One of the things Ezra and I discussed before we left the US is an attempt to see a live pro soccer match in every country we live in during Neverland. Ezra is very excited about this! It won’t truly be every country as we will be in some countries out of soccer season, the soccer schedule might not match up with our itinerary, etc, but we will do our best. Due to weather concerns, the Icelandic pro soccer season runs from May-September, so we could possibly see a match even though we are here in Iceland in the summer (most leagues are off for the summer.) I researched and found that we could, in fact, see an Icelandic Premier League (Besta Deild) match: KR Reykjavik hosting KA, a club from Akureyri. Today was the day and we were excited for the 4pm match…
But before we did that, we decided to go back to downtown Reykjavik so the kids could make their final purchases and so we could explore the harbor area. We started with pre-lunch ice cream at Valdis. I had the “rye” bread ice cream there as well and, while it wasn’t as good as at Cafe Loki, it was still quite good.
We then found a few more wonderful murals, walked past the Icelandic Punk Museum (which looked pretty cool!), used the trusty restroom at Reykjavik City Hall, took Naomi’s photo in front of the Icelandic Parliament building (the “althing”), and hung out in a town square.
At that point, we got hungry. We decided to dive into the Icelandic hot dog experience more fully at Baejarins Beztu Pylsur, a family owned hot dog truck in downtown Reykjavik that has been in business since 1937 (the oldest family owned business in Iceland and currently owned by the grandson of the founder.) The line was around the corner, but the servers were extremely impressive and quick in both taking orders and preparing the food. Hot dogs are a frequently eaten item in Iceland. They are a bit different as they are a mix of lamb and beef and are also the least expensive food option in a country where food (and most everything else) is very expensive. I now always order my hot dogs the Icelandic way (again, ketchup/mayo/remoulade/raw onions/crispy fried onions). Fueled with Icelandic dogs, we went to explore the harbor.
While the harbor provides a nice walk along the bay, the star of the show is absolutely Harpa Concert Hall. Iceland’s answer to the Sydney Opera House, it is a gorgeous glass building of very geometric design. While we were not able to see a concert in it, we were able to go in to enjoy the beauty of the building. They even had a fun and interactive kids play area that Ezra and Naomi made good use of. After that, we looked at Ingolfsgardur Lighthouse in the harbor, climbed on rocks, and went to the Sun Voyager sculpture (which also got climbed on!)
Once we were done and I, once again, paid for parking with the Icelandic machine, Ezra and I dropped off Valerie and Naomi at home to do their own thing and then headed off to the game. The game was a fun one, with KA-Akureyri eventually beating the home team 2-1. We had a really good time! The stadium was small (definitely smaller than when we saw Montego Bay United FC in Jamaica) and had no merch stand, but got a good crowd of hundreds of passionate fans. The soccer quality seemed solid (we agreed: better than the Jamaican Premier League) and the hamburger we split was actually quite good! Kids under 12 got into the game for free as well!!! A fun afternoon with excellent weather. (And as you can see from the first photo in this slideshow, you could have totally watched the game for free over the near fence on the parking lot side!)
After the game, we picked up the ladies and headed back to the Reyjavik harbor (far end) to the Kvitka Foot Bath. This is a tiny geothermal foot bath (maybe five people can fit their feet at the same time) designed by an Icelandic artist to highlight the geothermal nature of his country. While the foot bath was tight, but comfy, the views were the really special thing. We focused mostly on the Grotta Island Lighthouse. While it is closed May-July to protect the bird nesting grounds in occupies, it was lovely to look at nearby in the setting sun. We then headed home for dinner and some Uno before bed. Overall, a fun and relaxing last day in Reykjavik! Tomorrow, we begin our exploration of the rest of Iceland.
See you on the next mountain!
July 6, 2025 – Total Steps 11,638 (Mostly Flat)
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