Iceland is a large island in the North Atlantic Ocean, south east of Greenland. It was first settled in 800 by a group of Irish monks in search of solitude. The Vikings arrived in about 871. Reykjavik, the capital of Iceland and the centre of her administrative and intellectual life. Within sight of ice-fields and volcanoes, fishing harbour and trading port, enlivened by ships coming and going,
Reykjavik is strange and complex in character, combining quiet familiarity with majestic grandeur. Reykjavik is a smokeless city because it is heated by natural hot springs; you can visit hotspring reservoirs. See Reykjavik’s University and National Musueum. In recent years the city has been modernized and enlarged by the addition of new districts. Modest wooden houses rub shoulders with more solemn and imposing official buildings.
Old houses are few, but there is an extremely interesting museum containing a collection of national antiques, a modern university, a theatre, and an extensive library which meet the cultural needs of Icelanders who are great readers, not only by filling in the leisure hours of their interminable winters, but also by satisfying the thirst for knowledge, the hunger for poetry so common amongst them.
Thingvellir (35 miles from Reykjavik) is where the Parliament (Althing), the oldest in the world, was founded in 930. A four hour flight will take you see the active volcano, Mount Hekla.
Reykjavik and Akureyri suffice to give us an impression of Icelandic city life. Akureyri is one of the oldest inhabited sites: ruins dating back to the 13th century and the founding of the first convents in Iceland are to be found near there; nowadays it is no more than a lively fishing port, filled with the smell of fresh and salted herring.
This west and north of Iceland is mainly remarkable for its deep, clear-cut fjords, similar to those seen in Norway, except that the surrounding countryside is more rugged. In contrast, the little gardens of Akureyri are appreciated all the more, tended as they are with loving care by the inhabitants of the town, who watch over their rare and precious flowers with maternal devotion. Best buys are Icelandic sweaters, sheepskin and ponyskin rugs, ceramics, silverwork and filigree and smoken salmon.
Some national dishes are smoked mutton (hangijjot), boiled sheep’s head (svio); salted cod (saltfiskur); dried fish (harofiskur) and yoghurt. Restaurants to visit in the capital are the Naust (Vesturgarta), for seafood; the Saga Grill Room (Hagatorg); the Loftleider Hotel (at the airport) for smörgasbord; Klubburinn (Laekjarteig 2) for Icelandic dishes and the Hotel Holt (Bergstadastraeti) for lamb dishes.
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