Back to Reykjavik (once again)

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What a rude awakening! Starting from 6am, rain starts gushing on the tent, and the wind shakes the tent, even has us worried that the whole thing might take off. We try to get some more sleep - the bus doesn't leave until 9 - but by 7, there is no point, so we get up and start packing up, all the while trying to keep the tent from taking off. Breakfast is cancelled, since there is no point trying to make coffee in that kind of weather. Plus, the bus leaves from the petrol station, so we can just get some coffee there.
Arriving at the bus stop around 8 (the whole packing went faster than expected), we get our second nice surprise of the day: everything is closed. No coffee, no breakfast, not a soul. At least, there is a wind-sheltered spot behind the petrol station that makes the hour-long wait slightly more bearable. As the time gets closer to 9, more and more people arrive at the bus stop, but no bus. At 9 sharp, an old shaky bus appears, with an even older driver getting out to take our luggage. My first thought when looking at the bus is "no way the bikes are going to fit" - but the driver opens a hidden door at the back, and there is plenty of room!
The 3-hour ride takes us past familiar places: Skógar, Hella, Selfoss, and gets us back into Reykjavik at noon, where we meet Stefan and Elinborg one last time. They take us for a hotdog at Iceland's most famous hotdog place (there is a constant queue in front of the tiny shack!), and we take a walk around the flea market, which also features a fish market. There, Nadine has her first taste of Hákarl, Icelandic fermented shark, but decides to leave it at one piece. After the flea market, we go for a typical Icelandic ice cream (soft ice with a chocolate cover and liquorice, or other sweets), and then say our goodbyes. The plan is to push on to Grindavík on the South Coast, and spend tomorrow - our last day - at the Blue Lagoon. So we get some fresh water, buy some supplies, and then make another attempt at getting out of Reykjavik.
Kopavogur is easy - we've been there before, so find our way through the town quickly. To get out of Kopavogur, we either need to take a dreaded 4-land highway, or try to follow the smaller roads, which aren't signposted. We opt for the second option, and quickly find ourselves completely off track. Seeing that this option will take us about three times as long as just going on the main roads, it's back to plan A: take the highway.
Seeing that the road is two lanes wide each way, you would think that cars have plenty of space to pass us at a safe distance. But not all cars (especially the huge monsters) see it that way, and somehow see us cycling on this road as an invasion into their personal territory. So they pass us close, to make their point. At about 90 km/h. On an uphill. With headwind. The next hour of cycling is some of the worst I've ever experienced, and has me wondering if we'll make it out of this hellhole alive.
Finally, a shoulder appears, and the cycling becomes a little easier - but a look at my bike computer tells me that we've already been travelling 20 km, just to get out of Reykjavik. Madness!
The road continues as a 4-lane highway, with strong sidewinds playing with us like leaves in a fall breeze. Occasionally, an exit appears, with roundabouts on either side, but no road leading anywhere - probably leftovers of the "fat years" in Iceland, where money was aplenty to fund all sorts of unnecessary infrastructure projects - like this massive road with barely any traffic on it.
After 25km, finally, we arrive at the exit to Grindavík. Now, just another 13km to the South Coast, and the Blue Lagoon awaits. Unfortunately, the road turns exactly into the wind, and the next 13km turn into every cyclist's worst nightmare: uphills with light wind, downhills with headwinds so strong that even with intense pedaling, 15km/h is the maximum.
About 10km south, we pass the geothermal powerplant Svartsengi, unmissable thanks to the massies of steam rising from its exhausts, and then, one incredibly steep and painful uphill later, reach Grindavík. Once the campsite is located, we put up the tent, have some dinner, and drop into bed, dead tired, after a last day of 60km cycling.

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Photos

Good morning!
With a wind to tear apart tents...

Icelandic friends
Stefan and Elinborg in front of Reykjavik's oldest house

The road to Keflavik
A four-lane highway nobody needs...