mmm-yoso!!!

Airport Food - Japan Airlines Sakura Lounge (Narita) and Iceland Air Saga Lounge (Reykjavik)

Just a short posts on a couple of airport lounges.

One of the perks of flying First or Business Class is use of the lounges. Regardless of how small or limited offerings, it is usually a lot more relaxing then hanging out at the gates. and it makes for a nice break for at least getting some water or coffee.

Japan Airlines Sakura Lounge (Narita):

I'd heard this lounge was always pretty busy, but it was quite empty during our visit. It is a very large lounge!

The food offerings were decent.

Hot options were curry, hamburg steak, and beef bowls.

I went with some curry rice and miso soup. The curry was surprisingly good.

This beer dispenser caught my eye.....

So I had to try it out......

You place the glass on the stand; press the button and the machine tilts the glass and tries to gently pour in the beer. If the idea was to cut down on foam; I don't think it worked real well. Kind of fun to watch though.

On this trip, the lounge was a nice place to wait for our flight.

Iceland Air Saga Lounge (Reykjavik):

On our way back from Iceland, we had use of the Saga Lounge at Keflavík Airport. I really didn't expect much; but man, the variety of decent quality eats was quite impressive.

I also really liked the fact that there were some local specialties included in the offerings.

Like a version of Plokkfiskur (mashed fish).

Hangikjöt (smoked lamb)......

Two types of pickled herring; which was pretty good and of course the rye bread.

I actually preferred this to what was offered in Business Class on our flight back to Seattle.

And, there was one last surprise. While getting a refill of sparkling water, the really friendly young woman brought out a huge platter of battered, fried shrimp. She looked at me smiled and pointed at the plate. Basically telling me I needed to try some; so I did.

I'm not sure how long that batter would hold out before getting soggy.....though I doubt that it stays around very long...... It was hot, the shrimp fairly sweet, and the batter crisp.

We really didn't expect much and this ended up being a nice surprise.

Reykjavik - Grillmarkadurinn (The Grill Market)

The Missus had enjoyed our dinner at Fiskmarkadurinn so much, She had me make reservations at their sister restaurant, named Grillmarkadurinn (The Grill Market). I was lucky enough to get reservations and it would end being a nice finish to our trip to Iceland.

The restaurant was fairly close to where we were staying. It is rather discreetly located down a passage and is easy to miss if you don't see the signs.

The place was packed and like other restaurants, you hang your coat on the rack near the doorway. We found a strategic and easy to remember location on the rack.....we saw several folks digging around having not remembered where they hung their coats.

The service here was very good; relaxed but professional. Like the Fish Market, many items had Asian touches. Some sounded a bit odd, but we actually enjoyed this meal more than what we had the previous night.

Man, do we love the bread and the whey butter in Iceland.....

The Missus really enjoyed the Minke Whale the previous night, so we started with the Minke Whale Steak (2890kr - about $27.75 US).

Fashionably dressed with chili threads and served with a ponzu sauce, we both really enjoyed this version of Minke Whale. I really didn't care for the robata version I had the night before, finding it too livery. I thought this was very tender; the crisp oyster mushrooms added an almost sweet earthiness to the tender and mildly offaly whale.

Next up; a dish whose name was so long that I actually wrote it down - Angelica Lamb from Halla at Ytri Fagridalur (2190kr - $21 US).

So, what's in a name? Ytri Fagridalur is the name of the farm where Halla Sigríður Steinólfsdóttir and her husband raise certified organic lamb. During the summer months the lamb are fed Angelica, which is supposed to change the flavor of the lamb. We both enjoyed the lamb, it was quite mild in flavor and surprisingly tender. We thought the Sichuan Peppercorn based seasoning was a bit over-powering.

So, Minke Whale and Angelica Fed Lamb....a bit too much for you? How about some sliders?

Of course these weren't just ordinary sliders. This was Whale, Puffin, and Langoustine "Mini-Burgers" (3790kr - $36.50 US). Not cheap, but quite interesting.

The Langoustine version was very tender and sweet, though the addition of chorizo kind of killed things for us.

The whale was by far our favorite as it went strangely well with the pesto and was very meaty, with a flavor that edged toward grass-fed beef. The puffin had a rather strange livery-fishy flavor; kind of predictable, since it's main diet is small fish. While I won't be searching it out in the future, I was glad to have tried it.

We shared one "main"; the "Fish Gourmet" (5490kr - $53 US).

