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Sith Happens

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Been bought a trip to Iceland in January next year for my 50th birthday. 

Going for 4 nights, we have the night time trip for the northern lights included and golden circle tour booked but wondered what else is good to do if anyone has been.

Sure we will do the blue lagoon too.

Any info would be much appreciated. 

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8 minutes ago, Sith Happens said:

Been bought a trip to Iceland in January next year for my 50th birthday. 

Going for 4 nights, we have the night time trip for the northern lights included and golden circle tour booked but wondered what else is good to do if anyone has been.

Sure we will do the blue lagoon too.

Any info would be much appreciated. 

Take a hankie for when you buy food and drink. @ramit lives there for more useful info.

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Currently, they Reykjanes peninsula is rocking and rolling with a major earthquake swarm (over 8000 earthquakes over the past 5 days). It's quite possible that this caused by rifting, but the seismometer readings seem to indicate that there is magma intrusion (many of the earthquakes appear to be 'wet').

If it does go 'pop' in the next few months and there is a rift eruption, the prime candidate will be Fagradalsfjall. So you might win some spectacular lava fountains, but you will probably lose the Blue Lagoon.

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I captured those images a few minutes ago.

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There is lots to do in Reykjavík, all of it expensive.  Many excellent restaurants, my favorite atm is Nauthóll.  Downtown area has lots of pubs and shops, museums.  If it's snowing, go swimming in one of the outdoor pools, eat fermented shark washed down with Brennivín, experience eating the face of a sheep (svið) or if you're really brave soured rams testicles.  Scoop Skyr into a bowl, sprinkle golden sugar over, pour cream, get spoon.  Have to try Icelandic pancakes with whipped cream and jam, you must have harðfisk (dried fish) with butter every day of your stay and locals will smile at you.

https://guidetoiceland.is/reykjavik-guide/top-10-things-to-do-in-reykjavik

 

This is fun

 

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3 minutes ago, Eddie said:

A friend of mine told me that some of the earthquakes frightened his cat (his seismeowmeter)

It's been non-stop very shallow earthquakes for the past few days.  We had activity there last year but this is a record amount of quakes.  Something to see in Reykjavík, yeah check out the lava flow running down Laugavegur

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5 minutes ago, ramit said:

There is lots to do in Reykjavík, all of it expensive.  Many excellent restaurants, my favorite atm is Nauthóll.  Downtown area has lots of pubs and shops, museums.  If it's snowing, go swimming in one of the outdoor pools, eat fermented shark washed down with Brennivín, experience eating the face of a sheep (svið) or if you're really brave soured rams testicles.  Scoop Skyr into a bowl, sprinkle golden sugar over, pour cream, get spoon.  Have to try Icelandic pancakes with whipped cream and jam, you must have harðfisk (dried fish) with butter every day of your stay and locals will smile at you.

https://guidetoiceland.is/reykjavik-guide/top-10-things-to-do-in-reykjavik

 

This is fun

 

Looks good. 

Being a typical brit with language do I need to learn any Icelandic or do they make it easy for us lazy buggers?

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1 minute ago, ramit said:

Most people are happy to speak English, the young are mostly fluent.

I always try to learn the thankyou,  please, hello stuff but I'm a typical lazy brit. 

I think I've achieved something if I can order a beer in the language of the country I go to.

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6 minutes ago, Sith Happens said:

I always try to learn the thankyou,  please, hello stuff but I'm a typical lazy brit. 

I think I've achieved something if I can order a beer in the language of the country I go to.

Growing up the formal greeting to a man was komdu sæll of blessaður, (come happy and blessed), less formal being either sæll or blessaður.  The young today exclaim sæll when they like something.

Halló works fine, hi also.  Thank you is takk fyrir formal, or just takk.

Einn Kalda takk

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1 hour ago, ramit said:

Eat fermented shark washed down with Brennivín, experience eating the face of a sheep (svið) or if you're really brave soured rams testicles.  Scoop Skyr into a bowl, sprinkle golden sugar over, pour cream, get spoon.  Have to try Icelandic pancakes with whipped cream and jam, you must have harðfisk (dried fish) with butter every day of your stay.

Really glad my mum doesn’t go to Iceland.

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We spent 3 days there in early 2010, and at that point post-financial crash it didn't seem too expensive. Sounds like it's reverted back to the norm these days though

The Golden Circle tour is great - Gulfoss and the Geysir are both spectacular

The Blue Lagoon is also amazing

We went in January too, so be prepared to be a) very cold and b) totally confused by the 3 hours of daylight you get

The northern lights tour is completely hit or miss. If it's a miss and you see nothing, they will promise you a free repeat ticket until you see it - knowing full well that most tourists can't afford to stay more than a few nights. But to be honest, even if you don't see it - being out there in the middle of nowhere in the blackest night you've ever known, with the most stars is not a bad consolation prize

 

Don't eat the puffin - it tastes horrible

 

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Haven't been there myself but half of my friends have. Every one of those have said they will go there again. I'm planning to do so too after I get fed up Derby/Belper/London. Everybody says it is beautiful, diifferent, peaceful and expensive.

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If you can take a drive down the south coast road past seljalandsfoss and skogafoss waterfalls I would recommend it, they're both stunning. Smaller than gullfoss but unique (one you can walk behind and the other has a great viewing point at the top). The route also allows you to see the solheimajokull glacier (spelling inaccurate) and the black basalt beaches bear Vik. If you don't mind a very long day out from Reykjavik you can take the road as far as jokulsarlon (again dodgy spelling) to see a glacial lagoon which is one of the most beautiful places I've ever been in my life.

The city itself is nice in the evenings, though obviously expensive. For me though it was the sights outside of the capital that made it one of my favourite trips of all time.

I don't know if its possible if you're on a booked golden circle tour, but if you can stop at the "secret" lagoon in fludir its lovely. A smaller more natural version of the blue lagoon.

You're going to have a great trip ?

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Many years ago I was pals with the Icelandic international tenpin bowling team, and I used to see a few of them regularly at some events on the European tour (more especially at the Irish, British and Dutch Opens).

Boy, those guys could drink.

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