I get to talk about one of my favorite subjects today. Iceland. I visited the country in the summer some 30 years ago and discovered how amazing this country is. I spent days hiking in the highlands of the Eldga, and discovered what it was like to experience almost continual daylight. I've never forgotten those days and that trip.
Fast forward to this winter. I wanted to see the Northern Lights, and I couldn't think of a better spot than Iceland. This time I got to experience the five hour day and see some truly extraordinary things. What I wasn't expecting was the overall education that I once again got while in Iceland.
I thought that today I would share some of the interesting day to day things I learned on my visit.
First, some of this happened. The morning we arrived, I do mean morning because it was a time of day I hadn't even seen in a while, the fissure/volcano near Grindavik erupted again. The only evidence we personally saw of it was the barricade of police blocking the road into the area as we drove by on our way into Reykjavik. The fact is, that situation will not effect your trip at this time unless you're trying to visit The Blue Lagoon.
I heard someone while in a restaurant on my first evening in the city trying to recoup their money from a reservation they'd had at The Blue Lagoon. It sounded like even though the Lagoon was closed due to volcano eruption, it was going to be a process to get their money back. I don't bother with places like that anyway, opting for more local pools and such if I swim.
Here's a tip: Closer to town is Sky Lagoon. It's another natural spa that isn't being affected by a volcano at the time. There are also several around the country in many styles. All I can say is that Iceland is a beautiful country that you'll never forget, so don't base your decisions on one spa.
https://guidetoiceland.is/travel-iceland/drive/sky-lagoon
Another tip for enjoying your trip to Iceland is to enjoy the people. Iceland is a country sitting on top of volcanoes. It's full of glaciers, and is very dark for months of the year. It's being pulled apart by two tectonic plates. It rains sideways and no one even talks about the wind unless it tops 30 mph.
Icelanders don't spend a lot of time dwelling on anything. They love to relax and have a good time. They embrace visitors and share their lives with tourists when the occasion arises. Believe it or not, a lot of Icelanders aren't from there, hailing from other countries around the world. Iceland is a forward thinking, progressive, productive country with many opportunities. You never know who you'll meet or where they're from, so put yourself out there a bit and meet some people.
The most amazing thing about Iceland is that they are a cashless society. They'll accept money, they say they'll even take American dollars, but there's no need. I didn't use cash at all. I didn't go to an ATM machine even though they were everywhere for the tourists. The Icelanders didn't want tourists to feel uncomfortable so they still have options for them. We did everything with our cards.
There are a few things to know about cashless. You can't use Discover. They don't take it anywhere. Amex is a little better. Visa and Mastercard are your best bets. Before leaving, I heard that you needed a pin and a chip to use a card. I was a bit worried about that because only my debit card had a pin. What I discovered was that if you can tap your card, no pin is necessary. This probably won't help you at the gas pump, but they are updating that as we speak.
Another thing that I learned was how to go to an Icelandic laundromat. We went to Laundry Wash in Reykjavik, just down the hill from Hillgrimskirkja. This place was amazing. You pay at a pay station as you do at parking lots and garages. But, this place was all about efficiency. You didn't have to bring detergent. It was dispensed by the machines per load. It was part of what you paid. One less thing to worry about and so convenient. I hope the whole world updates to that. Once again, cashless and easy.
We learned that at restaurants whether it was the semi fancy Bastard or the food court at the bus station, everything is with a card. Therefore, you always pay at a cashier. Whoever has the reader. If you spend a lot of time in the tourist district, you'll typically find a menu outside the restaurant so you can see if there's something you'd like before entering. Everything is fairly expensive in Iceland, but tipping isn't expected like it is in the U.S. It kind of balances out. Make a note though, some of the best food in Reykjavik is some of the cheapest. Fancy isn't always better.
Winter is a challenge in a lot of places. Iceland is one of those. The locals deal with it well. We had narrow, basically pedestrian streets in our neighborhood, as it was the tourist neighborhood. There were winding barely plowed roads in the country. There were massive long bridges, one lane bridges, miles long tunnels, and lot of roundabouts. We had a snowstorm while we were there as well. And, for some reason, there are no tractors allowed on Icelandic highways. Not sure where that comes from.
It can be a challenge. We rented a four wheel drive Dacia Duster and thought it was an automatic gasoline vehicle. Challenge accepted when we found out it was a six speed manual diesel. With it's studded snow tires, it navigated everything brilliantly. We did a lot of exploring in that car.
The last thing I'm going to talk about in this entry is time. I went to Iceland in January. I knew that sunrise was just before 11 am and sunset was about 4:20 pm. What I didn't realize was the timeline for the sunrise and sunset. It starts the pre dawn light at around 9 am. The twilight after sunset doesn't end until around 6 pm. The sky is so big and the horizon is so long that sunrise and sunset seem to last forever. It makes the day much longer than expected and a lot cooler. I like sunrise and sunset so I like the days.
I hope this information helps you appreciate the fun you can have in a country like Iceland in the winter. I loved my trip and would do it again and again. I would actually stay longer next time. So pack your bags and some warm clothes and fly to Iceland in January and enjoy!
https://www.islandsstofa.is/en/visit-iceland
https://guidetoiceland.is/travel-info
https://www.government.is/topics/business-and-industry/tourism-in-iceland/icelandic-tourist-board/
