Thursday 1 July [Akureyri]
We are now in the unofficial Northern capital, Akureyri, for the next 3 days. The weather, like for our friends back home in New England and in the PNW, has been unseasonably warm (it was 26C/79F 2 days ago and generally has been in the 70s and sunny nearly the whole time we’ve been here). We spent the last 2 days at a farm about 30 minutes south of Húsavík, which is the whale-watching center of Iceland. On Tuesday, we stopped in Akureyri and did the sushi lunch buffet at Rub 23. Barely supermarket-level rolls and nigiri, but filling and fresh and this Asian girl needs Asian food, even on vacation. 
The best thing to eat is the perfectly cooked fish fillets. And green salad, which we always miss while on vacation. Best deal in town for ~$30/person. Simple dinner at home at our farm-stay - we were still stuffed from lunch. Good kids menu but SO wanted a hot dog.
On Wednesday, we did a whale-watch and saw dolphins, minke whales, and 2 humpbacks so we were all happy. Afterwards, we had a simple but HUGE lunch of fish and chips at a restaurant called “Fish and Chips.” Beer-battered and a bit too salty, but we brought home half, which we ate with brown rice and a facsimile of Asian-y smashed cucumbers for dinner. After we got home to our farm-stay, the most amazing (to us) thing happened. I see a big cheery truck pull up. A young, friendly kid bounds out. He is selling ice cream, burgers, and even frozen fish (from a place we recognize a few trips ago). He is doing this for a summer job to save up for college. Apparently, this is a “thing” in Iceland now. Kinda like a spontaneous/pop-in InstaCart. Which would annoy us at home, but here, we find it charming. And the kid is too. We are tempted by the fish but the portion is too big (smallest is 1.3 kg) so we buy 2 ice cream novelties for SO (at a premium) but we don’t mind.
Today (Thursday) we checked out of our farm cottage and headed to Lake Mývatn to check out all the cool geothermal spots and had lunch at the very comfortable Gamli Bærinn, where we had lunch a couple of years ago. It’s owned by Icelandair Hotel, so you can guarantee schizophrenic American soundtrack playing (a Lionel Richie song came on that made both me and B crack up…not that we don’t love the guy, but still…c’mon! Followed by Billie Eilish). We had a satisfying meal of the soup/bread buffet for me (cream of vegetable) and the arctic char special for B. It came with a little green salad and roasted baby potatoes, which we couldn’t put our finger on the spice/herb that was used. Not cinnamon, not anise, but something fennel-ish. In any case, it was good. As usual, the fish is cooked perfectly. Silky moist and delicious, even though it’s probably farmed - B doesn’t mind. SO enjoyed yet another Icelandic hot dog (I keep telling myself that they are higher quality than American hot dogs) and a blueberry muffin from the restaurant.
And I haven’t discussed the COVID situation here. Prior to landing, we had to register with the Ministry of Health, and we showed our vaccination cards upon arrival. At the airport, we all got nose/mouth swabbed and were supposed to stay within close vicinity of Reykjavik until our rapid results came in. They all came back negative within a day. It was extremely efficient, which is the Icelandic way. On Saturday, all restrictions were lifted. We haven’t seen anyone wearing masks and we feel quite comfortable that we are finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. Of course, almost all of our activities are outdoors with very few people around, which helps to quell any of our concerns. B, who is a health professional at Man’s Greatest Hospital, said just today that he’s forgotten about COVID on this trip. Which is the stuff of vacations, isn’t it?
