Iceland

I’m putting together a few notes here for a friend who is about to visit Iceland. I went to Iceland many years ago so some of my information might be out-of-date. I recommend that you Google some of these tips before just heading out.

When traveling to Iceland be prepared for 2 things:
Despite the name, it is not very icy
It is very far north so the sun up and sun down times are unexpected at best

The food was forgettable. No meal in particular stands out. However, the sights are very memorable. Some of the craziest things I’ve ever seen were in Iceland.

The Blue Lagoon is not to be missed. If you do one thing in Iceland then it should be to visit the Blue Lagoon. It’s a spa where you bathe in the waters formed as run-off from a geothermal power plant. Not kidding. I have never seen Butch’s hands so soft and pink as they were after swimming in the Blue Lagoon.

Other fun stuff to do:
Visit Geysir where you can see geysers that put Yellowstone to shame. This place is the etymology of the English word “geyser.”
Straddle the continental divide.
You thought Niagara was amazing… well check out the Gulfoss Waterfall

I don’t remember the name of the park where the above picture was taken but I think it is Landmannalaugar. We had so much fun driving our Grand Vitara through this park.

Anything else on this top 10 list are also good suggestions. We didn’t have the best weather and were only there for a few days so we missed a bunch of stuff.

Rent a car. There are only a few roads so it is hard to get lost and driving there is very easy.

Buy wool. They have this incredible water-proof wool made from the local sheep. I still have the sweater and hat that I bought there so many years ago.å