Day 28: July 23, 2011

We spent the day in Akureyri, exploring Iceland's second largest city and enjoying some down time from cycling. The first stop of the morning was a large public swimming pool, which featured several hot tubs and two fun water slides. My favorite was a simulated waterfall that shot out powerful jets of water, massaging my shoulders and head.

In the afternoon, we strolled through a well-maintained botanical garden, which was especially pleasant in the warm, sunny weather. In addition to myriad gorgeous flowers, the garden was full of groves of trees. Walking on foot paths under dense foliage felt strange, since so much of my experience of Iceland has been in open, treeless expanses.

We ended the afternoon at a bowling alley and game room, followed by a dinner at an incredible seafood restaurant called Noa. We ate pan-fried arctic char and cod tongue, cooked with spices, potatoes and salad. As we marveled at the succulent food, Sho observed, "There are some pretty good restaurants in New York City, but they can't meet Icelandic standards." That says it all.

Also, we are about to gain two traveling companions! My wife Eiko is flying from NYC to Reykjavik as I write. She and her college-age niece Arisa will meet up with us on Monday in the northern town of Blonduos. Arisa is renting a bicycle from our friends at Reykjavik Bike Tour (www.icelandbike.com) and will cycle with us for about a week. Eiko will ride with us the rest of the way - we all return to the U.S. on August 13. The kids have missed their mom, and I've missed my wife over the past month. We can't wait to be reunited!

Here are some pics from today:

Posing in Akureyri:



Shots from the botanical gardens:













Bowling excitement:






- An Iceland Bike Adventure post