Thank God for eye masks, I was able to sleep in. I took the long walk across the street from Nik’s flat to his restaurant, Báran Restaurant http://baranrestaurant.is/is/ . It’s the BEST restaurant in town!!! Well, sure it may be the ONLY restaurant but that doesn’t diminish the quality and atmosphere. þorkell which translates to helmet of Thor, better known as Keli, (the best cook in town), served me up some fish and chips…delicious! You can’t get any more local. The fishing boat is right out the back door.
Báran Restaurant is not only a restaurant it’s also an informal community center, after all, the population is 380. Villagers will stop in to get the local “news”.
Going to the grocery store seemed to be a social event as well. As soon as Nik walks in he’s engaged in conversation with a handful of people. If you want to go to a large grocery store, you’d need to travel 100 miles. Keep in mind the roads are twisting and turning. That trip may take 2 hours…as a local said, “it depends on the season and the driver”…some never make it! Flying on IcelandAir I found it comical that they featured a cartoon character “Elfish”, who instructs visitors on driving in Iceland. I feel fortunate to have watched it, I’m sure many wished they had! I won’t mention any names here.
And then it’s off to the hairdresser for more chit chat! Eygló did a great job!
Everything you need is basically located at an intersection: a bank, grocery store, police station, gas station, restaurant….and coming soon, a bed and breakfast. Nik hopes to have his B&B opened by June (2017). Building supplies are limited. Nik flew to Poland to pick out and purchase doors, fixtures, wood…basically everything he needs to complete the job. There’s no running out to Home Depot if you forget something. The builder is anxiously awaiting their arrival, it’s being packed on a shipping container in Denmark and making its way to Iceland shortly.
Ever heard of Leader Sheep? Neither had I until Daniel Hansen shared his wealth of information and passion for these interesting/unique creatures. In fact, he opened up a museum and established an educational foundation to preserve and promote them. http://www.forystusetur.is/is/forsida
The leader sheep are known for their leadership characteristics and a specific sense of direction, which are highly valued in extreme farming conditions in Iceland. The leader sheep were used to bring the flock home in bad weather during winter grazing and they are still used to lead the flock when sheep are moved to and from summer pastures.
The drinking age in Iceland is twenty. The natives were restless, so to speak
It’s vacation week and although it’s not typical for a week night, Nik’s bar was the place to be. At about midnight, they started coming. The doors closed at 3 AM but another door opened down the street! The merriment moved down the street and so did I.
It was a short walk, cold but beautiful!
5 AM and I was finally settling down for some sleep…and I wasn’t even tired. I put on my eye mask (since it was fairly bright out) and got some shut eye.
