By Anne Braly
Senior Writer

Iceland is best known for its breathtaking waterfalls, luxurious hot springs and magnificent glaciers. But mouthwatering tomatoes? In this country known for its icy skeleton? 

Fridheimar is a place where you dine in a forest of tomato vines. It’s one of Iceland’s favorite stops along the Golden Circle, a route you can take through a prearranged tour or via a self-driven tour in your rental car.

Whichever way you arrive – and, according to Dorothea Armann, assistant CEO, more than 250,000 visitors arrived for their tomato experience last year – you’re in for a tasty, unexpected adventure, beginning with the path that leads to the restaurant.

A  Nature Walk

Fridheimar sits well off the main highway with the parking lot at its entrance, From there, a well-traveled path takes you on a lovely, short, easy stroll beneath a canopy of Nordic evergreens and colorful flowers alongside Iceland ponies for petting and an equestrian arena for shows. At the end of the path, Fridheimar is in sight.

A Combination Tomato/Horse Farm

Iceland natives Knútur Ármann and Helena Hermundardottir opened Fridheimar to the public in 2008, the former a student of agriculture and the latter a horticulture student. They both loved tomatoes and horses, so why not combine the two?

So that first year, they welcomed 800 guests. As tourism in Iceland grew, so did their enterprise. Now, it’s hard to get a table in the restaurant without reservations. The tomato-based menu uses tomatoes grown in the greenhouse/restaurant and features the No. 1 seller, mouthwatering tomato soup, and also salad, pasta, mussels in tomato seafood sauce, and a pizza-like stone-baked tortilla with homemade pesto and tomatoes.

“We always recommend making a reservation for our restaurant (www.fridheimar.is) as we are fully booked most days,” Armann recommends.

All is not lost, however, if you arrive sans reservations. Adjacent to the dining area, in the oldest greenhouse at the tomato farm, there’s a wine bar and bistro where, if you’re lucky, you can find a seat – it may be standing room only — order a glass of wine and a bowl of tomato soup, add some freshly made bread, and taste the freshness of vine-ripened tomatoes with every spoonful – even in the iciness of Iceland. No reservation is needed.

Elsewhere Around the Island

Iceland is an outdoor lover’s paradise, a food lover’s indulgence, a photographer’s dream.

Puffins have found the Icelandic islands the ideal place to return year after year with their mates — they are monogamous little birds — or to find a mate and settle in for the breeding season.

The birds flock to Iceland and are best scene spring through early fall.

They are so loved in the country that they have become a symbol, and you can find them on everything from postcards to stuffed animals in window displays. But the best way to see them is to take a tour by boat for an up-close in personal view of these remarkable creatures.

We boarded the Puffin Express (www.specialtours.is) on a cool morning and set sail from Reykjavik’s Old Harbour for an hourlong tour in the “Old Skuli,” a wooden boat specially designed to get close to the puffins’ habitat without disrupting the beloved birds as they raise their young and fish from the sea.

A Whale of A Tale

Whale watching is a popular activity when visiting Iceland, and on most days, you’re likely to encounter a few different species of mammoth mammals. Tours by large seagoing vessels are available, but the best way to experience the waves and magic of seeing a whale up close is by booking a seat on an RIB that puts whale watchers on their level (www.specialtours.is).

And you’ll most likely see more than whales. Dolphins and porpoises play in the waters in and around Old Harbour; farther out to sea, you’ll hopefully encounter humpback, minke and other whale species.

Special suits are provided to ward off the chill of the ocean air, so suit up and get ready for an exciting ride to tell your friends about when you return to shore.

When you do and your schedule permits, stop by the Whales of Iceland (www.whalesoficeland.is), a museum that features life-size models of different whale species, interactive exhibits, and more. It’s the largest whale museum in Europe and is open every day except Christmas.

The Reykjavík Recipe

A food tour of downtown Reykjavík is a recipe for tasty fun. Just sign up for the Reykjavik Food Walk (www.thereykjavikfoodwalk.com) and you’re on your own to a delicious walk around downtown Reykjavik, visiting five local eateries.

As you make your way from restaurant to restaurant, you experience the best of Icelandic cuisine, much of which is embedded in the country’s culture. There’s Plokkfiskur, a dish that’s pure comfort with locally caught cod, cheese, mashed potatoes and bechamel sauce; and if it’s a nice day, you may stop for an Icelandic hot dog at Baejarins Beztu Pylsur.

It’s unlike any hot dog you may have ever had, made with lamb and topped with crispy onions, sweet mustard, remoulade and apple ketchup. The stand is only open during the lunch hour and the line for dogs may be long, but it moves quickly.

One of Iceland’s most famous foods, though, gets different reactions from those brave enough to taste it: Fermented shark. This was followed by this Nordic country’s national drink, Brennivin. Known locally as “The Black Death,” it has a flavor of cumin and caraway. If you like black licorice, you may like it as a chaser for the fermented shark. Or maybe not.

Drive the Golden Circle and see breathtaking waterfalls. Hop on a snowmobile and traverse a glacier. Harness up and zipline down a mountainside, then luxuriate in the Sky Lagoon, one of several places to enjoy soaking in the country’s warm waters.  It’s all part of an Iceland experience.