A trilogy of fish; salmon, cod and redfish served with garlic potatoes and vegetables. The most memorable of the bunch was the cod which was so tender and buttery, unlike the cod I'm used to eating here in the states.

Some of the flavors and presentation (and prices!!!) was a bit over-the-top.

But the ingredients were without a doubt top-notch.

 

So, if you're doing the math; dinner topped out at about $175; not cheap, but we went mostly with starters and one rather large sized main course. The steaks can go for $70-$100.

Iceland turned out to be quite an interesting eating destination for us. A big plus is that folks here are very friendly and nice.

If I had a choice between the Fish Market and the Grill Market; we'd go with Grillmarkaðurinn.

Grillmarkaðurinn
Lækjargata 2a
101 Reykjavík, Iceland

I ended my last evening as I often do; with a "cold one" and reflected on all we'd done and the places we had been. Starting in Seattle for an overnight stay. From there it was off to Paris, the city captivated the Missus, and made my credit card scream for mercy. From there it was off to Burgundy where we were entranced by the countryside, the Saturday Market in Beaune, and the food. It was back to Paris and one of the finest meals we've ever had. Being able to visit Iceland was icing on the cake. We had no complaints; even the $70 for three-quarters of a tank of gas didn't phase us. We are lucky to be able to travel like this.......

Thanks for reading!

Reykjavik - Bæjarins Beztu Pylsur ("The Best Hotdog in Town?) and Other "Stuffs"

After lunch, we went...well shopping of course. One of the first stops was Icewear. The Missus found a really nice down jacket, I found e style I really liked, but the color I wanted wasn't in stock. Leave it to the nice folks at the shop to find that they had my size and color at another shop down the street! So we headed down the street to pick it up....past some rather interesting shops.

  The Bad Taste Record Store and the Chuck Norris Grill? Really! You couldn't help but smile. There were Chuck Norris "facts" posted on the windows of the shop. Who needs the "Most interesting Man in the World" when you got Chuck Norris, right? What I'm wondering is did Chuck Norris ever visit his "namesake" grill in Reykjavik? Now that would be some story, right?

We got back to the apartment, in time to take a short nap. Upon wakening, the Missus was itching to take a nice little walk.

Tjörnin was looking a beautiful as ever.

We took a nice stroll around "The Pond".

And then headed down some of the side streets. Admittedly, I had an agenda......a stop at a place that folks claimed had "the best hotdog in the world", Bæjarins Beztu Pylsur .

This location, on Tryggvagata is probably the most well known for visitors. This is where Bill Clinton was offered and accepted a Pylsur.......not exactly the seal of approval, nor was the visits of other folks who seem to be famous, for being famous. But heck, I was intrigued, so I decided to get one with mustard and remoulade (a mustard, mayo, and caper sauce).

I enjoyed the snap of the sausage; though I found the roll to be too cold and almost stale in texture. I enjoyed the flavor of the hotdog, a combination of lamb, pork, and beef, a mild gamey-wildness, that I found enjoyable, but the Missus didn't like. I found the sauces to be too sweet for my taste....still I had a fun time trying this.

While the Missus wasn't amused, I was happy to have tried this.

Baejarins Beztu Pylsur
Tryggvagata 1
Reykjavik 101, Iceland

What was even more fun was this......

Iceland Airwaves was set to start in a few days. We found that there were many small venues set-up all over town; in coffee shops, bars, retail stores, where performers would also play in addition to the larger halls. Really nice. We enjoyed this kind of heavy-metal, jazz violinist.....amazing!

We were having a great time!

Reykjavik - Hallgrimskirkja and Fermented Shark and Mashed Fish at Cafe Loki

It was a lovely morning when we awoke on our second day in Reykjavik. This was our last full day and while we didn't intend on driving around and such, we'd have quite a full day. After some coffee and such we headed out.

While it was still overcast; it would drizzle later in the day, it was still quite a nice morning. Tjörnin (aka The Pond) was basically one block away and always seemed to look so picturesque.

On that main street that travels along the banks of Tjörnin, Fríkirjiuvegur (please don't ask me to pronounce any of these) is the National Gallery and a lovely church; Fríkirkjan í Reykjavík - the "Free Church".

We took our sweet time heading further down the street, turned right on Bankastræti, then taking a slight right onto, you ready for this one? Skólavörðustígur. One of Reykjavik's major shopping streets. We swerved in and out of various shops along the way. Though I kept our "brunch" endpoint in sight.

