Iceland - Day 16

Akranes

My body was starting to return to normal human hours as I woke up at 5 a.m. I packed and got ready way too early, so I made my breakfast last for a full hour. I really didn't want to miss my bus so I got there super early. Once on it, I finally relaxed; the other 2 buses had to wait for each other. I had the same bus driver when coming here and remembered her to be chatty. As you can imagine, I took full advantage of it. I bombarded her with questions, and she didn't stop talking until my next stop; 40 minutes later. Minimum wage, price of houses, weather, heating, tourism, mental health, languages, food. Name it, I asked for it.

While Olafsvik was nice and clear, everywhere we drove, all the way to Akranes was shrouded in fog. It turned out that the volcanic gases mixed in with the fog and moved towards the peninsula. It was an eerie experience.

As soon as I arrived at Akranes I headed to the campsite and by 10.30 am I was all done and heading into town. My first stop was a cafe for breakfast. I guess I was sort of expecting some fried breakfast, but instead, I had a choice between butter and jam toast or avocado toast. I chose the latter and was very pleasantly surprised by how filling it was.

The 2nd stop on my impromptu agenda was the hot pools. A 3-level mini establishment with a shed-like changing room but a superb view of the sea. It was about 7C and cloudy, but the water temperature was just perfect. Usually, it's crowded, and you can barely move around. Today, there were only 5 people. My aching muscles were singing Aleluja for quite a while.

Once changed, I headed to a local restaurant hoping to have something Icelandic again. Hmmm, it wasn't meant to be. My choice was between pizzas, burgers, and chips. All the fat I've burned off will be put back on by the time I return if I'm not careful. This was followed by a bit of sightseeing that was covered in 30 minutes; towns aren't that big outside of Reykjavik, so I headed back.

The shower facilities were a bit cramped, so I sped through the cleaning process and got out of there very quickly. I made myself comfortable, cocooned in my sleeping bag, and enjoyed the view with a book for several hours. This was my last night in my home away from home, and I wanted to memorise every minute of it. My dinner meant emptying out my food bag and eating every crumb. My camping location was a stroke of genius, on top of a small hill. Nobody dared to brave the elements, so I didn't get any next-door neighbours. Lucky for me, it was a breeze-free night.