Iceland:
My wife and I going to Iceland in June and we'll have about 4-5 days to travel before I have to give a talk in Reykjavik. I'd appreciate any tips anyone has about sights to see and things to do. I'd especially appreciate any tips about underrated activities that we wouldn't find in a guidebook or overrated activities that a guidebook typically would recommend but that we should consider skipping. We plan to rent a car. Thanks!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%9Eingvellir
K
If you're looking for peace and quiet instead of the best sights, then I'd recommend going the other direction out of Reykjavik. The west coast, the Snaefellsnes peninsula, and the northern coast over to Lake Myvatn are nearly devoid of tourists, and you can drive for 100 or more miles a day and only see a handful of other cars.
I agree with everyone else's suggestions, particularly the part about eating fish. I grew up in the Midwest, where fish is never fresh, so I'm naturally suspicious of it as a food, but the fish in Iceland was always just-caught fresh, without any fishy taste at all. If you like lamb (not everyone does), you should also definitely give it a try--the lamb in Iceland is all organic and free-range, and it is absolutely delicious. In Reykjavik, a very good restaurant (particularly if you can swing someone else paying for it) is Thrir Frakkar, which has a great menu of fairly typical Icelandic foods with a French twist--you can get fish, lamb, fish stew, smoked puffin, and other sea birds.
40 years ago, Icelandair (flying them out of BWI?) was the cheapest way to Europe, so could fold in a stopover in Iceland. I was greatly impressed with how attractive the women were and a tour guide's datum about percent of children born out of wedlock (about 30%) then. Going back years later with my family, my focus was considerably different.
Oh, and ask people how their national genetics study is going. Interesting to compare and contrast a very homogeneous society like theirs with a decidedly non-homogeneous one like ours, both of them advanced in most ways. Here there are great "privacy" concerns about DNA collection, there they don't seem to have them. And ask about the economic situation, because a lot of "hot" money was flowing into that country, the result being a serious "hangover" when the party slowed down.
Any guidebook will point you to the Blue Lagoon, outside Reykjavik and not too far from Keflavik International Airport. But I think it merits another mention because it was worth the hype.
Another note: DO NOT take a cab from the airport into Reykjavik; it's a 45-minute drive and will cost an exorbitant fare. Instead, wait for a "Flybus," which always meets incoming flights and stops at major hotels in Reykjavik. It costs about $15 US per person.
smiling redish blonde Goddesses for cabin help
smoked salmon for dinner
cheap seats
In Iceland, I recommend the wax museum of icelandic history. It's really interesting, doesn't take very long, and the wax sculptures are very well done. Plus, Icelandic history is quite interesting.
I also recommend the snaefellsness peninsula (about 2 hours north of Reykjavik). My wife and I had a wonderful time going horseback riding there (riding Icelandic horses is a real treat). Also, even if you can afford to eat the really great food (both the fish and the lamb are superb), I do recommend trying the hot dogs at least once, they're much better than American hot dogs.
On the north of the snaefellsness peninsula, there's a boat tour which we went on which was a lot of fun. It's something to see the sheep standing on the tiny Islands, and the sea birds are all very interesting too (you can get quite close).
I do also recommend the hot water springs (i.e. the public pools). They really are popular, and they appear to be quite popular among the icelanders as well as among tourists.
My only other advice is that if you're tempted to stay up late (and going in June, you might be there when the sun doesn't set), make sure to have food back in your guesthouse. Pretty much every store in Reykjavik closes by 10pm, and most things close earlier. Since you can't tell the time just by looking around, you can easily get stranded hungry at midnight with nothing to eat and plenty of hours before you before you feel like going to sleep.
Food will be expensive. "Yes, yes," you say, "I know food will be expensive."
No. I'm telling you again: FOOD WILL BE EXPENSIVE. Alcohol will ruin your retirement planning. So pack a lunch and have picnics during the day! The "smoke bread" is particularly good.
Oh, the one thing we found that was realy good value, oddly enough, was very high quality original art, particularly oil paintings. There's a big Coop thing in Reykjavik with a large selection.
I agree with the recommendation to see Thingvellir. Snaefulness might be too far on such a short trip, as is Myvatn.
Geysir and Gullfoss are great, I prefer Gullfoss (it's a huge waterfall). There are nice things to see in Reykjavik, museums and parks. I also suggest spending some time on the coast to see the fishing boats.
Drive through the country side to see the fish, sheep, puffins, arctic terns, and rocks. That's pretty much it, but it is so different from the US it is worth taking in.
The sun will be up very nearly all day at that time of year.
Oh, and you HAVE to go swimming in the geothermally heated pools. It's even more fun to do that in the winter, but fun in the summer too.
Video Rec: Cold Fever.
Also, the Icelandic pony are very easy to ride because it "gaits" rather than trot (though it can do that, too) and so the ride is extremely level with little bouncing. .
