Day 68-around Hvalfjörður to Reykjavík

   March 12-Bill and Jean finally received their due rewarded for putting up with the worst
winter weather that Iceland could throw at them, waking to blue skies and Sun.  Sally headed off to teach her class while Bill and Jean got their luggage all packed to start back for home.  I drove them and Spencer towards Reykjavík while the girls waited for Sally to finish her class.  Instead of taking the tunnel under the mouth of the Hvalfjörður, we took the slow road around the fjord.  The relatively sunny day allowed us to get some great views of the fjord and the mountains on either side.  Bill and Jean really enjoyed the drive and the sights. 
   We also stopped at a roadside sign and learned more about the role that the fjord played in World War II.  Its narrow and relatively shallow mouth was an easy location to build defenses and barriers against German U-boats.  Consequently, it served as a layover location for Allied ships sailing between the Americas and Europe, where they could safely refuel and resupply.
Military personnel were housed at three bases along the fjord's shore.  These must have been quite the urban scene in their time with barracks, officer houses, mess halls, cinemas, and dance halls.  One of the bases was put to use after the war as a whaling station, whereas the other two are mostly just ruins now. 

   Since we did not leave Bifröst until late in the morning and since we took the slow route, Sally and the girls were not far behind us.  When they got into Reykjavík, we checked into our hotel, ate dinner, and started wandering around downtown.  We showed Bill and Jean the Harpa musical hall and then stopped in at the Icelandic art museum and the Icelandic photography museum, which is housed in the Reykjavík city library building.  Afterwards, we happened across a fantastic antique shop: one of those in which antiques are stacked floor to ceiling and it is difficult to make your way through the narrow pathways.  Needless to say, we all enjoyed shopping there and a number of antiques left with us.

   On the way back to the hotel, we came across a Middle Eastern restaurant where we all found something we wanted to eat.  After getting our fill, we went on back to the hotel.  Sally, Alex, and I jumped in the car and headed to a 24-hour Hagkaup store where Sally and Alex filled up on wool yarn.  Wool is fantastically cheap over here, so they bought enough yarn to make sweaters for the whole family, all of which we packed up for Bill and Jean to take back to America.  Once back at the hotel, Sally and I took advantage of having grandparents in town and headed across the street for a couple of beers.  Páska bjór, or "Easter beer," is the seasonal brew of Icelandic breweries right now, so we tried the one made by the Borg brewery.  It was relatively dark and malty and somewhat stronger than the usual Icelandic beers.  Overall, Sally and I both thought it was quite tasty.