The Wrong Way to Visit: An unexpected philosophy Icelanders live by
...
Iceland sits on the rift between the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates.
wanna be an agent http://xtremetravel.ibuumerang.com/ where would you like 2 go, if it was 70% off...
The unexpected philosophy Icelanders live by...
If Iceland were to have a national slogan, it would be ‘þetta reddast’, which roughly translates to the idea that everything will come out in the wash or everything will work out all right in the end.
We were somewhere in the remote Westfjords, a large peninsula in Iceland’s north-west corner, when our campervan first stalled. It was late September, the end of the tourist season in a part of Iceland that sees about 6% of the country’s annual tourist numbers, and the roads were all but empty.
The van stalled twice more as my husband and I made the roughly 200km drive from Látrabjarg, a windswept bird cliff perched on the far western edge of Iceland, back to our base in Ísafjörður, the Westfjords’ largest town ( pop: 2,600 ).
Once we finally got back to our apartment hotel, we called the campervan rental company and told them the issue. Unfortunately, the town’s mechanic wouldn’t be available before we were due to make the drive back to Reykjavik.
“Well,” said the campervan agent, “þetta reddast!”
Katie Hammel encountered Iceland’s motto when her van stalled in the Westfjords
Writer Katie Hammel encountered Iceland’s unofficial motto after her campervan stalled in the remote Westfjords.
A quick Google search informed me that þetta reddast ( pronounced thet-ta red-ust ) doesn’t mean at the end of the day ‘sorry, I’m not paid enough to care about your troubles’, or ‘try not to get stranded in the middle of nowhere’. It means ‘it’ll all work out in the end’ – and if Iceland had an official slogan, this would be it. The phrase near-perfectly sums up the way Icelanders seem to approach life: with a laid-back, easy-going attitude and a great sense of humour.
“It’s just one of those ubiquitous phrases that is around you all the time, a life philosophy wafting through the air,” said Alda Sigmundsdóttir, author of several books about Iceland's history and culture. “It’s generally used in a fairly flippant, upbeat manner. It can also be used to offer comfort, especially if the person doing the comforting doesn’t quite know what to say. It’s sort of a catch-all phrase that way.”
At first glance, it seems an odd philosophy for a place where, for centuries, many things absolutely did not work out all right. Since Iceland’s settlement in the 9th Century, its history is littered with the tales of times when þetta reddast did not apply.
If Iceland had an official slogan, this would be it
In her book, The Little Book of the Icelanders in the Old Days, Sigmundsdóttir recounts some of these hardships: the long winters; extreme poverty; indentured servitude. There were volcanic eruptions, like the 1783 Laki eruption that killed 20% of the 50,000-strong population, as well as 80% of its sheep, which were a vital food source in a country with little agriculture. There were storms that swept in and sank the open rowboats used for fishing, wiping out much of the male populations of entire towns. Things were so bad that even up through the 18th Century, according to Sigmundsdóttir, 30% of babies died before they turned one.
The Iceland of old was an exceptionally hard place to live. And the Iceland of old wasn’t that long ago. “It hasn’t been that long since we were a society of farmers and fishermen, and the seasons and the harsh conditions we lived in had complete control over our lives,” Auður Ösp, founder and owner of I Heart Reykjavik tour company, told me.
The phrase ‘þetta reddast’ near-perfectly sums up Icelanders’ easy-going attitude.
The phrase ‘þetta reddast’ near-perfectly sums up Icelanders’ laid-back, easy-going attitude and a great sense of humour
While Iceland today is an ultra-modern place where wi-fi is abundant, credit cards are accepted everywhere, and the majority of the country is powered by geothermal energy, it was only about 90 years ago that 50% of the population lived in turf houses (traditional homes with walls and roofs made of earth and grass) – so these hardships aren’t such a distant memory. Just 45 years ago, the Eldfell volcano exploded on the small island of Heimaey, spewing millions of tons of ash, engulfing 400 buildings and forcing the evacuation of all 5,000 people who lived there. And just 23 years ago, a massive avalanche decimated the town of Flateyri in the Westfjords, burying more than a dozen homes and killing 20 of the town’s 300 residents.
