ICELAND

What stuff are you planning while there?

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>>1214585
One bump in case OP comes back. Been to Iceland, don;t need to type it all out if he's no longer around.

>>1216654
Not OP but I've just recently heard about WOW air's cheap rates to Iceland and it has me considering a trip in late April mainly due to the cheap airfare and I do enjoy photography.
What all did you enjoy doing there? Would you recommend it to a friend?

I'm Icelandic, so if anyone wants to ask me something ask away. (I might not remember to check back here)

>>1214585
I went there with family in November for a wedding and was staying near Selfoss. Also spent time in Reykjavik, Thingvellir, and Vik. Here's some musings

>1000 krona sounds like a lot but it's actually equivalent to about 9 US dollars
>they do have trees there, just not a lot and they're usually in groups
>typical scenery (at least in the general area I was in) was mountainous grassland with dark rocky soil.
>actually, the grass was mostly moss. Very thick moss
>the drinking age is 20
>I never saw the aurora because during the week I was there, it was literally every kind of weather except clear
>it's also very windy, I'm talking gale-force
>for being so far north, it wasn't as cold as I thought it was going to be
>It's a comfy country

>>1216747

Drinking age is actually 18, but you have to be 20 in order to buy it.

Going there in April for the whole month, I thought of doing the golden circle tour but renting a car is too expensive for me. Does anybody have an alternative?

Also I think making a round trip around the island would be pretty neat.

>>1216932
>Not renting a car
>Circle the entire island

Pick one

>>1216934
do they not have like, public transport?

>>1216934

Not him, but I hitchhiked around most of the Ring Road. The only tough spots are near tourist areas, as the locals are much more willing to give rides than visitors.

>>1216932
Buy a shitbox car

>>1216946
Not very much, most longer distance coach routes run once or twice a day max. Remember two thirds of the population live in the capital

>>1216946
>do they not have like, public transport?
During the very short summer/tourist months, sure, they have a bus that drives the ring road.

During the winter and school year? Buses end. The Edda hotels all over go back to their primary use and turn back into dorms for boarding schools, people board up their country homes for life back in the cities, and short distances are covered in cars appropriate for them, such as those that have extreme weather gear, snorkels, snow tires, etc.

Winter vs summer is why your ticket was $400. You might pay for some tours, if they are running out to do some lights watching or something given good weather, but plan to base yourself in Reykjavik and just do city stuff, like dine and shop when you're done with the museums. They do have an occasional festival, live concert or other goodies going on to see inside the gorgeous opera house.

How's Iceland as far as cultural experiences go? I love nature and photography but my wife isn't so keen on seeing just landscapes. Decent food scene and/or museums?

>>1217112

>tfw couldn't afford to eat anything except spaghetti and hot dogs

Iceland was hands-down the most expensive place I've ever fucking been, and I've traveled quite a bit. Reykjavik has some museums and nice restaurants, but you better have a big budget for eating if you plan on dining out often.

>>1217112
They have a museum dedicated to penises.

I'm not sure if I need my own thread for this, so I'm just asking in this thread:

I'm 24 y/o from holland and I want to solo visit Iceland in June. I never solo traveled before but I've been to trips with friends where I had to schedule and check everything, all those trips where within europe.

Do you guys think it's stupid to go to Iceland as my first solotrip?

>>1216976
Was it difficult to get a ride? also what season where you there?

>>1217078
>During the winter and school year? Buses end.

What? This is just not true

>>1217206

No, I think it's a great place to start because there is virtually no chance to get robbed, or something like that and the people here are really nice, and even nicer to solo travelers in my opinion.

I bought a ticket last month and I'll be there for two weeks. Renting a car and driving around the country in late April. I read 3 travel books cover to cover but interested in what locals might suggest. Also, car rentals aren't that expensive. Mine was 400 USD for 12 days unlimited miles and with insurance. The gas prices on the other hand might make me pick up travelers for gas money.

>>1217296

I was there for about two weeks in May.

Getting a ride was always easy. The only area I struggled around was Skaftafell, because the majority of cars riding through were tourists on there way into the park. I waited for about an hour and a half. Eventually I was picked up by a French family; they took me sightseeing and their daughter flirted with me a bit, but I had a mission to get back to Reykjavik the same day.

Iceland was great for hitchhiking. In all honesty, it was better than almost every place I've hitched in. The only other country where I was routinely picked by both men and women was, oddly enough, Serbia.

Is it true that the Golden Circle is off limits during the winter? Can Icelandic cops be bribed to let me pass?

