You think Iceland sounds cold? Well this winter, we're glad to be in Reykjavik, somewhere a lot less snowy than Washington, Baltimore or New York. At least here when it snows, it goes sideways and keeps moving. This month we're spreading a bit of our warm Iceland hospitality to Boston and Iceland, and making it easier for those in the Midwest and West to reach our shores through Minneapolis-St. Paul.

Iceland continues to be a popular destination. In fact, recently it was ranked third among European destinations on Bing.com's Visual Search feature, just after London and Paris, which, truth be told, even we will admit are fun to visit sometimes.

BOSTON HOSTS TASTE OF ICELAND
March 11-17

Our Boston friends surely are tired of baked beans and clam chowder by now. To liven things up this month, and to celebrate Icelandair's nonstop service between Boston and Reykjavík, comes a Taste of Iceland. The event features the best of Icelandic music, cuisine and films through a series of ongoing special promotions in and around Boston from March 11-17, 2010.

A Taste of Iceland, a multi-day cultural program, will include a variety of public events, such as live musical performances, Icelandic culinary tastings and a film festival.

On March 11, for instance, are free screenings of two recent Icelandic hit films. Country Wedding (6:15 pm) is a comedy of errors set in the beautiful Icelandic countryside. This will be followed by Reykjavik Rotterdam, (7:45 pm) an award winning crime thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Location: Kendall Square Cinema (1 Kendall Square, Cambridge).

A Taste of Iceland is presented by Iceland Naturally, in cooperation with Icelandair, Icelandic USA, Inc., 66° North, The Blue Lagoon, Icelandic Glacial, Rustic Kitchen, British Beer Garden, Kendall Square Cinema, Middlesex Lounge, The Middle East and T.T. the Bear's Place. With that many players in the game, there is guaranteed to be something for everyone. (For more information: http://www.icelandnaturally.com/taste-of-iceland-boston/nr/162)

TASTE OF ICELAND COMES TO TORONTO
March 17-20

Can't get to Boston or Iceland anytime soon? Toronto will be the next best thing later this month. After one thousand years and counting, Icelandic culture is still very much alive, and now it's coming to Canada. Torontonians can once again experience the Icelandic lifestyle during A Taste of Iceland, the country's captivating cultural festival, from March 17 to 20.

Hosted by Iceland Naturally and in collaboration with Toronto's Drake Hotel, this four-day event provides a chance to learn more about this beautiful country and its people with a variety of events including free live performances, film screenings, Icelandic food offerings and art.

For instance: Chef Thorarinn Eggertsson, also known as Chef Thor, owner and head chef of Orange in downtown Reykjavík, will design the menu at the Drake and cook on-site to inspire Toronto-area foodies with his unique Icelandic dishes and exquisite cuisine.

Icelandic musician Mugison and his band will play at Drake Underground on March 19 and 20 at 10 p.m. (Drake Hotel, 1150 Queen Street West). Admission is free. Country Wedding will have a public screening on March 18, at 6:30 p.m. at Cumberland Four Theatre (159 Cumberland Avenue). Reykjavik Rotterdam will be shown at 8:10. Admission for both screenings is free.

Icelandic artist Hrafnhildur Arnardottir's latest installation, Haunted, will be on display at the Drake from March 17 to 20. (http://www.shoplifter.us/haunted.php) Her work has been shown at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, where she currently resides, along with other major cities across the United States and worldwide. Icelanders enjoy a sophisticated European lifestyle based on age-old traditions. They make their own food from fresh ingredients, design their own clothes, write their own books, make their own music and perform their own plays. View the complete schedule and see what it's all about. (For more information: http://www.icelandnaturally.com/news/archive/nr/126).

TWIN CITIES RECONNECT WITH ICELAND

Iceland's official airline, Icelandair, will reopen transatlantic flights to Minneapolis-St. Paul airport starting May 11 and continuing through October 9, with daily flights from June 13 to August 22. MSP now joins with Boston, New York JFK, Orlando and Seattle in the U.S., and Toronto and Halifax in Canada to offer convenient summer service to our land of the midnight sun and non-stop nightlife (or is it daylife?). Connections through Icelandair's hub at Keflavik International Airport are available to over 20 destinations in Scandinavia, the U.K. and Continental Europe. Only Icelandair allows passengers to stopover in Iceland at no additional airfare. (For more information: www.icelandair.com).

Speaking of flying, Keflavik International Airport has been named the best airport in Europe according to the September 2009 Airports Service Quality survey conducted by the Airport Council International (ACI).

Iceland's geographic location has always enabled Icelandair to offer the shortest and most direct flight route across the North Atlantic. With an average layover of about an hour and a half, Icelandair now gives travelers the opportunity to spend some time in Europe's best airport en route.

