Cafe Thing

Cafe Thing

Thingvellir National Park, Iceland

Reviewed July 2nd, 2005

The Althing, an open-air government assembly, was established in Iceland in 930 and met continuously until 1798 - making it the longest standing parliament ever. The beautiful natural site where they once met is now preserved as one of Iceland's four national parks and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Just down from the jagged canyon alongside the meandering river sits a lone hotel and the Cafe Thing. Serving up pylsa (hot dogs), ice cream, and sandwiches, the cafe also houses a large restroom able to indulge even the crowded tourbuses that may come through. On a particularly windy and rainy day when I visited, I had the entire restroom to myself. All five urinals were at my disposal. I was not governed by the laws of the men's room establishing rank, order and odor. Just as the governing bodies which existed on this site for centuries have since been moved to Reykjavik, the bodies which govern restroom behavior were now non-existent. It was restroom anarchy. I chose the middle urinal and opted to stand slightly further away it than usual. For anyone who's tried this, it makes the experience much more titillating - often tempting you to step back further, perhaps sway a little. It's all quite fun, provided there is no mess involved of course.

RESTROOM RATING: 7
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