By the time we finished and walked home, it was time for us to head down to Hestar Horse Riding Tours to have some time with Icelandic Horses. I proudly wore the Odinn sweater I knitted for my husband, but I borrowed for this trip. Seeing these horses for the first time up close warmed my heart. I can understand why people have such strong bonds to them. When we lined up to be assigned a horse, I was specifically placed with Frigg. I asked the guide what Frigg meant, and she told me she was a Norse goddess. After looking up Frigg online, it all made sense; Frigg was the wife to Odinn. Perhaps they recognized the name of the sweater pattern I was wearing? (Knitting is a big sport in Iceland). We rode the horses for an hour through beautiful moss covered lava fields just outside of Reykjavik. I was so happy to be in the company of Frigg.
On our way back from our ride with the horses, we stopped at Kumiko Japanese tea house in the harbor aread of Reykjavik. This was a bright cheerful place for an afternoon beverage. I ordered Matcha Green Tea and my daughter ordered the Berner Rose tea. Since they opened in October 2016, I have been following their Instagram account and made it a point to visit.
After tea, we headed toward downtown once again, but this time I wanted to see Tjornin, othwerise known as the pond. Swans, geese, ducks and pigeons are everywhere waiting for you to feed them bread. I really enjoyed the fresh air, the sounds of the birds, and the serenity of the water.
I found Reykjavik to feel safe despite the street art (grafitti doesn't describe the tasteful spray painted murals). Even though the buildings may have peeling paint, rusted metal, and yards are manicured like they are at home, I really came to appreciate what a great city Reykjavik is. There is a lot of diversity here too, something I wasn't expecting from a country that has deep homogenous roots. We were very lucky to experience mild weather for this time of year. The week prior was cold and wet, and as I type up this blog only 2 days after coming home, cold wet precipitation is in the week's forecast. Our timing with weather couldn't have been better.
More strolling through Reykjavik.
We had our fill of the touristy part of Reykjavik. I told my daughter I wanted to see the mall because that is most likely where the citizens of Reykjavik shopped. We drove less than 2 miles to the Kringlan mall. I wasn't about to snap photos of the mall, that would be a little weird I think. There were a couple of differences I noticed about their mall versus our malls in Oregon. First, there were not 1, but 2 grocery stores there. That actually seemed to make a lot of sense. Why don't we do that as well? They also have child care while you shop! It's not free of course, but how many times have you seen bored children as their moms are looking at designer purses?
By the time we were done with the mall, we were exhausted. We walked a total of 6 miles, not including the 2 miles we rode on horseback. It was time to head back to the cottage and prepare for departure the following day. But, Iceland wasn't done showing off; my Aurora Borealis app on my phone alerted me to possible northern lights again this evening. Tonight's lights were brief, but more brilliant with purples and greens.
To most of the citizens of Reykjavik, this probably wasn't anything compared to what they have witnessed with the spike in northern lights over the past couple of years. Just seeing these lights for the 20 minutes we did was an amazing experience, and I was grateful for the light show on our last night.
