Laugarvatn Fontana

Swimming with a 60 °C temperature difference - Iceland in the depths of winter

The temperatures in Iceland are now back in the usual range, the display on our thermometer is currently hovering around freezing point, but from the beginning of December to mid-January there was an extremely long cold period, in our case it was below -10° for weeks and often until -20° cold.

The local swimming pools in the area were closed, at least the outdoor pools, because there was simply not enough warm water for heating and the water was not sufficient for a reasonable swimming temperature.

The Fontana private swimming pool in Laugarvatn was also open in this freezing cold, but in Laugarvatn there is a lot of geothermal energy, hot springs in and on the lake, which are also used to heat the pools and run the steam room. Laugarvatn is a small town with a good 200 inhabitants, but there is a gas station with a small supermarket, hotels, holiday homes and a camping site as well as a swimming pool and the private Fontana geothermal pool.

We had already gone swimming in the “Fontana” in the summer of 2020 , so we wanted to experience it in the depths of winter. However, it took us three attempts before we actually made it to the swimming pool at the beginning of January: on the first attempt the car didn't start and then slipped into the ditch. The second time we wanted to leave, our street was supposed to be cleared during the day, but it was still impassable until 6 p.m., so at some point we postponed the trip. But on the third attempt it worked - we used shovels to "dig ourselves out" or clear the path for our car at least enough so that we made it to the main street - and then continued along streets No. 35 and No. 37 to Laugarvatn.

We had caught a really cold day, the car thermometer read -18° when we left and by the time we got there it had gotten even colder.

But it was bright sunshine, really nice weather - until we approached Laugarvatn and a large cloud hung directly over the place, over the warm water there.

From the main street in town you drive a short distance down to the lake, where the Fontana swimming pool is also located - and it was really a very special experience, how it just got mistier and mistier in the middle of the town, and you only felt like you were in one white wall drove...

At the parking lot it was fine again - the fog hung below, and above there was bright sunshine.

We hadn't ordered any tickets because we didn't know beforehand whether we would be able to make it to Laugarvatn by car. But it wasn't that busy now, the number of cars in the "Fontana" parking lot was still manageable.

So wrap up nice and warm and head to the outdoor pool, when the outside temperature is just under -20°!

Such hot baths are not cheap in Iceland, and the “Fontana” is no exception. For every adult between the ages of 17 and 66, entry currently costs 4,500 ISK, which is the equivalent of around €30. After all, our youngest is still under 13 years old and he could go to the bathroom for free when we were with him. (For comparison - entry to the community swimming pool costs 1,050 ISK, or around €6.80. But it also looks much more practical and is not so picturesque right on the lake, you can't walk into the lake either... Everything has its advantages and disadvantages.)

And the “Fontana” is definitely beautifully located!

The pools here in the swimming pool have different temperatures, from 34° to 40° in the really warm hot pots.

To be honest - it was brilliant to lie in the 40° water, deeply relaxed and comfortably warm, when the outside temperature was -18°...

However, given the conditions, any sense of temperature was quickly lost. Child 4 wanted to have fun scraping the snow off the edge of the pool and then putting the cold mass on our backs - but we really didn't notice. Maybe a little damp, was there something...? We really didn't feel anything more. I say yes - all sense of temperature was gone.

Someone had hung their wet towel over the railing - and in no time it was frozen stiff and covered with a thick layer of hoarfrost from the hot steam from the water basins. In any case, you couldn't dry yourself off with the chunk of ice!

A few brave people also dared to go into the lake, my husband also had the ambition. There was also ice on the lake, despite the hot springs in various places. And the way there was so cold that everything just hurt and ached. Afterwards my husband realized that he had injured his toe - although he hadn't noticed it because of the cold...

However, there were still two difficulties:

Firstly - it was really slippery in places between the pools. You had to carefully sneak from one pool over the stones to the next pool. I saw at least two people fall in the process, and an older man also had a good, fresh gash on his knee. I tried (when no one was looking - I hope!) to cover the short distance across the ice directly on my butt - not a good idea either! It was bumpy and I was constantly frozen... I can't recommend it!

