Blogs from Reykjanesbær, Southwest, Iceland, Europe

Autant la nature ici est brute, autant la douceur de vivre est enveloppante. Et pour une épicurienne comme moi, j’y trouve bien mon compte. J’ai pris le temps d’aiguiser mes papilles gustatives avant d’attaquer, avec un petit groupe de touristes fort sympathiques, une virée dans les hauts lieux gastronomiques islandais. Moi qui m’attendais à goûter une série de petites bouchées bien roulées, j’ai été agréablement surprise de voir arriver dans mon assiette et en généreuses portions, des spécialités tirées à quatre épingles! Ici, deux mets s’affrontent en douce, l’agneau et l’omble de l’Arctique. Le premier, cuit aux herbes locales, a un goût subtil et délicat ne ressemblant en rien à l’agneau que l’on mange chez-nous. Quant au poisson, préparé cru ou cuit, pour moi il remporte toujours la palme. Mon fils aurait qualifié cette dégustation de ... read more

The sun is becoming increasingly bashful as winter begins to take hold in the Arctic. Iceland's days are getting shorter at the alarming rate of eight minutes per day, and the shortest day of the year is fast approaching on 21 December, when there will be just four hours of daylight. At this time of year the sun begins to rise to a respectable level in the sky, and just as quickly decides it's time to duck back down under the horizon. This has led to an interesting dilemma when it comes to photography, as my shadow is always wanting to make an appearance, somewhat akin to an uninvited guest at a party. Normally the last thing I want to see in my photos is yours truly, but in Iceland my shadow has started to become ... read more

8:10 PM Travelling around Iceland, climbing volcanoes, waterfalls and glaciers can be tiring, and there is a lot to be said for sitting in a bath of sulphur, so our final complete day was a much more relaxed affair. We had always planned to end the trip at Iceland‘s main tourist spot, the Blue Lagoon, which sits in the lava fields between Reykjavik and the airport (via a slight detour), gently whiling away our last hours in its soothing waters. The Blue Lagoon is something of an accident, the by-product of the nearby geothermal power station. Like the other power stations in the area, it uses the hot water below the ground to generate electricity, after which the water is left to pour into the volcanic craters and holes next to it. Some clever person years ... read more

Last day on Iceland! We'll spend it in style: after killing ourselves cycling around the place for (almost) 2 weeks, today is going to make all of it worthwhile - especially yesterday's torture ride to get here. In the morning, again we are woken by rain. So, again, we decide to do the reasonable thing: sleep in, and wait for the weather to come to its senses, and stop the rain. And it works! At 11am, we are, once again, the last people on the campsite, but the rain has stopped, and so we can have a nice dry breakfast, pack up, and hit the road. The ride is easy: first of all, the Blue Lagoon is only 2km from Grindavík. Secondly, the wind is now truly on our side, blowing - as yesterday - from ... read more