Our Reykjavik layover was short, so we only had a few hours on our last evening to explore the downtown area.
This was the colourful corner of Klapparstigur, Týsgata and Njálsgata near our hotel.
As in most cold-weather countries, Icelanders consume a lot of coffee. We visited Reykjavik Roasters, one of the city’s most serious coffee places, where I enjoyed a very nice and very hot $6 Americano.
Josie found a friendly cat on Bergþórugata. We came across a few cats roaming the city, but they seemed well cared for — this one was wearing a collar — so I assume people just let their cats out to wander by day.
For some mysterious reason there is a Chuck Norris Grill in Reykjavik. We did not eat there.
We did, however, eat at the Reykjavik Roadhouse, where the wall over our table was decorated with American license plates. (Apparently their version of America also includes New Brunswick.) This fun restaurant had decent burgers, fries, wings, grits and other essential American foods accompanied by 80s pop and metal and Viking beers.
Reykjavik has a lot of odd little alleys and nooks that branch off from the main streets, many decorated with murals or other art.
We also visited Tiu Dropar, a small cafe that turns into a laid-back drinking hole in the evening, with wine, beers and cheese trays. As we had to catch an early flight the next morning, we left before the live jazz began.
[We were sad to learn that this place, which had been in business for 40 years, closed down permanently not long after our visit. Tourists like ourselves are responsible for pushing up the rents and making these small businesses hard to sustain.]