Even on a day without disasters, Iceland is beholden to the forces of nature. The island moves and breathes in a way few others do; fumaroles exhale steam; hot springs gurgle; geysers belch and bubble; waterfalls thunder. The country sits on the rift between the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates, and those plates are slowly moving apart, widening Iceland by about 3cm per year and causing an average of 500 small earthquakes every week.
Iceland is beholden to the forces of nature
The country’s weather is just as volatile and formidable. Windstorms can reach hurricane force, strong storms can sweep in even in summer, and, on the darkest winter days, the sun shines for just four hours.
“Those who live off the land are in constant battle with the elements,” Ösp said. “For example, when it suddenly starts to snow in August, like it happened in the north a few years ago, you need to drop everything and go out and rescue your animals. Or, when there’s a volcanic eruption that disrupts flights all over the world and leaves a bunch of people stranded in Iceland, you need to think on your feet and figure out what to do.”
Maybe it makes sense, then, that in a place where people were – and still are – so often at the mercy of the weather, the land and the island’s unique geological forces, they’ve learned to give up control, leave things to fate and hope for the best. For these stoic and even-tempered Icelanders, þetta reddast is less a starry-eyed refusal to deal with problems and more an admission that sometimes you must make the best of the hand you’ve been dealt.
Iceland sits on the rift between the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates
Iceland sits on the rift between the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates, whose movements result in volcanic eruptions and earthquakes
The phrase begins to be a little more understandable when you find out that the first Icelanders weren’t marauding Vikings who bravely sailed across the ocean in search of new lands to raid and tribes to wage war upon. Rather, they were mostly Norwegian farmers and peasants fleeing slavery and death at the hands of King Harald Finehair in the 9th Century. They so feared his wrath that they risked the 1,500km journey across the rough North Atlantic seas in small open-hulled boats. It’s hard to imagine those early settlers making the journey – one undertaken with no maps or navigational tools – without a little bit of blind hope.
“We couldn’t live in this environment without a certain level of conviction that things will work out somehow, hard as they seem in the moment,” Ösp said. “Þedda redast represents a certain optimism that Icelanders have and this carefree attitude that borders on recklessness. Sometimes it works out, sometimes it doesn’t, but we don’t let that stop us from trying.”
With the conditions we live under, we’re often forced to make the impossible possible
“It’s not that we’re impulsive or stupid,” Ösp continued. “We just believe in our abilities to fix things. With the conditions we live under, we’re often forced to make the impossible possible.”
And in many cases, Icelanders have made the impossible possible. They turned their stunning 2008 economic collapse and the disruptive 2010 eruptions of an unpronounceable volcano into PR opportunities that made Iceland one of the hottest destinations in the world, attracted millions of visitors and turned tourism into one of the main drivers of a now-robust economy. And in 2016, Iceland stunned the sporting world when it beat the odds to become the smallest country to ever qualify for the UEFA European Championship.
Iceland beat England to make it to the quarter-finals against France. And though there was little chance they’d win, roughly 8% of the Icelandic population travelled to Paris to cheer on the team (they ultimately lost 5-2).
In Iceland, those who live off the land are in constant battle with the elements
Auður Ösp: “Those who live off the land are in constant battle with the elements”
A 2017 University of Iceland survey showed that nearly half of Icelanders say ‘þetta reddast’ is the philosophy they live by. Perhaps, as Sigmundsdóttir and Ösp suggest, this idea that everything will work out has been infused into Icelandic culture through the centuries. After all, for those who survived – and even thrived – against all odds, everything kind of did work out all right in the end.
“This is just my home-grown theory,” Sigmundsdóttir said, “but I think the Icelanders had to face so many hardships that they learned to meet adversity with a combination of laissez-faire and capitulation. It’s something that became ingrained in the Icelandic people through centuries of living with a climate and landscape that always had the upper hand, against which you had to surrender, again and again, because you couldn’t fight them. It’s difficult in Iceland not to feel your insignificance against the elements.”
“I think this mentality shows that we have a belief in ourselves as a nation and as individuals,” Ösp added. “Who would have believed, for example, that a team from a nation of 350,000 people could make it to the 2018 World Cup in Russia? We did – that’s who.”
