Spring’s Elixir
Ok, I admit it, I didn’t spend the winter up in the Westfjords, but for those that did, it has been pretty gnarly and long-lasting. In my defence I did spend it in the farthest reaches of northern Sweden where light levels were even lower than here and temperatures prohibitively warm for enjoying the winter landscape. I need a defence, because being from the British Isles, I am given to moments of romanticising, even lauding, suffering!
When I did arrive in the Westfjords, the snow still heavy and thick on the ground, the people I met with a slightly dazed and shell shocked appearance told me they’d been through a winter of hell: months of howling winds, horizontal snow and the predictable, yet, at times, insidious darkness.
Moody skies in spring, Keflavik lighthouse from a recce on a part of the North Section.
Happily, I can report spring is well under way and signs of summer are upon us! How do I know? Well, for one, the birds have started their mating rituals, shedding their feathers on the beaches to make nests (Eider ducks), guillemot eggs are for sale, if you know the right person, and plants have put out their tender and juicy young shoots!
Viðar Kristinsson with the philosopher's egg and Tanja Geis and Camilla Edwards with foraged Rhubarb, Ground Elder and Horsetail
Guillemot eggs:
All dashes of turquoise and splodges of black ink, formed in a perfect conical shape which helps prevent them from rolling off the perilous cliff edges where they are laid without a nest. They also have self cleaning properties, courtesy of a conical shape design which appears as a kind of mountain range under the microscope. Every year a few select mountaineers rappel down to collect the eggs. Laying only one egg per pair, the collectors try to minimise their impact by collecting eggs after they've just been laid and so allowing the females enough time to lay a second egg. The local we bought them off said he’d never seen so many eggs which is a welcome sign the birds have fed well on their favourite food source – sand eels.
Plants:
Two members of the carrot family which are pushing through the friable rock substrate to offer their sweet and aromatic flavours: Angelica and Ground Elder. Angelica has a long history of use in Iceland, most notably in flavouring the country’s oldest spirit, Brennivín. They’re also considered a good remedy for digestive disorders. Ground Elder is an import to northern Europe form Roman times and the leaves can be used a leaf vegetable, much like spinach.
Angelica growing next to an old whaling station, Westfjords, Iceland. Photo by Tanja Geis
Horsetail is a primitive plant and has been around since the age of the dinosaurs. Its Icelandic name is draumagras which means dream grass; it is/was said to provide knowledge, through dreams, of whatever the dreamer desires to know. I shall be trying it out tonight though I shall hold off telling you what I desire to know. For that, come to Iceland and enjoy exploring the world of dreams and landscape with Wildfjords this June! Care should taken when eating this plant as high quantities can be toxic and special preparation is required. A plant strangely synonymous with Iceland is Rhubarb! Introduced in the 1900's, it grows prolifically in cool temperatures and poor soils which Iceland has in abundance, and it is a staple of most people’s spring and summer desert menu. Jams, wines, compotes, salads all benefit from this versatile plant. Use only the stems, the leaves are toxic.
With a final spring in the step, forestry in Iceland is on the increase with a mixture of native and non-native species being planted for their conservation value, grazing and potential commercial value and as shelter forests. A part of Wildfjords vision is to support the re-forestation of native birch forests along the trail’s route. To do this we are partnering with local landowners and government forestry organisations. We are also eating our way through the non-native species being planted in an act of ecological vandalism. Hope you are having a good day x
其他有意思的博客
冰岛最浪漫的角落
对于很多人,遥远的冰岛有着世界尽头的神秘,有着区别于巴黎、马尔代夫、自成一体的浪漫。没有埃菲尔铁塔和蒂凡尼,没有热带沙滩,而是在冰川、火山、苔藓地的背景下蜜月旅拍、婚拍,甚至举办一场冰岛婚礼。来冰岛旅行,多是要跨千山万水、飞跃大洋大陆,很有一点“万水千山陪你走过”的史诗感。难怪很多人说,光是冰岛二字,就足够浪漫了。 冰岛虽然不大,但是地貌极其丰富,不同的自然景观自然有不同的气质。这一篇,就挑阅读详情从极光观测到摄影-到底该不该来冰岛看极光
很多朋友都想来冰岛看极光,但是冰岛到底适不适合看极光呢?几月、什么季节能看到极光?是不是一定要参加北极光旅行团?如何能拍摄出美丽的极光照片呢?在冰岛住了好几年了,从刚开始逢极光必出门,到如今家里阳台就能看极光,我对在冰岛看极光的了解和经验,也算得上大半个专家了,且听我娓娓道来吧。 到底该不该来冰岛看极光呢?最坦诚的答案是,不要只为了看极光而看极光。 极光原理 太阳活动→太阅读详情迷失冰岛的米湖游览推荐|不只有温泉的地热宝藏区
我在冬夏秋均到访过米湖,看过米湖的不同面。一直以来,米湖到底值不值得去是很多游客争论的问题。有些人觉得这里是来冰岛旅行的必去目的地,有些人则说米湖“太丑了”,连照片都不想多拍几张。那米湖到底值不值得来呢?到底怎么玩呢? 米湖的风景 北部的米湖,因地理位置相距首都雷克雅未克略远,很多来冰岛的短途游客选择放弃,其实米湖应该是和黄金圈、南岸沿线至冰湖齐名的冰岛景色,这里冷热相融,可谓最冰岛,尤其阅读详情
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