Geocaching again!

After putting the second coat of paint on the studio walls on Saturday I went out for the rest of the day with Bjarki and Patricia geocaching.  We headed towards Akureyri and outlying areas and managed to find 5 well 4 for me as I had already previously found one.  Caches are few and far between each other in Iceland, at the moment there are only 272 in the whole country.  I just added  2 in Sauðárkrókur and will hide more next summer...the number will grow as time goes on.
When we left Sauðárkrókur the day was fine and sunny but rain started as we closed in on Akureyri and we got a little damp...but nothing we can't handle.   It doesn't rain heavy here...it is always just a drizzle or a misty type of dampness...I have yet to experience any sort of downpour or what I call really fat rain.  And I have never even seen an umbrella used here or even any for sale! 

One of the pretty spots we visited was the botanical garden....

 I think a few weeks ago it would have been stunning and I must go back next year in the height of summer to experience it.

 Here is Bjarki casually retrieving a cache!

When you go out with a couple of food scientists geocaching, the day pretty much goes like this....a geocache or two...then food....a geocache or two then food...a geocache or two then food.

One of the food stops was at the cultural centre where Bjarki and Patricia had lunch, I had already eaten before we left home so only had coffee and cake but the cake was very disappointing so to make it up to me Patricia and Bjarki took me to a farm that makes their own icecream.

Unfortunately I don't have photos but we tasted a fair few between us. There were unusual flavours to choose from, herbal ones, liquorice and even beer flavour and it really tasted like beer...it was quite bizarre but yummy! We bought a few tubs to take home with us...unfortunately no beer ones were left...a popular flavour it seems.

 This pic was on the way to the icecream farm which I took from the car as we passed.  A funny little green painted house...perhaps for the little people.  Behind it you can just make out a little turf building as well.  You see the remains of these often as you travel around as once these were the main dwellings of the population especially in rural areas.  I think they are heritage protected now and can't be bulldozed.

 Another cache spot was near this turf farmhouse in Laufás which is now a museum and very similar to Glaumbær.  The oldest part of the farm was built in 1840 and extended during the years 1866-1870.  Between 20 and 30 people lived at Laufás as many farmhands were needed to work the farm, haymaking, fishing in the river and collecting eiderdown along the coastline.

 

Unfortunately it had just closed for the day when we arrived...as it was already after 6pm

but I did manage to take a couple of pics through the windows.

Look closely and check out the pattern on the saddle...bara fallegur (just beautiful)

The church

 the view across the farm

The view from the other side of Akureyri.

The next food stop was to be for dinner and Patricia and Bjarki were eager to go back to the restaurant that we weren't able to get into before in Siglufjörður...it was only just over an hours drive away and so we booked for 8pm.  To get to this town we travelled through 4 tunnels that are excavated through mountains and they go for many kilometres. 

To eat at Hannes Boy Café was well worth the drive to this northern little town, which is 66°north...you must book...as it is very popular and deservedly so...the food was superb.

The decor whilst sounds tacky....furniture made from tequila barrels...somehow it wasn't...there was a restrainedness to it and it worked very well without being overdone.

I loved the chandeliers they looked like different size candles but were electric lights.

 

 
Upstairs there is a social drinking area and these seats from tequila barrels are very comfortable.

 
This gentleman casually people watches as he surveys the restaurant from the balcony above.

 and to top it off the bathroom had real towels to dry your hands (I was so impressed)

It gets dark by about 9pm now and this is around 10.30 when we left the restaurant.

I got home around midnight and still had to take Perla out for a walk...she so missed me!

The day/night thing seems quite normal at the moment...I go to bed when it is dark and I wake up when it is light.