Wheels up in Winnipeg at 2:45pm, down in Toronto long enough to have some dinner, then 4 hours and 50 minutes later we landed at Keflavik International Airport in Iceland. With black lava fields all around it felt a bit like I think it might feel to land on the moon!
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Way back in 2017 I wrote a blog in recognition of Canada Day; 50 Great Things Canada Contributed to the World. Since I wrote that blog I’ve been studying about the Indigenous peoples who have lived on this land we now call Canada for millennia – the First Nations and …
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Food Glorious Food Iceland Style!
October 11, 2016 | Ian Kalinowsky
What’s the food like in Iceland? We get asked that a lot. I had the good fortune to sample a variety of local, Icelandic foods during my week here with my family. It was fresh, a lot local and organic, innovative and all delicious!
One of my favourite eateries in Reykjavik is the Tapas Restaurant. A 16 year old restaurant set in a cave-like setting it’s warm with the right amount of lighting and is very quiet despite being full of people. An amazing group of the most attentive staff on the planet! Great service and the managers knew absolutely every single ingredient in every dish of an extensive menu.
Serrano with fresh figs and chilled honey Puffin* with blueberry sauce and nuts
*I’m sorry – I know puffins are cute! But, they’re also plentiful (by the millions here in Iceland in the summer) and are a popular food in the Nordic countries.
Tapas – small dishes served when perfectly done. The three of us shared 10 dishes in total and were full by meal’s end. 10 dishes, 4 glasses of house red, a beer and our bill was ISK21,200 (about US$190/CA$250), which we felt was very good value.
And how could we not try the iconic Icelandic pylsur (hot dog), made mostly from fresh, organic, Icelandic lamb mixed with a bit of pork and beef. The casing is natural, giving the hot dog a nice “snap” when you bite into it. Order “ein með öllu” (roughly pronounced “ane meth alt) and you’ll get one with the works – a hot dog in a soft, steamed bun topped with raw white onions, crispy fried onions, ketchup, sweet brown mustard called pylsusinnep and remoulade, a delicious, creamy sauce made with mayonnaise, capers, mustard, and herbs. You can choose to leave off some of the toppings, but we’d recommend you try “one with everything”, just like the Icelanders do!
Food, glorious food, Icelandic style!
Remarkable Reykjavik
October 05, 2016 | Ian Kalinowsky
I had the good fortune to stay for a week in the remarkable, capital city of Reykjavik with my wife Margot and our son David.
Thanks to Elfa Bjork, manager of one of the apartment properties we use for our clients, we stayed in a beautiful, centrally located, two-bedroom apartment. Read More >
Scuba Diving and Snorkelling, Silfra, Thingvellir National Park, Iceland
October 04, 2016 | Ian Kalinowsky
I had a few extra days before and after a conference I was attending in Iceland so my wife, Margot and one of our sons, David, decided to come along for a vacation in this amazing country.
On October 2nd, David and I went scuba diving and Margot went snorkelling and experienced the clearest water in the world. We were diving in a rift between the North American and European tectonic plates in Thingevillir Park, at a dive site named Silfra. Read More >
Cuba – Our mojitos already had mint
July 26, 2016 | Ian Kalinowsky
After reading this very interesting article (it’s not as negative as it sounds and is well worth a read!), I realized that now, more than ever, really is the time to get to Cuba!
http://qz.com/700283/if-you-want-to-get-to-cuba-before-it-changes-youre-too-late/
The article talks about the nostalgic, but not always realistic, remembrances of the Cuba of “then”; the positive and hopeful changes seen in the Cuba of “now”; and the probably, and not always positive, imagined Cuba of “later”, that is post-influx of American tourists and their dollars.
There are a variety of ways to visit Cuba sooner rather than later. Fly on a scheduled airline or charter flight and book accommodation in the lively and passionate capital of the country, Havana. On a sun package that includes charter airfare and hotel accommodation, usually at one of the variety of popular tourist beach locations, and maybe a couple of local tours thrown in. On an escorted, small group tour that gets you away from the touristy beach areas into the countryside. Or on a cruise that sails around the island, stopping at a number of diverse and interesting ports. All of these options are great for the variety of people that want to visit Cuba. And don’t worry, it really isn’t too late!
One of my favorite restaurants in Reykjavik
January 16, 2016 | Ian Kalinowsky
“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.
- Saltfish with chorizo in a tomato and date sauce.
- 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.
- Rack of lamb in a samfaira and mint sauce
- 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.
Tapas in Iceland, where I went and what I loved
January 15, 2016 | Ian Kalinowsky
“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 >
Light and a “Room with a View”
January 14, 2016 | Ian Kalinowsky
No this is not a critique about the movie “Room with a View” but rather the view outside my 5th 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 4th 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.