The night started around midnight when we hit the town to join the locals in their pub crawl. We'd hit about 7 different bars before the night was over sampling several Icelandic beers and couple of Icelandic liquors (Brennevin & Opal). The locals were pretty intoxicated upon their arrival at the bars at that's understandable as drinking ain't cheap. Beers set us back $9-$12 with drinks $10-$15. One bar found the locals singing along with a 80s cover band. Another location had a local band playing original music and was filled with gorgeous women. This band must not have much material as they played one song twice during a five song set! Fortunately, the set was short because the band was simply awful. I guess that explains why the lead singer's primary job was street sweeping (we saw him the next AM). Many of the bars we went in felt more like house parties. Working your way up the narrow stairs of these two story buildings was a challenge when they are packed to the rafters. The people were great though and had amazing amounts of energy. Considering how hard they party/drink, it was surprising to see so much harmony outside on the streets. When it reached 5AM and we'd been without sleep for 42 hours we decided to call it a night. Amazingly enough the locals were still filing into the bars at that hour.
Some good sleep now behind us, we got up around mid-day to catch a ride to the Blue Lagoon with Reykjavík Excursions. Their hotel pickup arrived late and ticket purchasing was a little understaffed but the bus ride was pleasant. Bus, entrance to the Blue Lagoon and some cafeteria food ran close to $120. However, we didn't feel we could pass up this unique site. I actually enjoyed walking the grounds as much as getting in the water. Very nice concrete, glass and steel structure set in the geothermal area and lava landscape. The facility was very nice and it never felt overcrowded. The water itself was nice and warm/hot. Just don't grab a handful of stuff off the bottom of the Lagoon unless you want a hairy surprise! About 2 1/2 hours later we headed back.
Compared to the previous night, we scaled back quite a bit. We needed to rest up for our long journey ahead. We found a nice moderately priced meal at one of the restaurants we visited when it was a bar the night before. Afterwards we visited only a couple of bars before calling it a night around 2AM.
5 comments:
I must know more about this so called hairy surprise.
Imagine what would happen if you allowed hundreds of people to use your bathtub without cleaning it. Sorry, we didn't take a picture or bring home a sample.
found your blog via Thorntree, and I'm glad you like my homeland. However, I'd like to mention that for some reason the Lonely Planet book got the term "runtur" incorrect, and it actually refers to the (usually young) people who drive around in circles in the towns of Iceland, not the bar crawl. It happens in Reykjavik too, in the form of people that will usually drive down Laugavegur, through the center of town, and then perhaps back up Hverfisgata, only to repeat to see if they missed seeing any friends on the sidewalks the first time.
Thanks for heads up on runtur. I think I'll edit my posts just so the myth isn't perpetuated.
Is there special Icelandic expression for the pub crawl?
well, there's not really a special term for it. You can say you're going "into town" or út að djamma (out to party), or just plain "out". Most nights out involve multiple stops so there isn't the need for a special separate term for it.
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