Day 3. A church, Bill Clinton, getting naked and being a Viking.

Day 3. A church, Bill Clinton, getting naked and being a Viking.

I felt a little worse for wear this morning, nothing that the world's greatest shower couldn't fix. I was soon dressed and waiting at the bus stop for the faithful number 12 to take me into town, I was heading for a decent coffee and then for Hallgrímskirkja a massive and fairly modern church in the centre of town that provides pretty much the only elevated vantage point over the city.

The coffee made me smile and banished the last remnants of the hangover, it was served to me in a small cafe right in the heart of the shopping district, I had asked for a large coffee and what I got was a small cup, a small jug of milk and a thermos flask of black coffee, it was a great idea, I drank and Lou Reed provided the soundtrack.

Onwards to the church, I'm not a religious man but I do appreciate a good church. This one was fairly large but in keeping with the population unlike the French, the Icelandics seem to proportion things, modern looking design with impressive high ceilings, more impressive is the lift to the top, it costs 600isk or about 3 quid and you can spend as long up there as you like and if you're anything like me, that was quite a while.

 Pretty much any photo of Reykjavik you will see on Google is taken from this church so in spending a while taking photos and admiring the view I wasn't breaking any new ground but it definitely a needed to be done.

On the walk back down the hill from the church I spotted a shop that really interested me and I don't say things like that often. It was a small shop with a window lined with vintage 35mm cameras and some quirky photos, the whole shop was filled with the work of the owner, an accomplished photographer who used only real film and shot only the interesting and slightly out of the ordinary, we spoke for a while and talked of retro cameras before I settled in the photo I would buy......the main street running up to the church, the church in the background, cars lining the road and the traffic being held up by......an astronaut..... all captured in a great vintage hue, I love it.

As I mentioned before Iceland loves to name drop and this time it was over lunch.....the place I was  heading for was called Baejarins Beztu Pylsur  and boasts that it sells the best hot dogs outside of New York, this time the claim is endorsed by former US president Bill Clinton and rock musician James Hetfield from the band Metallica.

 The hot dogs are good but I've never been to New York so I can't really add my stamp to any endorsement but there are good. I had two, they cost about 2.50 each and come best served with "everything" this comprises of a bed of raw onion, some crispy fried onions and a coating of both mustard mayo and their own bbq sweet sauce. Until I tasted one of the beer steamed hotdogs I couldn't see why this place was so highly rated nor why it is such a Mecca for locals, it's a tiny cabin next to a car park but it really is worth the visit, James and Bill know their stuff.

After lunch was over it was time for an afternoon of relaxation, I ignored the lure of the blue lagoon, a surprisingly man made thermal spa that every tourist seems to visit when in Iceland but instead opted for the local baths, the closest being at laugardalslaug, a 5 minute walk from the hotel as opposed to the hour drive to the blue lagoon. It costs around 4 pounds to get into the baths and an extra couple of quid to hire a towel or a robe or if you didn't bother to pack swimming trunks when heading to Iceland then you can hire them too. I think the sole reason more tourists, especially Brits don't use these baths is that you have to have a shower before you go in.....naked....with all the other naked people that want to go in.....and a guard to make sure you are naked and that you are washing properly.....I wasn't fussed so I showered, put my trunks on, winked at the guard and headed in, I swam for a while in the outdoor pool before heading for the steam room then back outside to sit in a big "hot pot" one of the geothermal tubs that is regulated to 42 degrees centigrade, it was amazing, especially as the air temperature was minus 4 ! There wasn't an English accent to be heard and all the local seemed very friendly if a little surprised to find out I wasn't one of them ! One old lady said that she had never seen a tourist in there and she thought I was local because, as she looked me up and down, I was "made like a Viking". I took that as a compliment.

 Tonight I decided to eat at a place called the Road house just up from the Hlemmur bus station....so another ride on number 12....Road house is very much the American grill, it's wooden floor, red leather booths, country rock soundtrack and collection of clichéd memorabilia all added to the Americana kitsch. Why go to an American bar in Reykjavik ? Well because the U.S has had a massive impact on Iceland and has in some ways become very much part of the culture, The U.S army held a large presence in Iceland from the end of world war two right up until the day they left in 2006, evidence still remains, style, cars and of course bars. Reykjavik is a young city on the scale of things so despite the rich history Iceland has as a nation the city itself only really has modern history and most of that has been heavily influenced by the U.S so an American grill in Reykjavik could really just be considered an Icelandic grill. The menu was filled with burgers, pulled pork, deep fried everything and a dazzling array of ribs. I opted for a double stack burger with Kentucky bbq sauce topped with mac and cheese with smoked bacon served with a side of truly amazing twice-fried fries, washed down with a couple of really good draught beers.....healthy, no. Delicious, absolutely ! Highly recommended.

When I was able to walk again I wandered the town and stopped in to see Toffi for a beer. This was my last evening in Reykjavik and it had come around far too quickly so this seemed like a good a place as any to see it out.

Hotel bound and content.