It seems the Icelandic belief that things will turn out all right also comes with a little effort and ingenuity on the part of the believer.
Nearly half of Icelanders say ‘þetta reddast’ is the philosophy they live by
Nearly half of Icelanders say ‘þetta reddast’ is the philosophy they live by
For my husband and I, that meant trusting that everything would work out on our drive back to Reykjavik. If the ‘þetta reddast’ attitude could help Icelanders thrive on a barely inhabitable rock on the edge of the North Atlantic, surely the same optimism could see us through a few hundred kilometres of remote mountain passes in the unreliable van.
So, just like those early settlers who set sail from Norway, we set out with little assurances but a lot of hope. Of course, we had one major advantage: we had mobile phones.
This is my favorite, by far way to visit a country, especially a country I have never been to, before... I want to see how the people live, not what they (the Tourism Bureau) want the tourists to see... or not what they want to serve to the tourist in the 'tourist traps,' as it were... One needs to go of the beaten path, 'go by the way the crow flies'...
..
Photo
The Wrong Way to Visit Iceland
Ignore everything Instagram & Pinterest shows you, and venture instead to the hidden places few travelers have ever seen.
Notwithstanding, Robert Frost’s poem “The Road Not Taken” is often interpreted as an anthem of individualism and nonconformity, seemingly encouraging readers to take the road less traveled. This interpretation has long been propagated throughout, countless song lyrics, newspaper columns, magazine articles and graduation speeches. But as Frost liked to warn his listeners, “You have to be careful of that one; it’s a tricky poem—very tricky.” In actuality, the two roads diverging in a yellow wood are “really about the same"..., or similar according to Frost, and are equally traveled and quite interchangeable, by many. See, you're not the only one with this idea, nor am I.y.
All our best life hacks and luxury news, in your inbox once a week. Sign up here, see side panel, pls.
Icelanders like to joke that during the course of their adulthood they’ll have no less than seven careers, we American usually talk about avg. of 6 careers in a lifetime—oftentimes two(or three, for some folks economics, seems to dictate this), at once, no less. In fact, being busy is such a part of the national identity, for Americans as well as Icelanders’ most common greeting roughly translates to: “So, busy as always?”
For Herdis Fridriksdottir, who left a career in education to get busier working in tourism, the answer isn’t just “yes.” It’s “more than ever.” "Busy lighting the candle(s) at both ends and looking to light it in the middle as well!"
Since 2012, Iceland’s visitor numbers have been growing an average of ~32 % each year. The country gets seven visitors for every local, with travel now contributing more than 10 percent to gross domestic or national product, making it Iceland’s largest economic sector. If “overtourism” has become a red flag for the global travel industry, like Florida a veritable "Tourist Trap," Iceland is a prime example, but by no means the only one. Some sites are at risk of 'closing,' or have 'closed,' like Fjaðrárgljúfur Canyon featured in a Justin Bieber, music video. (Even if tourism numbers are forecast to drop by about 16 percent in 2019 after the recent bankruptcy of Wow Air.)
That is, of course, if you’re going where everyone else goes.
This relates to The Wrong Way to Visit Iceland
Remote roads in southern Iceland.
Photo
“People feel that all of Iceland is crowded … but that’s like saying a rock concert is fully booked when there are 50 people in the front row and no one in the back,” says Runar Karlsson, head guide for Borea Adventures, one of a handful of outfitters helping to redistribute tourist traffic to the country’s less-known corners. Rather than have his visitors bolt up in pricey Reykjavik hotels and crowd around the Golden Circle on day trips, he focuses on Iceland’s stunning Westfjords, which receives only 12 percent of the country’s peak-season tourist traffic.
So if you don’t also want to fall into what Karlsson characterizes as influencer-inspired Instagram bucket lists (Bieber, again) and the lopsided marketing of a handful of key sites, here’s how to do Iceland right.
relates to The Wrong Way to Visit Iceland
Visiting a local greenhouse on an agricultural tour with Understand Iceland.
