Niceland: your queries answered

So the last post generated still more questions in the comments box, which I’ll endeavour to answer, even though as most of you will have surmised by now this blog isn’t really about Iceland, nor the weather, but rather a completely self-serving exercise allowing YT to empty the contents of her brain into this endless dumpster called Cyberspace every couple of days.

Be that as it may, I don’t mind answering queries from people who are nice about it and say ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ and especially ‘can I get you any duty free booze’ … nor from people who are faithful readers, nor from any of my friends. In fact, I usually don’t mind answering questions at all, unless the person asking seems to assume that I have been put on this earth solely for the purpose of catering to their touristic needs, to wit: I’m coming to Iceland next week, what will the weather be like from Tuesday to Saturday? Thanks. [signed] Sowanso. Or: Hi, I’ve got a few questions for you. 1. Where should we go to see glaciers … [etc.]

[/rant]

Anyway, Karen and JT presented me with questions in the comments yesterday and as they’re nice people and faithful readers and fulfil all related YT criteria, here are their questions addressed.

Karen:

We're planning on visiting in the later half of next May. Anything special going on in that time period?

Not that I know of, yet – check the listings closer to the time, e.g. here or here.

As for Viking stuff ... hm. I'd suggest checking out the National Museum and also the Reykjavík museum plus minus 876 or whatever it’s called [the craziest name ever for a museum – how can anybody ever remember it?]. I’m not sure which Viking Village you mean, although I vaguely recall hearing something about one … I know there’s a restaurant in Hafnarfjörður that gives you the ‘real Viking experience’ – serve your food in troughs and whathaveyou. I’ve been there once, for a wrap party with some American film crew, when AAH was performing in a Showtime commercial. It was pretty cool – probably worth checking out if you’re into Viking stuff.

JT:

Northern lights - the tour companies "try different places" to see the lights. That sounds like codswallop to me - surely anywhere dark will do. Could you suggest a specific place to go, ie close to Reykjavik, and a paved road which is not too busy at night?

Actually, I don’t think it’s codswallop [what a great word! and so apt] – the Northern Lights appear as streams of light that are constantly moving and shifting, and they don’t appear everywhere. BUT – I’m not an expert so I really don’t know. There are tours that take you out and I think they offer some kind of guarantee, like another tour if you don’t have a sighting, but like I said, I honestly don’t know. The Northern Lights are completely hit and miss, unfortunately – even for us, they always take me a bit by surprise when they appear. They really are exquisitely beautiful – but alas, they can’t be counted on to appear. The conditions have to be just right – cold [below freezing] and clear.

However, if you wanted to try to see them on your own, your best bet is to drive a bit out of the city. I think taking the road to Þingvellir would be a good idea – about a 20 minute drive, up into Mosfellsdalur valley. You’d have to ask someone at your hotel how to get there.

If I rent a normal (not 4x4) car, can I do the golden circle and a few other places in mid Nov reasonably safely?

If the weather is OK and there is no ice on the roads, then yes. You should note that roads outside the capital ice up a lot faster than in Reykjavík. You can check the conditions of the roads here before you set out. Or ask someone at your hotel.

Is it ok to take a 1yr old baby in the blue (or green?) lagoon?

No. They may tell you it’s OK, but … no. There’s all kinds of microorganisms in there and I’ve heard it’s not safe for babies.

Do restaurants and cafes get sniffy about babies?

The posh ones might, but as a rule, no. Iceland is an extremely child-friendly country and you’ll find baby seats in just about every café and restaurant.

Can I get you some duty free booze?

Thanks but we stocked up pretty well on our trip last month. Very sweet of you to ask, though!

Rozanne:

What's leaf bread?

Leaf bread is wafer-thin bread that is deep fried and eaten with smoked lamb. The traditional thing is to decorate them with designs – today families often get together to do this and make an event of it. See pic here.

OKAY THEN! THIS POST HAS GONE ON A BIT LONG
So here is a brief account of the weather – mild, calm, no precipitation. Temps 9°C [48F], sunrise was at 8:29 am and sunset due for 5:55 pm.

YT the one-woman tourist board

Got an email from a reader in Athens, Greece, who is planning to visit our fair isle over Christmas and New Year’s and who presented our YT with a set of questions related to his upcoming trip. Seeing as how the information might be useful to the myriad other punters who are planning on doing the same [if the google searches I’m getting are anything to go by, there are many] I thought I’d post both the questions and the answers here. Doing my bit for king and country, as it were.

What would you suggest as something traditional to do over New Years Holiday?

~ Go out on New Year’s Eve and mix with the locals at the brennur – the big bonfires generally held down by the seashore. [In Reykjavík the one on Ægissíða is the best, in my opinion.] Then at midnight go up to Skólavörðuholt, in front of Hallgrímskirkja church, and observe the mayhem as Reykjavík residents shoot up fireworks worth the GDP of a small African nation within the space of half an hour. TIP: you may want to bring earplugs.

What are the possibilities of seeing the northern lights? (we are renting a vehicle so we have the opportunity to leave the city during the nights).

~ Hit and miss. If you’re lucky it will be cold and clear, the conditions needed for the northern lights to appear. Driving out of the city also increases the chances, what with light pollution and everything.

What would you consider to be the best public pool/water slides for families?

~ 1. Árbæjarlaug, 2. Laugardalslaug.

Best Traditional Icelandic food (I am a big fan of Seafood)?

~ At Christmas? Smoked lamb [hangikjöt], ptarmigan [rjúpa] if you can get it [you probably can’t], reindeer pâté, leaf bread [laufabrauð], smoked puffin. All those will be present at any Christmas buffet in the city [except maybe the ptarmigan], which are hugely popular around that time. If traditional Christmas isn’t de rigueur, then you can’t go wrong with seafood and lamb. Even the most basic restaurant will do good seafood [except, maybe, Icelandic Fish and Chips, as I found out to my dismay] and I can recommend Við Tjörnina [no I’m not getting a kickback – if only!] for great fish dishes.

Okay then! If anyone else has any questions, do send them in, we aim to please.

STILL FREEZING COLD, UNTIL TOMORROW
The last few days have been miserable, what with the freezing temps and particularly the strong wind from the north that gets in through every nook and cranny and just makes you feel so cold. BUT we’re in for southeasterly winds tomorrow and rain for the next few days, much to the chagrin of another reader – from the UK – who emailed yesterday to ask if the weather forecast he’d seen somewhere with temps of 7-12°C was really true. And I was forced to tell him that Iceland is, in fact, the most misnamed country on the planet, save for Greenland which obviously is in a league of its own. Temps crawling upwards, currently 4°C [39F] and sunrise was at 8:23 am, sunset due for 6:02 pm.