Five Things I Wish I Knew Before Visiting Iceland

I recently got back from a surprise trip to Iceland for my birthday. Since it was a surprise, I didn t know a whole lot about Iceland before my first visit, although I had some ideas. More than anything though, I wish I knew a few things before my first visit.

1. Easy to visit I remember writing the same thing about Puerto Rico and at the risk of being repetitive, I think it s an important fact to emphasize. We were able to have a well-rounded and full trip to Iceland in the span of just four days because the flight was less than five hours from the East Coast. I got to Reykjavik faster than I could ve reached Seattle. Who knew? Well apparently Icelandair had a good idea, because they have turned the four-day long weekend into a well-oiled, travel machine. The experience was easy, well priced and I can t wait to take advantage of the proximity again. Soon, I hope.

2. Unconventional food I have some food limitations, as I spelled out and defended in Travel Diary of a Picky Eater . I realize that visiting islands can be a dicey proposition since I don t eat seafood, but it wasn t just the seafood that stymied me. Just as the Scottish have a propensity to deep fry things, the Icelandic apparently think that fermenting food is a good idea. Amongst the more traditional, AKA tourist restaurant finds, were fermented shark, fermented lamb (why oh why) and such. But it wasn t just the sour meats, it was the unconventional meat that troubled me. That s right, I m talking about whale and puffin. I understand the food is traditional, I understand some people like to eat it, fine, I guess. But there is no reason to promote it in the touristy areas thereby growing the trade. If locals want to eat whale, fine, I don t like it but it s not my culture. However, I really wish these meats with which many have significant problems weren t offered at every tourist restaurant in town.

3. The Blue Lagoon is kind of lame I m going to discuss this in a separate post, but I really don t understand what all the hype over the Blue Lagoon is about. It s not even really a naturally occurring phenomenon, it s a result of the power plant next door. Ignore the power plant for a second, and instead let s focus on the massive publicity machine that lies behind the Blue Lagoon. Tourism officials have catapulted the spa into an internationally recognized attraction to the point that any self-respecting tourist feels like a loser if they skip it. More people visit the Blue Lagoon each year than actually live in Iceland. It s a fact, use it as you will. Other than the fact that the water is blue, which it is, it s a geothermal spa, not unlike those found in many other places around the world including Canada, the US, Jordan, New Zealand, etc. But people seem to enjoy it, so who am I to judge? (I have since updated my opinion in this post about the Blue Lagoon )

4. Big-Small Town I don t think I fully appreciated just how small Iceland s population is and what the effect of that has upon the travel experience. The entire country has around 317,000 inhabitants. That s about the size of St. Louis, Missouri. Reykjavik and surrounding suburbs account for 200,000 of that number, leaving a lonely 100,000 hardy souls strewn about the land of fire and ice. So instead of a colossal capital city, Reykjavik has the size and feel of a small town; or at least not a very big town. But it s more than size, it s the mentality of Reykjavik that’s so endearing. I never once saw a cop the entire time I was there. Or security. Or anything bad happen to anyone. There s practically no crime, the entire country currently has 150 prisoners. 150. The parliament, prime minister s house, president s house all were essentially open with no obvous signs of security, not even a fence. Since I live in the heart of a police-state, being in Iceland wasn t just nice, it was a vacation from distrust, paranoia and fear and I loved every second of it.

5. Dark and rainy can be fun too Iceland isn t always dark and rainy, I know that. In fact, in the summer it s almost always light out. But we went in the middle of winter and expected to find a cold, wet dark country. And we did, but it wasn’t a bad thing, not at all. The dark wasn t excessive, the sun rose around 9:30 AM and set around 6:00 PM or so. A respectable day really for a country grazing the edge of the Arctic circle. There s also something to be said for huddling around a warm fire, or enjoying a rich coffee while warming up in one of the city s many cafes. I ve been a major winter tourist this year and I love it. Anyone can travel when it s sunny and warm, but to find the real city and enjoy it in a completely different way, there s nothing like winter travel.

Have you been to Iceland? What surprised you on your first trip?