Source: Understand Iceland
Instead of focusing on landscapes, focus on locals
“Four years ago, Instagram had 800,000 photos with the Iceland hashtag,” says Gunnar Gunnarsson, a professional photographer who focuses on Iceland’s frigid landscapes. “Today that number is over 12 million.” He says it’s the result of cash-poor operators and freebie-seeking influencers creating an arbitrary (and sometimes destructive) echo chamber of “Insta-famous” and “must-visit” sites.
All this overlooks Iceland’s delightfully quirky culture. The people you meet here can be just as memorable as those ethereal fjords—and Fridriksdottir’s family-run business, Understand Iceland, is making a name for itself by setting up culturally immersive adventures, such as dying wool and knitting with village women.
This relates to The Wrong Way to Visit Iceland
Sea kayaking around the Hornstrandir reserve in the Westfjords.
Photo
Instead of international white-glove operators, support small businesses
Even though most white-glove travel agencies use the same inbound operators to source their “exclusive” experiences, small Icelandic tourism outfits are surprisingly high-quality and easy to reach online. The only catch is that they’re often buried under a few pages of Google search results.
Take Midgard Adventure, a mountaineering company based in the unassuming southern township of Hvolsvollur. Book its Super Jeep tour of the Icelandic outback’s hidden gorges and glaciers, and you may well end up at your guide’s house for lamb stew.
Additionally, both Local Guide and From Coast to Mountain deliver on their names, focusing on staffers’ childhood favorite sites such as the great ice caves of Vatnajokull National Park. The Wilderness Centre also tops many insiders’ lists for its unique hikes, which can culminate at one-of-a-kind accommodations such as traditional turf homes from the early 1800s.
This relates to The Wrong Way to Visit Iceland
Hiking near the crest of Eyjafjallajokull in southern Iceland.
Photo
Instead of transferring to Reykjavik, go south
Though few first-timers realize it, most flights to Iceland land in Keflavik, an hour southwest of the country’s biggest city. About that: Reykjavik is roughly the same size as Rochester, Minn. It’s charming, but skippable.
If seeing the capital is non-negotiable, cap your time there at 25 percent of your visit. Otherwise, head straight to the south coast, where you can stay in contemporary chalets, chic farmhouses, and quaint small boutique hotels. “Most of the tourists I see spend four, five, even six hours a day driving to and from Reykjavik to walk on the glacier at Solheimajokull or visit the lagoon at Jokulsarlon. It completely baffles me,” says Icelandic expedition leader Sigurdur Bjarni Sveinsson. Plus, when you’re based in the countryside, you don’t need to sign up for a northern lights tour—you can just look out the window.
This relates to The Wrong Way to Visit Iceland
Refined cuisine at Moss, the fine-dining restaurant at the Retreat at Blue Lagoon.
Photo
Instead of dining in the capital, eat in the countryside
“The eastern region has really started to come into its own as a culinary destination,” says Carolyn Bain, co-author of the Lonely Planet guide to Iceland. Case in point: Kari Thorsteinsson, the chef de cuisine at Dill in Reykjavik, the first restaurant in Iceland to receive a Michelin star, is about to open a new concept in Egilsstadir that will focus on local product and wild game. The area is also home to restaurants such as Skriduklaustur and its haute twists on Icelandic home cooking, the Japanese-inspired Nord Austur, and Vallanes, which sources high-quality grains and more than 80 varieties of vegetables from its own farm.
This relates to The Wrong Way to Visit Iceland
Gullfoss, one of Iceland’s most storied and photogenic waterfalls.
Photo
Instead of Gullfoss, choose any other waterfall
A photo of Gullfoss, or “Gold Waterfall,” aptly positioned along the Golden Circle, is one of the snaps most tourists are compelled to tick off their bucket lists, despite the fact that there are over 10,000 chutes scattered around the country. Two worth prioritizing are the bundt cake-shaped Dynjandi in the Westfjords and Aldeyjarfoss, with its organ-pipe basalt columns; they see a fraction of Gullfoss’s tourist traffic and are just as photogenic, if not more so.
This relates to The Wrong Way to Visit Iceland
The Retreat at Blue Lagoon may no longer be secret, but it does have a secret suite—shown here.
