Iceland Food Walk

Iceland. North of UK. Map from Wikipedia and Wikivoyage.

Problem
What to do in Iceland?

Answer
I've just found the top item on my wishlist, after the chocolate factory visit (2pm), the food walk.
This involves booking the walk, packing walking shoes for rain and an umbrella.

I have researched this thoroughly. If the walk is full or cancelled I could do some of the places on the walk on my own, but I don't want to do that. I want to take the food tour.

Why?
1 Because I will make quicker progress with somebody else who knows the route and the destination.

2 I'll be tempted to take a bus or a taxi. Walking will walk off the calories I shall be consuming.

3 I can make friends and feel more sociable in a group, see and photograph what others are eating, hear their opinions, get their suggestions, make friends.

What will you eat?
On the tour, probably, goose liver terrine, smoked salmon, smoked goose breast, hot dog, goose with raspberry Champagne vinaigrette, rye bread ice cream. It's a four hour walking tour with seven stops, some at restaurants, others at delis and the hot dog kiosk.

Capital Reykjavik on the south west coast.

Burning wine, photo from Wikivoyage.

Gulfloss. Obviously see some of the landscape.

A yogurt like cheese. One must eat. Proper food.

Local speciality chocolate. But also some indulgence. Photo by Angela Lansbury.

www.icelandair.co.uk
http://www.lastminute.com
https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attraction_Review-g189970-d8555900-Reviews-or20-The_Reykjavik_Food_Walk-Reykjavik_Capital_Region.htm

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer. See my previous post on chocolate from Iceland and the factory tour.

Iceland Chocolate Visit

Photo by Angela Lansbury.

Problem
At the World Travel Market in London I tried an Omnom Chocolate bar. Where can you get it? I went to their website. Unfortunately they don't, yet, ship worldwide, only within Iceland. So how do you get their chocolate?

Answer
In theory, if you are at a hotel in Iceland, you can get it sent over to your hotel, ordering after you arrive or in advance. Better, still, call at their shop at the old harbour or go on a very interesting tour of their factory in Iceland, in English at 2 pm every day - only for about twenty people in a small classroom before a tour of the factory, one hour in total - so you must book.

What does it cost? The equivalent of about $30 US dollars, but that includes lots of tasting.

They show you the beans they use, which come from all over the world.

They make a huge variety of chocolate bars.  Quite different to anything else you've ever had, if you want to try something new or get a gift as a souvenir or for friends back home.

The factory come shop is easily identifiable, diagonal yellow design against a darker - I would say dark blue, some would say black, on the oblong block.

It wasn't until some time after eating the chocolate that I turned over the wrapper and discovered the clever design of a snow-capped mountaintop inside.

Inside the wrapper is the image of a snow-topped mountain. Photo by Angela Lansbury. 

Chocolate prices?
Not cheap, but it's a premium type of chocolate. For example, sprinkles of different kinds of spicy nuts on the back when you open your bar. They make dark chocolate, white chocolate, and vegan chocolate.

A huge number of photos on Tripadvisor show you exactly what you see on the tour as well as the outside of the shop.

On the shop's website you can read about all the types of chocolate and see the interesting wrappers with designs of animals from different regions of the world.

I had an interesting time on their website, oscillating between the English and the Icelandic language to see if I could identify any words. Yes, sugar starting with S and Milk starting with M.

Tip
If you are going for a long weekend, note that the tours are only Monday to Friday, at 2 pm, last to 3 pm or 3.15, plus any time you spend in the shop, and getting back to the hotel and airport.

The chocolates, according to enthusiastic visitors on TripAdvisor, are available in shops in Reykjavik, but cheaper at the factory shop and cheaper still at the airport. If you get a chance to check out airport shops on arrival, you can see what will still be available, and what prices, for last-minute purchases - assuming you have time to shop on your way home.

Not much chocolate left. Must book a trip to Iceland. Photo by Angela Lansbury.

Useful Websites
Omnom ehf.Hólmaslód 4, 101 Reykjavík, Iceland.
www.omnomchocolate.com
www.icelandair.co.uk

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. I have other posts on languages, destinations and chocolate. Please share links to your favourite posts.