After a short time, however, an employee came to sprinkle on the paths, and after the ice had thawed, you could switch between the different hot pools again without much risk of accidents.

The second problem: the wet bathing suits froze on the metal bars at the entrance! I was (stupidly!) wearing a bathing suit - note to self: never again, in temperatures like this it's a really stupid idea! When you get in and out, the wet material immediately freezes on the metal struts of the ladders and then you get stuck there and pull desperately to get free again - but just don't pull too hard so as not to unexpectedly find yourself half naked... My son had similar problems with his swim shorts. There are things you just don't think about beforehand!

Here you can see the steam bath again, which our youngest child was very enthusiastic about this time. The bath is actually powered by the hot steam from the geothermal springs here.

Behind the steam bath is also the shelf for the water shoes that you can normally use to go into the lake - although at the moment it would have been hopeless if you had tried to pull these ice blocks onto your feet!

Afterwards we were even offered a culinary specialty - the Fontana swimming pool is famous for its rye bread, which is baked here directly in the hot earth on the lakeshore.

The bread dough is prepared according to a traditional recipe, then the dough is placed in a metal cooking pot and the pot is buried in the hot earth for 24 hours. Guided tours are also offered for currently 2,500 ISK per person, where you can watch how the bread is prepared and buried or the bread from the previous day is dug up again. You can of course also try the rye bread with some smoked trout. Definitely a worthwhile experience, but we have not yet taken part in a tour like this. You can also try the bread in the swimming pool restaurant.

We definitely enjoyed our day in the outdoor pool when the outside temperature was -18°. Something very special that you don't get to experience often - not even in Iceland...

PS: Yes, I know that a number of people who knew the old lakeside pool here are disappointed with the new spa. Here in the town of Laugarvatn, a bathing complex was built at the hot springs on the lake in 1929 and was in operation until 2007. The current swimming pool was opened in 2011. It definitely no longer has the enchanted charm of the previous facility, but it is comfortable, well-equipped and suitable for large numbers of visitors these days. I really enjoy coming here every now and then...

[Translated from here.]

Karamelluhnetusnúðar

Caramel Nut Rolls

“How many cinnamon roll recipes have you actually baked?” asked Child 2 earlier. "Sure, they're always delicious - but do you really need so many different recipes for cinnamon rolls?" So I think yes!

So today I have a recipe for caramel nut cinnamon rolls for you - wonderfully fluffy cinnamon rolls with a really delicious caramel nut coating. The perfect soul food for me!

Ingredients

1 tsp dry yeast

60 ml warm water

150 ml lukewarm milk

1 tsp vinegar

1 egg

450 g flour

60 g soft butter

60 g brown sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1 pinch of salt

100 g soft butter

120 g brown sugar

3 tsp cinnamon

50 g chopped nuts

Preparation

In a small bowl, mix the warm water with the dry yeast and a teaspoon of sugar and in a suitable glass or similar, mix the lukewarm milk with the vinegar. Cover and let both stand for about 10 minutes.

In a large bowl, mix half of the flour with the softened butter, the remaining sugar, the baking powder and the salt.

Then add the yeast mixture, the milk-vinegar mixture and the egg and stir.

Then add the remaining flour in portions and knead thoroughly - if necessary, add a little more flour if the dough is still a little sticky.

Then roll out the dough on a floured work surface or similar (approx. 40 x 20 cm) and spread with approx. 50 g butter, mix approx. 1/3 of the sugar with the cinnamon and sprinkle the butter with it.

Put the rest of the butter in a pan with the remaining sugar and let it caramelize slowly. Then remove the pan from the heat, add the chopped nuts and stir everything together.

Then roll up the dough from the long side and cut it into 12 slices of approximately the same thickness and place them on a baking tray lined with baking paper.

Distribute the nut mixture evenly over the cinnamon rolls.

Let the rolls rise on the tray for about half an hour.

