ICELAND: USEFUL INFORMATION AND SITES, INTERESTING FACTS AND TIPS
To the previous travelogue –> Arrival in Iceland. Reykjavik.
More information about the route, costs and all travelogues of the trip can be found HERE.
The landscape in Iceland is really different from any other places we've been. It was very interesting, for example, how we move along the road and at one end is a super flat field with volcanic stones (ie cooled lava and moss respond), and at the other end of the road are some extremely beautiful and high mountains in a variety of shapes - some like a rectangle, others sharp, others super Polegatti, fourth in the shape of a volcano.
There are almost no trees in Iceland. The few trees we could see by the side of the road, my husband called them stalks - hahaha! And here and there, indeed very rarely, some mini pine groves were seen, and it was just some great event. Neither in the fields nor in the mountains there was much vegetation.
Browse and book a budget hotel in Iceland with a discount. See HERE!
Interesting facts about Iceland:
1. The population of Iceland is only about 360,000 people, but it is visited by several million tourists annually.
2. Hotdogs and ice cream are some of the most popular foods in Iceland.
3. Iceland is a country without its own army. Police officers do not carry weapons. Crime is almost non-existent.
4. The word "reykjavík" literally translates as "smoky bay". It was inspired by the steam that rose from the hot geothermal springs of its current territory.
5. There are no McDonald's restaurants in Iceland, the last one closed in 2008 during the crisis.
6. Dogs were banned on the territory of the Icelandic capital in the period from 1924 to 1984, as they were believed to be carriers of dangerous types of tapeworms. As a result of this ban, cats still predominate in Reykjavik.
7. In the city of Akureyri, traffic lights have red hearts instead of red circles.
8. The traditional Christmas gift is a book. Some rankings rank Icelanders for the most reading nation in the world.
9. Iceland's language has practically not changed in the last 1000 years, so it has letters that have disappeared from English, and residents can read the old Viking sagas in the original without any problems, unlike the Norwegian Viking language, which has undergone major changes and today's Norwegians cannot read writings from 800 years ago. The government has formed a special commission whose task is to limit the use of foreign words to a minimum, mostly in the field of technology. It is an agglutinative language – meaning that words are often made up of a few smaller words and can become quite cumbersome and long.
10. Reykjavik residents almost always pay for bank card purchases, even if they order coffee in a bar. Cash is not accepted here.
If you also want to get back part of the paid amount for hotels, flights or products, register at this link HERE and every new user receives a $10 bonus in the account.
11. There are no railways in Iceland at all.
12. The 1 Icelandic Crown coin depicts a fever, 10 herring, 50 crowns, and 100 crowns of sea bass. The Icelandic currency is called ISK for abbreviated form.
13. Less than one percent of the world's population will be able to pronounce the word eyjafyatlayukutl. It is the most famous Icelandic volcano. Of the several thousand respondents, only 0.005% were able to pronounce this word.
14. To this day, Icelandic law allows the inhabitants of the country to kill polar bears for food.
15. The most popular names in Iceland are male - ion and female - Guvrun.
16. Despite the rather harsh climate, the average life expectancy of Icelanders is one of the highest in the world - about 80 years.
17. Iceland is one of the few European countries where striptease is prohibited by law. The law entered into force on July 1, 2010.
18. All Icelanders are included in a common database. Since the population is small, it is possible that you and your boyfriend are related, and many Icelanders use the database to check for this.
19. Iceland has about 130 active and dormant volcanoes. There are about 30 active volcanic systems below the island, except for the western fjords.
20. In some places there were greenhouses that shone disgustingly brightly at night and could be seen for miles.
21. Almost all of Iceland's electricity comes from renewable sources – mostly geothermal energy. Despite the presence of strong winds, there are no wind power plants built on the island.
22. Iceland's climate is subpolar.
23. Reykjavik is the northernmost capital in the world.
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When renting a car
1. Be sure to pay extra for a Premium package that includes the following types of insurance:
2. Mandatory when renting a car, check the level of fuel, headlights, tires, spare tire and replacement keys.
Driving around Iceland:
Useful sites:
– Sightseeing map: see here.
- Cloud forecast tracking sites:
1. www.vedur.is,2. www.timeanddate.com,3. www.swpc.noaa.gov
- Weather tracking sites, wind strength and the emergence of snow/stone storms:
1. www.vedur.is,2. www.road.is,3. www.weather.is,4. www.safetravel.is
- Sites for monitoring in relation to the vermin:
1. www.urora-service.eu,2. www.facebook.com/groups/607880159324957,3. www.uroraforecast.is,4. www.spaceweatherlive.com
The weather in November
Cheap supermarket - BONUS. Although Iceland is not in the EU, Roaming is free for all Bulgarian operators!
Browse and book a budget hotel in Iceland with a discount. See HERE!
КЪМ СЛЕДВАЩИЯ ПЪТЕПИС —> Traveling in Iceland - Day 1: The Golden Circle
