The final chapter for this trip.  Yes, it’s about food (and possibly some beer).  🙂

A (Darden) fan favorite is Seafood Seller Café.  It has been a recent find and every trip to Crystal River we stop here – multiple times if we can!

It’s a colorful, New Orleans-themed eatery featuring Cajun-style seafood.  The crawfish draw Eric.  This is 5 lbs.

There’s almost always a wait so we usually eat at the bar.  The tray of crawfish always draws comments and a crowd.  Eric shares with whoever will try a taste – after he gives instructions for the proper way to eat them.  It’s an art and a science.  Next visit, I’ll share details.

Me, I’m drawn by these ‘tomato chips’.  Seems innocent enough, they don’t look like anything special. but OMG!  They are little bits of tasty heaven.

During our State Park travels, we got hungry.  Googled nearby restaurants and found this place called The Freezer.

It was a little casual…………………..

And very popular.  There were no tables available inside and had an interesting ‘decor’.  Yes, those are real dollar bills.

We wandered outside and found a tiki table available.

As I said, things were a bit casual.  Since we were sitting outside, ordering was done in a designated space at the inside bar and brought to you outside.  A variety of things were ordered to appeal to all of our appetites:  fish dip, smoked mullet peel & eat shrimp.

When we left, it was now obvious why this place was called The Freezer. Okay, looking at the photo, maybe it’s not so obvious, but this used to be an actual freezer for their daily catches and now it is a ‘casual’ restaurant.

Another local stop we made was The Plantation Inn.  Years past we stayed here and have enjoyed eating at the bar.  Once again, we began our meal with fish dip, along with crab bisque.

I had this tasty tune & advocado poke dish.

 

Adrienne was ready for something green and got the wedge salad – it looked great!

So I mentioned ‘beer’.  There is one brewery in Crystal River.

Oops, actually it’s a Winery and Brewery.  Something a bit unusual is their tanks are outside and therefore brewing is subject to Florida’s weather.  They do have plans to move to another location, possibly opening this Fall.

Yep, we had a taste of their brews.  L – R:  American Red ale, Centerfield Brown ale, Front: Strawberry Banana Wheat beer.

They had a creative use for their growler.

So that’s my final post for Crystal River………….this trip.  I hope there are more visits but we don’t have any planned for the foreseeable future.

Ginny  

 

 

 

 

 

What to do on a rainy weekend?  Go visit some of Florida’s State Parks – and there’s plenty near and around Crystal River.  But we were also getting passport stamps – more on that later.

Our first visit this day was the Crystal River Archaeological State Park.

As we motor down the river on the boat, we go past these mounds so today was the day to see them first hand.  There is a nice, small museum that orients you before you go traipsing around the grounds.

First on the agenda was the highest mound.

Naturally, there were steps involved.

Before seeing this amazing view.  First shot was looking left, with the second photo looking right.

Interesting view of the back of the  mound as we walked to the river.

Our next park was a small roadside park with a picnic area & grills

They are the remains of a sugar plantation owned by David Levy Yulee, who become a senator when Florida became a state.  They were destroyed in the civil war and was at one time part of a 5000 acre plantation.  The mill was used for sugar, syrup and molasses (which in turn was used in making rum).

We hit one more park on this day…………………

We arrived just in time to see them feed the manatees romaine lettuce.

They had an interesting boardwalk along the Homosassa River.

We found other animals and we definitely made sure to stay out of this splash zone.

Three bald eagles were in this refugee, after being hurt and unable to defend themselves in the wild.  One was photogenic.

What Florida zoo would be complete without these.

This roseate spoonbill was pretty interesting.

At the beginning I mentioned a passport……………….

We have one from years past.  They stopped the program during budget cuts.  Apparently, they’re back.  Adrienne purchased one on this trip which gives her a chance to see Florida in its natural state.

One last post is coming and its all about food!

Ginny

 

 

 

 

 

Let me start with saying this is a continuation of our Crystal River weekend………but this post is focused on a place a short road trip away from our rental.  It’s really a continuation of my previous post – if the posts get too long,  problems pop up and my frustration level goes waaaaay up.  That’s not good for me or Eric.