And we did our share of shopping; though no goose or horse for us this time around.

The street basically ends at this statue of Leif Erikson (Leifur Eiríksson).

This statue was actually a gift from the United States! For more interesting facts about the statue and Leif Erikson check out this article. What little I do remember about Leif Erikson from history class was that he was the first European to discover North America, which he called Vinland, 400 years before Columbus.

Right behind the statue is the unmistakable Hallgrímskirkja, whose main tower can be seen from all over the Reykjavik.

Hallgrímskirkja is a Lutheran Church that was started in 1945, but not completed until 1986! It is quite an impressive sight.

Interesting as all this was. My main reason for being here was to visit Café Loki. I'd read that this corner shop did cater to the tourists, but was established with the purpose to serve the traditional dishes of Iceland.

The second floor dining room was half full when we arrived at about 10am. There was a small line of folks waiting for tables when we left at 11. We were looking forward to visiting Café Loki and ended up really enjoying our meal.

The Missus had enjoyed Her Lamb Soup the previous day, so She ordered the Meat Soup with Lamb Pate.

The soup was nice and rich, full of flavor. The "Lamb Pate" (Kæfa), looked a bit strange, but it was fairly gamey, and quite delicious. I later read it's made from mutton. I'd have this in a minute again. And the rye bread here is to die for.

I went for the Icelandic Plate, which gave me a nice variety of items.

So, along with the Lamb Pate and Rye Bread, there was Plokkfiskur (mashed fish), Hangikjöt (smoked lamb) on rye bread, Smoked Trout on Rye, Hákarl - the infamous fermented shark, and Harðfiskur (dried fish).

The Harðfiskur was interesting...it was dry, I mean dry, you needed a good amount of the delicious Icelandic butter to soften the flesh a little; otherwise it really was like eating leather. There is chewing involved; the flavor is very mild. I'm used to Saki Ika (Japanese Dried Cuttlefish), so I found this surprisingly bland.

I think the English description for Plokkfiskur  - "mashed fish" is totally wrong. This is more like "Buttery Cod Mashed Potatoes". It is very hearty; there a touch of onion, the wonderful smjor (Icelandic butter), on that slightly sweet and dense rye bread is quite a treat. The Missus loved this.

The smoked trout with butter and skyr on rye was good. I never took any photos, but I had skyr, the Icelandic style yogurt for breakfast every morning.

I really enjoyed the Hangikjöt (smoked lamb), with butter on rye. It had a nice smokiness, just enough saltiness, with just a touch of the "flavor of the pasture" for me to really enjoy.

Did I mention how much we loved the rye bread here?

And then there was the Hákarl, the fermented shark that Anthony Bourdain said he would never eat again. C'mon, for real? This little pale white cube?

Which smells like a combination of ripe cheese and urine. In fact, someone jokingly told us that the fish is buried in sand for 6 weeks at which time it's urinated on, before being hung to dry. It's good to know that this is not true (I hope). This was rather anti-climatic. There's a sort of salty, slightly ripe cheese thing going on, the texture is waxy. After that you're hit with a shot of ammonia which you basically exhale. Think of the light ammonia hit you get from Pidan (Century Egg) times like 10. The Missus actually enjoyed this.....of course, She loves cheese that smells like my dog's feet.

We really enjoyed our meal here. It gave us a nice view of some of the Icelandic dishes that I'd heard about before our trip. And, we liked most of what we had! It was also fairly inexpensive; by Icelandic standards. I'd gladly eat here again.......I'd just be happy with more of that rye bread with smjor.

Cafe Loki
Lokastigur 28
Reykjavik 101, Iceland

We were now quite satisfied and not quite full. Time to head off and do more shopping!

Thanks for reading!

And, just in case you were wondering..... 

Best line - "You disappoint me Ramsey!"

Reykjavik - Dinner at Fiskmarkadurinn (The Fish Market)

Iceland sure was photogenic; even during the "off-season", though I've read that Iceland is now facing the mixed blessing of too many tourists, which of course has its own share of problems (ask the guy who grew up in Hawaii about this). We didn't find things (other than our last two dinner restaurants) too crowded, people were very friendly, and the country is ruggedly beautiful.

We stopped the car a few times on the way back from Gullfoss................ look at the views!