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>>1217820
No idea where you heard this.
I went through the golden circle and the entire ring road in january in a tour group. The golden circle was really touristy, and it wasn't until I was out of Höfn that we barely saw anyone.

Is Iceland a good place to live permanently? I heard from a friend that icelanders don't like outsiders living there, can anyone confirm/deny?

>>1214585
If you're looking to smoke in Iceland, you can easily get connects through FB.

I know it sounds crazy but it's true.

Source: My friend is Icelandic

>>1219042
Yes this is true. Icelandic people heavily look down on foreigners.

>>1219057
I'm german and polish, is that close enough?

Planning a trip to cycle in Iceland during early September and while I'm still doing my research for the trip, just wanted to see if anyone here has any firsthand experience that they can pass down. Anybody can tell me if it's plausible to cycle the whole ring road within 14 days?

>>1219210
Hell no, you are still a foreigner, they don't hate foreigners but it is true that they don't like them moving in, unless you knew the language and culture and already had friends, then you'd be good

>>1216665
>>1214585
are these advertisements?

>>1219057
Bullshit, maybe the hicks outside of the capital look down on foreigners, people within the city have no problem with them in general.

Why is LITERALLY EVERYONE going to Iceland right now?

>>1219551
cheapest european location to fly to from the U.S.

>>1216790
>"Drinking age is actually 18"
no it's 20.
>>1216932
buy a shit car it's cheaper than renting.
>>1216946
the public transport is slow and doesn't take you everywhere. the best places to visit don't have good public transport.
>>1216932
golden circle is great but I would highly recommend going on one of the glaciers.
many hiking trails have hot spots that you can swim / relax in, so if hiking is your thing definitely do that.
>>1217112
you could go whale watching and the museums aren't that great but there are some "live museums(actors)" that are fun to go to.
The food is good but expensive. Traditional Icelandic food is terrible.
>>1217206
very safe choice for first solo. And you can easily meet new people.
>>1217820
>Can Icelandic cops be bribed
if you want to get prosecuted
the golden circle is never of limit, all of the golden circle stops are near good roads that's why it's so popular. There are many places that are more interesting.
>>1219042
I personally hate foreigners and most if not all of my friends family do. But if you learn the language you will no longer be a foreigner in my eyes. Travelers and people who want to live in the country are looked very different upon.

also if there is a festival going on definably go to it.

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>>1219607
>Traditional Icelandic food is terrible.
Best steak I ever ate in my life was an Icelandic horse in Hella. And that was before the bonus points for being able to shout "Tonight we dine in Hella!"

>>1219618
horse was forbidden to eat in the older days, the food is good but there is no good "authentic" food here.

>>1216703
Main atractives ?

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>>1219639
>horse was forbidden to eat in the older days, the food is good but there is no good "authentic" food here.
Horse was outlawed by the vatican...for a time...and when starving Icelandic people had an issue with it, they went protestant.

It has nothing at all to do with authentic or not. The original settlement diet was horse, lamb, and seafood (seafowl too). There were no pigs or cows in iceland, and still aren't, like other places in the world with a climate that doesn't support it.

There is authentic food there. I think the smoked lamb's head and puffin are both awesome. I recommend Islenski barinn in Reykjavik for having a lot of different tasting portions of some traditional food.

The only thing that detered me from Iceland (besides the whole 2 hours of daylight) is that every hotel i saw was expensive as fuck.

>>1219682
>There were no pigs or cows in iceland, and still aren't
Yes there are. Why are you making stuff like this up?

>>1219708
>hotel
don't use a hotel, rent a place from airbnb, homeaway, villas.com, etc, can get a better place to stay for cheaper.
that being said, many things in iceland are expensive as fuck

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>>1219682
>There were no pigs or cows in iceland, and still aren't

really?
please tell me than what animal this is that i took a picture of when i was in Egilsstaðir

Could any native Icelander tell me what is up with the purposely piled stones all around the country side? we saw them everywhere

>>1221983

Do you have a photo of what you are talking about by any chance?

>>1222398
I do have a clear one but we drove ring road of the course of a week and we would just see small piles of rocks along the roadside. About a dozen a day.

They were definitely put there by people. Probably nothing More then a form of eco friendly graffiti.

>>1221983
Those are muu-borks. Very uncommon beast of burden. Similar to cow. Found only in Scandinavia and countries of Scandinavian descent. Say "Muu-bork-bork!"

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They fire fireworks off day and night for a week at newyears. Then a bonfire for the twelfth day of Christmas