Visit Iceland

Every culture sees its share of trends. Even yogurt. And as yogurt hipsters know, the days of fruit-on-the-bottom and pina colada-flavored puddings are so passe.

An explosion of yogurt options has given Americans bold new choices, from goat’s milk to Greek-style to soy and even coconut milk yogurts. And have you tried the Icelandic-style brands like Siggi’s? It’s a stick-to-your-ribs product that Errol Schweizer, senior global grocery coordinator for Whole Foods Market, describes as “sort of like Greek yogurt for Vikings.”

– Michelle Locke, Associated Press, May 27, 2010
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hC36e0V3jTfkmHgzvv3rtxmSCdkQD9FVC85O0

The fact is, volcanic sites are among the most fertile places on the planet. Volcanoes helped form our planet – its water, air and soils – and their eruptions continue to nourish us, bringing up huge payloads of elements in the form of lava, rock and ash that eventually break down into plant-nutritive forms.

– Barbara Damrosch, The Washington Post, May 20
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/05/18/AR2010051804093.html

My journey around Iceland rolled north from Reykjavik along the west coast. I cycled around Hvalfjordur and over a small pass to the next fjord, Borgarfjordur, under clear skies with grand views over mountain and water. I wandered over a level landscape dotted with lakes under heavy skies in a chilly rain. I turned west and pushed into the wind along the south side of the Snaefells Peninsula. The cloud lifted, the sun returned. Beside me ran a rampart of thousand-foot cliffs sliced by waterfalls. Along their base were bucolic farms with white buildings and red roofs. Far ahead was the broad white cone of Snaefellsjokull, a 5,000-foot volcano. It was lofty, windswept and covered in permanent ice. It was also where Arne Saknussemm found his way to the center of the earth.

– Matthew Cull, The Vail Daily, May 29 http://www.vaildaily.com/article/20100529/AE/100529577/1078&ParentProfile=1062