Iceland: Part I

More often than not, when we mentioned that we were planning a trip to Iceland or had recently returned from Iceland, the response we got was: Why?  I think it is a general unawareness about what Iceland has to offer or perhaps different travelling styles.  Some of our favourite trips are ones where we rent a car, stay in apartment-like accommodations, and travel independently in rustic, picturesque and outdoorsy locations.  Iceland offers all of these things (and much more).  

We started our trip in Reykjavik. Neither of us was looking forward to a long day of travel.  Plus, travelling with a one year old adds a whole other layer of effort. You can't just sit and lose yourself in a movie or a book.  When R asked me what I was looking forward to most and, at the time, I wasn't lying when I said, "arriving at our accommodations in Reykjavik." #firstworldproblems

We spent our first day exploring Reyjkavik.  It was raining off an on, so we quickly grabbed some of the hot dogs that Reykjavik is known for...

 and then headed to the Harpa (concert hall)

The interior is really neat.  It's a large space, but they've done a really good job of carving out more intimate spaces, like the ones you see below.

We were still hungry, so we grabbed some cake and hot chocolate at the restaurant.  

Since it was raining, we looked for other indoor options and decided to visit the National Museum of Iceland.  Here's E looking ditzed out (jet lag?) in an costume top at the museum.

The museum is a mix of exhibits from different eras in Iceland's history.  This picture was taken in an exhibit on silver.  

After the museum, we checked out some shops on the main street and retreated to the apartment.

The next day, we did one of the main tourist attractions, The Blue Lagoon.  It's hard to describe the experience.  But it's a large lagoon, heated geothermally, that you walk around. It was another cool, rainy day, so it was misty and hard to really get a sense of the size of it.  Several football fields in size. We basically walked around the lagoon, gave ourselves mud facials and relaxed.  It's one of those must see things in Iceland.

On our third day, we did another one of the main tourist attractions in Iceland: The Golden Circle.  The Golden Circle takes you to three main sites, Thingvellir National Park, Geysir and Gulfoss, along with multiple areas to stop along the way.  Our first stop was just outside of Thingvellir, where we saw this field of stacked stones.  

We stopped relatively quickly in Thingvellir to see the fissure that has been created between two tectonic plates, the North American plate and the Eurasian plate.

After leaving the national park, we saw an opportunity to stop and take pictures of Icelandic horses.  I saw a field with several horses, along with another car and two women standing in the area.  I figured it was other tourists.  But, when I got out of the car and had a woman yelling at me in Icelandic, I realized that they weren't tourists.

I stood there looking dumb and asked if they spoke English (which the majority of people do in Iceland).  Turns out, they were really glad we were there because they needed help to coral the horses.  It's a three person job and with only two of them, they weren't getting anywhere.  They promised me that I could take as many pictures as I wanted once we got them in a specific area.

Next, we went to Geysir.  Everyone gathers around a hole in the ground, waiting for the geysir to build up and erupt into the air.

The next main stop off point is Gulfoss, Iceland's most famous waterfall.

On the way home, we stopped in Hveragerdi for dinner.  This area is known for its geothermal activity and their uses of it.  For example, earth cooking uses steam from the earth to cook food.  

Although our meals weren't prepared this way, we both enjoyed our dinners.

  

Thankfully, the days are long during the summer, so we didn't have to drive in the dark. It was a full day, but very enjoyable.

On our last day day in Reykjavik, we stopped for breakfast at Ten Drops.  It has a bit of a "grandmother's basement" feel to it, but it is a laid back place that makes a good breakfast.

We spent time taking in the festivities associated with Culture Night in Reykjavik and the marathon that occurs on the same day. We also walked along the water and visited the church, where we listened to the choir rehearse and went to the tower to look out over the city.  I also fulfilled my goal of purchasing Icelandic wool to bring home with me to make my own Lopapeysa.

I better stop here and continue the rest of the trip in another post or else this will never see the light of day

Updates

Things have been pretty quiet on the blog this past month, which means that things haven't been quiet off of the blog.  Between job stuff, health stuff, travel stuff and keeping up E (who is now walking and getting into EVERYTHING), blogging has been pushed to the back-burner.  

