Day 11

The weather was beautiful today in Reykjavik.  Clear, blue skies and so much sun!  Even though it was only 52°F the weather was perfect for walking around in a t-shirt with no coat necessary.

At the University, we had three hours of language classes and then a lecture on Icelandic society.  The lecture mostly focused on the 2008 economic crisis, including its causes and effects on Iceland, but the it also covered more recent political issues in Iceland.  Even though the lecturer wasn’t able go into great detail about the economic crisis, it was very interesting to hear the crisis described from an Icelander’s perspective.

After classes finished, most of the Snorri participants walked to Nauthólsvík, a sand beach with geothermal pools and a colder lagoon to enjoy floating around in.  The beach was located in a beautiful bay with small sailboats and other watercrafts zipping around.  There were quite a few people at the beach, locals and tourists alike, enjoying the amazingly warm summer weather.

After hanging at the beach, another Snorri participant and I decided to try some Icelandic pastries at a local bakery.  We walked to Brauð & Co. where I bought some Happy Marriage cake.  A traditional Icelandic treat served at birthdays and other events, Happy Marriage cake is made with oatmeal and rhubard jam.  Rhubard was traditionally used because it was one of the only vegetables that Icelanders could grow.  The cake was delicious and I highly recommend that everyone tries it if they are ever in Iceland.  From the bakery, we headed to Reykjavik Fish Restaurant next door where we split a plate of great cod fish and chips. Coincidentally, when we were leaving the restaurant after our meal, we noticed that the house of the Snorri program coordinator Ásta Sól was across the street of the restaurant.  She called out to us and said hello.  After our encounter, we returned to the hostel to eat leftovers for dinner.  Overall, the day was amazing because of the great time we had at the beach and the fact that it was the warmest weather we’ve had so far during our stay!