Whale Watching, Berry-Surrounded Waterfall, and The Night of the Party
Vellir farm, Dalvík, Iceland
Whale watching
Whale watching was one of the few things I planned on doing whilst in Iceland. I rarely make plans when I’m somewhere new, rather, I try to go with the flow and the existing routine as best I can. I got to share the beautiful experience of seeing many humpback whales with a fellow volunteer from France.
It was probably my favorite day off so far. It started with a lazy morning, then biking to Dalvík to get a coffee and a cookie, and having a nice chat with a waitress from Poland. Almost directly across from the café is the meeting point for whale watchers. There, you get all dolled-up in red onesies which are nice and warm. In fact, my companion on the trip was raving about them for the whole day.
The whale watching lasted for about three hours and I loved every minute of it. The ultimate relaxation for me was already accomplished simply by being on a boat, but there was also a charismatic guide who made the whole experience even more fun. I was deeply enjoying the landscape, the perfect weather, and the company. Seeing the whales was just the cherry on top. A big, red, juicy one.
The waterfall surrounded by berries
The surroundings of Vellir are tempting with endless hiking opportunities. Directly across from the farm, seemingly close yet considerably further away, are many waterfalls, blue-colored berries, sheep, hot springs and more of the good stuff. Before gathering in the kitchen at around one o’clock, all of us enjoy spending some time outside, and afterwards sharing newfound knowledge of the places to explore.
I find it entertaining how we describe our hikes to each other: “Through the forest, over the bridge, following the path that goes by the birdhouse, left when you can, passing the white house, continuing along the road until there is none left, passing the private yard of the white and blue house, over the fence across from the white horse, jumping onto the other side of the stream, passing the hot spring, going over the sheep fence, following the sheep trails, continuing to the waterfall.”
These are the actual instructions to arrive first to a hot spring and continuing on to a beautiful waterfall. It’s also a nice point with panoramic views of Svarfaðardalur. The hillside one passes just before arriving at the waterfall is completely covered by bilberries and crowberries. An amazing sight to see. I had to hold on to them whilst climbing over the wet ground trying to get as near as possible to the waterfall.
Field work: garden angelica, cow parsley, and black currant
We have been harvesting wild chervil (Anthriscus sylvestris), also named cow parsley, drying the seeds and leaves separately. We’ve also become acquainted with an interesting plant, that can be used in many ways. Garden angelica (Angelica archangelica) can be eaten raw, juiced, the seeds can be dried for tea, apparently also liqueurs can be made out of it, and stalks are sometimes candied. My favorite way of using it is definitely pickling. Just before the angelica plant flowers, the upper part of the plant is cut and pickled in a standard brine, enriched with different seeds, such as mustard and coriander. A sweet and sour, with a mild fennel-like taste. Absolutely delicious.
The weather in Iceland has been abnormal the whole season. In the last week we had beautiful sunny days and up to 19 degrees Celsius, then heavy wind and a rapid drop in temperature. We’re expecting snow in the next days. The black currant berries are mostly ripe, so we were picking them in an accelerated manner before, apparently, winter comes?
The night of the party
This week we hosted an anniversary party. It was the first time I’ve seen any action going on in the restaurant. I felt a slight hint of the oh, so familiar rush of working in the kitchen. All the preparations to make the place look rustic and effortless, putting a lot of effort into that, of course. The appetizer was great, in style, with a wow factor, a crowd pleaser, and easy to prepare in advance. Wooden boards decorated with fig leaves, salad and purple kale for color contrast. On the side, pickled cucumbers, pickled onions and garden angelica, fig slices in simple syrup with bilberries. Then, wood-smoked and sheep dung-smoked (yes, you read correctly) trout and goose breast (with or without a herb crust). Also, two kinds of smoked cheese, and Calendula and Tropaeolum for decoration, finished with a sprinkle of bilberries and raspberries. Accompanied by horseradish sauce, mustard and jams.
It was a fun day, and we were all working together nicely. It seemed like we all wanted this event to be a success. Recently, one of the volunteers posed an interesting question: “How do you get all these people to work together, and how do you motivate them? “ This might be considerably more interesting in our context, as there is no money involved. We are all volunteering for different reasons, but money, which is often a good motivator, has nothing to do with it. What I’ve seen from observing our interactions is the importance of respecting privacy, putting in the effort to get to know the others, genuinely trying to like each other, being very open-minded, finding things in common, and accepting our differences. Working together comes easily because we enjoy spending time together, regardless of the activity. It’s a wonderful thing when this happens.
We are now a complete team (finally). There are currently eight volunteers at Vellir, from Austria, France, Spain, Germany, America, and Slovenia. I’ve been loving practicing French with the boys, and having conversations by mixing French and Italian. Du pain, du vin et des gros seins will forever be stuck in my head. It feels amazing to be surrounded by people who have the desire to improve and the curiosity to learn. Truthfully, I was nervous about coming to a farm with so many other volunteers, as I had not experienced it until now. But it’s turning out better than I could have hoped. I’m noticing how quickly I get attached to certain people. It’s not a trait I thought I had. It’s easy to feel good in an environment where there are no ulterior motives, no competitiveness, no envy. Where everyone is simply trying to have a good time.
