Blast from the Past: Greenland Shark

Perhaps the most interesting experience I had in Iceland was eating Greenland Shark! We spent part of our day at Bjarnarhofn (Byar-nar-hoff-en), where Greenland shark is processed and sold. There is no active hunting for the shark; most of the time, they come to the farm as bycatch from other fishing lines.

If any of you have seen Anthony Bourdain's encounter with this Icelandic delicacy, than you probably already know most of what I'm going to say. Greenland shark is prepared in a very special way, due to the fact that sharks do not have kidneys. This means that their bodies are full of uric acid. (Hopefully I don't have to explain what that is.) In its raw state, Greenland shark is very toxic. So, to make it more edible, Icelanders bury the carcass and allow it to ferment for 6-8 months. It is then dug up, cut into strips, and allowed to hang in an open shed for a year.

Eating one makes for quite an interesting experience.

However, you shouldn't take my word for it! If you're adventurous, this is definitely something you should try.

Oh, and the Icelanders get a huge kick out of tourist's reactions. :)

Blast from the Past: The Watering Hole

Somehow, the name of this place was never recorded in my travel diary! I do know it was a natural spring on a small farm in Iceland, probably in the Western part of the country. What was really interesting about this spring is that it is both naturally carbonated and has a lot of natural iron in it- hence the orange-ish color of the water! The farmers who own it simply have a bucket hanging next to the spigot, so for a donation you can take as much as you'd like. I personally found the iron to be a bit much, but one of my classmates really liked it. If you ever find yourself in Iceland, try looking for one of these naturally carbonated springs. It really is a one-of-a-kind experience!

Blast from the Past: Laufskálavarða

Sorry there was no post on Friday! I was feeling a bit under the weather, and classes just started at my university. So, here's today's post, full of lots of cool stuff!

We had to drive through an area of Iceland known for it's jokulhaups. This occurs when a glacier breaks and the water behind it gushes out. Jokulhaups (YOKE-ell-ups) are perhaps the most dangerous thing in all of Iceland. The wall of water moves so fast that few can outrun it. One of the sagas relates how one man on horseback narrowly escaped with his life after a jokulhaup swept in behind his steed!

That's why we stopped at Laufskálavarða. (It's pronounced LAHF-skowt-la-VARDTH-ah.) Remember that rock pile I mentioned in my post about Vik? Laufskálavarða is a rock pile, too, but one with a very important purpose. It is believed that leaving a rock here will ensure that one can cross the jokulhaup field unscathed. It's like leaving a token of good faith to the many spirits and creatures that inhabit Iceland.

One of the students suggested that Stitch leave a rock, too, just in case. After all, better not take any chances!

Blast from the Past: Seljalandsfoss

If you remember my post about Skogarfoss, I mentioned the smaller Seljalandsfoss but had no photos. I guess I somehow skipped it! So, here is a photo from behind the waterfall. Pretty neat, huh?

Blast from the Past: Búðir

Búðir (Booth-ear) is a small, lovely beach in the Western part of Iceland. The beach is quite isolated but is still very popular with tourists. There is a church, which is quite old, and an inn. But what makes Búðir really special is its sand. The sand is the most extroadinary color because it is made up of seashells, basalt, quartz, and olivine. We spent a lovely, quiet afternoon here, digging in the sand and even found a wolf fish skull in the surf! If ever you find yourself in Iceland, make sure you stop at Búðir; otherwise, you're missing out on one of the prettiest places on the whole island.

Blast From the Past: Skogafoss

Skógafoss (Skoh-gah-foss) is a very big, very wet, and very famous Icelandic waterfall! This thing is SO huge that a group of students were standing about 300 yards away and still got completely drenched. There is also a path along the waterfall's right side that leads to the top. The view from there is just amazing, making the long steep trip completely worth every step!

Later, we drove a short way to visit Seljalandsfoss (Sell-ya-lands-foss), which also flows from the Skoga River. This waterfall is very well-known for having a path the goes behind the water! One of our friends very nearly got a cold shower when she stood directly behind the falls and a gust of wind tore through them. Luckily she was wearing her rain gear! Seljalandsfoss had many pretty trails and caves around them that we got to explore, and where I took this photo.

Blast from the Past: Thorsmork

Thorsmork (which means "Thor's Forest in Icelandic) is a beautiful nature preserve in the south of Iceland. It is also very secluded, due to the fact that it is surrounded by mountains, glaciers, and rivers. In fact, the only way to reach the park is by a special all-terrain bus!

These photos chronicle the climb we made up the mountain Valanukur. The going was steep, but fun was had by all. When we reached the top, we actually had to shed our coats because we were burning up (no mean feat when the average temperature was somewhere between 55 and 60 degrees Fahrenheit, or 13 to 16 degrees Celsius!) The river below is called Krossá (KROES-ow) which means "Cross River". This river is fed by glaciers, and the streambed changes so much that no permanent bridges can be built!

And here we are at the top of Valanukur! (Stitch is being held in place by my classmate Sarah, as there is a long, steep drop just behind them!) We had a lecture about cataclysmic volcanoes here, then we wound our way back down to explore the riverbed.