An Americano in Reykjavik

I am currently sitting in a great little cafe, called Kaffimidja Íslands, that we were directed to by none other than some kids from Northeastern that we met at the hostel while we checked out the other day. Until a moment ago Thriller was playing, on vinyl, in the corner. This is both comforting in its familiarity and irksome, much in the way English is spoken prevalently here. Strangely enough, Eli has been greeted in German at least once per day since arriving. We blame his glasses...and ancestry, of course. The cafe is unmarked but insanely popular - and rightfully so, as the coffee seems to be the best we've sampled so far and the setting a great mix of living room comfy and clean, DesignSponge worthy kitsch. As you can see, complete with BubbleYum pink roasters.

The cafe is right down the street from the famous Hallgrímskirkja - the church that sits at the top of a hill in city center and is a great landmark to orient yourself by when first in town. When we visited, there was a wedding ceremony for a Japanese couple taking place, so we first went up to the top of the tower to take in the entirety of Reykjavik. The 360 degree view was definitely worth the 1000Kr which is roughly $8 or $9. On the way up, there were some great drawings by young ones taped to the walls. The true awesome simplicity of the structure is hard to capture, so I admire their efforts.

Here is a peek from behind one of the four clock faces and the overall view of the colorful rooftops and beyond:

The church itself is home to a wildly large organ that essentially hovers above the entrance way. Everything, as you can see, is housed in simple design and very peaceful because of it: We caught a free organ concert here this afternoon before coming to the cafe. Eli and I represented the bottom 10% of the age bracket there, but still had a pretty great time.

Since this is my very first post and I'm just getting into the swing of framing these bits of commentary and reflection, I will close this one out here. There is so much to really take in - but also so much to share that we could easily record something every day. It is some of the smaller and less specifically touristy things that have been helping us shift into the traveling mindset slowly but surely. Naturally, the is a large part of me that still feels that our next flight will be leading us right back to the Pretzel Factory in to the coziness of our beloved nest. It is a strong inertia to pull the firing of synapses and will of our bodies against...a process made far easier by delicious espresso and transfixing people watching while (now) The Smiths play in the background.

Location:Frakkastígur,Reykjavik,Iceland