Then bake the cinnamon rolls in the preheated oven at 400 °F (200 °C) upper and lower heat for about 20 to 25 minutes until they are nice and golden brown.

I like them best when they're still a little warm!

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[Translated from here.]

Bóndadagurinn

Man's Day

Bóndadagur, Farmers' or Husbands' Day, is traditionally celebrated in Iceland in the second half of January. The men hopped around the house barefoot in just their shirts and one trouser leg, dragging the other trouser leg behind them, and then their wives gave them extra-tasty food like pickled mutton testicles or singed sheep's head - well, doesn't that sound tempting?! ?

Bóndadagur is celebrated on the first day of the month of Þorri. This month is the fourth winter month in the old Icelandic calendar, starting on Friday in the 13th week of winter (between January 19th and 25th). The name Þorri is first found in a manuscript from the 13th century, the Old Icelandic legal book Grágás, as well as in the Snorra-Edda by Snorri Sturluson, which is said to have been written around 1220 and in which Snorri lists the old names of the months. The old month names were common in Iceland until the 18th century, and modern ones (such as Þorri or Góa) are still partly used today.

Where the name "Þorri" comes from is not entirely clear - some attribute it to the frost giant Þorri from Nordic mythology (which literally translated meant something like "drought", i.e. to the last supplies in winter, when the food became scarce). Others believe that the name of the month goes back to Þorri, one of the first legendary Norwegian princes in the Orkney Islands.

Nordic mythology in the Vikingaheima Museum (2013)

Bóndadagur - January 20, 2023

The first day of the month of Þorri in Iceland is bóndadagur , farmers' day or, more commonly, husbands' day. This year 2023, the bóndadagur falls on January 20th (2024: January 19th, 2025: January 24th).

According to oral tradition, the farmer on every farm had to get up before everyone else that day and, wearing only a shirt and one trouser leg, hop in a circle around his farm three times on one leg, dragging the other, empty trouser leg behind him. to properly welcome the winter month of Þorri. Afterwards, his housewife served him a particularly good meal and in the evening the farmer invited all the neighbors to a big party, the Þorrablót, which was celebrated in turn on the farms in the neighborhood during this time.

Traditional Icelandic food was served, which had a long shelf life in winter, especially pickled foods such as black pudding and liver sausage, pickled mutton testicles or pickled whale meat. There was also flatbraud, the traditional Icelandic flatbread, and plenty of brennivín. At these festivals there was said to be a lot of eating, drinking and singing and people had fun until late into the night.

However, these traditions surrounding the bóndadag were only passed down orally. The festivals were first mentioned in writing in a letter from 1728 to the Icelandic scholar Árni Magnússon; the name bóndadagur can then be found by Jón Árnason in his Icelandic folk tales from 1862/64. It was not until the 1920s that the term bóndadag was found in other written sources. '

However, this "pagan" festival was a thorn in the side of strict Christians and so it was forgotten or frowned upon over the centuries.

The first recorded Þorrablót of modern times took place in 1873 -

back then it was heresy

In 1873, Icelandic students in Copenhagen celebrated the first recorded Þorrablót of modern times - the reference to the old Nordic gods and traditions was still scandalous at the time. At that time, the Icelandic constitution still stipulated the Icelandic People's Church as the Evangelical Lutheran state church for Icelanders; anything else was considered heresy. It was not until the following year, 1874, that freedom of religion was included in the Icelandic constitution.

The "íslenska fornleifafélag", the Icelandic Society for Classical Studies (founded in 1879), organized a large, festive Þorrablót for its members every year from 1880 or at the latest from 1881 onwards.

Þorramatur to Þorrablót - a tradition only from the 1950s

In the 1950s, local heritage associations in the countryside later offered festive buffets for Þorrablót.

The former Naustið restaurant on Vesturgata in Reykjavík first offered so-called Þorramatur in 1958 to offer city residents the opportunity to try traditional Icelandic dishes from the countryside without having to become a member of a local association.

The term "Þorramatur" for the traditional meal at Þorrablót goes back to this meal at the Naustið restaurant in 1958.

View of the Vesturgata in Reykjavík

Today's Þorramatur - Mixture of pickled food and other traditional Icelandic dishes

In the meantime, Þorramatur, the food at Þorrablót, has changed: while previously only pickled dishes were served, other traditional dishes have now been added, which have a long tradition in Icelandic cuisine, but are not entirely suitable for the modern Icelandic palate are so unusual, such as dried fish , hangikjöt (well-cured lamb smoked twice over sheep dung) and saltkjöt (fresh meat preserved by being preserved in brine).

Nowadays, restaurants usually offer a selection of different dishes for Þorrablót, so that even people who don't like eating pickled dishes can enjoy taking part in Þorrablót celebrations.

For most tourists with a Central European palate, however, these dishes such as sheep's head, very intensively smoked lamb or even harmless dried fish are likely to be rather unusual delights that certainly not everyone can be enthusiastic about. But it is definitely an experience!

In this sense then:

Geðilegan bóndadag!

[Translated from here.]

Bláberjamúffur

Blue Berry muffins

Many Icelanders prefer their freshly picked blueberries as they are, with added cream and sugar.

But of course blueberries can also be found in many recipes in Icelandic cuisine, from blueberry jam and sauce to cakes and pastries, like these blueberry muffins.

The blueberry muffins taste best fresh out of the oven - wonderfully fluffy and fruity!

Ingredients

120 g butter

2 eggs

150 ml milk

300 g flour

120 g sugar

1 pinch of ground vanilla

2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

250 g blueberries

Preparation

Melt the butter and mix with the eggs and milk.

In a large bowl, mix the flour with the sugar, ground vanilla, baking powder and salt.

Then add the butter and egg mixture and stir in.

Finally, wash, clean and dry the fresh blueberries and then stir the berries into the dough.

Pour the dough into twelve muffin cups, a greased muffin tin or similar...

... and bake in a preheated oven at 350 °F (180 °C) for about 25 minutes until the muffins are golden brown.

If you like, you can serve the muffins with whipped cream.

Bon appetit!

[Translated from here.]

Appelsínukaka með kremi á tvenna vegu

Orange cake with cream in two ways

We're sitting here in the Icelandic winter wonderland with mountains of snow, it's cold outside, always down to -2 °F (-19 °C), so you'd rather make yourself comfortable inside the house, with a wonderfully roaring fireplace, hot cocoa and a freshly baked cake - here I have a recipe for a wonderfully fluffy orange cake with two types of icing for you - with icing and chocolate icing on top.

The recipe actually calls for grated orange peel, but I couldn't find organic oranges at the local supermarket, so I made do with orange flavoring. Shopping specifically here can sometimes be a bit difficult, so you just have to re-plan a bit.

Ingredients

180 g flour

160 g sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1 pinch of baking soda

60 ml oil (taste-neutral)

4 eggs

90 ml cold water

1 pinch of ground vanilla

grated orange peel

90 g soft butter

240 g powdered sugar

3 - 4 Tbsp whipping cream

100 g block chocolate

Preparation

Separate the eggs. Beat the egg whites carefully until stiff.

In a bowl, mix the flour with the sugar, baking powder and baking soda and make a well in the middle.

In the well in the ingredients, add the egg yolks, oil, water, ground vanilla and grated orange peel and stir everything together with a spoon.

Gently fold the egg white into the dough.

Place in a king cake tin lined with baking paper and bake in a preheated oven at 350 °F (180 °C) for about 40 minutes (test with a toothpick!).

Allow the cake to cool thoroughly in the tin and then carefully remove it from the tin.

For the icing, mix 50 g butter with the powdered sugar and cream and pour over the cake.

For the chocolate icing, first slowly melt 40 g of butter with the chocolate in a saucepan over low heat and then spread it over the cake.

Then let the glaze set in the fridge and then serve.

Bon appetit everyone - verði ykkur að góðu!

[Translated from here.]