I just returned from a bucket list trip to Iceland. It was enchanting and magical and, kind of odd, that being said I now have a better understanding of Bjork.
Here’s some fun random moments:
Lamb
Sitting in a basic, not fancy restaurant, checking out the menu, eyeing the lamb entree- at the bottom of the menu it reads “Icelandic Lamb, Roaming Free since 864”. 864? I’ve never seen a label in the states date back that far! I felt happy and content knowing Mary and her little lambs have been roaming free for that long in the land of ice and snow.
Poultry
Very little poultry on the menu. As we drove out of Reykjavik and to the countryside, I couldn’t help but notice how barren things became, just miles of nothing and then we realized– no birds, none. Where were they? Eggs were also not a common menu item. We had eggs one time the entire trip at the Foss in Hof. The yolk was like a sunset- boldly orange. I’ve never seen this intense color in an egg in the states and this was a hotel buffet.
Vegetables
Menus are small and to the point, much like the Icelandic people. And prices are out of this world all throughout Iceland. More expensive then New York City, and more expensive then Zurich and even Toronto! We had a running joke, ‘everything costs $20’. A bowl of lobster soup, $20. A local Viking Stout Beer, $20. A personal spread of 4 Icelandic tapas the size of an ‘amuse-bouche’, $20. And so on and so on. Common items on menus are Langoustine Soup (Lobster Soup), Arctic Char, lamb and burgers, even Reindeer burgers. Vegetables or a salad include tomatoes, green peppers and cabbage, no mixed greens or lettuces.
Pylsur
Although rotten shark is the national food of Iceland, it’s really just for the tourists. The Icelandics do love their hot dogs or Pylsur though, and they are delicious! I was told that it’s a mix of pork, beef and lamb and possibly horse, but the latter is not really confirmed. In Iceland, Pylsur make a great meal anytime or a perfect snack after a rambunctious night of drinks in Reykjavik. Served with raw or fried onions and any number of special sauces, it hits the spot.
The Hubs in town
Small towns boast few amenities and usually the restaurant in town is also the gas station. Functional over fancy, it’s the one stop shop in town where you can get gas, have a meal and grab your groceries. On our last day, and to my surprise, I had the most delicious lamb sandwich with mushrooms, tomatoes, and a bearnaise sauce from the town gas station and I haven’t forgotten it since.
Greenhouses
One night in the middle of nowhere, we saw lights, bright ones and thought we had came across the Northern Lights. We headed towards it and realized it was an enormous oversized greenhouse. The terrain is cold and rough and not conducive to crops, so all the farms are oversized greenhouses, lighting the crops for up to 17 hours a day. The government gives grants to these farms since the cost is the equivalent of powering a small village of 3,000 people. The best part is no pesticides are used because bugs or rodents merely don’t exist in Iceland. So all their vegetation is naturally organic.
Hot Springs
Iceland is the full of hot springs and geothermal pools. It’s undeniably the perfect way to deal with the unbearable cold. The springs are all natural, stemming from deep within the Earth and they are full of silica. Silica makes your skin super soft, is wonderful for hair and nails and supports detoxification. An interesting surprise was that we found most of the houses also use this same water, often it was clean and clear, and had a glacial quality that was undescribable. However, some homes’ water was full of silica, which personally made me feel like I could not get clean due to the rotten egg smell!
Bucket list, checked!
Christina
