What are the differences between life in Iceland and life in Canada? Let's see...
When we landed in Iceland, I think the first thing I noticed at the airport was their washrooms. A lot of their public washrooms are really well equipped - sometimes individual stalls will be almost like a mini bathroom, with not just the toilet but also a sink. It's quite handy if you prefer to have your own privacy - for those cases where you need to do a more thorough washing up (e.g. after an ice caving adventure). Also, because of the natural geothermal heating, all the hot water smells of sulphur. Cold tap water is safe to drink - Iceland is one of the best countries in the world for drinking tap water.
More about the bathrooms - a lot of the showers don't have doors. Curtains are used sometimes, but other times there isn't a barrier to prevent water from just spilling out everywhere. Kind of annoying, so we just ended up using one of the towels to clean up the excess water, and not putting out the normal floor mat until after finishing the shower and seeing what spot on the floor was most dry.
Ok, enough about bathrooms, let's talk cars. We rented a 4x4 SUV with winter tires because we knew we were driving in the winter and needed the extra precautions. The BMW X1 was heavy and did the job, but there were a few issues: the tire alignment was off, the tire pressure monitor seemed to be malfunctioning, and the right side of the front windshield kept on getting fogged up more than the left side. Otherwise, I was happy that the vehicle was heavy enough that nothing bad happened in the gale force winds we experienced. If renting a car in Iceland in the winter, assume you're going to run into severe weather conditions - heavy rains, winds, snow, ice, fog, and having to drive in pitch black darkness. All gas stations have diesel - and the price of diesel seemed to be fairly similar to regular gas, about 230 to 240 ISK per litre. Yes, very expensive, but cheaper than taxis.
One great thing about driving in Iceland is they drive on the right side of the road - so no confusion there. They also use roundabouts a lot - and where there are 2 lanes in the roundabout, the inner lane has priority over the outer lane. On the whole, drivers in Iceland seem to be quite competent - they know how to pass, drive safely on highways, and signal when exiting roundabouts. More on driving: the traffic lights have red, yellow, and green, but yellow is not used as a precursor for red, it's used as a precursor for green, which is pretty handy. One important rule that's different - you can't turn right on a red light, which actually makes it safer for pedestrians.
I touched on this a bit - weather in Iceland is cold and wet. Waterproof clothing and footwear is a must. We often walked around with waterproof pants, jacket, and shoes to stay warm and dry. I wouldn't suggest using an umbrella because of the heavy winds. Obviously, the locals are prepared for severe natural disasters - avalanches, volcanic eruptions, floods resulting from lava melting glaciers, sandstorms. I don't think it's necessary to prepare for the more extreme disasters as a tourist, but it makes me appreciate how they choose where to build, how they construct the buildings, and how they maintain the infrastructure (e.g. roads) so it's safe for everyone.
More on weather - the northern lights. There's a very useful app "Aurora" and website for checking the probability of seeing the aurora borealis in your current location - now, and how the probability changes over the next few hours/days. It also shows how the cloud cover will change from hour to hour. If it's cloudy, you won't be able to see the lights. If there's a full moon, it will also be harder to see the lights. The best conditions would be a cloudless sky, and little or no light pollution (you should be able to see stars easily). Even then, you may or may not see the lights - when you do, they will probably appear as a gray/colourless light. If you're really lucky, you may see some colour. Otherwise, the best way to see colour is with a camera with long exposure. I wasn't going to bring a camera specifically for taking pictures of the lights (since the photos online from professional photographers are going to be better), so I was just hoping I would see them with my naked eyes. There are lots of tour companies that will offer trips to hunt down northern lights, but there's no guarantee you'll see them - we were lucky we had a car so we could just drive wherever and whenever we wanted.
What else? Hotel rooms are very small. Something unexpected was that even if you have a double/queen bed, each person will be provided their own blanket. Heat can usually be controlled, so if it's too warm, you can turn the heat down.
Expect to pay a lot if you want to do laundry. There is a laundromat in downtown Reykjavik, but it's not going to be easy to find facilities outside Reykjavik, unless you're planning on doing laundry in a sink.
Speaking of costs, this isn't a surprise, but Iceland is expensive. Really expensive. Main courses will typically cost between 3000 to 4000 ISK, beer at restaurants will be around 1500 ISK, lobster soup is around 2500 ISK (not worth it compared to getting actual langoustine or a fish dinner). At a liquor store, a can of beer will be 800 ISK. Souvenirs will also be very expensive - anything made with Icelandic wool is marked up: sweaters could be between 20000 ISK and 30000 ISK, a blanket will be around 30000 ISK, mittens/hats/socks can be up to 6000 or 7000 ISK. The duty free shop at the airport is not bad for prices, if you need some last minute gifts. Even Omnom chocolate can be up to 900 ISK per bar (if you go to the factory and purchase 10 items or more, you can get a 10% discount). At least you don't need to tip for service anywhere.
If you need to save money, going to Kronan to get groceries is a good way to make cheaper meals. Snacks are also more affordable from Kronan, instead of at coffee shops or tourist centers.
Oh, and note that Iceland has pretty much moved away from cash. You will likely not need any cash - I'd recommend signing up for a credit card that doesn't have foreign transaction fees.
In terms of language, as long as you know English, you'll be fine. Most signs are in both English and Icelandic - though you'll need to read up ahead on road signs. Any area serving tourists will also have English-speaking people.
For staying connected, buying a SIM card was fairly easy but it will only be valid in Iceland. It will be about 3500 ISK for 10GB. If you don't think you need it on the road, Wi-Fi coverage is pretty good - almost everywhere we went had free Wi-Fi. Iceland has excellent coverage for high speed Internet - possibly better than Canada.
On the whole, food quality was excellent - if you're eating local cuisine, which is all we ate. We didn't try fast food, but they do have KFC, Taco Bell, and Subway. We were happy with most of our meals, if you don't think about the prices. Icelandic cuisine is mostly lamb and seafood - I'd recommend eating the lamb and fish. Only get langoustine if the restaurant specializes in it, and lobster soup tends to be a tourist trap unless it's a restaurant's claim to fame. If you go for a restaurant that prides itself on unlimited portions, it's a given that they're not about quality.
The Arctic Adventure tours were good - providing experiences you would not be able to do on your own. The glacier hike at Vatnajökull was the best out of the 2 we did. They provide all equipment, so you don't have to worry about bringing your own. As already stated, waterproof clothing and waterproof hiking boots are a must.
I think overall, Iceland is a beautiful country - lots of seemingly untouched natural landscapes, less ice than you might expect (I believe the story about them naming themselves Iceland to confuse voyagers to go to Greenland), gorgeous waterfalls, and good food as long as you're willing to pay. Worth visiting for sure, but be prepared for an expensive vacation!
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