tell me about Iceland..

[rattlsnak]

Thinking about taking a vacay there in late June.. What to see, what to do? Can you still see the Northern lights that time of year?

[Alan A]

Bring money.

[Jolly Amaranto]

While refueling your rent car after hours at a self serve station in a remote village on the ring road, smell the nozzle of the pump hose first to see if it is gas or diesel. Very confusing color coding.

[Tishabet]

Don't skip the blue lagoon, eat a lot of fish. Next time I am there I plan to do the circumnavigation, last time I spent 5 days and could have easily spent another 5.

[oldE]

Hertz does an Iceland Road Atlas. It is about an inch thick and breaks down the regions of the country into their local road systems and the interesting sites along each road. Sometimes the orientation of the maps can be confusing, but it is a great resource.
We have toured the Keflavik penninsula and have been inland as far as Gulfoss waterfall and Guyser. The housing museum in Rekjavik is eye opening. Great folks. Highest proportion of blonds in Europe.
If you like riding, they will put you on a horse and you will be moving. Most Icelandic horses can tolt (sort of a super fast walk). National speed limit is about 80kph. Be prepared to drive gravel roads in the back country. Magnificent scenery. Check out the geo-thermal power plant on Highway 1 just east of the capitol. They use it to smelt aluminum and a by product is hot water for domestic heating in the city.

Love the place. Can you tell?

Best
Les

[jrj3rd]

Great country and people. Planning to return soon if things work out. Prices on American goods are high, but you are in Iceland so eat local. People were all super friendly. Drive the southern coast and plan to stop frequently just to take in the views and the waterfalls. Capital is easily walkable to see the sites. We went in March, still cold but the Northern Lights were active. Most hotels will wake you up middle of the night if the lights become active and you let them know you are interested.

[flatbutt]

1 USD = 129 Krona but prices seem do-able.
https://www.discover-the-world.com/destinations/iceland-holidays/how-much-things-cost-in-iceland/

[masraum]

I've never been, but would love to go.

You can scuba/snorkle between two tectonic plates/continents. There's a place where it's narrow enough that you can touch both sides. I think you can arrange it between May and Sep.

[Jolly Amaranto]

Originally Posted by Tishabet

eat a lot of fish.

One of the many establishments that I recommend for doing just that.

[Tishabet]

Originally Posted by Jolly Amaranto

One of the many establishments that I recommend for doing just that.

I will put this one on my to do list for my next visit!

I fish a lot (see "random landed fish thread") and so naturally I cook and eat a lot of fish as well. The best fish I have had in my life was arctic char at a restaurant in Reykjavik called Messinn. That was in 2018 and I still think about it, simple butter poach and served in a frying pan. Phenomenal.

[Neilk]

Here are some random unorganized thoughts from my trip in 2018.

No northern lights in June as the sun never really sets. That said, since it is daylight almost the whole day, you can do many hikes at off peak times in full light while avoiding the crowds. I was going to say sunlight, but it was pretty gray even in June. Here is a picture I took close to midnight near Reykjavik .


Go to the Blue Lagoon when you arrive if you have arrive in the morning. It's a great way to refresh. The sit-down restaurant was quite good.


Bring lots of cold weather clothing, especially rain gear. Weather is very iffy. I don't think it got over 65 when we were there.
Don't skip a gas station if your tank is 1/2 empty. I realized that when looking at my KM to empty and realized that the 2 nearest gas stations were within 10 km of empty. That was never wracking.

I am not a bird watcher, but I would go out of my way to see Puffins.


If you get a ratty looking rental car, embrace it. I was disappointed to get an old Dacia Duster with 117k km, some dents, cracked windshield from Avis, but by the time I dropped it off, I was super thankful that the car had been previously abused by someone else. Here is was the day before I dropped it off. We washed it to prevent issues.



I am hoping to go back soon. Book it!

[Superman]

The girls there are pretty.

[Jeff Higgins]

Ţingvellir National Park is the easiest place to get to if you want to stand on both the Eurasian and North American teutonic plates. It's a part of the Golden Circle route that includes Gulfoss and Geysir. You can easily do this all in one day, but two might be better.

Ţingvellir:



Gulfoss:



Geysir:


Oh, and be aware, their horses are kinda small. A guy my size can almost overwhelm them. Their weird little "tolt" gait is surprisingly smooth and comfortable.



And finally, beware the rental car companies. Their favorite trick is to charge customer after customer for the same damage that they never fix. Do the pre-departure inspection and take pictures, with the agent in tow. They used to like to nail us when they saw we were actually there on business and probably didn't care if our company got charged. By the time I returned with my wife (twice, I like it there that much), I had learned this game. They tried anyway.

The northern lights tours are a bit of a sham. You can spend all night chasing them (don't even try in June). The colors are seldom as spectacular as we see in the photos - those colors are enhanced by the filters on their lenses, and post-production work. They are still cool, just not what you might expect.

If you get a chance to catch a ride on one of their big glacier tour rigs, you might like that as well. They can take you way, way out there into some serious snow country. Absolutely beautiful.

All in all, one of my favorite places to go. Kinda spendy, but worth it.

[Joeaksa]

Have been there a lot over the years. Always enjoyed the land and people. Bring money and do not try to out-drink the locals!

That said, you have to give the Aquivit a try. I have some in my freezer right now, really warms you up inside!

[LWJ]

My wife and kid LOVED it. Have fun!!

[Missed Approach]

on Food...

Gas Station Icelandic Hot Dogs. Often, there will be no other options, and they are damn good (they are cut with lamb).
N1 Gas Stations are a personal favorite. You can always dress them like a local- Ketchup, Mild Sweet Mustard, Remoulade. Add the fried shallots if available.



A good option is to hit a local Grocery store to load up on snacks- Krónan is a solid chain. You will see also see many nonsensical and interesting items (whale meat!)...





Lastly, highly recommend the Tomato Arboretum & Restaurant (which supplies a portion of Iceland's tomatoes)- fantastic menu. https://www.fridheimar.is/en



Cooking on a Porsche 911- The herbal butter made the difference.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FvXBR50rH9E

[Jolly Amaranto]

I found the geology fascinating. Old lava flows, lava tubes, basalt columns etc.

[jcwade]

Was there in the before times for New Years. Absolutely the best people in the world, and they all speak English. Apparently, a 300K population is not good for keeping the language alive.
At New Years, you get 4 hours of sun, but some of the best fireworks and bonfires in the world.
Take a tour and be sure to try the fermented shark. Tastes like what you would expect cat p!ss to taste like. But Puffin and Minke whale taste so good I'm surprised that they are not extinct.
After eating the whale, I had to cancel my Greenpeace membership.

[Rick Lee]

This is on my bucket list. Theirs is one of the most difficult languages in the world, like Mandarin-difficult. And that means a lot of them speak English. But I'm a glutton for punishment wrt foreign languages.

[Joeaksa]

Originally Posted by Rick Lee

This is on my bucket list. Theirs is one of the most difficult languages in the world, like Mandarin-difficult. And that means a lot of them speak English. But I'm a glutton for punishment wrt foreign languages.

They all speak English and Danish as well, so if you speak either of those that helps! As far as I know this is the only country in the world where 100% of the population can read and write.