I distinctly remember a grade school teacher declaring that, despite their names, Iceland is actually green and Greenland is actually icy.
Let me tell you kids... that statement may be true generically, but Iceland is also icy, especially during winter. For example:
See? Waterfall iced over with ice... and nothing but snow (and more ice) around me, as well as a white, snowy sky.
Now, the main reason I decided to visit Iceland was to see the Northern Lights. Immediately upon arrival, however, I quickly learned that Iceland has such a fascinating and quirky culture, and despite the efforts made to see the Northern Lights, what I remember most from the trip was not standing on the side of a road in Northern Iceland during a freezing cold pitch-black night... but rather all the other experiences I stumbled upon. From the Phallological museum, to the steel Viking ship sculptures, to the incredible food, to the fact that beer was legalized in 1989, to the mysteries of the natural baths... SO MUCH quirkiness! I fell in love. So much so that I know I will go back, but maybe this time during the summer months where it is warmer...
Without further ado, here is Part One of my incredible trip.
So, first off, Iceland is a short five hour flight from JFK. Icelandair is actually a really cool airline, the stewardesses wear these smart caps, and they are all blonde and gorgeous. The airport at Keflavik (which is near the main city of Reykjavik) is actually a good 45 minutes outside of Reykjavik, so plan on it taking some time... and costing a lot if you take a cab. Instead, book a bus transfer - trust me!!!
Now that the helpful "info" part is out of the way, back to the quirky stuff that made me fall in love with Iceland...
***Warning before we go too far in this post: SENSITIVE, ADULT material is discussed. If you read on, you are agreeing to potentially have your sensibilities and eyes offended. You are not allowed to hold me responsible.***
Reykjavik, Iceland is home to the only known Phallological museum in the world. A museum dedicated to penises. Seriously, y'all. No kidding. And for only 1,000 kroners (which was roughly 8 USD at the time), you too can view over 100 pickled penises from various species. (No animals were harmed in the making of the penis museum... their appendages were taken after their death). Naturally, I took a picture next to the largest penis in the world, a whale's penis.
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| Yes. That is a whale's penis. And it's almost as tall as I am (I'm 5'6") |
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| Not for children!! |
The rest of the afternoon I spent walking around Reykjavik, which is the capital of Iceland, and boasts stunning scenery:
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| Me standing in front of Esja |
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| Vikings in a boat!!! |
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| The highest point in Reykjavik - the Lutheran church! |
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| Poppyseed bagel topped with ricotta, capers, fresh spinach, sliced hard boiled eggs, dijon honey mustard sauce and smoked salmon... YUM!?!? |
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| Mink whale... It tasted like a cross of ahi tuna and filet mignon, with soy sauce and a wasabi cream and pickled red onion (courtesy of Fish Market in Reykjavik) |
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| A fabulous goose salad with berry dressing, which was very sweet. The goose was an interesting dark meat, but lacked flavor. (courtesy of Goya's tapas in Akureyri) |
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| A stunning plate of puffin... Which was definitely bird but also gamey meat. Had a delicious red currant sauce, which really pared so well (courtesy of Fish Market in Reykjavik) |
...want to hear a funny story about beer, and alcohol in general, in Iceland? Sit down. This one might take you by surprise (it for SURE was surprising to me!!!).
Icelanders agreed to prohibition in 1908, which apparently shocked the government, as they didn't enact any laws to ban alcohol until 1912. And in that law in 1912, they gave Icelanders until 1915 to drink all the remaining alcohol. Unlike United States citizens, who dumped beer and liquor into rivers when prohibition was ratified, Icelanders enjoyed themselves tremendously for several years.
My tour guide, a gorgeous tall blonde named Olaf (who is actually a she, not a he) described the next stage in Iceland's alcoholic history. "In 1921, the Spanish informed Iceland that they would no longer import fish from Iceland if Iceland did not import Spanish wine. So if you were stumbling down the street, and a police officer stopped you saying What's going on here?!? And you produced a bottle of wine with 'Spain' on it, the policeman would Oh, ok! Carry on then!"
Icelanders finally gave up the charade and in 1935 spirits were legalized. But not beer. Beer was not allowed as it was cheaper than liquor, and thus, some random politician argued, more people would be able to afford it, and thus the devil would tempt everyone. Icelanders circumvented this by making their own beer. How did they do this? By taking non-alcoholic beer and pouring vodka in. Which my tour guide demonstrated, and of course, made us taste it… horrible. I don't know how Icelanders survived. It tasted like watered down vodka with a hint of beer…
"Sure, you can't drink beer, but Vodka? Go right ahead! Shot contest!" Olaf teased…
Finally, March 1, 1989 – 54 years after spirits were legalized -- beer was finally legalized. It caused so much press that New York Times wrote an article about it and news crews from all over the world flew in to cover the celebration. What else happened in 1989? The Berlin Wall fell. Pretty good year, right?!
End of story. You're welcome.
In addition to visiting Reykjavik, I also visited Akureyri, which is in Northern Iceland. Stay tuned for Part 2 of my incredible trip to Iceland!!
