The Nordic Lands - Day Six

'The cafe is obviously tourist orientated but lovely'

Curious

WE decide to spend our last day in Reykjavik mooching about the city on a quest to find 'the country's best cheesecake.' Priorities take hold though, as first we have a look around the Phallological Museum (hilarious and horrifying in equal parts). Facts we learn include that human penises used to be slightly spiked; a ram's testicles are disproportionately massive; a blue whale's penis is surprisingly small; and a sperm whale's penis is surprisingly large. My favourite bit was the folklore section, which contained samples from a kelpie, a merman, and a troll, among other things.

'Genuinely might be the best cheesecake ever'

CAFE Babalu is where we choose to reflect on the experience, over a massive bowl of chilli and nachos and two slices of what genuinely might be the best cheesecake ever. The cafe is obviously tourist orientated (the American at the bar is wearing a rainbow hat with a whirly fan on top) but lovely. It's design reminds me of one of my favourite bars in Tokyo - full of random decorations that somehow go perfectly together. I think we spend about two hours simply trying to get through all the deliciousness we order.

'The sky high arches that run over the hall accentuate the shining organ'

'The quiet stained glass pictures a colourful scene'

LATER, we walk inside the cathedral. Outside, it has obviously been designed to mirror the salt columns of the south coast. The pews have been carved in the same way. The sky high grey arches that run over the hall accentuate the majestic silver shining organ, and the quiet stained glass window pictures the virgin and and child against a colourful scene. It strikes me that all religious houses are essentially the same - feats of architecture designed to reflect a godly and profound experience of something more. That enlightened sense, when you feel at peace yet overflowing as endorphins rush through you. Sort of like what I felt eating that Nutella cheesecake.