Cuisine:

Because of the unpolluted landscape, the food in Iceland is among the freshest, most healthy in the world. Vegetables are grown in the most organic of soils, and the seafood - always fresh from the morning catch - is astonishingly delicious. Among the more renown dishes are Iceland lamb, which has a slightly gamey taste, and skyr, a yogurt-like desert.

There is, of course, no shortage of international cuisine in Iceland. Reykjavik has over 200 restaurants, and the dining scene is quite sophisticated.

The first thing you should know about Iceland is that it is nowhere near as cold as its name implies. The average January day in Reykjavik is about the same temperature as it is in New York City. This means that a winter trip is just as viable as a summer visit, and the costs are much lower. Why the old Norsemen who first came here gave such an icy name to a such a green country is a mystery, but there is an old legend: the first Viking to discover the island wanted to keep it all to himself, so he named the green country “Iceland” and the icy country “Greenland,” hoping that future settlers would head further north.

Obviously, his plan didn’t quite work out, but even today Iceland is still one of the least populated nations on Earth. The electric green landscape is full of wide open spaces and geological wonders: intricately carved mountains, belching mud pools, steaming hot springs, blinding glaciers, heavenly waterfalls and hellish volcanoes. And because of the island’s endless supply of geothermal energy, pollution is nonexistent.

Many people have heard of Iceland’s natural beauty, but one of the island’s best kept secrets is its thriving cultural life. Reykjavik has become one of Europe’s hottest nightspots, and the art scene is alive an well. Testifying to the cultural health is an explosion of cafes - that oh so cultural symbol - in downtown Reykjavik. Day or night, winter or summer, they are brimming with both brew and people - 99 percent of whom speak English.