We arrived back in Reykjavik, dropped by a little grocery store (Bonus), then headed back to the apartment. Relaxed a bit, showered, napped, got up, relaxed, showered, you get it, right?

From this point on, we'd basically be hoofing it around Reykjavik, and we walked to our dinner destination, Fiskmarkadurinn (The Fish Market).

I'd made reservations online and was glad I did as the place was really busy. In fact, we had a nice seat in lounge for about 20 minutes or so until a table opened up. One interesting thing about Iceland. There are coat racks....I mean pretty massive racks where everyone hangs their coats. It's really easy to forget where your coat is on the rack, so I made sure to put our coats in specific places.

In the comments of my first Iceland post, "KenB" asked about food and drink prices. Yes, things are fairly pricy. I'm list the prices for this meal, since it's one that I recall.

While waiting in the lounge we decided to have a few local beers. I noticed beer from Borg Brugghús on the list, so we decided to try two of them.

The Bríó Lager was quite nice, somewhat floral, clean tasting, somewhat creamy, and also 1.490 kr - $14.

I opted for the Hans Rauchbier, which had a nice smokiness to it, lightly hoppy, really good! 1.790 kr - $17.

After this we decided to lay off the drinks.

We finally got a table. Sitting we noticed folks were either getting sushi or the tasting menu. There's a bit of an Asian influences on some of the dishes here. We weren't super hungry and decided on ordering a la carte. As is the norm for us, we went with several starters and one main. Of course, things started with a fantastic moist rye bread and the amazing butter they have here in Iceland.

And a nice amuse.

The Fishmarket Lobster Soup (2,900 kr - $27.50)

The soup was prepared using coconut milk, so we had our doubts, but this was really good. The coconut milk gave the dish some rich-smoothness, the langoustine tail was perfectly cooked, so very tender and slightly sweet. Not a big fan of the mandarin oranges in this dish.

Next up was the Bitter Lemon Glazed Arctic Char (3,200 kr - $30).

I love the way they pickle items in Iceland; very crisp, very nice flavors. The artic char was moist and slightly buttery, the rye bread outstanding, the edamame puree interesting but not really adding to the dish.

Of course we had to try the Robata Grilled Minke Whale (2,800 kr - $26.50).

According to the Marine Institute of Iceland, there is a sustainable yearly catch number for Minke Whales. So I thought we should try this. Even though there was a good amount of horseradish grated on the soy and ginger glazed whale meat; I thought it was much too "livery" in flavor for me. The Missus, who loves liver really enjoyed this.

We noticed the main courses looked fairly large, so we decided to only order one; the Grilled Blue Ling (5,300 kr - $50).

We though the Hollandaise sauce actually detracted from the mild flavor of the perfectly grilled fish. There was a touch of smokiness, the fish was nicely seasoned and melted in your mouth. The bit of foie gras was a nice touch as it added a good deal of richness; though it over-powered the fish when eaten together. The smoked cheek of catfish was nice and crisp and added a nice textural counter-point.

This was a nice meal. The Missus enjoyed Herself so much; especially that Minke Whale, that She had me make reservations at the sister (brother) restaurant of the Fishmarket for the next night. In terms of prices, starters go for around $27-$35 and mains $50-$85, the tasting menu is about $115 per person without drinks. Service was very nice though the tables were quite close together.

Fiskmarkadurinn (The Fish Market)
Adalstraeti 12
Reykjavik 101, Iceland

Iceland - The Golden Circle and Icelandic Lamb Soup at Gullfoss Kaffi

After our dinner at Matur Og Drykkur, we got back to our apartment rather late, at least for us, as it was nearly 1130pm. We showered; well here's an interesting thing (apparently one of many) about the hot water in Iceland. It all comes from geothermal fields. So guess what? Yep, there's a distinct sulphuric smell to the hot water....it smelt like rotten eggs (and something else, but we won't go into that). A bit of a shock at first.

I believe the sun rose at around 7am in the morning when we were in Reykjavik. We were pooped so we got up a bit later than usual. After waking up, we just headed straight out of Reykjavik. We didn't want to overdo things much and just decided to do the three main stops on the Golden Circle.

First stop Þingvellir National Park, Iceland's first National Park and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. I could probably write a dozen posts about Þingvellir, there is so much historical and geographical significance to the place.

We thought Þingvellir was quite beautiful, even on a drizzly, overcast, windy, and chilly November day.

I was stunned to be walking along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge; literally between two continents!

