I know you clicked this link to read about Icelandic Delights but I want to honor my best buddy who just passed.
I don’t normally post these types of things on my blog, but I just lost my best buddy this past weekend and I want to celebrate what a great dog she was, and be sure she is remembered always. She was my constant sidekick from the age of 7 weeks.
Bella the Bulldog
RIP Bella of the Twilight
November 5, 2013, to April 21, 2019
ICELAND HISTORY
They came mainly from Norway and other parts of Scandinavia, and from the Norse settlements in the British Isles, from where a Celtic element was also infused.
The language and culture of Iceland were predominantly Scandinavian from the outset, but there are traces of Celtic influence in some of the ancient poetry, personal names, and in the look of present-day Icelanders.
Erik the Red and Leif the Lucky
It was a Viking era filled with hope, even for Erik the Red, who came into Iceland after being banished from Norway for committing murder. Sadly, Erik the Red committed murder again in Iceland and was to be banished from there as well, so he gathered a fleet of 25 Viking longships and led a colonial expedition west to Greenland. Before he left Iceland, Erik fathered the most famous Icelandic Viking, Leif Eiriksson who was also known as “Leif the Lucky”. In the year 1000, Leif Eiriksson sailed even further West than his father, becoming the first European to reach North America, which he called Vinland.
In the Beginning…
The first permanent settler of Iceland was Ingolfur Arnarson, a Norwegian Viking. Around 874 AD, he made his home where Reykjavik now stands. Subsequently, in 930 AD the Viking settlers of Iceland founded the world’s first parliament, known as Althing. After that, they established a constitution based on individual freedom and land ownership, with local chieftains. Thus gathering annually to elect leaders at Thingvellir, a natural amphitheater formed out of lava.
ICELAND CLIMATE
The climate of Iceland is subarctic. Koppen climate classification: near the southern coastal area and tundra inland in the highlands. The island lies in the path of the North Atlantic Current, which makes its climate more temperate than would be expected for its latitude just south of the Arctic Circle. This effect is aided by the Irminger Current, which also helps to moderate the island’s temperature. The weather in Iceland can be notoriously variable which is a huge part of the Icelandic delights.
The aurora borealis are often visible at night time during the winter. The midnight sun can be experienced in summer on the island of Grimsey off the north coast; the remainder of the country, since it lies just south of the polar circle, experiences a twilight period during which the sun sets briefly, but still has around 2 weeks of continuous daylight during the summer.
Foods
Skyr Yogurt, Slow roasted lamb, Hakarl – fermented shark, Kjotsupa – Icelandic lamb soup, Icelandic fish, Icelandic hot dog, Rugbraud – dark rye bread from a hot spring, Hardfiskur – dried fish, bakery goods, Icelandic ice cream
Drinks
Brennivin – unsweetened Schnapps that is made from potato mash and seasoned with caraway, cumin, and angelica. A very distinct taste and is normally 80 proof. Reyka Vodka – many would claim this Icelandic vodka is the best in the world. The water used to make Reyka comes from a 4,000-year-old lava field. Fjallagrasa Moss Schnapps – made from ocean moss that is soaked in an alcoholic solution. No artificial ingredients are added. For many years, Moss Schnapps drink has been used medicinally.
Photography Hot Spots for Icelandic Delights
For amazing photography in Iceland here is a list of hot spots to visit; firstly, you visit Seljalandsfoss, Skogafoss, and Svartifoss. Secondly, Landmannalaugar, Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon. Then Diamond beach, Selfoss, and Vestrahorn
