New Year and Christmas in fabulous Iceland
According to the rating of the famous travel guide Lonely Planet, Iceland is ranked 7th in the TOP 10 countries that this resource recommends visiting. Most of all, the country is suitable for lovers of outdoor activities and fascinating landscapes. In addition to nature - delicious natural cuisine.
New Year's Eve, campfire dancing and northern lights.
Iceland is located in the North Atlantic Ocean, between Greenland and Norway. The prevailing relief is volcanic plateaus with peaks up to 2000 m. This country is one of the favorite places for Russian tourists. In order to see dormant volcanoes, realite mountains, glaciers, geysers, swim in hot springs in winter, people come here not only for the New Year. The small island is compared to another planet. The Jazz Tour company, the leading tour operator in Russia in Iceland, organizes New Year and Christmas tours for 2012/2013 with a variety of excursions for every taste.
During Russian Christmas, you can visit the Scandinavian capitals of Oslo, Copenhagen, Stockholm, Lillehammer.
It is worth noting that the company offers direct New Year and Christmas flights to Iceland. For the first time since 2008 JAZZ tour puts a charter chain Moscow-Reykjavik, a direct flight will take only 4.5 hours.
If you want to see Iceland in full beauty and magic, come here for Christmas and New Year. These are special days on the island. After all, Iceland is the only country in Europe where they are considered national holidays. Residents celebrate Catholic Christmas on December 25th. In addition to beautiful and kind customs, this holiday is accompanied by ancient beliefs. For example, Icelanders believe that a few days before Christmas, magical creatures elves begin to communicate with the outside world.
On the morning of December 25, residents see a mess in the house, especially in the kitchen and in the chimney, and in stockings they find gifts from unknown guests.
On the evening of the 24th, so that relatives and friends can enjoy communication, television broadcasting is even stopped in Iceland. And in the morning at breakfast, everyone is invited to the Christmas table. Mandatory dishes are thinly rolled flat cakes fried in fat with patterns carved into them and lamb smoked in a chimney. Sometimes they even serve porridge with cream and raisins and pastries similar to the Russian "brushwood".
One of the main traditions of Iceland is to celebrate the New Year noisily and on a grand scale after family Christmas. Then the whole year will be accompanied by good luck. The choice of nightlife in the capital Reykjavik is diverse: restaurants with live and electronic music, nightclubs, bars.
If you book a tour with Jazz Tour, you will have a varied and interesting program waiting for you.
On the morning of December 31, you can visit a sightseeing tour of Reykjavik. You will learn the history of the founding of the capital, see the building "Pearl" - Perlan, the modern Cathedral of Hallgimskirhu, the Parliament, the Hofdiehaus mansion, where Gorbachev met with Reagan, and other attractions. Then you will go to the capital of the invisible Hafnafjordur, where you will hear fascinating stories about invisible people. After the sightseeing tour, you will have lunch at the Viking restaurant. And in the evening - a New Year's banquet in one of the best restaurants in Reykjavik "The Tower". The restaurant is located on the top floor of the tallest building in Iceland, offering a breathtaking view of the city, the bay and one of the oldest volcanic formations of the island - Mount Esja. The evening will begin with a welcome cocktail and a 4-course dinner. After dinner around 21.00 you will make a trip to New Year's Reykjavik.
Visit the traditional bonfires where the locals gather around. Around midnight - return to the restaurant, where you will be served champagne and dessert.
On New Year's Eve, you can take part in Icelandic festivities with folklore characters - trolls, elves - around huge bonfires. On this beautiful night, you can admire the natural wonder - the northern lights, which last for several hours.
Immediately after the New Year in Reykjavik, the "bonfire festival" begins. Locals build large bonfires on the street, which can be seen by driving along the "golden ring" around the city, and sing national songs.
On other days, you can ride Icelandic horses - a favorite animal not only for local residents, but for all tourists. On the South Coast of Iceland you will visit the village of Vik and see the black sands and waterfalls of Seljalandfoss and Skogafoss.
You can take a cruise in Iceland from Reykjavik's old harbor to watch whales in their natural environment. During the entire trip, the most beautiful sea birds will fly over your ship - cormorants, petrels, guillemots, gulls, kittiwakes, arctic terns and others. You will be given special warm waterproof overalls and raincoats, and children under 12 years old will be given life jackets.
