I had my first Icelandic ‘What A Country’ moment even before touching down in Iceland. The air sickness bag on Icelandair, instead of a dry, boring sanitary notification, introduced the Icelandic word ‘Loftslag,’ explaining it meant ‘climate, being one of the things that is a surprise to every visitor to Iceland.’ I love learning new words in the language of the country I’m visiting, although I’d never had an air sickness bag provide me with such important vocabulary.
What whimsy! What cleverness!
That first morning (all North American flights to Reykjavík arrive in the morning) was overcast and cool.
“This is what we Icelanders call good weather,” deadpanned our bus driver. And soon after, I saw a street billboard with a model in a raincoat, and hood, boasting the caption, “Summer has arrived!”
In Reykjavík, I liked that tipping was not expected, and one guidebook (if you can believe guidebooks) even went so far as to say a tip would be seen as an insult. No one in Iceland confirmed this, but they were intrigued by the question, which garnered a similar reaction when I naïvely asked them if they believed in trolls, hidden folk and elves. (They were unwilling to give a direct answer in all cases!)
A few other things I immediately liked about this country: you can reportedly drink the water anywhere, even in streams; and airplanes land right in the middle of the capital city. It’s reminiscent of old times in Hong Kong and in my old hometown, Edmonton. International flights, however, connect to the main airport an hour by bus from the centre of town.
Like other island countries (think Japan), things are well organized and run smoothly. That said, there’s no apparent strict adherence to rules, meaning the people are flexible and reasonable: they may ask to take your ticket, but if you say you need it, they say “okay, just keep it.”
There’s no mad rush to follow a schedule. Like Japan, Iceland is a whaling nation – neither nation signed the whale hunting moratorium, and as we go to press, Iceland will return to hunting after a four-year hiatus. Icelanders were worried about how this decision would affect the country’s reputation. I’m not sure if it’s a game changer.
Many Icelanders speak excellent, or at the very least passable, English, yet they’re flattered by any attempts to learn Icelandic. ‘Smoking Banned in Lavatory,’ also from our fight, was my second stab at the language, and is not as off the wall as you might think. Smoking Bay is the translation of Reykjavík, so any Icelandic words related to ‘smoking’ become crystal clear.
RETRO COOL
If you like Portland, Oregon, you’ll probably like Reykjavík, Iceland. How so? Reykjavík is retro cool, and although there were no ‘Keep Reykjavík Cool’ signs, this was the unstated leitmotif. No, I’m not talking weather now. Let’s face it, you’re going to have iffy weather, so close to the Arctic Circle. As locals say, ‘wear layers.’
The ‘retro-cool’ vibe was truly the feel at our retro chic Exeter Hotel, located in an old part of town overlooking the harbour. Self-serve breakfast was included in The Kock restaurant, where each table is covered with US basketball cards from another era. A wildly popular, and inexpensive pastry shop is part of the restaurant/hotel complex, which includes lockers for bags, if your flight arrives early, or if you’re leaving the harbour in a cruise ship, as we were.
The flying Kock is a popular beer item whose name amused me, especially after learning the Icelandic Phallic Museum is located just down the street. Genuinely funky cafés abound and even touristy areas, like Laugavegur and Skólavörðustígur have them, if you look hard enough.
Mokka-Kaffi and Mama Love come to mind. Come in, order coffee, read a book and/or go on their Wifi. Mokka-Kaffi calls itself the city’s oldest coffee house. The funkiest café we saw was Reykjavík Roasters, whose baristas win prizes annually. (It can be found on Kárastígur Street).
Skólavörðustígur Street leads up to the highest point in town, the Hallgrímskirkja Church, built to resemble a columnar basalt ‘organ pipe’ formation. Trudging up to its doors is like a pilgrimage, followed by a wait to take an elevator trip up the main tower for views of up to 20 km away. It’s not exactly the Icelandic equivalent of the Eiffel Tower but is worth the trip up.
From above, we spotted our cruise ship and thought we could see the steam of the famous Blue Lagoon, which we’d visited the day before. Visitors must eventually answer this question: Should we go to the biggest visitors’ attraction in town, the area’s equivalent of Disneyland? My answer: a resounding ‘yes’! Give yourself at least four hours, go for the three-mud mask treatment, and know that you can have a relatively cheap snack overlooking the waters.
As a relaxing and fun activity, it’s hard to beat, and I have fond memories of the 45-minute bus trip along a lunar-looking lava field where I felt transported to another planet! Some folks visit the lagoon just before leaving Iceland, since it is located relatively close to the airport. Sounds like a relaxing idea, but in today’s travel scene, might be a tad stressful, since airlines want you to arrive hours in advance of take-off. A better choice might be to go there upon your arrival.
Back in the harbour area, the Settlement Exhibition at the Reykjavík City Museum is in a unique spot, an ancient archeological site, showing what Reykjavík looked like 1,000 years ago. Situated inside a low-ceilinged basement, it’s easy to imagine life at the beginning of Reykjavík’s history.
A huge contrast is the nearby, but ultra-modern Harpa Concert Hall and Conference Centre, on the historic waterfront, where we saw a fabulous multi-media presentation. Another funky place you might want to visit is the tiny punk museum, down a wildly painted staircase which warns, among other things, that the museum is not a toilet!
Thing is, it was one back in punk rock’s heyday. The old urinals are brightly painted and the old toilet bowl pokes fun at visitors – ‘stick your head in and hear the ocean!’ is one label that sticks in my memory. If you feel the urge, it’s located just off the intersection of Austurstræti and Lækjargata Streets
Don’t forget to chat with the Icelanders. They have a wonderful sense of humour and fun, and seemed to get all the English idioms I could throw at them.
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