5 Thoughts on Iceland
Cody Stover
In February 2018, my girlfriend, Bonnie, and I uprooted from our normal day-to-day routines, jobs, and way of life in order to travel, serve communities, make new friends, grow in faith, and challenge ourselves while sharing a lot of laughs along the way. First stop: Iceland.
First off, Iceland is a small island nation in the North Atlantic. It's part of Europe, but really a world all of its own. Of the 334,000 people that inhabit Iceland, over 200,000 of them live in the capital region, Reykjavík, meaning that the rest of the country is spread out in rural communities. We didn't know much about Iceland before picking this spot as the first stop in our journey, and it was really for the best this way. Iceland is a place to experience with your own two feet and your own two eyes. We spent the month of March exploring this land of vikings, and, condensed into 5 themes, here is my take:
#1 Landscape Diversity
Coming from Oregon, I figured I had a pretty good background in diverse landscapes. We've got the ocean, the gorge, mountains, old-growth forests, Portland, and the desert in the east. Iceland was out of this world. Literally. Sometimes it seemed we were looking across the surface of the moon or walking on Mars. Starting with the most urban landscape, Reykjavík's skyline is low-key other than the Hallgrímskirkja, the futuristic looking church that rises from a hill in the center of town. The city center is filled with boxy homes and shops, most painted bright colors and sided with sheet metal. Iceland is scattered with waterfalls, many visibly pouring over what used to be sea cliffs thousands of years ago. The south coast features a stretch of black sand beaches as a result of the ocean grinding lava rock into sand. Iceland is also home to some massive glaciers, including Sólheimajökull, the black and white striped icecap pictured in the gallery. I thought it would be pretty to see some ice spilling out of a mountainside, but it really was breathtakingly impressive to see this complex of ice. Also in the south, due to the volcanic activity and geothermal characteristics, a geysir sprays its steam every few minutes on the Golden Circle. Furthermore, we spent our last afternoon in Iceland running around Vestmannaeyjar, a series of Islands that have sprung up as a result of volcanic eruptions. A lava flow from a 1970s eruption cuts right through town. In the north we got to experience the fjords and their steep mountainous valleys. Driving into the each fjord felt like heading into a big half-pipe. In the northeast lies Lake Myvatn. The area surrounding the lake is exceptionally diverse, with red-soil, bubbling mud-pots, and the moon-like rock formations of Dimmuborgir lava field. We hopped over to the east, briefly exploring the small village of Fáskrúðsfjörður. The mountains here were much pointy-er than the fjord peaks in the north. An amazing array of landscapes. Something new around every bend.
#2 Good People & Safety
Iceland is a tight-knit community where people look out for one another. When a neighbor is in need, they rise to the occasion and help each other out. We witnessed this first-hand while driving back to Akureyri from Siglufjörður, a small village in the far north. While driving the cliff-side road above the bay, a snow storm hit. Soft, fluffy snow covered the road, obscuring our view of the lines and I accidentally strayed a little too far right of center. Stuck in powder at a weird angle, I tried to reverse out of this situation over and over, but alas the tires just spun and spun. If you've been stuck on the side of the road in any form or fashion, you know the sinking feeling of, "Great, this is going to be a long day." However, before we could think of dialing for a tow truck, a couple in an SUV pulled up next to us. Coming back from a ski trip, they asked if we needed any assistance. First, the man tried his hand at backing the car out, but he couldn't get it to budge. Then, he hopped in his SUV and phoned a farm ten minutes down the road to ask if he could borrow some rope to pull us out. Before we could even fully process their generosity, they sped off and came back with a tow rope. A few tries later our car popped out of its rut and we were back in action. We thanked them profusely for taking time out of their day to help some stuck tourists. I failed to mention that while they were off retrieving the rope, every car that passed stopped to ask if they could assist us. The Icelanders warm my soul and inspire me to pay it forward.
On top of citizens looking out for each other, I want to mention the level of safety in Iceland. In a world that is all too often plagued by theft, violence, and terror, Iceland has maintained an oasis of peace and trust. When flying from city to city in Iceland on their domestic airlines, there are no security checkpoints and no scanning of luggage. We were shocked! Furthermore, the police in Iceland started carrying firearms in the 1940s, but have only recorded one civilian fatality, in 2013. I don't know the answers to the world's problems of violence, but it was refreshing to be in a place where these horrors are seemingly non-existent.
#3 Food
Heading into the journey, people prepared me with all kinds of rumored Icelandic cuisine. Whale, shark, and puffin were prefaced as nordic mainstays. While these foods did exist as specialty and touristy flavors, I quite enjoyed the Icelanders hearty diets, heavy in meat and dairy. For this post, we'll focus on some unique dairy.