In one of the lakes in Þingvellir National Park, called Silfra, you can actually touch both continents at the same time!

Funny thing, I had purchased two really cheap rain ponchos, but the Missus refused to take Hers stating how "unfashionable" it looked. Now, in the face of rain and more wind than an umbrella could stand, She decided to use mine.

Þingvellir ("Thingvellir") literally means "Assembly Field" and the National Parliament of Iceland was formed here in 930 and kept meeting here until 1798.

The flag in this photo marks the supposed site of Lögberg (the Law Rock) where the speeches during the assemblies were made. I say "supposed" because the precise location of the rock is lost to time.

Walking back up the trail, we drove down the road a bit. Stopping in a small dirt lot. The view, like many others was outstanding.

This was an additional parking lot further down the highway. We took to the trail.

As with many places with such a long history; Þingvellir has a dark side as well.

Because of the wind and drizzle, we had driven down to Parking Lot 3 because it was the back way to this.

Öxarárfoss, a waterfall that might actually be man made. After returning from Iceland and doing a bit of background research for my posts, I found out that there's a claim that the Öxará river had its water diverted in order to provide drinking water to the Assembly, thus creating "Ax Falls".

Our next stop was quite easy to notice.......

As you could easily see the steam rising from the various geothermal vents in the Haukadalur Valley.

This is the home of the famous Geysir.

Unfortunately, Geysir is pretty much dormant these days. Luckily, Strokkur a few meters away still erupts every 10 minutes or so. After watching twice, it becomes rather easy to judge when Strokkur is ready to go.

It's quite fun to watch.

Also, as the sign says a few photos above, I guess there are a few common sense challenged folks out there. Better watch out or someone might be wearing your Necropants. Soemthing else I learned about in Iceland.

There's actually a hotel, gift shop, restaurant, etc, right across the street....in case you just can't get your fill of Strokkur and bubbling geo-thermal wells.

Soon enough, we were off to our last destination. With a few roadside stops along the way to admire the view.

Our final stop? Gullfoss, "Golden Falls". While the falls didn't look too "golden" on this afternoon, it was still quite nice.

Which our photos really couldn't capture.

We both loved this romantic story.

We hadn't eaten the entire day, so we decided to stop at the café connected to the gift shop and information center.

The café has sandwiches and other dishes, but I was after one thing. This little restaurant was well known for their Icelandic Lamb Soup (kjötsúpa). I was even told that there were free refills. The Missus and I shared a bowl.

It was actually much better than I thought it was going to be. Nice lamb flavor; pretty hearty, not too much meat, but it really warmed us up. I ended up going for half a second bowl. I didn't feel to bad about it since I think it cost somewhere around ($15 US) for the soup.

Yes, Iceland is expensive; but the people are so nice, the views amazing, and we were enjoying the food.

I looked around at the folks sitting and eating on this rather dreary day. And guess what? Seems like everyone was smiling and having a great time!

That's Iceland I guess!

Gullfoss Kaffi
Gullfoss
Blaskogabyggd 801, Iceland

Thanks for reading!

Reykjavik - Aurora Reykjavik and Dinner at Matur Og Drykkur

It was serendipity that brought us to Iceland. Well, perhaps to be perfectly honest, it was good pricing. In addition to some bargain Business Class tickets, we decided to take advantage of Icelandair's free stopover program. Basically, if you flew out of one of Icelandair's hubs you get up to a seven night extended layover with no additional charge. So, even though it was going to be the "off season", we thought it would be fun spending a few nights in Iceland. Which is how we ended up flying out of Seattle almost a year ago. We got into Reykjavik in the late afternoon; got our rental car and found our apartment; which was centrally located, spacious, and quite comfortable. By the time we settled in and headed off to dinner; it was pitch dark. And while we both knew that the chances of us seeing the "Northern Lights" on the nights we were to be in Iceland was basically nil because of the weather forecast.....overcast and rainy. When we ran early for dinner; I decided to make a stop at the quaint Aurora Reykjavik - The Northern Lights Center, which was basically right around the corner from our dinner destination.

The place was quaint and the folks very friendly. And we learned all about them Northern Lights.

And even though we didn't see any in person during our trip; we were mesmerized by the presentation in the little theatre.

One of these days!

Aurora Reykjavik
Grandagardur 2
Reykjavik 101, Iceland

Soon enough, it as time for dinner. We headed turned the corner and parked in the lot for the Saga Museum.

