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    So, Iceland then...

    In celebration of my half-century, Mrs WOM would like to take me to Iceland. What the hell...I'm in, but don't really know much about the place.

    She's thinking about 4 days over a weekend, probably in late September.

    Any must-sees and must-avoids, tips, tricks and whatnot?

    #2
    Avoid their party food.

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      #3
      11 years ago...

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        #4
        To partly explain the joke to WOM, Iceland looks like his kind of place

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          #5
          Instead of a big hip-hip-hooray, your nearest and dearest must serenade you with that wide-armed slow hand-clap that we grew to love last summer.

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            #6
            It's really expensive.

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              #7
              A friend of my sister did something similar to what WOM's wife has suggested, albeit with a group of friends rather than a partner. I'm seeing my sister tomorrow. I'll try and remember to ask what they got up to and what she would recommend.

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                #8
                A good friend is in the midst of a three week visit. I think she's trying to meet every puffin in the country. She was very impressed by the Blue Lagoon

                This guide is solid
                Last edited by ursus arctos; 21-07-2017, 15:50.

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                  #9
                  Thank you all. That guide looks very helpful, ua.

                  Toby is going on the Naughty list...

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                    #10
                    Originally posted by Stumpy Pepys View Post
                    It's really expensive.

                    Yes, I keep hearing this. Mrs WOM is using her math-camp pay money, the big* beautiful nerd.



                    * not big in the sense that...etc.

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                      #11
                      Was I ever off the naughty list?

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                        #12
                        Reykjavik has a penis museum. If you're unsure whether it's must see or avoid, this may help. If nothing else, it must be prime material for the anecdotes thread.

                        *deletes browsing history*
                        Last edited by SouthdownRebel; 21-07-2017, 18:03.

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                          #13
                          Had two days there as a stop on a cruise to New York - would love to go back for an extended visit as all we saw was Reykjavik (the cathedral is lovely, avoid the tourist menus featuring whale and puffin, pint of lager was about £7 six years ago) plus lots of geothermal craziness, Godafoss waterfall and squadrons of bird sized mosquitoes at Lake Myvatn. Do a jeep/4x4 tour if you can, but shop around, this lot might be the ones we used (certainly the trucks look the same).

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                            #14
                            So we did this. Just rolled back in a couple of hours ago. And...wow...can't rate it highly enough. More details to come.

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                              #15
                              WOW Air. Good budget airline. Noooooo frills. Pay for all extras, like seat selection and carry on luggage.
                              Golden Circle. Perfect starter for first-time visitor. Hits the near-Reykjavik popular sights and gives you a decent look around the place.
                              Blue Lagoon. Fan-fucking-tastic. Did it at night in the pissing-down rain and it was glorious. Couldn't have enjoyed it more.
                              Fosshotel Reykjavik. Very nice, new, giant hotel right downtown. No USB chargers in the room in 2017? WTF? Great included breakfast / fill your pockets for lunch.
                              Northern Lights. Didn't seem 'em. Too overcast at night. But I've seen 'em in Canada, so not terribly disappointed.
                              People. Lovely, friendly, patient. None looked like Bjork, which was a bit of a letdown.
                              S'bout it for now. Need sleep.

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                                #16
                                Glad it lived up to expectations. Would love to do it one day.

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                                  #17
                                  We went this summer for 12 days - funnily enough we got back the day after this thread was started. Best holiday of my entire life, I loved very minute of every day and every dark, brilliant, spectacular view and every constantly changing landscape, every sulphurous bath, every puffin, every river raft, even the horseback-riding, and all the chilled, friendly people wherever you went. Probably the last family holiday the four of us will take together for a while, so yes, we buggered our bank account, but after a couple of days we decided to stop converting the prices and just enjoy a truly magical place I'd been wanting to go to for 30 years.

                                  Souvenirs: bought a 5-CD Mugison pack from the Reykjavik Record Shop, and bought a t-shirt that says 'Reykjavik Record Shop'. Considered learning Icelandic while there, have quietly sidelined the idea since returning.

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                                    #18
                                    Totally, totally echo the "constantly changing landscape". Beyond description: you go from the Moors to a rocky moonscape to lush green pastures to dizzying escarpments to Northern Ontario tundra within 100 km. You could be in 10 different countries if you didn't know better.

                                    And yeah, the prices are so stupid that it's best to just forget about it and enjoy.

                                    "Two small coffee, please."
                                    "800 krona"
                                    "Come again?"

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                                      #19
                                      Our honeymoon in 2009 was a 10-day trip to Iceland. Unforgettable, in many ways. What a beautiful country, as has been said above - the range of landscapes, the miles and miles of stunning views, the wide open spaces, Blue Lagoon, Jökulsárlón. Wonderful. The prices weren't quite so bad when we we there, thanks (if that's the right word) to the collapse of their banking system. We had to queue up in a bank and fill out various forms to get hold of Icelandic krona and pretty much everything was cash-based on that trip. We spent a couple of days in Reykjavik, doing the Golden Circle tour and mooching around the city, then hired a car and drove around the island. Having been assured that the weather would be fine and that 'winter doesn't normally come for another few weeks', it started snowing on the afternoon we left Reykjavik and didn't let up. The drive to Akureyri was pretty hair-raising and it was clear why all those massive snowpoles were already in place along the roadside. The snow got heavier, we got slower and slower... and then a passing local in a 4x4 pulled past us and guided us down the steep slope into town. The scariest drive was returning from Seyðisfjörður back over the pass to Egilsstaðir, while the waterfall at Skógafoss was stunning, plus we were the only visitors that afternoon and clambered up the rickety old steps right to the top of the waterfall for a fantastic view of the southern coastline.

                                      In short, loved it. Am tempted to go back again, but part of me thinks we should just leave it and enjoy those memories.

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                                        #20
                                        Originally posted by WOM View Post
                                        WOW Air. Good budget airline. Noooooo frills. Pay for all extras, like seat selection and carry on luggage.
                                        Aaaaaand WOW has now gone tits up, leaving people stranded all over the place. Not groovy.

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                                          #21
                                          I missed this. Iceland is the best place.

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                                            #22
                                            It is indeed. And now 50% more expensive to get to. Apparently this could knock almost 20% off their annual tourism numbers.

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                                              #23
                                              I don't think I'm ever going to get my wonderful beau to accompany me there, sadly.

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                                                #24
                                                Why not?

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                                                  #25
                                                  It's too cold. Same reason I'd live there in a different life.

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