Reykjanesbaer
Reykjanesbaer
Reykjanesbaer is a municipality of 8,000 inhabitants taking in the town of Keflavik and several surrounding villages.
Adjacent to it you'll see the town built for the US naval forces, who were based here until 2006. It is interesting to note that though Iceland had around 3000 US troops stationed here, it has no armed forces of its own, apart from a small coastguard fleet.
If you are coming from the airport you'll see the base on the right of the road, while to the left you'll pass a shopping center and service station. The store is open until about 18:30-19:00. You might want to get some drinks or snacks to have on your journey but otherwise, you can drink excellent water straight from the tap throughout Iceland.
Keflavik, once an important fishing town, today provides many of the services at the international airport. The old part of town by the harbor has been restored and you'll find a cluster of craft shops and an exhibition of pop music in Iceland there.
Vikingarheimar, at nearby Njardvik, is an exhibition showcasing Islendingur, an exact replica of a 9th-century ship excavated in Norway in 1882.
As you drive away from Reykjanesbaer, you might notice stone figures alongside the road, created by a member of parliament turned artist/entrepreneur.
During a two-year sentence in jail for fraud, he began to make these stone monuments by piling rocks on top of one another. When viewed from the right angle, they look like figures. On his release from prison, he sold them to the authorities in Reykjanes.