Iceland remains as awe-inspiring as ever, if busier-with more of a need than ever for visitors to tread lightly, sensitively and with due reverence.Įat and drink While Reykjavik has a shabby-chic side, epitomised by music-first bars like old-timer Kaffibarrinn, it also does New Nordic to compete with the bigger Scandi capitals: at OX, a 16-seat space for 12-course set menus by chef Thrainn Freyr Vigfusson, who also runs the highly-rated, Lebanese/North African-influenced Sumac and the more established Dill, where chef Gunnar Karl Gislason first brought Noma-ish food to Iceland in the midst of the financial crash, when importing ingredients became too expensive – and later won the country’s first Michelin star.īathe At the Vesturbaer public pool, bathers might bump into Bjork in the hot tub (be cool: celebrity worship is very un-Icelandic), while Nauthólsvík is a man-made beach with a rectangular sunken bath and friendly local swimmers. In some ways, it’s a surprise that it took until the 21st century for tourism to explode here (the ash cloud of 2010 was an unlikely spur), given the country’s relative accessibility from both the US and Europe, and the fact that it’s so safe that people still hitch-hike along the A1 road that circumnavigates the country. Add in the possibility of seeing Northern Lights, and a rich culture that encompasses great music, sharp design and sociable hot tubs in even the smallest villages, and Iceland’s advantages seem altogether unfair. But Iceland’s real geological X-Factor comes bubbling up from below: a volcanic tumult that results in eruptions now and again, and a constant supply of natural hot baths, hissing steam vents and geysers. Its natural curiosities run from the basalt cliffs at Reynisfjara’s black sand beach to the rainbow-coloured mountains of Landmannalaugar. It has the same sort of glacial landscapes and sea cliffs as the Faroe Islands, fjords that recall Arctic Norway, and icicle-jewelled waterfalls that feel like Niagara without the crowds and souvenir shops. When it comes to gasp-inducing nature, Iceland won the tectonic lottery.
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