Brr Iceland

Iceland is that breathtaking place where one can witness the magical Northern Lights. But there's so much more that the country offers; ice caves, geysers, waterfalls, glaciers, canyons, gorges and glittering beaches. And amidst all of this, gourmet food, explores Monika Patel

They danced across the night sky, making an arc from right to left. Sometimes shooting up before dissipating into a tight ball. The camera screen showed bright green and purplish tones though my naked eye saw flashes of white and grey. It was magical and the perfect culmination to a holiday that surpassed my expectations.
Iceland. The thought makes you shiver. And the cold is mind-numbing but layered as we were in heat tech, smart wool, Ski pants and Uniqlo’s best offers, we stayed warm while circumnavigating this stunning country.
Landing at 7 am is surreal. Its pitch dark. The sun makes an appearance closer to 11 am and by 4pm its gone. Getting a bearing on time is difficult but the country is so beautiful, we suspended all notions of time as we traversed the length and breadth of the south side.
Lucky for us, a friend of a friend was as smitten by the country. He made it his home and began a travel company. Our guide, the effervescent and ever so personable Audur, ensured an unforgettable experience. She expertly navigated while answering our never-ending questions and plying us with information. From Icelandic sagas, to geography, from history to biology, she was a storehouse of information. And as she spoke we gaped at the spectacular landscape. Black lava peeking out between the moss and snow. The morning sun hitting the snow. A rainbow glistening in the Skogafoss waterfall. Icicles studding the river by Seljalandsfoss. Acres and acres of snow blinding us as we snowmobiled on Eyjafjallajokull, better known as the E15 glacier. The five Westmann islands became landmarks. One of these Icelandic islands is home to puffins and the biggest one is a famous fishing town of 5000 inhabitants.
We watched a 30 foot geysir bubble over and hit the sky. The English word geyser comes from this natural phenomena. Hot springs provide energy for the thermal plants that heat Icelandic homes. Audur speaks of how locals grew up swimming in these hot springs. Some, like the secret lagoon, still retain their old world charm. Others, like the Blue Lagoon, have turned commercial. While the experience is fun, Blue lagoon is crowded and feels like a factory. People swim around with face masks and consume beverages from the poolside bar. The solitary waterfall is like a personal masseuse. The lagoon is a favourite stopover for people going to and from Europe due to its proximity to the airport and Iceland Air’s great deals. It has an awesome restaurant and conference facilities too. A World Bank Swede, we met in the sauna, makes Iceland a regular pit stop to and from Washington DC. Hard to imagine him in a suit when we saw him in almost nothing!
What is really hard is pronouncing the Icelandic names as well as deciding favourite sights, other than the Aurora Borealis.
The choice is staggering. Like the icecaves on Vatnajökull glacier. A super jeep reduces tyre pressure to traverse the glacier. We attach crampons, metal spikes, on our shoes before gingerly making our way on the translucent surface towards stunning snow, rock and ice formations. Walking into an actual glacier and exploring it from within is unforgettable. Nature paints a treat for the eyes with black ash trapped within the blues and whites. Photographs do no justice to the visual.
Returning, from the caves, to the iceberg studded Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon, is like witnessing a transformation. Daylight turns the grey icebergs into vivid blue sculptures. Lazing between the bergs, some seals entertain us by jumping into the freezing water. We continue to a beach littered with diamonds. That’s how it seems since waves throw the ice from the glaciers onto the black sand. The beach sparkles with glittering rocks, a great setting for a proposal with nature offering free diamonds. The black beach, Reynisfjara, is as stunning. The soft lava sand extends to the water’s edge and is juxtaposed against granite rocks and rocky protrusions from the ocean. A bride and groom used the backdrop for their wedding pictures but the bride must have frozen in her off-shoulder white chiffon get-up. In the summer, one of the rocky outcrops is said to home to puffins. Sadly, we missed the birds by a few months. The restaurant by the beach serves the most delicious turnip soup. Try mixing it with the meat soup and it warms you from within. The soup is wholesome with a subtle bite. Equally delicious is the skyr cheesecake. Skyr is Iceland’s protein based superfood. 
Talking about favourite moments and consuming local fare is up there. Fish is numero uno but lamb is also popular. Minke whale is delightfully tender and can be a great replacement for steak. I did not try puffin meat because my companions threatened to boycott me if I consumed the cute creatures. But I refused to succumb to their threats when I tried reindeer carpaccio though I was underwhelmed. Washing down meals with Icelandic gins is a treat. Surprisingly, most of the restaurants prefer serving Hendricks and Bombay Sapphire.  
Messinn in Reykjyavik serves authentic Icelandic cuisine. The servings are large so indulge in sharing. We loved the vegan cauliflower and carrot fritters. Equally delicious was the Arctic char and the mash mixed with cod, like a fishcake. Each dish came with salad and veggies. The Icelandic rye bread is a bit sweet but very flavourful. Later we discovered a town where this bread is baked in the hot spring under the ground.
