And the last thing to do:<BR><BR>Have a drink (or a bottle) of "Svartadaudir" (Black Death). Nothing compares, and only Icelanders survive this homemade stuff.....<BR>Bjorn, Oslo

Sylvia (and anyone else :) )<BR><BR>Where in Iceland did you see icebergs? <BR>

Up for Callie.<BR><BR>

such a good read deserves a bump... =)

Topping by request...

get back up there!

topping for lindaandroger<BR><BR>kavey

Ok, Amy, I have to ask even if this isn't what this discussion is about! How in the world do you afford so many trips?! From someone who wants to see the world, I'd like to know your secret!! You just aren't exceedingly rich are you?!?! I hope not, cause then I have no hope, at least not right now, LOL!!

Um, maybe you have me confused with someone else...I only go on about two or three trips a year, which is the cost of<BR>1. the car that I don't have since I live in a city with a great public transportation system<BR>2. the business suits I don't have to buy 'cause I can dress like Ms. Frizzle, and <BR>3. the perpetual supply of really good chocolate that I don't have because I prefer to travel instead!<BR>(Not to mention that I travel sorta cheaply.)<BR><BR>Of course, I've been travelling for a loooooong time, so I've been to a lot of places. Age is a good thing.

#101 - find Bjork's house, stand in front, take a picture - go back to the states and show it to your fellow Bjork fan friends - who will be totally envious

Up for Dave's Days!

Sending this up for Greg the radio guy...<BR>and 'cause I'm getting homesick for Iceland and December's a long way away....<BR><BR>and it's 98 degrees outside.

I will have to add the 101 here:<BR><BR>101) The cooles group in the world - Sigur Ros - they are like the voice of the angels. don't miss it.

just read these somewhere:<BR>102. 80% of homes in Reykjavik are geothermatically heated. it's also the cleanest capital city in the world.<BR><BR>103. Icelanders have the longest life expectancy in the world. (I thought it was Japan)<BR><BR>104. It is illegal to burn trees or shrubs in Iceland<BR><BR>105. There are 45 golf courses in Iceland<BR><BR>106. 11% of Iceland is covered with glaciers<BR><BR>107. You cannot graduate from school in Iceland unless you know how to swim.

Anyone for 200?

108. The Iceland Review online...wonderful resource.<BR><BR>(I'm also seeing if topping this will put it back into the indexing...but at least now I've got it saved in my files.)

Topping this again (my apologies) for the general query on Iceland, as this post is no longer in the indexing.<BR><BR>I'm getting ready to book for New Year's in Iceland--bonfires, parties, fireworks...sounds like lots of fun!<BR><BR>If anybody knows a way to get this re-indexed (er, is that the word?) I'd appreciate it.

Hello, brave and intrepid souls!<BR><BR>I'm trying this just one more time--bringing the thread back into circulation to see if now, now that a wind of change has blown through (et cetera), now this thread can become indexed again.<BR><BR>I'm just an eternal optimist, I guess!<BR><BR>(PS I didn't get there at New Years--no connecting flight available New Years' Day {so I went to Vancouver instead and had a great time, but that's a different board} so I'm hoping to do so next New Year)

To the top for annie613~~Happy trails to all!

...and the 100th post about the 100 best things in Iceland.<BR><BR>100. A supermarket where the clerk tells you the total in accentless Japlish, knowing well that almost nobody speaks Icelandic except Icelanders.<BR><BR>(Runner-up is the pleasant shopping center in Reykjavik, the largest in the country. It is not too large! ...but fun, nonetheless.)

Have just booked first trip to Iceland (enroute to France). The thread is entertaining-wonder if there will be something to add....

I'm topping this for the Thanksgiving queries, as it doesn't come up in an Iceland search.

Thanksgiving should be great; the latest I've been is mid-October, but Reykjavik is cozy even then and there are many adventure tours geared to the winter months. (Here's hoping I'll get there this New Year!)

One of the most memorable things we did was to take a day excursion plane trip to Greenland. &gt;:D&lt;

Sending this up for Suzanne, who contacted me...and for the rest of the Iceland dreamers!
(For those of you who can take vacations at any time, Iceland's really cheap to get to right now. Alas, I can't go.)

Walking into a pub in Reykjavik and paying $8.50 for a glass of beer......OUCH!!!!!!

I'm going in June. This is making me even more excited about it.

