Year: 2016

“Tapas” is an upscale restaurant very close to the harbour in Reykjavik. Would be a great place to go with a group as the portion sizes were very large. There was also a “chef selection” of 6 items that cost 7500 ISK (about $75 CDN). Various groups that I spoke to found the food, and the prices, to be exceptional.

1. Saltfish with chorizo in a tomato and date sauce.
   1. The highlight was the tomato and date sauce which absolutely shined and provided an exceptional level of taste to the saltfish. Pairing a fish with a sausage was also very interesting and it was the chorizo that was in fact “saltier” than the saltfish which given their respective names would not have been expected.
2. Rack of lamb in a samfaira and mint sauce
   1. Done medium rare the lamb was exceptional. I would have preferred if the mint sauce was a little “more minty” as it seemed to lack that bite that comes from using enough mint in a sauce.

I had only 2 of some 60 possible tapas selections and it would have been a true pleasure to have dined their every night. It is “underground” and you have the feeling that you are going into a cavern or a cellar. The manager was exceptional as I was the only single diner and he seemed to spend a fair amount of time talking to me about the food.

I will definitely be dining again on my next trip.

“Icelandic Tapas” was a small restaurant in downtown Reykjavik that served their offerings in jars. You could buy a “single” jar or there was a 4 jar or a 6 jar price or a “chef 6 jar” offering. I selected the 6 jar offering but chose them myself. Read More >

So you want to go to Iceland? Who wouldn’t? Iceland is one of the most beautiful destinations we travel to, full of incredible scenery, culture, food and more.  The big question is – how do you plan a trip to Iceland.  Shauna Cook is one of our Travel Consultants here at Great Canadian Travel Company who has been to Iceland, ate the fermented shark (yes, this is a real delicacy in Iceland!), and has answered hundreds of traveler questions about trip planning. Here are some of the more common questions and answers to help you plan your Icelandic adventures with us. Read More >

No this is not a critique about the movie “Room with a  View” but rather the view outside my 5^th floor window of this exceptional hotel  apartment that I stayed at for 5 nights in January.  It is located right on the main shopping street Laugevegar 18 and the manger Elfa was so bubbly, friendly and helpful that it really felt like home. The fact that I had a full kitchen really helped and given the prices of everything in the restaurants (a cup of black coffee is 450 ISK – about $4.50 CDN), a kitchen would prove very valuable for anyone.

Another ideal feature is the 4^th hot tub on a very large deck. After a day of hiking or shopping what a better place than to lounge in this 10 person (I am guessing since in January I was the only person ever in it). This is the view from the hot tub, the evening of 16 January, 2016.

Iceland is not cold (at the depths of this stormy week the absolute low was -10C and the temp during the day hovered just below zero), but it is unusual to have sunrise at 11:04 and sunset at 4:09pm. I took the following series of between 9 am and 11:30am just before the sun burst out. This was not an unusual sunrise to experience the week that I was there. It is often commented on that the light during the winter months in Iceland is almost ephemeral and is a photographers delight. I am not a photographer but it just seemed different – I am not sure what that means – just different.