In Iceland there are many “exotic” foods. Kevi Kev would be in heaven here with all of the crazy things he could try. Whale, puffin, horse, reindeer and putrid shark. Tonight we snacked on shark bites as an appetizer.

Here are the adjectives we came up with to describe putrid shark:

Smelled like urinal
Tough
Chewy
Full of preservatives
Lingering burn aftertaste
Ammonia-y

This is what Lonely Planet said about the shark:

an animal so inedible that it has to rot away underground for six months before humans can even digest it. Most foreigners find the stench (a cross between ammonia and week-old roadkill) too much to bear, but it actually tastes better than it smells…It’s the aftertaste that really hurts. A shot of brennivin (schnapps) is traditionally administered as an antidote.

I took a couple of chews and then swallowed it whole. I think that helped with the aftertaste because I didn’t notice one. It was pretty disgusting. At least I can say I tried it and I know Kevi Kev would be proud!

The little square bites are the shark!

When in Rome, you do as the Romans do.  When in Iceland you go to the Blue Lagoon.  Everyone goes.  Some people even arrange long layovers in Iceland to/from Europe to get a soak in the pools.

The Blue Lagoon is fed by water from the geo-thermal powerplant right next door.  It is pricey, crowded and does a doozy on your hair.  It is also a beautiful shade of milky blue, perfect temperature and rich in algaes and minerals, conditioning and exfoliating your skin as you soak.  While my hair feels like straw today, everything else is silky smooth. 

We soaked about three hours which seems like a long time.  But there was so much to do!  They have a swim up bar, which we frequented – twice.  There’s mud boxes full of silica mud to apply wherever you see fit – we mudded up three times.  We saw several men with mud all over their heads and later learned it cures baldness!  There’s steam rooms and saunas and a waterfall that delivers a powerful hydraulic massage – “…it’s like being pummelled by a troll.”  I found the troll to be a nice troll as it felt very good.  They also have real massage services but were fully booked through the weekend.  It’s ok.  We saved some money and instead let the troll work his magic!