Anyone ever been to Iceland?

Headed there for 6 days on the beginning leg of my Euro-trip and was wondering if anyone could offer insight as to cool places they've been there or stuff to do.

Very excited to see the country!

Check out the volcanoes and stuff.

I've been there twice and both times were in October, so I only know what it's like during that time of year. Oh, and both times visiting has been part of the Iceland Airwaves Festival, so my view on Iceland might be significantly different than what you're going to experience.

But one thing is for sure and that is that Iceland is beautiful. If you're into barren, beautiful landscapes then you're in luck. Reykjavik in itself is charming and they have lots of great restaurants and coffee shops (kaffibarinn).

One thing you absolutely have to do is to rent a car and then go for a drive out in the middle of nowhere. So I know that their weather is pretty good during the summer, I don't know if the following is necessary now but when I went there the first time and decided to drive out in the middle of nowhere some Icelandic guy got really mad at us when we came back. He was like, "are you out of your mind!?" It turns out that if a snow storm hits Iceland it hits Iceland HARD and plenty of people have died because of this. So we were told that you need to pack your car with both food, blankets, warm drinks etc before heading out because the car might get stuck in the snow or the snow storm will lower your visibility so you won't be able to find your way back home.

Anyway... both times I went to Þingvallavatn which is absolutely beautiful. It's a huge lake and it's where the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates meet.

Also, there's a huge moss field nearby which is equally beautiful.

But apparently, they don't want people to walk around on it which I didn't know, but luckily no one caught me - but again, this was in the middle of nowhere and there was not a person in sight.

Another thing you need to do when you're out driving is to stop the car, get out and go climb a hill and enjoy the view. Also, the silence is deafening. It's quite the experience.

So, I'm not gonna tell you NOT to go to the Blue Lagoon, but it has gotten so fucking touristy. The first time I went it was super chilled, not a lot of people there, the minerals in the water were actually white - now it's fucking grey and full of hair. It's disgusting as hell. But if you swim out to where there aren't a lot of people I guess you'd be fine. So yeah, it's worth a visit but it's very touristy which I hate. Also, the sight itself is worth the trip.

Let me get back to you with more tips'n'tricks later... I need to go look at some pictures to remember what I did when I went.

I would quite like to move there so let us know how you get on, London is nasty and grey.

have been there, blue lagoon was nice

Yes. Check out the nature and soak in the various hot springs.

Keen to go. Definitely moving into the top tier (along with Norway). Problem is I want to see the Northen Lights which is winter, plus I'd like to go in a more lush time of year to enjoy the countryside and go trekking and fishing. Those northern countries are a bit tricky. Plus it's a tenner for a pint.....

Friend just came back - the place is one big national geographic photo shoot.

I was there last summer for two weeks. Me and my friend rented a car went around the whole island. We slept mostly in a tent and in some cheap b&b's and schools. It was great.

If you want to go off the beaten track then go to Westfjords. Talk about barren. I loved it. You can also see the witchcraft museum and the necropants over there!

Also the penis museum in Reykjavik is a must visit.

  On 7/12/2016 at 6:05 PM, beerwolf said:

Plus it's a tenner for a pint.....

The real problem is to find any beer in the rural Iceland. They have government run alcohol monopoly system pretty similar to Sweden, Norway or Finland and you can't get decent beer from any supermarket. Some of the alcohol stores are only open for two hours during weekdays..

Glad you started this thread! I'm going next year so will be reading through the tips here, like you.

  On 7/12/2016 at 10:09 PM, mokz said:

 

  On 7/12/2016 at 6:05 PM, beerwolf said:

Plus it's a tenner for a pint.....

 

The real problem is to find any beer in the rural Iceland. They have government run alcohol monopoly system pretty similar to Sweden, Norway or Finland and you can't get decent beer from any supermarket. Some of the alcohol stores are only open for two hours during weekdays..

You fucking what? Sod that, better to be drunk in hell than sober in heaven.

Lol though I like a drink, I wouldn't stop me going if the price for a glass of booze was ridiculous. I don't start shaking if I don't put White Lightning Cider on my cornflakes

I'm thinking of doing one of those Explore (travel company) trips there, they pretty good at what they do, and if you only have a week and you don't wanna spend time dicking about and wasting precious time they are excellent. You can always have a few days after the trip ends and do your own thing. Like fishing for scaley underwater beasts!

no

  On 7/13/2016 at 7:48 PM, AAAAh said:

no

I'm afraid it's too late

I was there for 5 days about 2 months ago, was dying with a horrible flu the entire time I was there, but an awesome place to visit nonetheless.

Just did the standard touristy stuff, it's a cliche but definitely visit the Blue Lagoon, even to wander around the paths outside the visitor's centre (I was a rancid bag of snot and germs so I didn't get in the water). There's a geothermal power station right next to the lagoon which is comfortably the most IDM building I've ever seen in real life; they're also building a new hotel nearby so on one side the skyline is dominated by cranes, on the other there's steel chimneys firing off steam, and then surreal, intensely blue water right in front of you. It looks as though they're halfway through terraforming a new planet or something. Would make for some awesome photos if you have a decent camera.