Passengers describe Keflavik International Airport (http://www.kefairport.is/English/) as comforting, cozy and having a friendly atmosphere. Travelers also noted the airport's huge range of duty free stores and great value shopping where you can have your eyeglasses prepared or stock up on the country's wildly popular Opal candy (try the licorice). With approximately 130 airports involved, the ACI survey is the world's leading index for airport customer satisfaction ratings.

One of the best ways to understand the effects of climate change is not through a book or Web site, but by actually visiting a glacier yourself. Not interested in climbing Iceland's Everest? There are still plenty of softer alternatives to your next adventure trip. Vatnajokull Travel provides incredible guided adventure tours across breathtaking Icelandic glaciers in the summer months. What could be more spectacular than glacier hiking across Europe's largest glacier, followed by ATV racing across Iceland's black sand beaches?

The “Blue Ice and Black Sand” day trip begins in Hofn, a little fishing village located by the Vatnajokull glacier, where adventure seekers get to experience the glacier lagoon, Jokulsarlon, by boat. An expert driver guides visitors in between giant icebergs to experience the mythical lake up close.

Other exciting tours offered by Vatnajokull travel during the summer months include: Super Jeep glacier treks, skidoo rides and various glacier hikes. (For more information regarding guided adventure tours and glacier hiking visit: www.vatnajokull.is).

You bet your sweet hakarl we did (hakarl? Google it). For a country like Iceland, travel brochures can't always do justice to the scenic waterfalls, geysers, sizzling nightlife, and artistically prepared gourmet cuisine attracting an estimated 60,000 Americans each year.

That's why the Iceland Tourist Board (that would be us) is offering a free DVD to anyone interested in traveling to our scenic North Atlantic country. The 5-1/2 minute video, appropriately titled Iceland: Beautiful, offers stunning footage of one of the world's most pristine countries. The DVD recently won second prize in the travel/tourism category of the prestigious Telly Awards. This is a great achievement considering the Telly Awards receive 13,000 entries annually from the finest ad agencies, production companies, and corporations around the world.

To request a free copy of the DVD, or a good old fashioned printed brochure with “stop the car” vistas on every page, e-mail the Iceland Tourist Board at info@icelandtouristboard.com, log onto www.icelandtouristboard.com, or call 212 885 9700 ext. 2

THEY SAID IT

“I don't know whether it was the sulfuric smell of steam shooting up from the desert floor of Smajfall, the sight of two bottlenose whales playing a few 100 feet away in the fjord of Akureyri; the peculiar crunch of black volcanic sand sounding underfoot as we strolled along a windy beach in Heimaey; or the first, delicious taste of the purest water I have ever drunk coming straight from the tap in Reykjavik. But at a certain point, life in Iceland began to feel very distant from the everyday routine we had left behind in New Jersey.”

– Mark Weiner, Focus (Rutgers University), February, 2010 - http://news.rutgers.edu/focus/issue.2010-02-01.2114923184/article.2010-02-19.6028426588

TRAVEL DEALS OF THE MONTH

Voyager Vacations Offers Winter Wellness Spa Getaway from $821*

Time to slow down and get back into balance. Revive yourself with a visit to Reykjavik, with its clean crisp air, geothermal pools and dynamic people. Relax and recharge your body and soul and at the same time allow yourself to enjoy the spectacular nature Iceland has to offer.

Package Includes:
Round-trip air transportation
3 nights accommodations at the stylish Icelandair Hotel Loftleidir.
Scandinavian buffet breakfast daily except arrival day.
One-way airport/hotel transfer on arrival day.
Admission to Laugar Spa
Blue Lagoon visit with airport drop-off on last day.
10 minute massage at the Blue Lagoon, and use of towel
*Price listed is per person double occupancy.

Voyager Vacations specializes in dynamic packaging - where you the traveler have the choice to either choose from "bundled" vacation packages or create your own customized package selecting from the company's many suppliers. Check out Voyager Vacations many great vacation packages to Iceland [more…]

Book Today link:
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Build Your Own Budget Holiday – Airfare, Two Nights Hotel, Breakfast from $499 pp

Take advantage of the great exchange rate and hop on up to the top of the world in 2010 – it really is the ideal time to experience all Iceland has to offer. Enjoy shopping in trendy Reykjavik, delicious gourmet Icelandic cuisine, invigorating outdoor adventure, highland wilderness beauty, soothing spas and more. The choice is yours, and you have the freedom to do whatever you like.

Your accommodation is at the friendly Fosshotel Lind or Fosshotel Baron. Both are situated in the historic center of Reykjavik and offer good three star amenities. They make an ideal base for exploring Southern Iceland.

From $499* per person based on double occupancy. For more information, click here.

*Prices quoted are exclusive of applicable taxes and official charges by destination of approximately $100-$270, per person including the Sept. 11th Security Fee.

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