Raw in ICELAND...??? ;)

I’m in Iceland :) I arrived yesterday and am very glad to be back :) As some of you who read this know, I used to live here, on and off, over a period of 3.5 years. I actually went raw here, way back in 2002. I haven’t visited for at least 2 years and it’s wonderful to be here again :)
Some of the things I LOVE about being here:

*I find the AIR and WATER quality off-the-scale amazing. The air is so clean it’s like you can get high just breathing here ;) Nowhere else in the world that I’ve been would I drink the tap water, except here – the water is just phenomenal – so clean and ‘pure’ tasting. It’s so odd to me to drink from the same tap I’ve just been washing dishes from... ;)

*The light...ohhhhhhh, yessssss, the light, the light, the endless light. It’s days away from summer solstice and the daylight here already pretty much doesn’t end...more-or-less 24 hour daylight is one of those magical things about Iceland in the summer :) Last night it was around 11pm when I went to bed – however, from looking out the window, it could have been 4 in the afternoon...I love it...midnight hikes anyone...? ;)

*Small population of humans – this is definitely key for me – there are around 300,000 humans in this whole country (smthg like the size of Ireland). That’s not many folk. I like that ;) While the human population worldwide apparently DOUBLED from around 1950 to 2000, the population here still feels reassuringly petite. I really appreciate the sweet ‘humanity’ this seems to foster between people – crime rates are very low, the general atmosphere seems relaxed and easy-going and it just feels like there’s so much more ‘head-space’ here than in other places – more room to think than in a space crammed with other humans ;)

*Stunning scenery – yep...Iceland is a natural wonderland – geysers, waterfalls, glaciers, mountains, horses, lava fields, rolling countryside, dramatic beachscapes – it’s got the lot...even Reykjavik, the capital city, feels spacious and ‘green’ compared to any other city I’ve encountered...

*It’s lovely to hear so much Icelandic again and flex the language nodes in my brain ;) I used to speak Icelandic pretty well when I lived here...in the interim, a fair amount seems to have fallen out of my brain, or at least fallen asleep, as I rarely use the language elsewhere (though I do enjoy passing a few choice words onto Mr. Monarch at times ;). It feels good to be immersed in Icelandic again and soaking it up...

Today was incidentally the ‘National Day’ of Iceland, wherein the majority of the population can be found wandering the streets in Reykjavik, enjoying outdoor entertainment and celebrating their independence :) It was fun to go downtown today and join the thronging masses...happy national day, Iceland :)

on June the 14th I had:

1 quart water
mug pau d’arco tea
2 cups juice: celery/cucumber/spinach/parsley
2 cups smoothie: brazil nut butter, yacon powder, carob powder, green powder, water
3 cups water
1.5 cups juice: celery/cucumber/spinach/parsley
handful of bee pollen/hemp seed and a morsel of raw chocolate (sans intense sugars)
3 cups water
3 nori rolls stuffed with baby spinach, alfalfa, broccoli and mung bean sprouts & jalepeno/cilantro hummus. 2 tsps goji powder
1 quart water

on June the 15th I had:

1 quart water
mug of rooibus tea
2 cups celery/cucumber/spinach/parsley/endive/fennel juice
3 nori rolls stuffed with baby spinach, alfalfa, broccoli and mung bean sprouts & jalepeno/cilantro hummus. Little ball of lucuma/maca/yacon powder/carob/water
1 quart water
pack of curry nori powerstix
2 cups celery/cucumber/spinach/parsley/endive/fennel juice
2 cups smoothie: pumpkin seeds, macadamia butter, yacon powder, carob powder, green powder, water
mug of pau d’arco tea
1 cup water

Hmmmmmm, something a little unfortunate happened. I accidentally left half of the capsules for the parasite cleanse I’ve been doing, in England...hmmmm...so, for today at least, my parasite elimination programme has been temporarily suspended – well, the herbal part of it anyway – I’ve continued to eat the same way today and intend to try to find an alternative source of the appropriate herbs here asap, so that I can continue...I’ll keep you updated how that goes ;) So far I haven’t noticed any HUGE changes since taking the herbs – it’s only been a week though and it’s intended to be a 3 week cleanse, so...we’ll see how it unfolds from here ;)

on June the 16th I had:

1 quart water
2 cups celery/cucumber/spinach/parsley/endive/fennel juice
salad of spinach leaves, mixed sprouts and dulse with flax crackers and brazil nut butter
1 quart water
a delicious orange bell pepper
2 cups water
2 tsp green powder
2 cups smoothie: sunflower seed butter, yacon powder, carob powder, green powder, water
3 cups water


on June the 17th I had:

1 quart water
2 cups green juice: cucumber, watercress, cilantro, spinach, fennel, ginger – yummmmmy :)
3 nori rolls stuffed with spinach, alfalfa, mixed sprouts and a mixture of jalepeno hummus with pistachio butter
mug of spice tea
1 quart water
handful of trail mix: almonds, pumpkin seeds, goji berries
2 cups water
2 cups smoothie: sunflower seed butter, yacon powder, carob powder, green powder, water
2 cups water

In April 2007, I facilitated a womens’ Juice Feasting retreat at Ronora Lodge in Michigan. It was a spectacular success, with many participants saying at the end of it that it was one of the highlights of their lives. Now Ronora has expanded its raw food facilities into the beautiful new ‘Raw Food Villa’ and will be offering Living Health Retreats this summer and beyond. I think this is a VERY exciting opportunity for anyone who is interested to go on an affordable 3-10 day retreat, get immersed in raw yumminess and connect with others on the same path. The current scheduled retreat dates are:

July 17-27
August 14-24
August 29-Sept 3 with Victoria Boutenko :)
September 18-28
October 16-26

You can see more details on their site: http://livinghealthretreats.com or you can also call them on 1-877-RAW-RAW8 (1-877-729-7298).
If you’ve never been to Ronora or heard about it, the land there is stunning – the caretakers keep most of it as a wildlife reserve and also buy up surrounding properties when possible, to add to this protected space. The property is 400+ lovely, quiet acres for you to explore and enjoy; it has a secluded private lake, acres of woods, wildlife, pristine pastures and miles of nature trails. There is a LOT of love at Ronora, plus space, fresh air, tranquility and now amazing raw food facilities too :) I’m excited to get back there when I can, to hold another retreat at some point...in the meantime, I strongly recommend you check out their schedule if you’re looking for a raw-friendly getaway ;)

ENJOY :)
All love,
Angela. xxx