As someone said above, the moss on the rocks is really bizarre; it's kind of dull greyish-green on dry days but after it's been raining it's this incredibly lush verdant colour.

I get the impression there's a great music scene in Reykjavik; I didn't really get to explore this side of it but there are a good few record shops and loads of posters for gigs about the place. It's an expensive country so alas, I gave the records a miss.

And this kind of goes without saying but it really is fucking freezing, even in the summer. Bring a warm coat.

Also, lol: the horrendous stock local delicacy is boiled sheep's head; as far as I know the cafe in the bus depot in Reykjavik is the only place that actually sells it. We were there and a guy sat down at the table next to us; a little while later the waitress brought over one of these:

I've never seen such intensely felt regret on anyone's face as on that guy's right then.

This far in and no ones mentioned the Big Lebowski bar?

What gimmickry is this you speak of?

Iceland may well be my future home

Never been but I have some Icelandic friends in the Akureyri area. Sounds like there's a pretty well-established tourist loop so it might be fun to try and get away from that. The Vestmannaeyjar islands would be fun to visit, site of some famous volcanic eruptions in the 60s and 70s and apparently a good example of "real" Iceland. Also Grimsey, the only bit of Iceland that's actually inside the Arctic Circle

PS hakarl and brennivin are fucking grim

Thanks for the tips, y'all! We've got a nice house on the outskirts of Reykjavik with a hot-tub and a rental car. The plan is to see the south west/central coast and some waterfalls along + a day-trip up to the Northfjords area. Along with the typical hang around the city and go to the lagoon for the fun of it. I will also avoid shitty liquor and fermented sharks head... nothing sounds worse than eating a fish that has to be hung to ferment because it will kill you to cook and eat it from the sea. Too many dumb Nord's had to die to figure that horrible idea out.

Leg two of the trip is Munich area, gonna go around the city and eat some food/drink beer. Then headed to Salzburg for a while cuz my GF says it's pretty snazzy. Think we're hitting up a castle or two. Looking forward to drinking and eating a lot. We do have to visit my GF's grandma in this village cuz she's not in too good of health, but apparently a sweet lady. My GF was born in Uzbekistan to German and Russian parents who moved a lot and lived around lots of places from there to Munich so it's nice to be with someone who is a German citizen and speaks the language.

Then it's off by train to spend 5 nights in San Rocco, Italy overlooking the coast in this nice apartment. It's about 20 minutes east of Genoa's city center. No plans other than to wander around that part of the coast, eat loads of good food, swim in the water and relax. It'll be my lady and I's 2nd year anniversary the second night of Italy so it's a loving occasion as well as relaxation. Something tells me I'm going to like Italy.

I've only been around the UK, Ireland, and France, which were awesome (aside from Belfast, which I didn't like). Went to a pot contest in Amsterdam, but that was actually kinda lame. So this is my first big experience of seeing a lot of different things in Europe and traveling quite a bit through different parts. Very, very excited.

  On 7/17/2016 at 2:38 AM, Audioblysk said:

Thanks for the tips, y'all! We've got a nice house on the outskirts of Reykjavik with a hot-tub and a rental car. The plan is to see the south west/central coast and some waterfalls along + a day-trip up to the Northfjords area. Along with the typical hang around the city and go to the lagoon for the fun of it. I will also avoid shitty liquor and fermented sharks head... nothing sounds worse than eating a fish that has to be hung to ferment because it will kill you to cook and eat it from the sea. Too many dumb Nord's had to die to figure that horrible idea out.

 

Leg two of the trip is Munich area, gonna go around the city and eat some food/drink beer. Then headed to Salzburg for a while cuz my GF says it's pretty snazzy. Think we're hitting up a castle or two. Looking forward to drinking and eating a lot. We do have to visit my GF's grandma in this village cuz she's not in too good of health, but apparently a sweet lady. My GF was born in Uzbekistan to German and Russian parents who moved a lot and lived around lots of places from there to Munich so it's nice to be with someone who is a German citizen and speaks the language.

 

Then it's off by train to spend 5 nights in San Rocco, Italy overlooking the coast in this nice apartment. It's about 20 minutes east of Genoa's city center. No plans other than to wander around that part of the coast, eat loads of good food, swim in the water and relax. It'll be my lady and I's 2nd year anniversary the second night of Italy so it's a loving occasion as well as relaxation. Something tells me I'm going to like Italy.

 

I've only been around the UK, Ireland, and France, which were awesome (aside from Belfast, which I didn't like). Went to a pot contest in Amsterdam, but that was actually kinda lame. So this is my first big experience of seeing a lot of different things in Europe and traveling quite a bit through different parts. Very, very excited.

sounds great, I'm back to work tomorrow after a month off *groans*

Hakarl isn't that bad really. Not my favorite but edible still.

Here's a lot of photos from around Iceland that I took 'pon me journey. Click 'pon them for higher resolution ones on the picture hosting site. Trip can be summed up in one way aside from great :: GO TO ICELAND

PREPARE FOR A PICTURE DUMP.....

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wow these only make me THAT much more excited to go next year.

Did you find it easy enough to get around and communicate? (IE is English common enough that we won't struggle too much?)

Tips?

Must see places?