SPAIN 2026
As mentioned off the top, you can get really good flights deals to Europe, as long as you do a stopover in Reykjavik. So just to wrap up the trip he had one more day of travel... in Iceland.
Reykjavik, Iceland... again
I made a last minute car reservation, so we could do a little adventure into the city and Reykjavik harbour, and not be dependant on the bus service hours. So we picked up our car and drove over to the Eldey Hotel. Eldey Hotel puts the B in Budget, for some reason the same hotel we had stayed in on the way was 200 Euros more for the trip back. There was a big shelf above the pillows that you would bang your head on, and there was no TV... it was only 1 night.
In the evening, in this area of Keflavik, there is not much available for dinner, only the Völlur Mathöll. Yep, we went to a Food Hall for dinner, basically like any food court you might see in a North American Shopping Centre.
Saturday
Every time we have travelled the world, and been in an area where puffins reside, it was always "Oh you just missed them, they have gone back to the sea" or "Oh you're just a bit too early, they haven't arrived yet from the sea". This time we were in the right time and the right place, WE ARE DOING A Puffin Tour!
It's a short boat ride out from the main harbour in Reykjavik, A large puffin colony lives on two small, uninhabited islands by the names of Akurey and Lundey, nearby. Not only puffins can be found here, but also cormorants, black guillemots, eider ducks, seagulls, kittiwakes, arctic terns, and northern fulmars. This is an area that puffins have been migrating to for hundreds of years. They arrive in May and leave in late August.
Puffins spend the winter - more precisely, the larger part of the year, some eight months - out at sea. They spend most of their lives bobbing on ocean waves, coming ashore only to breed and raise their young, known as pufflings. Each female lays just one egg per year. Iceland is home to more than 60% of the world’s entire Atlantic puffin population.
For some reason in my head, I envisioned them being the size of a chicken, but they aren't, the Atlantic puffins are about the same size as a pigeon. This made getting nice pics from the boat a little tough when I didn't have my big camera.
Our little SS Minnow tour was over , so we had some time to wander Reykjavik.
Somebody on the boat had recommended the Whales of Iceland museum. It was kind of cool to see these life size replicas of the giants of the sea, but it only took about 20 minutes, and maybe was better suited to people much younger than us.
The first time we visited Iceland, our first stop was the islands oldest restaurant, Kaffivagnin. We were walking right past it, so we went there again for some breakfast. 2 eggs, toast, and bacon, tea and a drink... $75
Around the town is all these groups of kids, all dressed up in different themes and costumes. Called Dimmisjón, graduating seniors celebrate the end of their final exams by dressing up in matching costumes. You will see groups of "animals, monsters, disco dancers, athletes and superheroes" roaming downtown, doing scavenger hunt challenges, and partying in the streets.
One girl asks Norine if she can give her a hug, then all the kids around count off and cheer when it gets to 30 seconds. Another school stops me and asks me a questionaire, I guess I didn't answer the "What do you like most about Iceland?" question because they all walked away with their heads down when I answered "Puffins".
And just like that, it's back to the airport to drop off our car and head home.
Going somewhere you haven't been before doesn't always mean you can't go back to a country you have been to before. This trip to Spain was completely different than our Costa Del Sol and Seville visit we had done way back in the year 2000. Barcelona, Madrid, and all the town's in between, and along the Northern coast of Spain, gave us both a whole new appreciation for the Spanish culture, it's history and it's people. Great memories to go along with our new decorations for the Infamous Travel Tree.