One week ago today, E turned one years old!  I am still wrapping my mind around being the mother of a toddler.  She started walking around 11 months and makes laps through the kitchen, dining room and living room dozens of times a day.  

She says "hi" (which sounds more like haaaay) and "bye" and will accompany both with a wave (hand open and closed facing herself).  She will tell you what a dog, cat, elephant and cow say (not that I would bet my life on her being right or even responding when you ask...but when she's focusing, she can do it).  Over the past week or so, she has started giving kisses, which basically consists of her opening her mouth and pushing her face onto yours while giggling (and occasionally trying to bite).  Baba (Giz) just taught her to say "wow"...except she just makes the intonation rather than pronouncing the word.  So, with every bite of food or every new object, she expresses amazement.  

Every cupboard in the house is a new world for her own exploration.  I think it's so adorable when I find her toys in the pantry or random packages of non-perishables in the hallway.  

When she eats, she reminds me of an actor in a Shakespeare tragedy.  She'll be quietly inspecting her food and then, out of nowhere, make an outburst of noise with her arms outstretched.  Then, she'll return to eating quietly.  (Picture below is E and her destroyed first birthday cake)

It's obvious she doesn't understand most of what is going on -- her expressions remind me of how I look at people having a conversation and laughing when they're speaking in a foreign language.  I smile, because laughter is contagious.  But, stare blankly because I don't know what the joke is about.  In our case, 9 out of 10 times, we're laughing at her.  She loves the water, buckles/zippers/clasps, taking things apart and spreading them everywhere and dogs.  

In travel news, we're gearing up for a trip to Iceland!  In less than two weeks, the three of us will spend 10 days in Iceland.  I can't wait to see the sites and take tonnes of pictures.  

Strawberry, Red Currant & Vanilla Cream Parfait

Want to know how to stress me out?  Invite me for dinner, ask me to bring a dessert and then say something like, "I like how you always put effort into your desserts and try new recipes!"

That's what my friend said to me when she invited me over for a Canada Day barbecue.  Sure -- it's a compliment.  But, it also clearly sets up an expectation that I need to maintain a reputation by making something impressive. 

The other part of my (first world) stress was that I had gone strawberry and red currant picking the day before and was busy trying to preserve 20 litres of fresh fruit.  

I have had the idea of making a layered dish in individual mason jars in mind lately.  Since I already had jars out for preserving, I thought this would be a good opportunity.  Plus, it's easily transportable, which works well when you're bringing dessert to a friend's. 

Strawberry, Red Currant & Vanilla Cream Parfait

I started by making the vanilla cream and refrigerating it.

Vanilla Cream

Source

2 large eggs yolks

1/4 cup sugar

2 tbsp + 1/2 tsp cornstarch

pinch of salt

1 cup of whole milk

1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

Directions

Whisk yolks until smooth.  Mix sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a medium saucepan over medium heat.  Add milk in a slow, steady stream.  Cook, stirring, until mixture begins to bubble and thicken, about 5 minutes.

Pour 1/3 of milk mixture into yolks, whisking constantly.  Return mixture to saucepan, and cook over

medium heat, stirring often, until thick, 2-4 minutes.  Stir in vanilla.

Pass vanilla cream through a fine sieve into a bowl.  Press plastic wrap directly on surface.  

Refrigerate until cold, at least 1 hour, or up to 2 days.

The rest was really simple.  I used some of the fruit I had picked in layers between vanilla cream, Nutriwhip and ladyfingers that had been soaked in milk.

Prior to layering the dessert, I debated between 250 ml and 500 ml jars.  In the end, I went with the 500 ml.  They are a generous size, but the whipped cream takes up so much space, 250 ml wouldn't go very far.

Verdict: Everybody liked the dessert.  I think the kid inside of all of us likes the idea of having your very own jar of goodness.  The red currants made for a nice punch of tartness.  The only issue I had was that the layers were kind of all mushed together. It didn't matter taste-wise.  But it didn't quite have the visual effect I was going for.