Source: The Retreat at Blue Lagoon
Instead of Blue Lagoon, visit the Retreat
There’s a certain Disneyland quality to Blue Lagoon, Iceland’s famous silica-rich swimming experience. An entrepreneur’s vision turned the boiling runoff from a geothermal power station into what’s now essentially an expensive, scenic bath with a swim-up bar (entrance starts at $59). It’s so popular, it’s inspired similar commodified experiences at Fontana hot springs and the (not-so-) Secret Lagoon.
If you’re dead set on checking out the main attraction, beat the crowds by booking into Iceland’s only true five-star hotel, a Brutalist enclave of graciously appointed rooms called the Retreat. Its sprawling spa offers access to a private portion of the Blue Lagoon, the restaurant has an expansive wine cellar, and its guides take guests on tailor-made outings through mossy fields and jagged beaches nearby.
Another approach: Head to one of Iceland’s many dramatically sited municipal pools, like Hofsos in the north or Seladalur in the east. Both are filled with soothing, mineral-rich spring water and command an entry fee of less than $9.
This relates to The Wrong Way to Visit Iceland
Whale watching and fishing vessels docked in Husavik’s small harbor.
Photo
Instead of planning a long layover near the airport, fly farther afield
IcelandAir’s free extended layover program has been a huge contributor to the country’s tourism growth. But short stays needn’t be kept to a tight radius of the airport—particularly now that ample domestic flights have made it easy to get to the remote northeast in just 45 minutes. Here’s the long weekend itinerary, doable either as a series of guided day trips or as a self-guided road trip.
Carve a triangle from Akureyri over to Myvatn’s bizarre collection of earthen anomalies (alien lava fields, volcanic craters, and steaming earth), then up to the adorable port village of Husavik for whale watching. If you have a pinch of extra time, tack on the verdant canyons of Asbyrgi or the waterfall at Dettifoss—Europe’s largest by volume.
This relates to The Wrong Way to Visit Iceland
See the tourist hordes along the Western Loop? Neither do we.
Photo
Instead of the Ring Road, do the Western Loop
Iceland’s Ring Road is one of the most popular circuits for travelers, largely because it’s well-paved and forms a neat circle around most of the country’s perimeter. However, there’s a quieter and far more picturesque way to see the island in the same amount of time—at least eight days if you want to step foot outside your vehicle.
This Western Loop, as we’re dubbing it, follows the fjordlets along the western coastline up from Reykjavik, past Borgarnes, through the Snaefellsnes peninsula, across Breidafjordur’s 3,000 islands by ferry, then up into the Westfjords where dramatic, lobster claw-like outcrops snip away at the Arctic Circle. You’ll pass tiny fishing villages tucked under towering, glacially hewn mountain passes all the way to Isafjordur, where you can launch day and overnight trips into the wild Hornstrandir Reserve, home to roving arctic foxes and riotous bird colonies. Follow the craggy coast to Holmavik, where you can use a small portion of the Ring Road to close the gap back toward Reykjavik through the Golden Circle.
Conveniently, the circuit showcases some of Iceland’s best accommodations and cultural attractions, such as boutique digs in an old merchant’s home, an arctic mammal research center, and private cottages on a working ranch.
This relates to The Wrong Way to Visit Iceland
Sunrise during a November adventure through Iceland’s highlands.
Photo
Instead of shoulder season, go in November
The most obvious way to avoid crowds anywhere is to travel during shoulder season. But in Iceland, even the tail end of summer has become swollen with booked-out hotels. This makes a strong case for visiting in the statistically quietest month: November.
Don’t shudder thinking about the weather. Iceland never promises sunshine—even in summer (it’s like that Vanessa Williams lyric, “sometimes the snow comes down in June”).
And if you’re not going to get great weather regardless, you might as well get a different perk: great lighting. Says Gunnarsson of the six or so hours the sun is up, “At the end of the year, you have a constant ‘golden hour’ glow. It’s perfect for photography.”
For safe xtremetravel at deep discounts, check us out xtremetravel.paycationonline.com/index.asp
wanna be an agent http://xtremetravel.ibuumerang.com/ where would you like 2 go, if it was 70% off...