No, we weren't visiting the museum as it was already closed.

Rather, we entered the front doors and turned to our left.

After a fairly long day and really wanted some food and drink; which is what Matur Og Drykkur literally means, "food and drink". Matur Og Drykkur is also the name of a classic Icelandic cookbook that was originally published in 1947. The concept at "MOD" is to find classic Icelandic recipes and recreate them with a modern and local twist.

One of the first things I did when we finalized our itinerary was to try and hunt down some restaurants that would serve local specialties. 

 

Along with am a la carte menu; there were three tasting menus on this evening. I chose the Game Menu, while the Missus went with the Seafood Menu.

First off; let me tell you about the wonderful moist and substantial bread and the awesome creamy whey butter.

Whoa, this was some great way to start a meal!

We both started with the Herring, micro potatoes, salted angelica seeds, and mustard.

Very nice, the Angelica Leaves had a nice celery like flavor; very clean. The fish was super fresh, with a nice toothsomeness. The potatoes were lovely and full of flavor.

We both also had Trout smoked in sheep's dung.

Before you freak out; I think this was smoked "over" dried sheep poop. It tasted like a very nice, perfectly smoked, lean fish. Very tender; the horseradish sauce wasn't too pungent and everything went together well.

I also had the Cured Reindeer, Sunchokes, and Bilberry Chutney.

In spite of looks a fairly mild dish overall.

The Missus's Halibut soup was very tasty.

The fish and the mussels were excellent; though I'm still not sold on raisins in soup.

The Goose Heart was delicious; chewy but with a very nice, mildly offal flavor. The smoked buttermilk took this to another level.

As did the peppery watercress, the endive, and slightly floral bay leaf vinaigrette. And yes, those are edible rose petals.

The Missus's Langoustine and cauliflower was also very tasty.

We both really enjoyed the cauliflower with the horseradish sauce. The tarragon added that slight bit of anise-like flavor to add complexity to the dish.

The Missus poached almost all the kale, which was really flavorful from my Starry Ray with Rutabaga and lamb jus.

I thought the lamb jus would really play havoc with the mild flavor of the skate, but this was nicely balanced; slightly rich, the skate cooked perfectly as it just melted in my mouth.

Meanwhile, we both watched the chef break out the torch.

It was for this.

Fish head, something that's treasured in Chinese cuisine. This was so good, the cheek meat buttery, the Missus loves the eyeballs. This was amazing. Though the Missus didn't care for the texture of the tongue, which was fried with almost a tempura like batter. Part of the tongue has a jelly-mushy texture that the Missus didn't care for. The other part is a bit tougher. The flavor is a bit more assertive than the cod head.

We were also provided with a very tasty potato salad.

There was a very enjoyable but assertive flavor in the salad and what I initially though was pickled shallot was definitely not. Our really friendly Server told us it was lovage; both the leaves in the salad and the pickled roots.

My main was Seared Mallard, which was surprisingly tender.

Loved the flavor; the wild mushroom sauce really deepened the savory factor in the dish. The Missus loved the beets.

and then dessert of course; the crowberry granite, was refreshing, though very mild, and with a slight bitteness to it.

And this was my first exposure to Skyr which I instantly loved.

I told the friendly Server to bring us just one Cookie to finish because I was stuffed.

I love meals like this. Not only was it delicious and well executed, the service was friendly and laid back. But I also learned quite a bit about some of the local food products....my favorite way, via my tastebuds. It's a meal I'll never forget.

Matur Og Drykkur
Grandagardur 2
Reykjavik 101, Iceland

Where in the world are we part deux

We finished up our time in Paris visiting.....well, those must see locales.

And capped things off with what might be one of the best meals we've ever had.

We then headed off to our current location. A place where you can experience the power and wonder of nature. Now a very popular destination during the summer. It is still impressive during the slow season.

In a single word......breathtaking.

And the cold and rain hasn't dampened our spirits as we've gotten to see some amazing things.

The food here is distinctive. With items like minke whale.....

Trout smoked over sheep dung.

Cod head......

Fermented shark.

Mashed fish......they make fabulous rye bread here too.

They also claim to make one of the best hot dogs in the world too.

The sun is setting on our final day here.

Tomorrow we head to an interim destination then home. It's been an unforgettable trip.

We haven't had a bad meal yet. I hope this last one will not end the streak

Thanks as always for reading!