Horses and a Swim

Icelandic horses are pony-sized, sturdy and full of personality. We rode a few this beautiful misty morning near Flúðir with a local guide (http://ridingtourssouthiceland.com).

This aft, while Steve fly fished the other end of the lake, we went in the hot pools at the other end of the lake at Laugarvatn Fontana (https://www.fontana.is) and cooled off in Lake Laugarvatn. 

Icelandic Beer

Wikipedia tells me that beer in Iceland likely dates back to the island's settlement by Norsemen.

However, in modern times, beer was effectively banned in Iceland for most of the 20th century and the ban was only lifted in 1989.

Since then, a number of craft breweries have opened up.  Here a couple from my post flyfishing day.

Flyfishing Tomorrow

I have that sort of anticipation that one feels as Christmas day is getting close.

Tomorrow I have a guide booked to take me out fly fishing for the day. I am heading out on River Holaa which is about a 30 minute drive from our cabin. The scenery around the river is stunning.  When we were hiking earlier, we had a good vantage of Lake Laugvartn and River Holaa ringed by the mountains in the background.

For those that fly fish, weather conditions can make or break your day. I am fortunate as the forecast looks pretty good.

Plötulopi

At the Álafoss wool store yesterday, the ladies encouraged me to try knitting with Icelandic plötulopi, or unspun Icelandic yarn. They say that while it's fragile to work with, it creates a soft and sturdy sweater. Most Icelandic knitters use it, often working two strands at a time. It's beautiful stuff and I bought a number of wool "cakes" to bring home.

As I was doing groceries today in Selfoss, I walked into a grocery aisle full of wool, including the cakes. So I added some to the cart, beside the cheese and eggs.

The Other National Dish

We went to the Pylsuvagninn in Selfoss after our hike today.  Selfoss is about a 30 minute drive to the south of Reykholt.

Pylsa are Icelandic hotdogs and are served almost everywhere.  What makes them special is that they are made with lamb, pork and beef and use natural casings.  Throw in some Icelandic condiments and you have something very special.

Iceland Air Hotels Magazine has a nice write up of Pylsa here. 

We washed ours down with Icelandic applesin.

Hiking

Not far from us was a sign on the highway for handmade wool products.  Steve needed a hat for his fishing trip, so we stopped in.  The wool shop is at the base of a hill - we aren't too sure what it is called, but the church and the wool shop both refer to Mosfell.

The lady at the wool shop suggested we hike up the hill which is what we did the next day.

The Mosfell church is beautiful.  Google photos thought so too because it did a cool rendering of the original.

Sheep's Head Jelly

So after the fermented shark, our youngest food critic declined the taste testing of this one.

The Iceland Review has a nice write up of how jellied sheep's head is prepared.

The three remaining food critics agreed that this dish was pretty good.

Sam and the Kæstur hákarl

So we all tried Kæstur hákarl today at lunch.  It is considered to be the national dish of Iceland consisting of Greenland shark which has been cured with a particular fermentation process and hung to dry for four to five months.

It has a very strong smell of ammonia and I mean very strong - like 1970s floor wax stripper ammonia strong.

Here is Sam enjoying his first taste of hákarl.

Downtown Reykjavik

We had a great walking tour of downtown Reykjavik.

We are in the Loki Cafe across from Hallgrimskirja.

We just ordered lunch which will include samplings of jellied sheep's head and fermented Greenlandic shark.

Stay tuned for food reviews.

Northern Lights and Hekla

What a spectacular show last night from the Aurora. 

When we woke this morning, we had a magnificent view of Hekla, which is one of Iceland's most active volcanoes - over 20 eruptions have occurred in and around the volcano since 874.  The most recent eruption was in 2000.

Volcano Water

The same source that heated the greenhouses for our tomato based lunch today is also providing unlimited hot water for our rented cottage.

And outdoor hot tub.  This hot tub is beautifully simple. No jets,   electricity, or chemicals.  It is essentially a large bowl with an inlet and an outlet.  It takes about an hour to fill and when you are done you drain it.

The first picture shows where the geothermal source is located (where the steam is).

Tomatoes

In 1885, the Icelandic Horticultural Society was founded. By the 1930s, the Society had discovered the ability to heat green houses with geothermal energy.

Just up the road from where we are staying is the Friđheimar farm and restaurant (http://fridheimar.is/en/restaurant) that serves almost exclusively dishes, including cocktails and desserts, made from their hothouse tomatoes.

The farm has abundant supplies of geothermal water, which provides heat to the greenhouses. The borehole is 200 m from the greenhouses and the water flows into them at about 95°C

The basil plants on the table come with scissors so you can add some to your soup. They import bees from the Netherlands to pollinate their plants. Terrific spot and some of the best food we've had anywhere.