REVscene Automotive Forum - I visited Iceland.....

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr.Money (Post 8862479)

gonna sound cliche but any food photos?...whats are good dishes over there?

Yeah... nah. Haha.

The first word that comes to mind when I think of Icelandic food is "expensive".... but, to be fair, Reykjavik has a pretty good/trendy foodie scene with a number of restaurants (both Icelandic and international).

We also had a few other decent meals in random restaurants around the country, including one memorable lunch at a tiny farmhouse (which was the only place serving food for 50 miles in any direction) and an excellent tasting-menu dinner at the 'fanciest' restaurant in Akureyri (2nd biggest city in Iceland with a pop of ~20,000).

Icelandic cuisine = Nordic/Scandanavian, only with more lamb (sheep are everywhere in Iceland). Lots of seafood. If you're into the weird shit, Iceland actually has a surprising number of bizarre dishes that are common on restaurant menus.... I had some horse meat, but sadly didn't get a chance to try whale or puffin.

Quote:

Originally Posted by 91civicZC (Post 8862512)

Story behind the plane?

It's a US Air Force DC-3 that crash landed in stormy weather on a vast black-sand beach on the south coast of Iceland in the early 1970's. All passengers survived. It has been sitting there since and is now a popular tourist stop thanks to Justin Bieber, who controversially rode a skateboard on the plane for this music video (filmed entirely in Iceland):

Quote:

Originally Posted by snails (Post 8862526)

Travelling has become my new favourite thing and I have never considered Iceland until now. That is amazing. Is Sept a good time for weather or do you think other months could have produced a better trip?

I actually went about 6 weeks ago (late July / early August).... editing photos just takes me months after every trip, haha.

Tourist season, when the roads are reliably open and the weather warmest, is June to September. I recommend going in either early June, or in Sept (after Labour Day) to avoid the crowds and insane hotel prices while still guaranteeing yourself acceptable weather.

July and August are insanely busy -- the world has started to discover Iceland, with tourist numbers rising from 450,000 in 2009 to nearly 3 million this year -- and in some small towns there simply aren't enough hotel rooms to meet demand. We booked our trip only a month or so in advance, which was a big mistake because I had to pay $500+ per night a couple of times for a very mediocre 3-star hotel room... and I felt lucky to get a room at all.

Don't get me wrong -- Iceland is still the kind of place (even in the middle of peak summer tourist season) where you can drive for 45 minutes without seeing more than 1-2 other cars. You're never more than a 15-minute drive from total isolation and serenity. But at the same time, places like the Blue Lagoon (and other major tourist attractions that are within a 3 hour drive of Reykjavik) get really crowded at times. The north and east of the country is far less busy because most visitors don't spend enough time to do the full Ring Road circuit (which you must do) but there are also less amenities in those areas as well.

If you want to save money, rent a camper van or go in shoulder seasons. Same applies if you want to avoid crowds at the most popular tourist spots.

Quote:

Originally Posted by will068 (Post 8862553)

I gotta take advantage of those $600 roundtrip iceland flights.

Man, I made this mistake myself, haha..... flights to Iceland are cheap and convenient, yes, but that's the only affordable thing about Iceland. You can be frugal by visiting in shoulder season, camping, buying meals at gas stations, etc..... but still, it's an expensive place, no doubt about it. I'd compare the prices to Switzerland, and just like Switzerland, it's worth every penny.