Iceland - a great place to go!

Mountains, cliffs, crashing waves and spraying surf, glaciers, hot springs, volcanoes, moss, boulders, horses...so much to see. I definitely want to go back.

As beautiful as all that was, I'm not going to tell you a whole lot about that, you can find that out on many other websites. Here, I'm going to tell you some tips, tricks, and things you might not have thought of...

I spent two weeks in Iceland in Mid-January and stayed in a house in the heart of Reykjavik with the rest of my photo-marathon team. Most Icelanders speak English very well. They will address you in Icelandic but once you give them a blank look or say something in English, they'll switch to English for you. They are more or less fluent and have a light accent.

There are two tourist offices on Laugavegur St. (the main shopping street in Reykjavik). You can pick up brochures about day tours there, at your hotel, or at the airport when you arrive. Upon selecting a tour you can have an agent at the tourist office call and book it for you, and the bus will pick you up from your hotel. Very convenient. Do compare the agencies and what you'll get to see at what price, some companies charge more than others when the tours offered aren't that much different. The main sites, Gulfoss, Skogarfoss, Thingvellir, Geysir, (etc; the natural wonders) are free to visit, so you're paying the companies to drive you there and explain what you're seeing.

Unfortunately I didn't see an spectacular Northern Lights, though I'm grateful I saw them period. Two big green arcs across the sky. Now, there are tours that will drive you out of Reykjavik in order to better see the lights, but going on such a tour doesn't guarantee you'll see them. If the lights don't show they'll give you another chance at no additional charge. Instead of paying the steep price however, some friends and I split the fare and took a taxi out to the lighthouse where we could see the Northern Lights better than in the heart of Reykjavik.

Food: I didn't really eat out on my trip, so I can't really say much about it. However, the cheapest place to buy groceries is Bonus. There is one located on Laugavegur. They also carry household and personal items, forgot your deodorant? Bonus has it. Alcohol is super expensive.

Weather: It's cold in January. It really wasn't too different from the Northern Mid-West of the USA. It snowed (there were a few inches when I arrived) then it rained. I was out in the cold driving rain, and got soaked in my blue-jeans, and even soaked through parts of my coat, but I didn't get sick or anything from it, and meanwhile my pals were swimming at Blue Lagoon! We had clear days and it snowed again before I left, falling fast and thick, but only a few inches stuck around. I brought snow-pants but never used them.
My advice: just dress weather appropriately, and go inside to warm up periodically.  Long underwear is a good idea if you are going to be outside for a while.  Some people say "no blue jeans." Well, I survived, got soaked twice though; and  I wish my coat had been more water-proof. I wasn't prepared for how wet it was.
The Icelanders in Reykjavik wore skinny jeans and sweaters. 

Something that surprised me: The darkness. Being so far north, the sun begins to set at 4:00 pm and rises around 9:30 am. It's fully light by 10:00 am but the sun never really reaches the sky overhead, it just kind of migrates above the horizon at about what would be a late-afternoon sun position for the the lower 48 of the USA.

Why it is a great place to go: Well, it's so beautiful. The country is rich with natural wonders. It's a great destination for the outdoorsy type. They speak English so if you're worried about that, don't be. I never ran into any stigmas and was never treated rudely for being American.  There is so much variety of landscape that you can see just on day trips out of Reykjavik. Reykjavik itself has some interesting sights of historical value (The Settlement Exhibition, a Viking longhouse excavation, for example). Although a capitol city, it feels more like a lake-side town. Traverse City, Michigan comes to my mind. 

Tip: Save your souvenir receipts. You can receive your sales tax money back when you go to the airport. Some cashiers will give you a form if your purchase there exceeds the minimum, otherwise, you can get one at the airport where they have a special office for this service. I didn't buy a whole lot, but I turned in my receipts and the sales tax I paid was refunded on my debit card shortly thereafter. 

Just for fun: You know two words in Icelandic already. "Hi" and "Bye" have the same pronounciation and meaning in Icelandic (spelled differently though). To have a little fun, learn a few simple Icelandic phrases. Although they'll understand you just fine in English, it'll make them smile.
Takk = Thank you
Takk fyrir = Thank you very much.
Halló = Hello
Bless = Good-bye.  
Goðan daginn = Good morning
Watch this short video to learn greetings
Watch this video to learn "thank you very much"