A Gourmet Experience
Iceland is a land of secrets, waiting to be discovered. For those who love good food, wines and spirits, the only give-away is a flag hanging above two gates on a side-street just off Laugavegur’s shopping street. Here, at the end of a dark hallway is a large wooden door with an ornate handle that opens into one of the most popular and respected restaurants in Iceland. Popular, that is, with people in the know. This hidden epicurean jewel has been sought out by visitors from all over the world for the past 22 years! Argentína Steakhouse won the coveted ‘Restaurant of the Year’ award in 2000 with good reason. You are not just offered a meal, as this is not an ‘eat-and-run restaurant’ but an evening’s gourmet experience. No matter what your choice from the menu, you are guaranteed a meal to remember for its presentation, flavour, texture and originality. However, the meal is the culmination of that experience. Before anything touches your taste buds, your other senses are immersed in the rich leather and wood, the intimate lighting and atmosphere of the rustic, Argentinean-style decor, the music and the tantalising aromas.

From the Settlement to the Present, Hot Water has been a Natural Blessing
Extensive geothermal activity is one of Iceland’s most distinctive features, with more geothermal areas than any other country. It is known to be present at over 700 sites in Iceland. For geothermal heat to reach the surface, precipitation must seep down into the ground to a level where it can be heated appreciably. The heated water must then find a crack or some other means of leaking to the surface again. In general, a certain amount of precipitation does manage to seep through the ground down into bedrock, where it is becomes steam through contact with magma. Magma is molten rock that comes up from the earth in volcanic eruptions. In Iceland, an eruption has occurred approximately every forth year since long before Iceland was settled. There have been around 230 eruptions in the past 1100 years. Like ice on a lake, the earth's crust floats on the earth's mantle, and thus has some freedom to move under certain conditions. The force behind such movements is the heat created deep in the earth by the breakdown of radioactive materials. This heat has to be conducted from the earth's core through the mantle and crust before reaching the surface.

Freedom and Flexibility
As you walk down that big city street, choking on the fumes and pollution, jostled by the crowds, the sun blocked by tall concrete and glass buildings and not a green blade of grass in sight, you grasp your airline ticket all the more firmly and dream… Stepping out of the airport at Keflavik, you fill your lungs with fresh air and your eyes with the views of the raw nature. You’re free. Now to experience Iceland, to fulfil that dream. With only 300,000 people, most of the country is pure open space and to experience it all, you have a travel passport from Sterna, the only company that will take you around the country from Reykjavik’s BSÍ bus and coach station, for you to visit at your leisure. You can get off at any point, spend the night or as long as you like before catching another coach to a new destination. The choice is yours as to where to go, how long you’ll stay and what you’ll do. Freedom and flexible travel. Unlike the majority of tours that stick to the familiar routes, Sterna will take you through the unusual countryside of the interior, where you can enjoy its spectacular colours, its hot tubs in the mountains, the pristine freshness of an unspoilt countryside.

For centuries, Iceland was almost completely isolated from the rest of Europe. The wild and harsh climate made international trade, commerce and relations all but impossible, and the heavy-handed laws imposed by the Danish and Norwegian monarchies, did not make life any easier.
Craftsmanship born of necessity
As a result of the isolation and scarcity of goods, craftsmanship of all kinds blossomed and many highly skilled artisans produced a variety of useful and decorative items. Icelanders had to rely heavily on their own ingenuity and resourcefulness for obtaining many items that were taken for granted in the rest of the world. The Skógar Folk Museum pays tribute to Iceland’s many fine craftsmen and women who each contributed in their own way to Iceland’s rich cultural history. The museum was begun in 1945 by Þórður Tómasson, who gradually built up his collection, as Icelanders near and far began to donate cherished family heirlooms to the growing museum.