- if possible take more than 5 days
- just drive around, get out of Reykjavik, there's great scenery everywhere, I also recommed Snæfellsnes peninsula (it's mainly dirt roads on the northern side, but they're fun even in a 2 wheel drive car)
- Akureyri is a great town if you have time to drive up to the top of the island (driving via Snæfellsnes is best, but the interior route on the ring road is cool too)
- grab a cupful of sugar cubes when you're getting coffee sometime, keep them in the car, pull off the road when you see horses in a nice setting, and feed the horses for some great pics
- every hotel/guesthouse you stay at should have a hot tub; use them
- talk to people, almost all of them speak english, they're not overly outgoing at first but they're very helpful and interesting
- read Independent People (before, during, or after your trip)
First - beware the car rental contract. Many roads in iceland are NOT Paved and are covered in crushed lava - sharp as glass, hard as rocks. It's easy to end up offroad and the terrain will slice through tires and underbody. There is very little infrastructure for repairs, etc. MOST ICELANDIC RENTAL CONTRACTS EXCLUDE UNDERCARRIAGE DAMAGE - This may be true even for the LDW - read carefully.
Second - many of the ponies and sheep are hostile. We got chased by both on different occasions. Watch you fingers. They're cute as a button, and some are friendly, but a lot aren't. They're very tough critters.
Third - expect a chilly reception in the pubs at first. The locals don't particularly like tourists in their bars and pubs. Ever see American Werewolf in London - remember the pub scene on the moor? Not quite that bad. Icelanders are god folks mostly - but take a while to warm up.
Fourth - everything is ungodly expensive - especially the stuff that has to be imported (practically everything you want to eat or drink). I defy you to do currency conversions in your head after three beers. Double your budget.
Fifth - DO NOT EAT THE FERMENTED SHARK. I mean it.
Sixth - dress warmly - I was there at high summer - never got above 50 F. Wear waterproof clothes. Carry survival rations/supplies if you go off by yourself - it's a big place - little infrastructure - few people. You could be on your own for a while if you get into trouble.
Seventh - get some good camera equipment before you go if you don't have it already. Every country has spectacular sights and Iceland is no different, but in Iceland you see them every 500 meters. Just amazing. You'll regret it if you don't get lots of pictures.
Eighth - stay off the roads on the weekends. Everyone's drunk. No kidding. Roads signs are considered optional by the locals.
Ninth - see Gullfoss (Golden Falls) - especially cool when you'll be there because of the thaw.
Gullfoss
Gullfoss
If it doesn't work again, here's the URL, but remove the spaces:
http://www.islandsmyndir.is/ html_skjol/sudurland/gullfoss/ forsida_gullfoss_1.htm
Sun. Like some other writers noted: sun's up almost all the time in summer. By late June, it just gets a little dim after mid-night. Most places have extra-heavy curtains, but if you're at all light-sensitive, you'll have trouble sleeping. Which can be fun too! And it's really fun to stumble out of a bar at closing and have it be daylight outside. BTW: there is some street crime/vandalism/hoologanism in Reykjavik (usually drug and alcohol related), so don't be lulled into carelessness.
Stripclubs. Todd, this isn't for you necessarily, but rather for your other readers (grin). The stripclubs are cool, but two major caveats: First: the smallest denomination they tip with is usually a 1000 kr note (there is a 500 kr note, but you get ugly looks if you use it, and you can't very well tip with coins, can you?). Well, just look at the exchange rates and you'll see why tipping with 1000 kr notes doesn't last long. Second: no local talent - the girls are all from other countries on some sort of nordic circuit. Not what we were hoping for.
Glacier Snowmobiling. Looked like a real blast but outside our budget. Do it if you can. Again, keep in mind that emergency care and trauma centers are few and far between (if any).
Don't take the advice of the other writers and drink the Brennivin. It's mostly dare material. Booze was illegal/highly controlled in Iceland for a long time (they didn't even have pubs until the late 90s). I don't think the Icelanders used to really get the idea of tasty alcohol - just the getting smashed part (and this is lots of fun, I admit). The Brennivin is reminiscent of no-label Vodka, without the charm (it can be translated as "burning wine"). Plus, it usually goes hand in hand with the FERMENTED SHARK - which, as I mentioned, should be avoided at all costs. You can get good beer and booze at most pubs (but I recall it was like $8 for a bottle of beer - about the same as a tip for a stripper!).
Parking in Reykjavik - the locals seem to park on the curbs (at least for short stays). I never had the guts to try it.
If you do one of the bus tours (like the "golden circle" good guides, fun times) bring your lunch. The food at tourist-site, road-side stands is mostly micro-waved frozen stuff, imported. Imagine a frozen hamburger and fries, re-heated, with a can of soda for about $40.