johannielscom
Snorting silver salts
My recommendation for Iceland: repay the bleeding money you owe The Netherlands from that bust bank of yours!
sorry, could not resist, I tried for two days
Have a nice trip, OP!
sorry, could not resist, I tried for two days Have a nice trip, OP!
Bobfrance
Over Exposed
The company I work for is financed by an Icelandic bank and they have been just fine - so I have no such complaints.
Sebben your place looks amazing. If we had more time I would love to stay.
Hopefully it will be for longer next time.
Sebben your place looks amazing. If we had more time I would love to stay.
Hopefully it will be for longer next time.
Tracnac
Established
Tom A
RFF Sponsor
I have been there a couple of times - but a long time ago. What is astonishing is the light!In May you will have the beginning of long days with amazing light. Very clear and edgy - and you can shoot long into the evening.
Quite barren landscape, few trees but amazing lava flow formation and pumice.
Their food can be a bit of a challenge - unless you really like fish! Avoid "Black Death" a locally made alcoholic beverage - dont place a lens close to it - it will de-coat it.
The "locals' are multilingual, Icelandic, Danish, English etc. One of the most literate countries in the world.
I want to go back sometime and spend some more time there. It is different in many ways - but also familiar if you grew up in the Nordic countries (Sweden, Denmark, Norway or Finland).
Four days are a short - but it will probably be just a teaser for a return trip.
Quite barren landscape, few trees but amazing lava flow formation and pumice.
Their food can be a bit of a challenge - unless you really like fish! Avoid "Black Death" a locally made alcoholic beverage - dont place a lens close to it - it will de-coat it.
The "locals' are multilingual, Icelandic, Danish, English etc. One of the most literate countries in the world.
I want to go back sometime and spend some more time there. It is different in many ways - but also familiar if you grew up in the Nordic countries (Sweden, Denmark, Norway or Finland).
Four days are a short - but it will probably be just a teaser for a return trip.
S
StuartR
Guest
Tom -- I think the food has made great strides in the past few years...it is still no New York, Tokyo or London, but it is now possible to get a great variety of food in Reykjavík...not just Icelandic food. A lot of the more exotic dishes (all the pickled meats and rotting shark etc) are not really things most people eat on a regular basis. Most of those foods are eaten once a year at a festival called Þorrablót in February. You will safely avoid it. What they do have is some of the best fish and lamb in the world, and a rising culture of locally sourced produce and meat, especially since the crisis. One of the most positive aspects of the crisis has been that it has encouraged Icelanders to consume their local goods again, so instead of importing most meat and produce, a lot of it is being made locally. All the sheep are out in the fields and eating grasses, as are many of the cattle herds. There are even "settlement" breeds of goats and chickens that have been genetically segregated since the original colonization of Iceland (870s), so they are far removed from the modern genetically modified livestock that we see in most of the West. There are some amazing farmhouse dairy products, preserves, chutneys, ice creams, smoked and dried fish, jerkies and so on. It is a lot different than even five years ago.
Last edited by a moderator:
totifoto
Well-known
Hi Bob
I´m an Icelander and live in Iceland.
Feel free to ask me anything you want and need to know.
I´m an Icelander and live in Iceland.
Feel free to ask me anything you want and need to know.
Bobfrance
Over Exposed
Well folks,
I thought I'd update this thread now I'm back from Iceland.
We tried to cram in all the major sights in the short time we had there: the volcano, whale watching, Gufloss, the Blue Lagoon and the site of the original Viking parliament.
A big thanks to all who contributed especially StuartR who kindly took the time to PM me with a few tips.
Whilst I'm still processing the shots I have some pics on my flickr here
And here's a few favourites...
One of our guides
Ash damage around Eyjafallajökull
Geysir
Seat of the original parliament and meeting place of tectonic plates
Our guide showing us the extent of the ash fall
Gullfoss
Gullfoss
The meeting place of tectonic plates
A 360 deg shot of our apartment in Reykjavik
I found Iceland to be a wonderful place and it's people were great. I intend to return as soon as I can to discover more of the detail of the place, particular Reykjavik which we saw far too little of. I heartily recommend it to everyone.
Bob.
I thought I'd update this thread now I'm back from Iceland.
We tried to cram in all the major sights in the short time we had there: the volcano, whale watching, Gufloss, the Blue Lagoon and the site of the original Viking parliament.
A big thanks to all who contributed especially StuartR who kindly took the time to PM me with a few tips.