We visited Cedar Key, Florida – approx. 1 hour away.  It’s much closer as the crow flies, but we had to drive.

• It was founded in the 1850s, but its big break was when it became the western station on the Florida Railroad.
• As an important port, it saw some action in the Civil War.
• After the war, the many cedar trees brought prosperity when the Faber pencil company opened a wood mill here.

Today, Cedar Key feels like an old fishing village, with some artists thrown in.  If you’re not aware, clams are big business.  When the gill net ban went into place, the residents of Cedar Key were close to University of Florida and found another seafood industry.  Ninety-five percent of Florida’s clams come from this waterfront town.

 

You could probably say we headed this way due to this food item.

Not specifically the canned version, but this bowl (and hush puppies).

Tony’s Seafood Restaurant opened in 2005 and the popularity of his chowder caused patrons to ask for quantities to take home.  He was asked to compete in the 2009 Great Chowder Cook-off  and won!  He competed the following two years (won both) and his recipe was retired in the Chowder Hall of Fame.

We had two more places to visit in the town.  There’s this hotel with a ‘famous’ (slightly risqué) painting behind the bar.  Eric wanted to stop in for a drink, but alas, it didn’t open until 5pm – next visit.  I found a photo on the internet of what we missed.

I wanted to stop at their Community Garden and the weather held off long enough for our visit.

Several of the beds had success growing veggies (eggplant is shown) and flowers.

I walked up while Eric was talking to this lady (Denise) and joined in with sharing some tips and tricks I learned in my first Disney role.  She had a great looking garden.  You can tell she has a passion and knack for growing.  🙂    That tall plant on the left is kale.

Public Art – I think I notice it more since we saw so much in Iceland. The garden itself had several interesting pieces.

Walking back to our truck, we passed by a wall that contained this painting using a section of tin roofing as their platform – pun intended.  Notice the structure in the bottom corner of the painting?

Loved all of these faces found on another section of the building.

 

Along with this mural.  Once again, that structure is seen in this painting.   I tried to google it, but this time I had no luck.  It remains a mystery to me.

It’s a fun place to visit and to return.  We’ll be back – again.

Ginny

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We woke up to this.  Red and yellow ‘amoebas’ are coming!  Lots and lots of rain.  Later, purple was added and we had some rough bands of weather.

But we don’t let a little rain (storm) stop us.  I mean yes, it stopped us from fishing, but not from enjoying the day.  Seemed like a perfect day to find a local spot for breakfast.

I got the ‘biscuit barn special (eggs, hash browns, bacon and sausage) and it was mighty tasty while Eric created his own skillet entre (minus the skillet).

Our biscuits came out 4 minutes later.  Our waitress said they were backed up and they would be our shortly.  Aarrgghh.  They were tall, fluffy, golden brown, butter coated, life-changing, great with honey and steaming hot………………yep, forgot the photo.

But I got my selfie.  This was a popular place for Saturday morning!

We needed plan B for today’s activities.  Cedar Key was fairly close and became our destination of choice.  First stop was the Cedar Key Museum State Park.

Cute little museum for this small community.

They have some interesting history.  One of their major industries had been pencil-making, until they deforested the land.

On this site is the homeplace of St. Clair Whitman.  He was interested in the history of Cedar Key and this museum is the result of his interest.  We were able to enter the house for a self-guided tour.

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And we can’t forget this  important part of any household, pre-indoor plumbing.

Since the rain had stopped, we walked this short nature trail.  They had some interesting signs for key Florida  plants (Live Oak tree, yaupon bush and the sabal palm) along the path.

John Muir also visited Florida and stayed on Cedar Key as he recovered from a bout with malaria.

Reading these signs, there is mention of a 1000 mile walk from Indiana.  What???  I had to google it.  Short version of the story:

• Worked in Indianapolis at a wagon wheel factory after being in Canada with his brother.
• An accident changed the course of his life: a tool slipped and struck him in the eye.
• After being confined 6 weeks in a darkened room to regain his sight, he determined to be true to himself and follow his dream of exploration and study of plants.

There’s more to come from Cedar Key:  food, plants & art!  Hang tight.

Ginny

 

 

 

 

 

Road trip to the Gulf Coast!  Crystal River is one of our favorite, somewhat ‘close’ locales we like to escape to.  We had a 4-day weekend free and Eric found a AIRBNB rental.  It’s in a different location than what we have rented in the past but still meets our needs.

And here’s a tighter shot……

It’s a cute place:  two bedrooms, two baths and a dock.

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We got the boat in the water the next morning.

I’m waiting for him to arrive at the dock…………..

He says ‘We’ve got a problem, no electronics on the boat – nothing.’  This does not bode well for a weekend fishing trip.  😦  He looks into the well for the battery and finds this.

Huh, oh, this isn’t good.  A few weeks ago he discovered that someone tried to steal our boat from the ‘secure’ storage yard and we’re thinking they tried to steal the battery.  The wires were either cut, or pulled.  Regardless, it spells bad news.

Score one for smart phones.  Eric made two calls, got some advice for a ‘fix’ and the weekend adventure continues.  This part for $6.29 should fix the problem.

Eureka!  Look at that happy face.

Okay, now we can begin.  What happens first, we need gas.

I’m waiting for Eric to pay, then this young kid motored up in this boat.  Wow!  he looked young.  He tied his boat to the cleat and then his dad arrives to gas up the boat.  Says he’s been driving since he was seven.  His son corrects him……………’I’ve been driving since I was six’.

We finally made it to open water.  Unfortunately, the wind had picked up and fishing was tough.  We stopped at a promising spot in the river, and Eric got this shark.  It was a good fight, but not a shark that is typically eaten.  He was released to live another day.

Going back to our rental is a process.  First is this channel off of the river.

 

Followed by several long stretches of more channel.

Going underneath this bridge.

For another stretch of the channel.

Before finally reaching our canal and we’re at the very end.  Yep, it’s a journey, even on water.

Soon enough it was time for today’s main event – dinner.  Adrienne was able to join us this weekend, starting tonight for an enjoyable meal at Vintage on Fifth.

We shared a bottle of wine during dinner.

Before our smoked fish dip arrived – yum.  Loved the capers.

And then came my meal.  I was going for a steak special, but when the waiter described Adrienne’s choice, I was won over.  It was pan-fried grouper with lemon butter sauce.  OMG!

We got to end the meal with one of my top choices for dessert:  carrot cake with cream cheese icing.

That candle you see on the cake is there for a reason.  It’s my birthday.  🙂

 

Ginny

 

 

One weekend, we had no pressing plans yet didn’t want a long road trip.  Where to go, where to go, hmmmmm………….…………Gatorland Zoo!

It has been years, probably at least a decade since we’ve stopped at one of Florida’s oldest attractions and Adrienne had never been.  We have a plan for the weekend!  Also, they have a zip-line which is a big draw for me – but more on that later.

Gatorland Zoo has been around since 1949 when Owen Godwin and his wife founded the Florida Wildlife Institute on cattle land they purchased south of Orlando.

What began as a road-side gift shop giving passersby an up-close look at reptiles has turned into a fun-filled adventure park. It remains privately owned and run by members of the Godwin family.  Now that’s some history that most attractions cannot claim!

For years, walking through these concrete jaws was the entrance into the park.  Definitely cheesey, but no doubt there are millions of photos out in the universe with these teeth.

Unfortunately for Gatorland Zoo, in November 2008 there was an early morning fire  and the entrance – used for years – was destroyed.  They rebuilt the entrance building, shifting to the north,  while also refurbishing the former entrance for a photo spot – yeah!  I had to wait patiently (okay, maybe not so much) to capture a shot without any other guests.

• Paid for our tickets √
• Walked past the turnstyles √
• Head out onto the boardwalk √

What’s the first thing you see………………..gators!  There are a bunches and bunches of pens.  These guys are 2-4 years old and approximately 3-4 feet long.  They’re just hanging out on this raft, probably making fun of the tourists with these ‘square-ish’ things  pointed at them.

But there’s way more than gators, like these giant tortoises (sorry – you only see one in the photo).

Or this panther…….…………taking a nap in the heat.

Loved this sign at their habitat.

Or these nesting birds……………

If you look up close, there is a little hatchling in the nest.

But right underneath was this guy, waiting for a snack.

Gatorland Zoo is also about education and gator safety.  Signs with animal factoids are sprinkled throughout the area.

Gatorland Zoo also plays a part affecting the surrounding communities.  Nuisance gators are brought here by trappers, instead of being destroyed.  Yes, that is a real gator in the shot below.  I could not have planned it better.

Interesting shot…….there are at least 7 gators in this photos.  Can you find them all?

There are also crocodiles, both saltwater and fresh.

Here’s another sign I loved…………

There’s this ‘thing’ that has been done at Gatorland Zoo, which is definitely ‘kitschy’……………Gator Jumparoo.  Waaaaay at the far right of the sign is a prop, which plays into the naming of the show.

The gators are trained.  They know when it’s time to gather.  They don’t need a watch!

The MC (seen at the far right) is letting these two ‘potential’ employees ‘audition’ to see if they have the right stuff to work there.  At one point in the show, these two are trying to get the gators to jump for raw chicken – hence the prop with the sign.

Eventually the show morphs into raw chicken on these clotheslines and they’re competing against each other to see whose chicken disappears first.  Watch and see.

Nope, the first gator doesn’t get his snack.  But this one does.

Earlier I mentioned a zip-line.  Gatorland Zoo installed this in 2011.

While this looked ‘really cool’ to do, it was also two hours long and (ugh) we’re in the middle of unprecedented hot spell – with no rain in sight.  Its just way too hot to wear the harness and headgear that long.  Turns out, we had an option of doing 1 zip, for a much smaller price and time commitment.  Score!

I was able to get a panoramic shot of our zip.  This is the end of the zip, going over a pond of gators.

You start by getting suited up.  Luckily we read prior to coming you must wear closed-toe shoes.  Otherwise, we probably would have all failed to meet the first requirement!

We walked up to the tower, our group of eight.  There was a little girl named Riley in our group that got scared.  Her older cousin went first but she wasn’t too sure.  We talked a bit and before you knew it, she went down the zip.  Brave soul.  Not sure I would have done it at her tender age (I’m guessing 7 years old).

I was able to get this shot of Adrienne.  She tells me when as we’re waiting our turn in the tower, she’s never done this before………but she did it!

A successful end to any experience is food and today was no exception.

A short drive  to St. Cloud and we experienced another local favorite – The Catfish Place.

Found this other nugget of info in their menu.  If all of these famous faces have eaten here……………it must be good.

Yes, we ordered catfish – all of us, but not before starting with fried okra and fried pickles – yum.

I got the fried catfish fingers while Eric ordered whole small catfish.

Going to end with one more factoid gleamed from their menu.

 

So if you’re in the area, this is a fun way to spend a day, soaking up Florida lore.

Ginny

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Occasionally, I just want to look at pretty pictures and that’s what this is.  Throughout our week in Reykjavik I took some random shots while we were walking and we did a lot of walking.  We would turn a corner and find artwork, either in a public space or a glimpse in someone’s backyard. It was much more than I had seen just about anywhere.

Spring flowers that were common further north (where I grew up) were blooming – they definitely caught my eye.  🙂

Before arriving to Iceland,  I read that while many cities have graffiti, artistic murals on the sides of buildings were encouraged in this city and yes, even commissioned.  I’ve sprinkled some of those throughout this post.

 

 

I thought this was a fitting shot to end this post.

Ginny

 

 

 

 

 

 

We finally made it to Iceland’s iconic church – Hallgrimskirkja Church.

→Our first day in Reykjavik we walked past it………

→Our all-day bus tour picked others up in front of it………

→No matter where you walk, you can see it………

But we had yet to explore it ourselves.  Today was the day.

Designed in 1937 by an Icelandic architect, construction began in 1945 and was not completed until 1986.  Being located on the highest point in central Reykjavik adds to the commanding city-wide appearance of the 244 ft high tower.  It is the largest church in Iceland and among the tallest buildings in the country. The church is named after a 17th century Icelandic poet & clergyman.  That’s your history lesson for today!

From the photo above, a statue  is seen on the left – Lief Eiriksson.  He’s considered the first European to set foot on the North American continent around 1000 A.D.  probably in Newfoundland. This statue was given to Iceland by the United States in 1930 to commemorate the 1000 year anniversary of their parliament – Althing.  I talked about Althing in an earlier post for Iceland – google it or go back and read it.  🙂

These doors greet you in the front of the church, but you enter from the side.

Entering the sanctuary through a pair of these doors……….

You are greeted by this.  Its stark interior is a departure from churches seen in Europe, but is no less inspiring.  On the day we visited, we initially were the only ones in the church and my first words were………..wow.  I sat in one of the pews and just absorbed the power of the moment.

Okay, now turn 180 degrees around and you see their organ.

My only disappointment…………….the tower is usually open and for a modest fee can be ascended for an amazing 360 view of the city and surrounding mountains.  The elevator is being renovated and the tower was not open.  That was a bummer.  The one upside is that we will have to come back!   (Shhhh, I’m already thinking of a month that I can return, we’ll see what transpires – fingers crossed).

Across the street from the church we were able to pop into a sculpture garden and found some interesting statues and  unique photo ops of the church.

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We had several memorable meals at the end of the week. We re-visited a restaurant from our food tour on Day 1 and were joined by a lovely couple we met on our day-long Golden Circle tour, hailing from Belgium.  Eric had lamb soup followed by lamb shank (seen below). I ordered a lamb flatbread.  Shocking for me I know.  Writing this, I can’t believe that was my meal.  Let me tell you, there was nothing left on my plate.

My flatbread appetizer allowed room for dessert and I had a delicious one: chocolate cake, topped with vanilla ice cream, covered with a raspberry sauce and macadamia nuts – yum!  Eric doesn’t usually eat sweets but he was sneaking  bites when he thought I wasn’t looking.

We truly enjoyed our meal with this couple from Belgium and hope to meet again in the future.  After spending a few days in Iceland they were heading for a week  in Boston, then NYC before heading home.

Although I knew going in that our meals would be dominated by lamb and seafood, I was hankering for a pizza by the end of the week.  Eric took some convincing but I knew he was won over when he googled top pizza restaurants in Reykjavik and found Hornid Restaurant Pizzeria.

We shared one of their specialty pizzas and topped it off with an Icelandic beer – Gull.  While not a craft beer, it went down smoothly.

We had an excellent waiter and turned out his father was one of the original owners.  It was established in 1979 and the first Italian-style restaurant in Iceland.  They’re reowned for fresh ingredients, delicious pizzas and friendly service.  He graciously allowed me a photo and you can see the pizza ovens in the background.

We went out a few times for breakfast instead of eating at the apartment.  I enjoyed both outings, but they were different.  The first was at Café Loki, another stop on our food tour on Day 1.  I got the bagel sandwich while Eric ordered this seafood offering:  pickled herring with eggs & onion and flaked cod combined with soft scrambled eggs.  Not my idea for breakfast, but he enjoyed it.

He was most interested in the sheep’s head jelly and the waiter brought him out a taste. Google it.  It sounds gross to me (and also to the waiter) but Eric enjoyed it.

The morning of departure, we ate at Sandholt Bakery.  OMG!  If I knew how good their breakfast was, we would have been eating there every morning.  My choice was a French toast with a berry compote and orange marscapone.  Eric had a ham croissant and more of the Icelandic skyrr, topped with blueberries.  My cappuccino is so cute – just saying.

Throughout the week we had picked up some breads and pretzels from this bakery and their display was always enticing.  I wanted one of everything!

It was an amazing final taste for our last morning in Reykjavik.  We got one last photo as we walked back to our apartment to gather our luggage and walk to our bus stop for pick-up.

You might think this is the final posting for our trip in Iceland – not!  Throughout the week I’ve been getting unique and interesting (at least to me ) shots from around town and this will be coming soon.

 

Ginny

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Finally, the day arrived for our tour of some of Iceland’s truly fascinating natural wonders.  There are many, many more, but these are a fairly easy day trip from Reykjavik.  It all starts with a bus………………….

Even with the I-phone, you’re still able to catch some cool shots along the way.

Interesting thing about Icelandic horses:

• They are decendants from the horses brought to the island in the 800s when it was settled.
• No other horses can be brought onto the island.
• If an Icelandic horse is taken off the island, it cannot come back.

Our first stop on the Golden Circle is Pingvellir, dear to all Icelanders for both it’s history and drama.

Drama because the slow separation of the North American and Eurasian tetonic plates are being slowly torn apart as seen below.   The lake itself sits in the largest fissure of all.

History because during the age of Settlement, it was here chieftains from all over Iceland gathered annually to deal with business.

We started at the overlook, then walked downwards between this fissure to where our transportation awaits.

A boardwalk makes this doable.  I guess you could say you ‘touch’ two continents at one time – almost.  The left side of the photo is America, to the right is Europe.

The Oxara´ river empties into the lake.

We now travel over the Eurasian tetonic plate to our second stop – Geysir.

However not before we came upon some free-ranging sheep – mama & her lambs alongside the road.  In the summer, farmers let their sheep go up into the mountains where they feed on moss, lichens and Icelandic thyme……….one reason the meat is so tasty.

Interesting things about Icelandic sheep:

• They are descendants from the original sheep from the 800s.
• The closest,, similar breed comes from Scandenavia.
• No other sheep is allowed on the island and if removed, cannot be brought back into the country.

We continued onward to the site of Geysir.

This geothermal field surrounding Geysir lacks boardwalks and other maintenance you might expect at this popular site.

The land has parcels  owned by the government and parcels by private landowners.  Bitter disputes have stalled improvements or changes.

While tempting – especially when its chilly outside – the 6th bullet point above states do not touch the water. A few extra 2″ x 2″ signs are posted for additional warnings.

The geyser we are seeing is called Strokkur.

The lucky thing for us is that it erupts fairly consistently, every 9-13 minutes.

Not sure if you can see my video, but here goes.

Next stop is something I’ve been waiting for since we planned the trip – Gullfoss.

Our bus drops us off at the upper parking lot (left) and an hour later we meet it down below.

The view from the upper overlook is great…………..

……………….but not as impressive as the shots from below.  We were extremely lucky that the path had opened a few days earlier when it could safely be traversed.

The waterfall sits on the glacial Hvita river, which drains Iceland’s interior.  It has two stages:  rocky upper cascade with a drop of approx. 35 feet and a lower fall where the water drops 70 feet straight down into a narrow gorge.

Naturally, we (read I) had to go where others had (safely) gone for more waterfall shots.

Eric didn’t make the extra trek upward for my selfie.

One of the ladies on our tour took this shot for us.  She was from Toronto on a solo trip and let me take her photo so her kids would believe she did it.

At one point there was talk of damming this river (ruining the falls) for hydro-electricity and this young lady thwarted it.  A monument has been erected in her honor.

I took many more photos and truly  had a hard time only selecting these 7-ish photos for the blog.  I have to leave you with a final shot of the falls.

Oh yes, and the name Gullfoss………

The last thing on the itinerary is a visit to a thermal springs.

Claiming to be the ‘”oldest swimming pool in Iceland” (from 1891) it is a big, rustic pool, surrounded by a boardwalk passing by steaming crevasses.

There are some important ‘pool rules’ and etiquette before entering.  Shoes are taken off before entering the separate changing rooms and stored.  Lockers are provided for your clothes.  Grab your suit and towel, place in nearby cubbie before showering.  Yes, this means showering naked, with the same sex. Water and soap are required (sanitary issue) before entering the thermal pool.  Now, you can put on your swimsuit.

