{"id":1402,"date":"2010-07-02T23:08:04","date_gmt":"2010-07-02T23:08:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/swedish\/?p=1402"},"modified":"2010-07-03T07:08:10","modified_gmt":"2010-07-03T07:08:10","slug":"iceland-part-1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/swedish\/iceland-part-1\/","title":{"rendered":"Iceland part 1"},"content":{"rendered":"

I haven\u00b4t really been posting so much lately because I spent the last month in Iceland. It was both work and fun. And let me tell you that Iceland is a very colorful spot in our Nordic area. I didn\u00b4t really know what to expect. I was thinking trolls, elves, recession and sunlight 247\u00a0on the plane to Reykjavik from Stockholm. I might have met some trolls but it was rather at bars in the vivid Reykjavik nightlife. When it comes to the Icelandic recession the prices were under the Swedish prices in general. Eating out is absolutely cheaper than back home which made it possible to enjoy the hospitality of famous Icelandic Restaurants such as The Lobster House in central Reykjavik (reyk-smoke+vik-bay) by the way. But if you are on an average student budget I would recommend the Icelandic Fish and Chips restaurant. They serve organic food and you can have the freshest fish\u00a0straight from the Atlantic Ocean with salad and a side dish for approx 2000 ISK. B\u00f3nus or the local market is also a good option buying your own food. If you are in Reykjavik there are some musts like visiting the Nordic House\u00a0on the opposite side of the university, a place called Caf\u00e9 Barinn that is\u00a050% owned by the singer from Blur, The Museum of Modern Arts and the National Museum also close to the uni. If you are into design and jewellery you should either go to the flea-market near the harbor (on the weekends) where you can buy an Icelandic peysa-wool cardigan or pullover.You will need it and it is\u00a0 very nice the locals\u00a0love it as well and wear\u00a0it everywhere). Visit the shops on Laugavegur in down-town. Shops like ORR have\u00a0really\u00a0unique jewels\u00a0both for males and females. Their stuff is inspired by the Icelandic nature.\u00a0You will find plenty of young designers selling clothes for a very reasonable price around this area and even once a month at the Art Museum (bargain is possible).\u00a0But most of the fun is outside of Reykjavik. You could book your trips at the tourist offices but you can also contact the companies directly. Then you might have a discount. Skip the whale watching they succeed maybe 2 times out of 10. If you want to see real whales jumping you have to take a trip to H\u00fasavik in Northern Iceland. There is a 98% guarantee that you would see big\u00a0whales up there and Iceland\u2019s second largest city Akureyri and a huge national park is nearby. From Reykjavik you could easily do day tours to the so called Golden Circle (Geysir-\u00dehingvell\u00edrNationalpark-Gullfoss that is an enormous water fall) or why not taking a bus to The Blue Lagoon. If you want to do less commercial stuff you could go diving and maybe see the two continents America and Europe meeting in the clear blue see. You won\u00b4t feel a thing in a wet-suit and the experience is amazing. Horseback-riding and hiking on glaciers are also possible. But if you have time take your tent and travel around in this magical country. Icelanders are very helpful and friendly. They have a rather Mediterranean way of thinking and are very spontaneous. Don\u00b4t try to plan and don\u00b4t care about the time. It is the weather that matters.<\/p>\n\n\t\t