How not to blow all your money traveling in Iceland
- Visit through a stopover. One of the easiest ways to reduce the costs of visiting Iceland is to not buy a flight at all. ...
- Visit during the winter. ...
- Sacrifice your healthy eating habits. ...
- Fill all the seats in your rental car. ...
- Don't drink alcohol. ...
- Bring a reusable water bottle. ...
- Couchsurf, crowdsurf. ...
- Or…stay in an apartment with friends .or.guest house Airbnb Free...
•
Mar 11, 2015
For the rare few who are not travelling to Iceland by aircraft, you will arrive by ferry to the shores of East Iceland, in the town of Seyðisfjörður. The ferry, Norræna ...
This is my favorite, by far way to visit a country, especially a country I have never been to, before... I want to see how the people live, not what they (the Tourism Bureau) want the tourists to see... or not what they want to serve to the tourist in the 'tourist traps,' as it were... One needs to go of the beaten path, 'go by the way the crow flies'...
..
Photo
The Wrong Way to Visit Iceland
Ignore everything Instagram & Pinterest shows you, and venture instead to the hidden places few travelers have ever seen.
The Road Not Taken
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,And sorry I could not travel bothAnd looked down one as far as I couldAnd be one traveler, long I stoodThen took the other, as just as fair,To where it bent in the undergrowth;Because it was grassy and wanted wear;And having perhaps the better claim,Though as for that the passing thereIn leaves no step had trodden black.Had worn them really about the same,And both that morning equally layOh, I kept the first for another day!I shall be telling this with a sighYet knowing how way leads on to way,I doubted if I should ever come back.Somewhere ages and ages hence:And that has made all the difference.Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—I took the one less traveled by,
All our best life hacks and luxury news, in your inbox once a week. Sign up here, see side panel, pls.
Icelanders like to joke that during the course of their adulthood they’ll have no less than seven careers, we American usually talk about avg. of 6 careers in a lifetime—oftentimes two(or three, for some folks economics, seems to dictate this), at once, no less. In fact, being busy is such a part of the national identity, for Americans as well as Icelanders’ most common greeting roughly translates to: “So, busy as always?”
For Herdis Fridriksdottir, who left a career in education to get busier working in tourism, the answer isn’t just “yes.” It’s “more than ever.” "Busy lighting the candle(s) at both ends and looking to light it in the middle as well!"
Since 2012, Iceland’s visitor numbers have been growing an average of ~32 % each year. The country gets seven visitors for every local, with travel now contributing more than 10 percent to gross domestic or national product, making it Iceland’s largest economic sector. If “overtourism” has become a red flag for the global travel industry, like Florida a veritable "Tourist Trap," Iceland is a prime example, but by no means the only one. Some sites are at risk of 'closing,' or have 'closed,' like Fjaðrárgljúfur Canyon featured in a Justin Bieber, music video. (Even if tourism numbers are forecast to drop by about 16 percent in 2019 after the recent bankruptcy of Wow Air.)
That is, of course, if you’re going where everyone else goes.
This relates to The Wrong Way to Visit Iceland
Remote roads in southern Iceland.
Photo
“People feel that all of Iceland is crowded … but that’s like saying a rock concert is fully booked when there are 50 people in the front row and no one in the back,” says Runar Karlsson, head guide for Borea Adventures, one of a handful of outfitters helping to redistribute tourist traffic to the country’s less-known corners. Rather than have his visitors bolt up in pricey Reykjavik hotels and crowd around the Golden Circle on day trips, he focuses on Iceland’s stunning Westfjords, which receives only 12 percent of the country’s peak-season tourist traffic.
So if you don’t also want to fall into what Karlsson characterizes as influencer-inspired Instagram bucket lists (Bieber, again) and the lopsided marketing of a handful of key sites, here’s how to do Iceland right.
relates to The Wrong Way to Visit Iceland
Visiting a local greenhouse on an agricultural tour with Understand Iceland.
