Katherine came to Iceland on her spring break awhile ago and we had a fun-filled six days of cultural and adventural activities. It was quite a blur, six days is really too few! We took many photographs (overloading my 4 gigabyte memory card) and I've picked the best to post here.
Katherine, enjoying her "room" in her "guesthouse".
Ready? Let's go!
Icelanders love harðfiskur. So, in times of old, Iceland ruled the world (not really) with its glorious cod stocks. I guess, a more accurate description would be that the world used to run on stockfish, and Iceland supplied much from its rich seas. Many types of fish can be dried in the wind (they fit certain criteria, e.g. low oil content) and if kept dry, they will stay preserved indefinitely! Although Iceland is a thoroughly modern place these days (with plenty of ískappar/fridges) the culture of fishing is so strong in Iceland, dried fish is still very popular. Most Icelanders enjoy it with butter. I like mine plain. Plain harðfiskur is highly nutritious--it's essentially fat-free protein.
Steinbítur? Wolfish? I'm not certain, but it's a gnarly fish.
Some snowy landscapes! We had mostly glorious weather during Kat's trip. Very little rain and snow, and mild temperatures. That said, we had plenty of clouds and there was plenty of snow on the ground.
This is kleifarvatn, a large and handsome lake near Reykjavík. Recent geological activity opened up a hot spring near its shores. As far away as we were, the water on the shores in front of us was warm...
The Icelandic moss so often used in shaving creams and other products. They make a tea out of it. They take the sting out of the moss with Angelica, but it still doesn't suit me at all.
Seltún. A lovely place ready to blow up any century now.
A weird plant. Or something. They undulated in the hot water, it was mesmerising.
The freshly fallen snow looked like Dippin' Dots!
Lava flow? Perhaps Kat can better explain this phenomenon; but from what I understand this stone was compacted under enormous pressure.
The seashore in winter!
Hi there! An "modern" (18th century) fishing booth. Icelandic men used to fish in all sorts of weather, usually 72 hours at a time with no guarantee for sleep. Fishing was dangerous. Getting the boat in the water was dangerous. Getting the boat out of the water was dangerous. These guys were brave and hard working in extremis.
Happy feet!
A beach babe!
A holdfast!
Around Reykjavík.
Ráðhús. The Reykjavík city hall. Part of the building is a giant volcanic rock cube covered in moss that sits perched on a pond. This is somebody's workplace. Awesome.
Sviss mokka og Skyrkaka. A Swiss Mocha and Skyr cake at Tíu Dropar café. Delicious!
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To make a long story short, this is the former, former library of Reykjavík. The building was bought by one of the bankers who collapsed Iceland's economy. Upon fleeing the country, construction/restoration stopped, and here it sits.
The main highway in Iceland on the way to Vík, the southernmost point of Iceland. A very damp and cloudy day, although it didn't rain much.
Whooper swans! Outside of the capital, these animals are rare in the winter as they migrate to warmer climes. Only pairs with children stay, and they usually congregate in Reykjavík.
"I've never seen so many rocks!"
Icelandic horses are strong and proud. They stay outside all winter and grow a rad winter coat to keep warm. I'd love to ride one sometime in the future!
A former smithy/ironworks built into the mountain side.
Eiríka and I climbing down a waterfall.
The peanut butter and jam jars exploded and made a huge freakin' mess. NEVER AGAIN!
Basalt columns for the win!
Fail.
Return of the beach babe!
An old byre.
This is Vík, the southernmost settlement in all of Iceland. Also, the rainiest place in the country.
The Lutheran church in Vík--every Icelandic town has three things:
a Vínbúðin, a pool and a Lutheran church.
A cool geodesic home a bit east of Reykjavík. They even grow grass on top!
Driving conditions on the way home to Reykjavík. Lovely in the valleys but not so nice on the mountain passes. We managed just fine.
The crevasse between the tectonic plates at Þingvellir. A chasm opened up here a few days later.
Unusual rock formation.
Kat at Geysir.
Not shown: third degree burns.
Lovely sunshine on the way back home!
Thanks for reading,
Nick
I have never seen more butts... and that says something! Haha. It looks like you two had a whirlwind blast :)
ReplyDeleteI agree with Mark - is this what Iceland has done to you???
ReplyDeleteSome of the caption's on these photos should be edited...and that icky one of me should never have seen the light of day!
ReplyDelete