It’s time to write, people. It’s time to write. For the past weeks I’ve been lucky enough to have my friends covering for me while I was out and about on vacation, and for also giving me time to recover the week I got back. So a big thanks to Biscuit, Zucchini, Kettle Corn, Tomato and Yam.  Hugs to all!

Especially because the inevitable post-vacation cold came in with a vengeance and without mercy.   I always fail to give myself a “rest” day upon my return, going straight from the airport one day back to my desk the next. As a result, I end up with a cold of some sort, and this trip was no different. Anyone else do this? Just me?  

So while I recover from my stupidity, my friends let me stay out of the kitchen and lazy on the couch for just a little longer.  The upside?  I’ve discovered Sleepy Hollow.

But now that I’ve got my head on straight, I’m back and ready to tell you all about my #IceLondon adventures: what I saw, what I ate, and tips and tricks should you ever visit the lands from whence I have returned and the food stops I strongly encourage you to make.

First, Iceland.  Iceland seems to be one of the new “it” places to go lately, and it’s been on our list for a while, passed over time and again until the stars aligned last week.  Lettuce and I really didn’t know much about Iceland except that there were waterfalls and volcanos, that it rained and was probably cold, and supposedly beautiful.

Well, we were right about all of the above, and learned a little bit more.  Here’s a quick and dirty history of this tiny nation in the way, way up north.

The first permanent settler was a Norwegian who supposedly threw two large logs into the sea and vowed to settle wherever they landed, and that spot is where Reykjavik now sits.   The symbol of the water and two logs can be seen throughout the city. 

After being long ruled by Norway and Denmark, a lawyer named John the President started the movement for independence in the mid-1800s by shaking his fist at the Danish king and said, “No more!”  The non-violent resistance continued almost another 100 years until finally in 1944 Iceland voted to cede from Denmark completely.  Rather than pull a King George and start a revolution, Christian X sent the new government a letter of congratulations and wished the new republic well.

To this day, this country of approximately 320,000 people has no military at all, and the police spend much of their time on social media (their Facebook page has over 72,000 likes), saving cats from trees and taking pictures with and of dogs and babies*.  Apparently a few years ago they had to shoot a guy and it was a whole lotta DRAMA.

*Information about Reykjavik police came from our tour guide, Martinn.  His opinions, not mine.

Tourism is a relatively new thing and really started becoming a big thing in Iceland thanks to the big recession of 2009.  Since then, the Icelandic Kronor has dropped 2/3 in value against the U.S. dollar, making it much more affordable and appealing vacation destination to us across the pound.   Martinn stated that while the influx of tourists hasn’t been roses, it’s been key in helping the economy recover from the crash.

So, there’s a bit of history about this lovely country.  Thinking about heading there? Here are some lessons and suggestions learned from our trip.  Because this will be long enough, food talk will be coming in a future note- lots of food things to say.    (more…)