Source: Understand Iceland
Instead of focusing on landscapes, focus on locals
“Four years ago, Instagram had 800,000 photos with the Iceland hashtag,” says Gunnar Gunnarsson, a professional photographer who focuses on Iceland’s frigid landscapes. “Today that number is over 12 million.” He says it’s the result of cash-poor operators and freebie-seeking influencers creating an arbitrary (and sometimes destructive) echo chamber of “Insta-famous” and “must-visit” sites.
All this overlooks Iceland’s delightfully quirky culture. The people you meet here can be just as memorable as those ethereal fjords—and Fridriksdottir’s family-run business, Understand Iceland, is making a name for itself by setting up culturally immersive adventures, such as dying wool and knitting with village women.
This relates to The Wrong Way to Visit Iceland
Sea kayaking around the Hornstrandir reserve in the Westfjords.
Photo
Instead of international white-glove operators, support small businesses
Even though most white-glove travel agencies use the same inbound operators to source their “exclusive” experiences, small Icelandic tourism outfits are surprisingly high-quality and easy to reach online. The only catch is that they’re often buried under a few pages of Google search results.
Take Midgard Adventure, a mountaineering company based in the unassuming southern township of Hvolsvollur. Book its Super Jeep tour of the Icelandic outback’s hidden gorges and glaciers, and you may well end up at your guide’s house for lamb stew.
Additionally, both Local Guide and From Coast to Mountain deliver on their names, focusing on staffers’ childhood favorite sites such as the great ice caves of Vatnajokull National Park. The Wilderness Centre also tops many insiders’ lists for its unique hikes, which can culminate at one-of-a-kind accommodations such as traditional turf homes from the early 1800s.
This relates to The Wrong Way to Visit Iceland
Hiking near the crest of Eyjafjallajokull in southern Iceland.
Photo
Instead of transferring to Reykjavik, go south
Though few first-timers realize it, most flights to Iceland land in Keflavik, an hour southwest of the country’s biggest city. About that: Reykjavik is roughly the same size as Rochester, Minn. It’s charming, but skippable.
If seeing the capital is non-negotiable, cap your time there at 25 percent of your visit. Otherwise, head straight to the south coast, where you can stay in contemporary chalets, chic farmhouses, and quaint small boutique hotels. “Most of the tourists I see spend four, five, even six hours a day driving to and from Reykjavik to walk on the glacier at Solheimajokull or visit the lagoon at Jokulsarlon. It completely baffles me,” says Icelandic expedition leader Sigurdur Bjarni Sveinsson. Plus, when you’re based in the countryside, you don’t need to sign up for a northern lights tour—you can just look out the window.
This relates to The Wrong Way to Visit Iceland
Refined cuisine at Moss, the fine-dining restaurant at the Retreat at Blue Lagoon.
Photo
Instead of dining in the capital, eat in the countryside
“The eastern region has really started to come into its own as a culinary destination,” says Carolyn Bain, co-author of the Lonely Planet guide to Iceland. Case in point: Kari Thorsteinsson, the chef de cuisine at Dill in Reykjavik, the first restaurant in Iceland to receive a Michelin star, is about to open a new concept in Egilsstadir that will focus on local product and wild game. The area is also home to restaurants such as Skriduklaustur and its haute twists on Icelandic home cooking, the Japanese-inspired Nord Austur, and Vallanes, which sources high-quality grains and more than 80 varieties of vegetables from its own farm.
This relates to The Wrong Way to Visit Iceland
Gullfoss, one of Iceland’s most storied and photogenic waterfalls.
Photo
Instead of Gullfoss, choose any other waterfall
A photo of Gullfoss, or “Gold Waterfall,” aptly positioned along the Golden Circle, is one of the snaps most tourists are compelled to tick off their bucket lists, despite the fact that there are over 10,000 chutes scattered around the country. Two worth prioritizing are the bundt cake-shaped Dynjandi in the Westfjords and Aldeyjarfoss, with its organ-pipe basalt columns; they see a fraction of Gullfoss’s tourist traffic and are just as photogenic, if not more so.
This relates to The Wrong Way to Visit Iceland
The Retreat at Blue Lagoon may no longer be secret, but it does have a secret suite—shown here.