Tucked under a bridge in the center of town, is the upmarket Fish Company. We gorged on creamy, melt in your mouth, amazingly delicious butter. The French influenced potato nest with truffle puree, wild granola, fried asparagus and egg cooked in 65 degrees Celsius was like watching the unveiling of a piece of art. Whether it was the orange marmalade covered duck and pork belly, or the foam topped salmon, the buttermilk glazed salted cod, each dish tantalized the taste buds. Naming dishes for countries and their ingredients is novel. For dessert Canada’s maple syrup apple tart and Madagascar’s vanilla chocolate fondant did not disappoint.
The city is made for walking. Trudge to the lake where you can take sunset pictures with the swans and geese or trek up a rainbow coloured road to the Hallgrimskirkja church. An elevator transports you to the top where you get a 360 degree breathtaking view  to the sounds of the church bell. Christmas is a special time and Icelanders go all out. The Christmas Cat makes its appearance threatening to attack those without a new set of clothes, as per a famous folk lore. There are dancing Yule lads on the sides of buildings and tales of their adventures greet you at the airport and street corners.
Our journey inland continued with a visit to the Fjaðrárgljúfur canyon where we marvelled in the spectacular gorge. We did not trek to the top since we were losing daylight and the meteorologist warned of dire weather. Snow flew around us as the wind rocked our car from side to side. By the time we reached the town of Vik, snow poured from the sky. Our guide expressed confidence in her ability to navigate the storm and off we set. Along the way we experienced the full fury of nature. A car was turned on its side by the road. Headlights blinded us as we drove the single lanes but our driver navigated from post to post. It was nail-biting and nerve-wracking. Audur fought the odds and deposited us to the safe haven of Hotel Umi, where we discovered the roads from Vik were closed five minutes after we left that town.
Iceland is about constantly changing weather. There are micro climates peppered across the island. While we were in the blue lagoon, we experienced rain, snow, sleet and hail within a couple of hours. And then the sun came up. The day after our snowstorm was brilliant blue and sunshine. It was a perfect way to indulge in Iceland’s famous Golden circle tour where we were enthralled by the Gullfoss waterfall. As falls go, this one is up there with many of the others I have visited. It is even more spectacular because of water thundering through a snowy landscape. The place is full of selfie taking tourists so it feels a bit crowded. And it is freezing since it is at a higher altitude. It is a perfect launch spot to continue to the Þingvellir National Park, where the first known parliament of the world was held. In fact the parliament was held there in tents and make shift buildings for a long time until it was eventually moved to the capital. The park is in the rift valley between the separating Eurasian and North American tectonic plates. Icelanders joke about the country expanding as a result of this seismic activity. As we absorbed the raw beauty around us, the moon peeked from behind a mountain. We watched as it slowly disengaged from the mountain and hung above the peak, brightening the land. Another magical moment to add to our growing list of favourites.
Driving around the picturesque country gets even better when you catch sight of the Icelandic horses. These majestic creatures are domestic farm animals and known fo two additional qualities of punt and pitch. They stand still while grazing despite their manes flying in the wintery wind. The farms themselves look like little story book homes nestled as they are under the giant mountains. There is a typical architecture style, possibly to maximize light and warmth. But the farms are sparse and spread out. After all, Iceland is home to only 300,000 people. In a country so vast these people are truly few and far between. I read most Icelandic people are related and someone has created an app to ensure how close the relationship before romance can blossom. Icelandic women seem more gregarious. There is a joke about Icelandic men opening up with 200 words after a beer.
Food and drink is always a reckoner when on holiday. Rekjyavik has excellent spots for both. There are karaoke and jazz clubs, an English pub where we heard an awesome band and even an American bar. The Irish coffee at Café Paris hits the spot when you are cold. The Apothek Hotel across, has a thriving bar where we discovered how gregarious Icelandic men can get after having had a few.
But what is also amazing are the meals we had as we travelled the country. Both Fosshotel and Umi, have gourmet kitchens and I’m hard pressed to choose between them. Even their breakfast spread is large though I can’t indulge when it’s so dark outside. One of the other intriguing meals we had was at the Friðheimar Greenhouse Farm. It’s a tomato greenhouse. A fun fact is that all the tomatoes grown there are only for consumption in Iceland. At supermarkets, Icelandic tomatoes are more expensive than imported ones. It’s no wonder. They are fresh and sweet and with four or five different varieties, the greenhouses do good business. The entire menu is tomato based. Start with bloody mary or the green tomato gin and the buratta with yellow and red tomatoes. You can indulge in yummy tomato soup with dipping skewers of cheese, chicken or seafood, have tortillas, pizzas or even get a platter of mussels in the most delicious consommé. The tomato farm has honeybees buzzing around to pollinate the plants. Even dessert is tomato flavoured with tomato pie, tomato jam on ice-cream and mouth-watering tomato cheesecake.
Three days in Iceland and we failed to see the Northern lights. Since our minds were filled with sensational images, we were content to let that slide. But it was always a niggle. Until we discovered our penultimate day was rated high for the lights. A few calls. A swiped card and we embarked on a private tour of the skies.
Even before our jeep turned onto the lunar landscape, the show had begun. Electrically charged plasma fueled the lights as they clashed with the gaseous particles on Earth. Oxygen showed up on the camera as green bursts. Other than the poles, Earth protects itself buy throwing off the plasma and this dance of entering and leaving allowed us to view the magic of nature.
It is the image we carried in our minds and hearts long after our plane took off over the darkened landscape of Iceland.