Keflavik, the town
Ten minutes from the Iceland airport, the town of Keflavik offers an interesting and easy overnight option for those who have a long layover.
For my 16-hour layover in Iceland, I had thought to rent a car and sleep in it to watch the northern lights before returning to the airport at 4:30 am.
Instead, when I arrived at the airport, I was able to book a room at Svitan Guesthouse in Keflavik for 60 Euros (with the taxi fare to get there and back $20 each way.) I had a small, comfortable room, access to the kitchen and a very clean, shared bathroom. Self-service breakfast was included and I had blueberry Skyr (Icelandic yogurt-like), coffee and a peanut butter sandwich before leaving for the airport. Juice and cereals were also available.
Svitan Guesthouse is one block from the main street which runs along the waterfront of Keflavik, my doorway to the Reykanes Peninsula. To the right is downtown with shopping and restaurants. To the left is the harbor and the Duus Museum, Visitor Center and Duus Restaurant, all within easy walking distance.
Housed in a cluster of old buildings, the Duus Museum is considered among Iceland’s most remarkable and historic man-made structures. Originally the warehouse of the Danish merchant, Duus, it now has eight different exhibition halls covering art, maritime, heritage and the Reykanes Geopark. The original Duus retail store still stands across the street
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In the visitor center, I learned about the Reykanes peninsula, an Unesco Global Geopark because it is a unique geological site where the Mid-Atlantic ridge rises above sea level, meaning that you can actually see where the Eurasian and the North American continents meet. It is one of the few places in the world where the tectonic plates are actually above ground and so are visible. The tectonic plates are drifting apart 2.5 cm (about 1 inch) on average per year. Easy day trips to many sites on the peninsula offer a deeper appreciation of the formation of Iceland, geologic activity and the beauty of a landscape formed from lava.
Walking back along the waterfront path are statues and monuments that also give glimpses into the town and the peninsula.
The boat named Baldur, was the first fishing boat in Iceland to be designed and built with the bridge on the front deck, giving a better work and rest area of the fishermen. The wheelhouse at the back of the bridge allowed better viewing of the work in progress on the deck. When it was decommissioned, it was painted and donated to the town and now stands as a testament to its many innovations and to the importance of fishing in the area.
The stone structures called The Two Giants are named Stein and Sleggia (Bolder and Sledgehammer) and the view platform between them was the idea of school children who lost their view of the sea when the sea wall was built to prevent erosion.
The rock sea wall provides lots of seating for artists, keen on painting the local scenery.
Another homage to the sea is this nameless structure, which apparently serves as a good play structure for local children.
When darkness arrived, I decided to have dinner at Duus Restaurant by the harbor and close to the point where I had picked to view the Northern Lights. The dinner of lamb chops reinforced that Icelandic lamb is the best that I have eaten anywhere in the world. In fact, I think everything tastes better in Iceland. The fresh and clear air must contribute, but more likely it is the fact that the rich mineral content of the volcanic soil gives more flavor to the vegetables and also the lambs who graze freely on natural grass.
Even the water tastes glacier pure. All of it comes from wells and springs and requires no treatment at all – although my 4 AM taxi driver told me that when the US Military had a base here, they would add something to water to “purify” already pure water and “it was undrinkable!”
He also told me that the Northern Lights had not appeared the previous night, so I was relieved that I had slept, and in a bed, instead of watching for them all night!