You know... it is really hard to adapt to only 6 hours of sunlight. I can not even imagine what it would be like in total darkness... I would never get out of bed. Today, however, we did and we head to the Perlan on the hill.
Glaciers and Ice Cave
The Glaciers and Ice Cave Exhibition is the first exhibition of the new Perlan Museum – Wonders of Iceland. The
exhibition is built inside one of Perlan’s six hot water tanks. It
illustrates the glaciers, their history and bleak future, and gives
visitors the amazing opportunity to experience travelling through a real
man-made Ice Cave. The 360°Reykjavík museum & observation deck is
included in the admission fee.
We have developed a method to accurately replicate an ice tunnel
which is dug through a glacier. It is the first indoor ice cave in the
world, in the middle of Reykjavík. Traveling through the cave, visitors
will learn about the glacier’s dangers, the secrets it keeps, and how
the disappearance of our glaciers is leading to an enormous change for
both Iceland itself and around the world.
The interactive wall display.
Observation Deck
On
the fourth floor of Perlan, a large observation deck lies on the top of
the hot water tanks and encircles the entire dome to give an amazing
360° view of Reykjavík and the surrounding area.
The observation deck has 16 information signs that tell you the names
of the points of interest on the horizon, from Keilir Volcano on the
Reykjanes peninsula in the south, to the world famous Snæfellsjökull
glacier that lies on the end of Snæfellsnes peninsula in the north. A
large part of the horizon belongs to Esja, the mountain of Reykjavík, in
all its glory.
Next to the information signs there are rock samples from geological
points of interests, so you can touch lava from the lava fields south of
Reykjavík and the soft volcanic rock from the mountains east of the
city and the hard basalt columns found north of the Capital area.
Every year, hundreds of thousands of guests come to the top of Perlan
to enjoy one of the best views you can get of Reykjavík and its
surrounding area.
We could not leave without a stop by the cafe!
Kaffitár Café
Coffee
roastery founded in 1990, the family owned Kaffitár now runs seven
coffee shops in Iceland and distributes its quality coffee to all main
retailers in Iceland.
The philosophy behind Kaffitár is to indulge their customers and
support their farmers. The owners of Kaffitár travel to remote
countries around the world, choosing quality coffee beans from dedicated
coffee farmers, supporting their production and society. Over 85% of
Kaffitár coffee comes from direct trade and farms that have Rainforest
Allience environmental certificaton.
At Kaffitár in Perlan you can enjoy all our regular coffee drinks,
iced coffee as well as sourdough bread, cake, quiche and other snacks.
We also offer six flavours of ice cream, including Krakatá coffee, made
especially for us using only natural, seasonal ingredients.
Tex had to see the Viking Village, it was a small theme hotel in Hafnarfjörður. The restaurant was not open but the hotel lobby didn't disappoint. The woodwork inside was inedible. Tex totally would have stayed there for a night if he had the chance. Another trip perhaps.
We headed back to Reykjavik as Tex wanted to try to go into the Lava Shop but unfortunately it was closed. We then headed back to the Black Pearl to get ready for dinner at Tapas Barinn Restaurant for our Thanksgiving Day "Feast".
On the menu Sheree and Paige shared the Traditional Iceland Feast and they were kind enough to share. Page had Char and Tex and I had a fine steak directly from Tokyo which melted in your mouth. Tristan was not as daring but did enjoy his chicken on a stick and was eager and willing to share in the "feast". However we did hit the sandwich shop after dinner for some of the best fries in Iceland and Paige talked us into a hot dog chaser.
Our famous Icelandic menu includes Brennivín and 7 delicious tapas
Starts with a shot of the infamous Icelandic spirit Brennivín
- Smoked puffin with blueberry “brennivín” sauce
- Icelandic sea-trout with peppers-salsa
- Lobster tails baked in garlic
- Pan-fried blue ling with lobster sauce
- Grilled Icelandic lamb Samfaina
- Minke Whale with cranberry-sauce
And for dessert:
White chocolate "Skyr" mousse with passion coulis
This was not your traditional Thanksgiving but it is one I will never forget. I am often reminded of how much I have to be thankful for and I try to give as much as I receive. Today and especially during this trip I have tried to receive and I am truly blessed. Blessed in all that has been given to me, all that I have earned, and I that I have to share.
Gleðilega þakkargjörð