Fans of extreme recreation can go on a safari on superjeeps or snowmobiles to the second largest glacier in Iceland Langjokull. You will see the picturesque Kaldidalur gorge, lava deserts. In winter, you can see the indescribable beauty of the Icelandic waterfalls of the South Coast of Seljalandfoss and Skogafoss, inside which the water does not stop beating even at sub-zero temperatures.
On the way back to Reykjavik, you will visit the most powerful thermal spring Deildartungurhver, which heats the entire western part of Iceland.
Valley of geysers, hot springs and volcanoes.
The surface of Iceland is said to be similar to the surface of the moon. Nowhere else in the world is there black sand among glaciers, laurel fields among volcanoes. Fountains of boiling water burst out from under their feet to the surface with a deafening roar. The famous Snaefelsjokull glacier is considered one of the 7 energy poles of the earth and is truly the pearl of the Snaefellsnes peninsula. He forged a powerful dormant volcano under him. Iceland even has its own source of heating - the energy of geysers.
One of the wonders of Iceland is the famous Blue Lagoon with hot spring pools. It is located in the southeastern part of Iceland, on the Reykjanes Peninsula, near the town of Grindavik, in the town of Svartsengi.
This place hides under itself geothermal water, heated to high temperatures - 240-270 degrees. On the surface, it cools down to 37-39 degrees. At the same time, it is saturated with silicon and a white silicon gruel is formed, which is extremely beneficial for the skin. Silicon enhances the protective properties of the skin. The uniqueness of the sources is that they do not contain any bacteria.
The first public bathing in the Blue Lagoon opened in 1987. And in 1994, a clinic for the treatment of skin diseases was opened. This resort has also been awarded a unique award - the Blue Flag. It is awarded only to environmentally friendly places where they strive to preserve the beauty and uniqueness of nature and the environment. Just for the sake of the Blue Lagoon, more and more tourists go to Iceland under the program "Iceland - Pure Energy of Fire and Ice", which is organized by the "Jazz Tour". After all, even the food there is based on Icelandic traditions and natural products.
In addition to the Blue Lagoon, the Reykjanes peninsula attracts with its museums that tell about the history of Iceland from the time of the Vikings to the present day. One of the most remarkable places is Mount Keilir, which has a conical shape. From its top, tourists can observe amazing views of the island.
Icelandic cuisine.
You can go on a gastronomic tour to the restaurant "Potturinn og Pannan", where the head chef will tell you about the Icelandic dishes that you will cook with him. Then in the market, learn how to choose products. The chef will explain to you how to select them correctly. Returning to the restaurant, you will take part in a culinary master class and will be able to taste the real national Icelandic cuisine.
The national cuisine of Iceland mainly consists of fish and lamb. The most delicious delicacy is Icelandic salmon and is served in different forms, for example, marinated gravlax.
Every day, Icelandic sailors harvest large quantities of fresh fish from the ocean. She is depicted on all local coins. Therefore, Icelandic seafood dishes are very refined and varied. Salmon, halibut, cod, shrimp, scallops and even shark cooked according to special Icelandic recipes are cooked in different types. Traditional Icelandic cuisine is very exotic. For example, on the menu you can find rotten shark meat - "hakarl" (hakarl), which was buried for six months to ensure a sufficient degree of decomposition. However, these dishes are quite edible.
Many vegetable dishes are grown in greenhouses heated by steam from natural geysers. The traditional Icelandic drink is brennivin, which is made from potato schnapps and flavored with cumin. It is worth noting that in bars the first cup of coffee is served for money, the rest are free. There is also a large selection of spirits and wines.
The competition in Icelandic restaurants is quite high, so the level of service and cuisine is the best.
In Iceland, a high level of service is combined with affordable prices. Accommodation in hotels in Reykjavik is from 45 euros. The Jazz Tour company offers accommodation in hotels of various stars, but no matter which hotel you choose, you will receive a high professional level of service. To buy a New Year or Christmas tour to Iceland, just contact the Jazz Tour manager and start planning an unforgettable New Year trip.
