Iceland From India - Lands of Contrast

Iceland is a small Nordic island country situated in the North Atlantic, and is near the Arctic Circle, so be prepared to wrap up when you get there, although due to the Gulf Stream, the summers are rather warm. It is part of the Schengen Area, so travellers from India to Iceland need to apply for a Schengen visa, and then get a flight there from another European city such as Paris. Thanks to the Gulf Stream, Iceland enjoys a cool, temperate maritime climate, with refreshing summers and surprisingly mild temperatures in winter. Iceland is also known for being a great country from which to see the magnificent Northern Lights, will fill the sky with shimmering bands of colour. The language spoken there is Icelandic, and the currency is the Icelandic Krona, with the capital city being Reykjavik. Icelandic culture has created a tough, traditional race due to their geographical isolation and extreme weather conditions and they work hard to keep their traditions going.

Food is something where you will definitely see these traditions kept alive with dishes such as Skyr, which is a form of yoghurt or Icelandic Meat Soup, known as “Kjötsúpa”, which is made from lamb and vegetables. But a stranger meal is Svið, which is basically half a sheep head boiled and served with mashed potatoes, with even the eyeball being eaten, it must be the Viking ancestry.