Skyr: This dairy product has a texture and taste similar to greek yogurt, but in reality is technically a cheese. I guess we can call it a hybrid yogurt cheese…maybe a chogurt…or a yeese? Ok, anyway…it’s really good. Icelanders have been making their own Skyr for hundreds of years, and you can also buy it at the supermarket. Like yogurts, you can buy it in a variety of fruit flavors, but the best Skyr I had was in a dessert. A crushed macaroon base was topped with fresh berries and then covered in a topping of Skyr and whip cream. Delish.
Ice Cream: Ice Cream quickly became our go-to guilty pleasure. With so many dairy farms in Iceland, there is a ton of high quality, locally made ice cream. My personal favorite was produced by Holtsel, a dairy farm outside of Akureyri with an ice cream parlor attached to their barn. Their ice cream is rich, delicious, and they have a variety of good flavors. No one was staffing the parlor the couple times that we went, but someone happily unlocked it and served us each time. Another great spot for some cream was Brynja, in Akureyri. Brynja is known for having especially cold ice cream that's not excessively sweet. Vanilla dipped in caramel? Yum.
First Milk: When a mother cow gives birth, her milk for the first day is different than all the other milk she will produce. This “first milk” as it’s called is more nutrient rich and contains vitamins that a newborn calf needs to kickstart its life. The Icelanders takes some of this first milk (of course the calf gets its portion first) and prepare it in various ways. One way is to cook it into a kind of cake, the shape of flan, but the texture of dense scrambled eggs. It tasted a little like eggs as well. A good protein boost to a farmers breakfast.
#4 Phenomena
The northern lights. There is definitely a lot of hype regarding this iconic nordic phenomenon. Of course you’ve probably seen them all over outdoorsy Instagram pages, bright green beams across the night sky. I was excited when we got a clear night and an opportunity to look for the aurora borealis, but I must say, I wasn’t sure what to expect. We drove out of town in the north in order to get away from the city light pollution. We caught our first glimpse of the northern lights, and they were dim, slightly green folds of light hanging gently amongst the stars. They were really pretty, but I also thought to myself, “I knew those Instagrammers were turning up the brightness and saturation on their photos.” We drove back into town, satisfied. However as we entered town, we pulled over. The lights were brighter and more colorful. We got out of the car just as a beam peaking up from the mountain started glowing very intensely. All of a sudden it exploded into light strands across the sky. The lights danced in an array of green lined with pink, moving quickly and changing shape. I didn’t know they moved! It was amazing. I stood in awe, so moved. How joyful to witness nature putting on a show. You have to see it in person. Not even the best photo does it justice.
Aside from the northern lights, Iceland is a great place for a nature bath. All the volcanic activity and geothermal heat means there’s a ton of hot springs. I’d never tried out the hot springs in Oregon, although I’ve heard they are wonderful. It’s a strange feeling to strip down to your swimsuit after walking through deep snow, and then to plop into a small, hot hole in the ground. Nature’s hot tub.
#5 History & Tradition
Icelanders place great importance on preserving their history and traditions. Iceland was settled by vikings who found their way across the North Atlantic a thousand years ago. These vikings established homesteads and farms and founded the culture that subsists today. Something I found interesting was their naming guidelines. In the US, when a family buys some farming property, it’s name usually changes to their surname, or whatever their business is called. However, in Iceland, farms that were named by the vikings of past maintain those same names today. They are passed down from farmer to farmer. Therefore, if you look at an old map, you’ll see most of the same farms listed. This is a really cool way to link the past to the present and future.
One other thing that stood out to me is how recent some pieces of Iceland’s history are. For example, just 60 years ago some Icelandic families were still living in turf houses. These houses were built with wood into the side of a hill or with soil packed all around. Grass grew on the roof and sides. This helped insulate from the cold. The house connected to the stable for the animals, all open air. The body heat produced by cows and sheep wafted into the living quarters and helped heat the house. Driving around, you can spot these cute turf houses, still standing, usually next to a newer, more modern farm house.
Lastly, you might be able to guess that I’m big on fabrics and patterns, Iceland’s iconic clothing item is their wool sweaters. Wool is such a warm fiber, and the Icelanders will tell you that sheep kept their ancestors alive in the bitter conditions. Icelanders knit some of the most beautiful wool sweaters, with intricate nordic patterns and a variety of bright colors. I was totally digging these threads and was able to bottle up some inspiration for future Meddy winter apparel projects.
So there’s my take! I feel very fortunate to have had the opportunity to experience Iceland and feel the warmth of the Icelandic people and culture. I truly believe that relationships make the experience, and this definitely held true.
Next up: Scotland
Peace be the journey,
Cody