A Vacation Shared

I’m not big on going on trips. We’ve discussed that. But I love to hear about other people’s trips. My friend Nina Shared her most recent vacation with me.

 

Good afternoon, Kathy,

 

Dave and I are back, several days late.  Iceland was really cold.  Greenland was even colder.  I had on every warm thing I brought with me, layer upon layer of shirts and a sweater and a down vest and I wrapped a long thin wool scarf all around me and added a rain jacket.  I cannot imagine living in a place full time where the height of summer means warm coats.

 

I was curious about what grows in Iceland, and on our walks I spied (and smelled) some lilacs with stunted flowers.  Rhubarb plants.  Dandelions.  Prickly Hansa roses with a very spicy rose smell, one of the few roses that can tolerate such a climate.

 

All the cows and sheep and the Islandic ponies have been there for centuries.  If the animals leave the island they cannot return.  No horses may be imported.

 

Hay is the main crop grown, for dairy and sheep.  And the dairy products are amazing.  Dave and I pretended we had no health issues, none whatsoever, as we ate a lot of whipped cream and bread and rhubarb and berry jams and oh the cottage cheese.  It was the light yellow of butter and actually tasted like mild cheese.  

 

We toured a fish processing plant in Greenland because fishing is the main industry, and the tiny town didn’t have much else in it.  We donned hairnets and our guide ushered us in and it smelled exactly like you’d expect.  Dave, who hates fish, was a good sport but he was glad it was a very brief tour.