Source: The Retreat at Blue Lagoon
Instead of Blue Lagoon, visit the Retreat
There’s a certain Disneyland quality to Blue Lagoon, Iceland’s famous silica-rich swimming experience. An entrepreneur’s vision turned the boiling runoff from a geothermal power station into what’s now essentially an expensive, scenic bath with a swim-up bar (entrance starts at $59). It’s so popular, it’s inspired similar commodified experiences at Fontana hot springs and the (not-so-) Secret Lagoon.
If you’re dead set on checking out the main attraction, beat the crowds by booking into Iceland’s only true five-star hotel, a Brutalist enclave of graciously appointed rooms called the Retreat. Its sprawling spa offers access to a private portion of the Blue Lagoon, the restaurant has an expansive wine cellar, and its guides take guests on tailor-made outings through mossy fields and jagged beaches nearby.
Another approach: Head to one of Iceland’s many dramatically sited municipal pools, like Hofsos in the north or Seladalur in the east. Both are filled with soothing, mineral-rich spring water and command an entry fee of less than $9.
This relates to The Wrong Way to Visit Iceland
Whale watching and fishing vessels docked in Husavik’s small harbor.
Photo
Instead of planning a long layover near the airport, fly farther afield
IcelandAir’s free extended layover program has been a huge contributor to the country’s tourism growth. But short stays needn’t be kept to a tight radius of the airport—particularly now that ample domestic flights have made it easy to get to the remote northeast in just 45 minutes. Here’s the long weekend itinerary, doable either as a series of guided day trips or as a self-guided road trip.
Carve a triangle from Akureyri over to Myvatn’s bizarre collection of earthen anomalies (alien lava fields, volcanic craters, and steaming earth), then up to the adorable port village of Husavik for whale watching. If you have a pinch of extra time, tack on the verdant canyons of Asbyrgi or the waterfall at Dettifoss—Europe’s largest by volume.
This relates to The Wrong Way to Visit Iceland
See the tourist hordes along the Western Loop? Neither do we.
Photo
Instead of the Ring Road, do the Western Loop
Iceland’s Ring Road is one of the most popular circuits for travelers, largely because it’s well-paved and forms a neat circle around most of the country’s perimeter. However, there’s a quieter and far more picturesque way to see the island in the same amount of time—at least eight days if you want to step foot outside your vehicle.
This Western Loop, as we’re dubbing it, follows the fjordlets along the western coastline up from Reykjavik, past Borgarnes, through the Snaefellsnes peninsula, across Breidafjordur’s 3,000 islands by ferry, then up into the Westfjords where dramatic, lobster claw-like outcrops snip away at the Arctic Circle. You’ll pass tiny fishing villages tucked under towering, glacially hewn mountain passes all the way to Isafjordur, where you can launch day and overnight trips into the wild Hornstrandir Reserve, home to roving arctic foxes and riotous bird colonies. Follow the craggy coast to Holmavik, where you can use a small portion of the Ring Road to close the gap back toward Reykjavik through the Golden Circle.
Conveniently, the circuit showcases some of Iceland’s best accommodations and cultural attractions, such as boutique digs in an old merchant’s home, an arctic mammal research center, and private cottages on a working ranch.
This relates to The Wrong Way to Visit Iceland
Sunrise during a November adventure through Iceland’s highlands.
Photo
Instead of shoulder season, go in November
The most obvious way to avoid crowds anywhere is to travel during shoulder season. But in Iceland, even the tail end of summer has become swollen with booked-out hotels. This makes a strong case for visiting in the statistically quietest month: November.
Don’t shudder thinking about the weather. Iceland never promises sunshine—even in summer (it’s like that Vanessa Williams lyric, “sometimes the snow comes down in June”).
And if you’re not going to get great weather regardless, you might as well get a different perk: great lighting. Says Gunnarsson of the six or so hours the sun is up, “At the end of the year, you have a constant ‘golden hour’ glow. It’s perfect for photography.”
For safe xtremetravel at deep discounts, check us out xtremetravel.paycationonline.com/index.asp
wanna be an agent http://xtremetravel.ibuumerang.com/ where would you like 2 go, if it was 70% off...
Comments
Post a Comment