​​As more and more countries are slowly emerging from the battle with the Coronavirus epidemic we are all longing to regain some sort of normality. Leaving the “safe four walls” of our house or apartment for the first time, going back to work or school, the first visit to a restaurant, the hair dresser or the local swimming pool – these are certainly small steps but surprisingly memorable ones in these unprecedented times. For some of us it is simply enough to know that we made it through the last weeks without infection but others are already longing for bigger steps. Sooner or later we will make the highly individual decision that we feel ready to travel again. 

We have a riddle to solve for you: What do French Champagne & Cognac, Greek Feta Cheese and the Icelandic knitted sweater have in common?
Yes, you are right! Well done! Answer: They are legally protected product names. Since March 2020 a knitted Icelandic sweater may only be called lopapeysa if it fullfill certain criteria: 

1.      The sweater must be handknitted in Iceland.
2.   The wool used to make handcrafted Icelandic sweaters shall be cut from Icelandic sheep.
3.      Only virgin wool shall be used as material for the sweater (wool that has not been recycled).

On a cold September evening when I was browsing through Facebook I came across an advertisment where a beautiful grey horse was for sale (see video).  Since grey is my favorite colour and team Steinunn ​needed more good horses for the hotel riding tours I decided to take a closer look. 

​Unfortunately the horse was based in East Iceland and 700 km from my home consequently I did not have any opportunity to try the horse but I made some calls and found out this would probably be a perfect horse and he was at a good price too.  So I took the chance and bought the horse. 

​He came to my stable a few days later with a trailer and we rode him for few days before he was introduced to some other of my horses at the president´s backyards. He stayed there for a few weeks , just getting to know the other horses until I took him into the stable to start riding him on a regular basis. 

Winter vacation in Iceland 
For many years Iceland has been a typical summer destination. Look at travel magazines, photo books and journals – Iceland is usually presented in its beautiful summer dress. Hiking, horseback riding, travelling through the highland – all are great and classic activities apparently destined for summer-only holidays. Yet for the last few years we have seen an increase in winter or „off season“ travel interest in Iceland. Some of it is most likely attributed to the wish to see the beautiful northern lights but at the same time travellers are pleasantly discovering that „off season“ Iceland has surprisingly much to offer – besides the Aurora Borealis dancing across the arctic sky! 

​When horse lovers plan to go on a horseback riding tour in Iceland they usually think about riding into the Icelandic highland with a loose herd of spare horses. They expect having to stay in dormitory sleeping bag accommodation in basic mountain huts and to party every evening. And without a doubt, this can be a lot of fun especially when the weather is good.  But the weather in Iceland is “notoriously temperamental” and getting wet and cold on horseback can be a bit frustrating at times.  ​Adding to this the potential concert of snoring by fellow riders you may decide for yourself to leave out exactly that experience. So how about a riding tour with hotel accommodation? 

​Running has become one of the top activities in the Western World in recent years. In the US alone, there is an estimate of 10 million runners that excercise on a regular basis. It is easy, it is fun, it can be done almost everywhere and it is healthy and will keep you living longer and better! Running does not mean being out of breath for twenty minutes or more, it is more an excercise where you adjust your pace to the environment and your daily form and it works at any speed and at any age! 

In late May 2012 I was expecting a second foal of my mare Sperra.  From the middle of May I went every morning to the maternity field to check on her before going to work. She usually just greeted me quickly and then continued to eat.  But on May 25th she behaved strangely during my usual morning visit. ​​She followed me around everywhere and it felt as if she was asking me to stay.    The milk was flooding out of her udder and I felt it was time for her foal to come into the world.

Nasty Travel companions may spoil all the fun…
We all love to travel but quite a few of us have made the experience that a nasty travel companion can spoil the fun at times! That is the reason why a lot of people have turned away from scheduled group tours and rather do their own thing, for example by renting a car and driving around their destination on their own. It is easy to do - either you sit down and plan & book your own tour or you turn to a company like Exploring Iceland and  ask them to put together your personal self- drive tour. 

On a small farm in South Iceland lives Vilborg Ástraðsdóttir with her family and lots of farm animals. From early childhood on she has been fascinated by the forms and colors of nature. Born on a farm and raised with the task of taking good care of animals such as herding the sheep during the autumn round up she felt inspired by the mountains,​ ​glacial rivers, mossy hills and wide open landscape.

As the wind blows heavily in Iceland today we are tied to the office but that does not keep us from thinking about going out & doing stuff tomorrow or the day after.  After all here in Iceland people have had to live and enjoy themselves with or despite of the weather since the time of settlement and we know that the good old Vikings did enjoy a ball game called „knattleikr“ but most of their outdoor games were connected to preparing for battle and fighting such as archery, tug-of – war and wrestling.