Whilst I'm still processing the shots I have some pics on my flickr here
And here's a few favourites...
One of our guides
Ash damage around Eyjafallajökull
Geysir
Seat of the original parliament and meeting place of tectonic plates
Our guide showing us the extent of the ash fall
Gullfoss
Gullfoss
The meeting place of tectonic plates
A 360 deg shot of our apartment in Reykjavik
I found Iceland to be a wonderful place and it's people were great. I intend to return as soon as I can to discover more of the detail of the place, particular Reykjavik which we saw far too little of. I heartily recommend it to everyone.
Bob.
peter_n
Veteran
Bob I'm glad you had such a good time and these are wonderful pictures.
No wonder Stuart lives there!
No wonder Stuart lives there!
randomT
Member
I'd recomment a trip to landmannalaugar. It's a famous camping site in the middle of the country. You can rent into a small hut there and buy food on site to cook yourself, so there is no limit for your stay there. It's beautifully located and the area is nice enough to make different hiking trips and see something else everyday. I would at least stay one night, since nothing beats bathing in the hot springs there at sunset.
Reijkjavik itself is not a nice city and the blue lagoon is too touristy.
Reijkjavik itself is not a nice city and the blue lagoon is too touristy.
randomT
Member
for more info, check http://www.landmannalaugar.info/
Black
Photographer.
Where were you based Bob? That apartment looks pretty slick! Got a real hankering to visit Iceland now...
Bobfrance
Over Exposed
We stayed at Apartment K www.apartmentk.is which is a number of little apartments scattered around the city.
We booked through laterooms. They were excellent value at £50 per night and even better value when we were given a free upgrade to the 2 bed luxury apartment because all the others were full. Something which I believe happens fairly often.
The apartments were beautifully fitted out; the shower/bath which just looked like a giant wooden bucket with a ladder up the side was a bit mad, but the Swedish beds were superb, so much so that we bought one when we got back.
The saving on the accommodation did help offset the cost of food/drink making it a fairly affordable hoiday.
Whilst Rejkjavik may not be all that pretty as a city, neither did it feel threatening as many are. I felt it has a real creative vibe and a lot of interesting things going on.
We booked through laterooms. They were excellent value at £50 per night and even better value when we were given a free upgrade to the 2 bed luxury apartment because all the others were full. Something which I believe happens fairly often.
The apartments were beautifully fitted out; the shower/bath which just looked like a giant wooden bucket with a ladder up the side was a bit mad, but the Swedish beds were superb, so much so that we bought one when we got back.
The saving on the accommodation did help offset the cost of food/drink making it a fairly affordable hoiday.
Whilst Rejkjavik may not be all that pretty as a city, neither did it feel threatening as many are. I felt it has a real creative vibe and a lot of interesting things going on.
Black
Photographer.
You got mail!
abumac
Well-known
You have a lot of nice Youth-Hostels with double and family-rooms all over Iceland. http://www.hostel.is/displayer.asp?cat_id=13
Hostels and hotels in Reykjavik: http://www.hostelseek.com/hostels/europe/iceland/reykjavik.html
A free GPS-map with roads, hiking routes, gas-stations, supermarkets ...
http://www.ourfootprints.de/gps/mapsource-island_e.html
When I went there five years ago, this was the cheapest rent-a-car: http://hasso.is/
Hostels and hotels in Reykjavik: http://www.hostelseek.com/hostels/europe/iceland/reykjavik.html
A free GPS-map with roads, hiking routes, gas-stations, supermarkets ...
http://www.ourfootprints.de/gps/mapsource-island_e.html
When I went there five years ago, this was the cheapest rent-a-car: http://hasso.is/
S
StuartR
Guest
I would say this is definitely a matter of opinion. It is not like New York or Berlin, but then again, that's why I like it. I used to live in New York, and every day that I spend in Reykjavik I count myself lucky for being able to live there. That said, it is a more interesting city to live in than to visit. Much of what is going on is very spontaneous and you either have to have Icelandic contacts or be fairly lucky to stumble onto things. Icelanders operate by word of mouth, and they are not good at planning things, so stuff seems to just be publicized through facebook and through friends of friends. If you are looking for world class museums or concerts etc, remember that this is a tiny country -- around 300,000 people in the entire place. Reykjavik itself punches above its weight as a cultural destination, but it is still a teeny-tiny city.
Anyway, I am glad you had a nice time Bob! It's nice to see your photos too.
Last edited by a moderator: