds--bunk beds, a double, and two singles. 

For dinner, there was a choice of one restaurant. It's about a 10 minute walk and the only restaurant in this large complex of hotels, B & Bs and apartment buildings. It serves pizza and sandwiches.  We got a pizza which was tasty even though there wasn't a lot of pepperoni and mushrooms we had ordered. But the crust and chewy cheese were great. 

Now we're packing up for Amsterdam which is supposed to have temperatures in the high 70s when we're there but that might change when we get there.