As you have probably realised if you have read my travel and adventure blogs, I love to travel and nothing excites me more when I get to visit a new country!
Iceland was a new country to me in every sense of the word. A special and unique place developing before my very eyes with its geysers, volcanic activity and unusual landscape. Combine these features with the cool cosmopolitan city of Reykjavik, the warm Icelandic welcome, tremendous food and the amazing activities. Iceland will never disappoint nor cease to surprise.
Food – the good and the unusual
There is a mixture of restaurants from the more traditional looking in the older style buildings to the ultra modern but all serve great food using high quality ingredients.
There are some delicacies that should be tried :-
Icelandic lobster
Smaller than your average lobster but don’t worry, they give you a few to make up for it and the taste is intense and sweet.
Puffin
Yes, that’s what I said! I thought this was delicious and quite similar to goose, a dark meat with a powerful flavour – yum!
Smoked Lamb
The Icelandic people are very proud of their lamb. I love lamb and when I heard that they smoke lamb, I had to try it – very impressive. Wafer thin slices of this smoked meat melted in the mouth leaving a vibrant flavour of lamb with a smokey aftertaste.
Rotten Shark
I love all fish but have never tasted anything like this! Which is hardly surprising really when they catch the shark, then bury it in the ground for several months before they dig it up and eat it. When I first tasted this dish, I couldn’t help but wonder why they decided to dig it up. The taste is extremely intense and should be washed down with Black Death schnapps.
Then for the more adventurous, you need to try ram’s testicles, sheep’s brain terrine and whale blubber – but only in very small amounts!
Relaxation and Adrenalin
What can I say, the Icelandic people love the outdoors so there is plenty to do and this is one of the very few places where in the summer, you can have a morning snowmobiling on the glacier followed by an afternoon of rafting – you really can’t do that anywhere else in the world.
There are plenty of other activities as well such as horse riding – Icelandic horses have a great temperament which makes them ideal companions for those of us who are complete novices.
If you want a little more horsepower then you can experience the Super Jeep safaris where your guide will give you lots of knowledge about the country and also entertain you with an off-road experience.
Why not go in search of the wildlife by taking a whale watching boat trip? A real must do.
You can’t visit Iceland without taking a dip in the famous Blue Lagoon. Enjoy relaxing in the amazing and natural phenomenon. Groups can even arrange to be served a Blue Lagoon cocktail whilst in the water, which is very warm even in the winter – the water not the cocktail!
The small capital of Reykjavik will give you a big welcome and you can’t help being charmed by the atmosphere and the Icelandic people themselves. This country of contrast is certainly worth a visit.
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