Today we head for Vestmannaeyjar, or the West man Islands. They were named for slaves from the Celtic Islands of Ireland and Scotland that killed their Viking master. Ireland and Scotland were known as the West lands since they were west of the Scandinavian countries.This seriously annoyed the other Vikings,who hunted them down and killed many. The remainder committed suicide to escape recapture on these islands off the mainland of Iceland.
On route to the Islands, we passed mountains created by volcanoes erupting under the glaciers. Some of these are long and flat from flows of lava forming layers on top of layers, while others are high with flat tops from fissures pushing up through the glacier. We saw the glacier ,we are going to visit in the distance. Flowing over the top of one of these mountains,was a series of waterfalls. It was amazing to walk behind it and feel the spray from the force of the water. I didn’t volunteer to sit on a rock to take a shower. Too coldddddd, too scary for the rest of the tourists. Is that a gnome or troll ,Pauline?
Heimaey is the main island of the group. In 1973 the volcano Eldfell erupted and the islanders were evacuated for 5 months. When they returned ,they had to dig out their houses before they could resume their lives. There is an exhibition to show the devastation as well as the resilience of the people.
Discovered that barley can be used like mashed potatoes or rice in a dish….surprisingly tasty as was the celeriac and monk fish. Maybe I will try preparing something similar at home ..or …maybe not. Lets be realistic here.
Xmas food in Iceland is smoked lamb, potatoes,peas and red cabbage.This was tasted by half our party. I opted for the Iceland No.4 which was Rye bread with a trout and egg mixture made into a tart….well two layers of bread with the mixture cut into a triangle. Very tasty! At the Cafe Loki though , the specialty of the house is rye bread ice cream…yummo. I would like that recipe. No one wanted that Iceland delicacy of fermented shark…smells of ammonia….
