Iceland by Food

At last, the grand vacation is over, as I am on a train hurdling towards Providence and scrapping together an article about Iceland for my job council's monthly newsletter.  I'm weighing the options as to what to write about, and none of them seem particularly interesting. Most of what remains of the trip lies in the Lululemon grocery bag of candy and cookies for coworkers and loads of pictures (in addition to the mounds of luggage in my possession today).  Let's be honest here, I've never been terribly good at being an efficient packer, but pictures of what I ate always made a compact souvenir.

Here's what I can deduce about the culinary scene in Iceland in so few words:  seafood, soup, Skyr, and super expensive.  Early on in the trip, Kalie and I learned the hard way that eating cheaply in Iceland was nearly impossible.  The average "decent" meal went for over 2500+ krona at least (about $20).  After gutting out loads of cash on a car and a hotel, it made it a little harder.  The bright side?  When you're cold and hungry, you get satisfied easily by soup and sandwiches, and then when you finally get sick of that, you spoil yourself regardless.

The cost efficient comprised of delicious lamb soups in Gullfoss' park cafeteria, which served all-you-can-eat soup and bread for about $15, to a beautiful egg sandwich at a gas station outside of Skaftafell National Park.  For breakfast, we dined on Trader Joe's/Whole Foods granola bars from home, and along with the national food of Iceland, Skyr, a yogurt.

When we did spoil ourselves, we had whale kabobs and lobster soup at a shack in Reykjavik called the Sea Baron.  My personal food-related highlight had to be the Belgian waffles with rhubarb jam, chocolate and whipped cream with a latte at Tíu Dropar.  Assuredly, I will continue having dreams of that meal for the rest of my life.

We Conquer Glaciers

Alright.  My legs are consumed in some serious soreness right now.  If you know me, you'll know one of a couple things.  One, I'm a terrible driver (but that's beside the point), and two, I'm not an athletic person, though I very well try to be or at people try to convince me into thinking that I am.  

The crown jewel of activity for the entire trip was that the latter thought was proven very much wrong.  Kalie and I climbed not only one, but two glaciers, and climbed an ice cliff.  The latter of which again, I'm probably never going to do it again, because as it turns out, I'm incredibly afraid of heights.  Nonetheless, it was absolutely killer to be hanging off of a side of a glacier.

Separated by two days an two different companies (Arcanum Mountain Guides and Icelandic Mountain Guides), we climbed the Sólheimajökull and Vatnajökull glaciers in the Southern part of Iceland.  Both companies outfitted us in picks and cramp-ons, which are used to keep you from slipping into a crevasse.  So now the question is, did I fall into a hole, as some would predict?

Chasing Waterfalls (... & Geysirs)

There's a saying in Icelandic that goes, "If you don't like the weather, wait 10 minutes."  Coming from someone who has lived in Seattle for three months, the saying is an understatement to the sheer volatility of the weather.  In anywhere from 5 minutes, it can go from rain to sun to torrential downpour.  Not to mention, it's cold!  Hence, this is why I will regard the next few blog posts as my "Bear Grylls" period, and why how terribly happy I am back in Reykjavik with make up and somewhat form-fitting clothing.

One of the main attractions of Iceland anchors in a circular highway system called the Ring Road.  There, you'll find a variety of natural wonders, like Stokkar and Geysir, where the term geyser was derived from, and waterfalls like Skogarfoss and Gullfoss.  Our trip took us through the Southern and Eastern coasts of Iceland, along the Ring Road and Route 1 highways.  For about 50% of the trip, we were blessed with some pretty fantastic views when we visited Pingvellir (a division between the North American and European tectonic plates), Stokkar (Gulfoss (waterfall), and Skogarfoss (waterfall).  For the rest of it, it rained, too much for liking.

Hot Springs at the Blue Lagoon

Suffice it to say, as I'm writing in a thin-walled hotel lobby in Vík with a slightly swollen foot, we're in Iceland.  Fully embracing the spirit of adventure in an otherwise corporate world, my friend Kalie and I landed in Keflavik International Airport, about 45 minutes outside of the capital city Rejkyavik.  In as few words as possible, Iceland is cold.  It became quickly evident that despite being chic and incredibly comfortable to wear, my Madewell maxi dress was no match for nearly constant threat of drizzle and breeze.

The bright side?  It did make for an easy to wear dress for our first stop, the Blue Lagoon Geothermal Spa, an almost requirement for all international tourists coming to Iceland.  Built over a geothermal power plant, the spa features huge pools of sulfur-enriched, hot waters and silica mud that smoothes the skin.  Seriously, I couldn't get over how soft my skin was after.

The spa also provides shampoo, conditioner and a hot shower once you exit the warm waters for the ridiculously cold outdoors.  The hitch?  Clearly, the Icelandic have little interest regarding shower curtains, if you know what I mean.  In the anticipation that the showers may have played out like a game of Marco Polo, both my travel buddy and I came out unscathed for the most part, and ready to explore.

Since the lobby is winding down for the night and I'm about to fall asleep right on this couch, this is it for tonight.  I'll keep posting the rest of our adventures, not to mention some sweet photos, in the coming days.