LOVED it!  Again, LOVED it!  The heat was great, especially after I showered and walked outside in the cold, chilly and somewhat windy weather………..wet.  Eric, didn’t love the heat quite so much.  He kept wandering around the pool, finding the water that was not quite as hot. Here’s the reason it was so hot.

Yep, that’s the reason there were ribbons of hot water and ribbons of hotter water.

That was the end of our day-long tour with Arctic Adventures.

Hang on, we’re not done yet.  There’s more to come.

Ginny

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It began simply enough with a walk to the iconic sculpture Sun Voyager, less than two blocks from our apartment.  It was a brisk sunny day, a departure from the previous day.

We talked with a German couple and they graciously took our photo.  They were embarking on a 14 day adventure on the Ring Road surrounding Iceland – I was so jealous.

I absolutely do NOT condone this  and hate that it has started in Iceland.  Many lovers in Paris chain locks to the bridges crossing onto the island with Notre Dame, then throw the key in the water.  This is vandalism folks – just saying.

We leisurely made our way to the restaurant for our late lunch reservation.  Good thing it was so late, we slept in until after 10am, definitely unheard of especially when on vacation!  We had read repeatedly that eating out in Iceland was expensive, go for lunch instead of dinner and save yourself some kronos, so that was our plan.

I thought this was a cute way to block off a pedestrian walkway.

Our chosen restaurant is an older establishment, located within (what is now) a residential area – which gave us plenty of opportunities to find interesting green spaces residents had created.

We found a little grassy park in the middle of four roads that met and this sign.

It was a lovely reminder of the way things used to be.

Our restaurant was Prir Frakkar Hja Ulfara or ‘Three French Coats’.

Before ordering bread, butter, tuna spread and dried/chipped cod (upper right corner)arrived to whet our appetite.  I stuck to the bread.

I ordered this very tasty salmon ‘rose’ as my appetizer – cute and tasty.  In addition to hunks of tomato, sliced grapes were part of the dish.  OMG – these were the sweetest grapes I have ever eaten and it totally went with the salmon.

Eric got the herring appetizer.

Of course you can’t have a major celebration without wine and this was no exception.

My meal was halibut with lobster sauce.  Their lobsters are similar to our shrimp and we generally refer to them as langoustines.  They were delicious!  The sauce was so rich you definitely wanted to take some of the bread and sop up any remaining goop.

Eric order a seafood gratin.

I won – just saying.  🙂

Towards the end of the meal, we were the only ones in the restaurant.  Several of the workers, and also the owner were eating their meal  with us since most patrons were gone.  I’m sure you’re shocked, but Eric started conversing  with them and that’s when we found out one of the people was the owner.  He shared this was our 25th anniversary and talked about various Icelandic meats.  They brought out a sampling of whale (sorry Karen, and others) for us to taste.  It was sitting in a pepper sauce (we found out this week that Icelanders definitely love their sauces!).

Yes, I tried it and didn’t mind it.  It tasted like beef.  Of course, my taste was covered in the sauce, as Eric continued to remind me.  He had different thoughts about the taste and he had it sans sauce.

We had to finish our meal with desserts – Eric won this time. He ordered blueberry ice cream accompanied with numerous fruit syrups while I got vanilla ice cream with caramel sauce.  Yep, he definitely won.

We had a super nice waitress, from Italy and she’s heading back there shortly.  As so common with us, the people you meet and talk with truly add to the overall experience.  Unfortunately, I missed getting a photo of the others we talked with since by the time we were done, they had left.

We finished our anniversary day with walking to a local brewery down by the harbor.

Talking with the bartender, Eric met a stateside resident working in Iceland, originally from Alabama.

No surprise, we tasted several dark beers.

 

Walking back to our apartment we both responded that this was an amazing 25th anniversary.  Who would have guessed that 25 years ago, getting married in Indiana would lead to this day in Iceland – definitely not us.  🙂

 

Ginny