We are going after christmas this year. We will be staying near Grindavik.

What a great thread! We're stopping there - but just a day - on a cruiseship, but now I have some ideas about what to do.

Those of you with your noses in the air about cruising need to think of it as a buffet. You sample some of the items and then decide which ones you want to go back and have more!

At my age, it's the quickest way to sample lots of places - and then go back for a couple of weeks.

We did this last year. We were on a cruise that started in Venice - we fell in love. We went back to Italy 2 more times and could go back many more.

But! The world calls. I want to see all I can while I can.

It does sound as if we'll be going back to Iceland, though, just from reading (and virtually experiencing Iceland) through this thread!

THANKS!

bump

#101. Sauteed cod cheeks for dinner (the sweetest morsels of fish in the world.)

#102. Salty licorice

#103. The incredibly hot water flowing from the taps in the hotel in November (supposedly they just pump in hot water from a geothermal spring). Ahhh.

#104. The adorable houses in Rekjavik.

#105. The super-clean, easy to use busses.

(Here's a foodie question: I've read that the hotdogs every one eats on the streets are actually made of lamb. Can you taste the difference? Any interesting toppings?)

Yeah, the hot dogs are lamb, from what I've read; they're really pretty good, and I'm not a hotdog fan. Try them with crunchy fried onions and &quot;remoulade&quot; (which seems to be different in every country; here it's a tasty mix of --um--hey, I didn't ask! ) The stand down by the harbor was my favorite spot, and hot dogs sure do help with the meal budget.

Happy New Year to all--maybe NEXT year I'll be celebrating in the land of fire and ice!

Did anyone mention ice wine?

106. The very small, chess absorbed island of Grimsey, north of the mainland, with the incredible arctic terns. When the terns are nesting, WATCH OUT!!

107. The wind... We saw the paved surface get blown off the Ring Road after a storm.

108. 66 North clothing and gear (an Iceland company). If you get a little chilly in Iceland, you can always buy a great 66 North hat, scarf, or jacket.

I can't wait to go back to Iceland.

dear amy: i'm a craniosacral therapist from venezuela and hopefully going solo for my birthday on the first week of october! i want spas, 'hot pots', blue lagoon, seafood, beautiful totally different scenery... what's the weather like in late sept/early oct? i'm flying in from orlando ( my closest hub)... thanks for all the best things to do! jjjjjjj

Hi, lavici! I was there in the second week in October and the temperatures were from &quot;cool&quot; to downright cold in the early mornings; there was a fair amount of rain but that's not uncommon any time of year there.

Of course, your daylight hours are shorter than in summer, but the lovely colors at places like Thingvellir (note, everybody: any keyboard tricks for the &quot;pregnant P&quot; that makes a th sound in Icelandic?) make up for it.

It's really easy to arrange most things in Iceland, and of course it's a bit of off-season, so there shouldn't be too much trouble booking spa sessions, but I don't have first hand experience with those. The Blue Lagoon is on many tours; I do recommend the &quot;Golden Circle&quot; tour at least just for seeing much of the fascinating landscape.

Happy trails (and birthday, early :) )

bookmarking

Amy,

Thanks for this thread. My family is stopping for 3 days in Reykjavik on our way back from London (after 3 months in Australia). I was starting to wonder why I was adding another stop to our long journey, and now I'm wondering why I didn't add more time to Iceland.

Any suggestions on reasonable places to stay or ways to find reasonable places? We need someplace that can accommodate 2 adults and 2 kids (12 and 14).

Also, do you think we should book the Circle tour before we get there?

Thanks again!

Hi, AndiK! I believe that &quot;farmstay&quot; programs tend to be the most reasonable, and I've also heard good things about &quot;Room with a View.&quot; I haven't been to Iceland in a couple of years now, but I do know that the downside of it being expensive still holds true. On the other hand, it's a great spot for doing &quot;street food&quot; and supermarket picnics.

I would probably book the Grand Circle tour for your middle day, although it probably isn't essential to book in advance; hard to say, though, as Iceland seems to be a bit more popular than back in '96, on my first trip.

Have a great time!

109. Being in a Danish rock star's video because we happened to be driving through the lava fields near Grindavik (the right place) while they were filming (the right time)!

Good water, but that's the only thing one can afford to drink up there. (Drink the cold water--not the warm stuff)