Added some audio for this video a while back. Thought it was a little late to add on the older thread but due to this thread being created I figured I'd put it up. Just a bit of SFX.
Last edited by To Be Quite Honest; 06-06-2010 at 09:43 PM.
Oh for those considering going, the new Winnipeg direct to Iceland flights with Icelandexpress.com are dirt cheap, in high season like July 2 weeks is only about $950 CAD return.
__________________ "In brightest day, in blackest night / No evil shall escape my sight / Let those who worship evil's might / Beware my power, Green Lantern's light!"
What would the cost be to have an 'icelandic style' wool sweater sent to Canada?
~bug
They are actually a little pricey. Might be different with the krona being so low these days, but don't be shocked if it's well over 180 dollars.
You won't find a warmer sweater, though. Personally, if I were looking for something practical and Icelandic right now, I'd go to http://www.66north.com
Just about to book my trip to Iceland for labor day weekend, so any tips (like those asked for above) would be greatly appreciated. Also, where's the best place for me to steal your native women?
- what is the cost of things in Iceland for someone who visits there? (restraunts, groceries, hotel, etc)
Well for groceries/restaurants/hotels because the Icelandic Krona collapsed so much the Canadian dollar is double what it was 1yr ago, so it used to be $1 = 58kr, now its $1 = 128kr. So things now finally are reasonable in Iceland, it used to be a pricey place to visit, but its not a cheap place to visit either.
However having said that there are hostles, there are B&B's and lots of tours/operators having sales/deals to bring people in, even Icelandair offers some reasonable packages.
The biggest cost in Iceland is booze, so typically people drink before they go out and bars don't get hopping till about 12am-1am, in fact if visiting a night out on Saturday night is highly recommended for its sheer insanity and a great way to enjoy drunken Icelanders at their finest.
Normally tourist bureau websites for most countries are not that great, but this one recently revamped is pretty excellent to answer all your questions.
- what are some of the best kept secret sights to see in Iceland?
If you like partying, the biggest party of the year outside of New Years which is unbelievable fun, is the 1st weekend in August which is a long weekend and most of the country shuts down to go camping/partying. In that weekend you can go to areas known for their age group/rowdyness, but anywhere you go as a tourist you're sure to meet lots of people and have a blast.
If you don't mind the near 23hrs of darkness around new years, btw the weather is usually very mild in winter here, about 0c average.. Then the spectacle that is the fireworks on new years eve is unmatched in the world. Its something I think everyone should have on their bucket list, a must see at least once in your life.
Again something the locals love to do is camping or renting summer cabins, cabins are very very popular here and there are areas where you find both and in those is a great place to bring a tent and have some fun.
Now again these are party themed ideas, but there are lots of other options like people who want to bike around the country, kyak, do mountain jeep treks, snowmobile on the glacier, etc.. All those things you can find on the website, again if you do get serious about the planning I'd gladly help you narrow down choices and get you some info on whatever you want.
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- what are some other great things to try in Iceland? (i.e. is there paragliding or something cool like that?)
Did I mention super jeeps! Crazy fun, my brother in law has one and of course will have tons of suggestions if thats something you'd be interested in. Just to give you an idea, again minus the snow if you want to do this in summer, the glacier is still there then
Landmannalaugar is a really scenic area to hike/camp, its often popular with locals and tourists so again socially its a fun place to be, and you have your own natural hotsprings right by you which is more common than you think in Iceland.
Quick shot of the hotspring it stretches for a fair bit, but this is the main spot where people get in:
The trip really depends on what you prefer, in city stuff, museums, clubs/cafe's, and out of city stuff, camping, hiking etc.. I mean I suggest to everyone to do both!
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- what are my options (and the best options) for travelling around?
- which airport is the best airport to fly into?
On a budget, there are passes in Reykjavik which allow you to take the buses, city and tour buses to check out the city/towns around Reykjavik. There are also bus shuttles that will take you out to places like Gullfoss, Geysir and other popular stops.
If you have some money, you can rent a car, there's lots of deals right now even with private owners of nice jeeps since they are looking to make money off renting their fancy jeeps, just have to pay for the insurance as well locally.
As for airport, there is only one international and its KEF, or Keflavik, you often see sites refer to Reykjavik airport but its always KEF, the drive in from Keflavik to Reykjavik is about 20-30 mins, and depending on how you do the trip planning there are a few choices on how to get into town, keeping in mind you are pretty close to the blue lagoon when you land, maybe start off with a few hours in that amazing place before you head into town, there are shuttles of course for the blue lagoon.
Hope thats enough to get you started, I'll do some more digging myself, I have a friend coming this summer and he's asked me to check on similar things.
__________________ Allskonar fyrir Aumingja!!
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