“The principal industry (in the Westman Islands) is commercial fishing, and the wharf is lined with unassuming seafood restaurants. ‘They’re packed during lunch and dinner,’ Zimmern says. ‘I’d walk down the row and pick a different one for each meal.’ The just-caught fish—cold-water species like cod and halibut—are usually prepared in a traditional European style, sautéed in brown butter. ‘In the States, cod gets kind of a bad rap,’ says Zimmern. ‘But here, it’s the most pristine, beautiful, flaky white fish.’”
– Andrew Zimmern, host of Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern, a Travel Channel series devoted to exploring local cuisines that keeps Zimmern globe trotting for about 30 weeks each year. Source: Beth Collins, writing in Budget Travel magazine. (See the story here: http://www.budgettravel.com/bt-dyn/content/article/2010/05/25/AR2010052501812.html)
“From the summit ridge on Hvannadalshnúkur, Iceland’s highest peak, the world dropped away to a blanket of clouds. It was late May, and I’d come from far below, a daylong climb up from near sea level to Hvannadalshnúkur’s 6,922-foot ridge in the sky.
“As mountaineering adventures go, the climb on the hard-to-pronounce Icelandic peak is a slog. But what a beautiful slog it is, including an ascent from misty highlands, past waterfalls, and up a rock ridge.
“You pass through the clouds, then onto the snow. Finally, on a high plateau, snow stretches miles in all directions, a glacial scene unlike anything I’ve ever seen.”
– Stephen Regenold, editor of gearjunkie.com, in the Redding, Calif. Record Searchlight, June 19, 2010. (See the complete story here: http://gearjunkie.com/highpoint-climb-in-iceland)
“Volcanoes are at the heart of this remarkable country, which lies only about five hours from New York’s JFK. With its hot springs, snow-covered mountains and lunar-looking rocks, Iceland offers one of the most dramatic natural landscapes on earth. Meanwhile, the capital city of Reykjavik appears to have been assembled from colored Lego blocks and has a legendary weekend nightlife that goes way past dawn (note: when you’re this far north, dawn can arrive at 2am.).”
– Everett Potter, “Closer Than You Think: Iceland”, Everett Potter’s Travel Report, June 24
Every culture sees its share of trends. Even yogurt. And as yogurt hipsters know, the days of fruit-on-the-bottom and pina colada-flavored puddings are so passe.
“Yet, for all the chaos Eyjafjallajökull has caused – not just in Iceland, but around the world – the people of Iceland are handling the situation remarkably well. Their emergency services team, which is made up entirely of volunteers, has been working around the clock on monitoring the eruption area, cleaning up farmland, and generally overseeing the safety of everyone involved, all with a sense of calmness and efficiency that’s startling given the circumstances.”
“The shapes glow a ghostly blue. Centuries of compression – the ice here is between 500 and 1,000 years old – have squeezed away the bergs’ reflective surfaces, allowing only higher-energy blue light waves to penetrate. I am wondering how the ice can last so long in a place that doesn’t feel all that cold, when our guide hands me a bite-size chunk. I pop it into my mouth. The ice is flavorless and dense, the kind you find in cocktails at the best bars, and I suck on it all the way back to shore.”
“I don’t know whether it was the sulfuric smell of steam shooting up from the desert floor of Smajfall, the sight of two bottlenose whales playing a few 100 feet away in the fjord of Akureyri; the peculiar crunch of black volcanic sand sounding underfoot as we strolled along a windy beach in Heimaey; or the first, delicious taste of the purest water I have ever drunk coming straight from the tap in Reykjavik. But at a certain point, life in Iceland began to feel very distant from the everyday routine we had left behind in New Jersey.”
“A new ranking of the world’s nations by environmental performance puts some of the globe’s largest economies far down the list, with the United States sinking to 61st and China to 121st. The top performer this year is Iceland, which gets virtually all of its power from renewable sources — hydropower and geothermal energy. It was joined in the top tier by a cluster of European countries known for their green efforts, including Switzerland, Sweden, Norway and Finland.”
Travel & Leisure writer Shane Mitchell issued her Shane’s Must Do list for the December 2009 magazine. Under “Must Drink” was this listing: Austrian rum–spiked hot chocolate by the lobby fireplace at 101 Hotel, Reykjavík, Iceland. Drinks for two $20. See it here:
“Iceland, a remote North Atlantic nation of volcanoes and glaciers midway between the United States and the European continent, has long been a temptingly exotic destination of milky-blue geothermal lakes, stunning fjords and waterfalls and tales of Vikings and elves. Sadly, it’s also been way too expensive for most people. No more. The collapse of the island’s overextended banks … brought on a full-blown recession, and airfares and hotel rates have plunged by half. Round-trip airfares to Reykjavik from the United States now start at less than $500, and package deals, including stays at some of the island’s best hotels, are proliferating.”
Business travelers know a thing or two about the best places to meet in the world. Recently SITE, a global network of meeting, travel and event professionals – 2,000 from 87 countries – has awarded its prestigious Crystal Award to the Hilton Reykjavik Nordica. The Crystal Awards Recognition Program is a way to honor top professionals who deliver programs that connect motivational experiences to solid business results. This recognition serves as a benchmark for international events and is regarded as one of the highest honors in the travel industry. Got a meeting to plan? We’ve got the place. In fact, we have a whole country.
“It doesn’t take long to appreciate that Iceland’s creation is not yet over. A few miles outside Reykjavík, the Earth starts to pant. Great clumps of steam rise from the lava fields and then roll off up the valley. It’s all a sign that, not far down, more beauty is being planned: new mountains, fresh desert and perhaps even an additional island.”