Oh, Hey Iceland: Layin low in Akureyri

Akureyri itself is a very unique and enjoyable town. Venturing off into the highlands and fjords was fun, but there was a lot to discover in this 17,000-person town.

I've already mentioned the king of hot chocolates, but this same cafe also made bomb-diggity lattés...

...and amazing cheesecake.

In the summer, when cafes/bars/restaurants got to emerge beyond their indoor boundaries they supplied the outdoor seating with warm fleece blankets (we are still in Iceland, after all). We had a powerpoint project due last week on Sunday and, surprisingly, spent a majority Saturday procrastinating. Once the bookstore closed (around 11:30pm) we meandered over to a bar, plopped ourselves down, got snug in our blankets, and mooched off their wireless.

Every night when I returned to my room I was disoriented by how bright and stunning the sunset was. This day the clouds looked like flying saucers, and they slowly flew up and over the fjord.

A day at the Icelandic Red Cross proved fruitful for many of us. I got myself an amazing Icelandic cardigan for the equivalent of $4.50 (pictures soon...)! Here's Evan sportin' 2 new sweaters and 1 oldie-but-goodie. Kid knows how to make it work.

Family comes and goes a lot in Iceland, especially in the summer when a lot of the roads aren't closed anymore. I'm not totally sure how our host-family was related to this group, but the mother and father were celebrating their 15th anniversary so we had a banquet fit for Thanksgiving. The night before we had dinner with the mother, father, and their son (Isaac)...however this night, after I sat down at the table, there was suddenly a 2nd blond boy sitting across from me. I don't know where he came from. I don't know his name. I don't know if he was related to the other blond boy...frankly they all look the same.

Having our final hot chocolates in Akureyri was bittersweet. "Bitter" because who would ever want to leave this delight behind? And "sweet" because it's SO GOOD. The froth from the chocolate and cream would always stick to the sides of the mug once you were finished...and you couldn't let such chocolatey goodness go to waste...