Iceland Travel Guide

Take the Flybus from the airport at Keflavik to Reykjavik and stay in the downtown hostel.

Next day, look for the smallest bicycle shop in the world. If you are not sure whether the shop you are in is small enough, keep looking. There is a smaller one. This is the one you want. 

Announce to the owner that you wish to purchase a used bike to get around Western Iceland, with the idea being that you would sell it to another traveler at the end of your journey. He will tell you this is not possible. Thank him, and leave. It is very important that you do not dispute the bike shop owner on this point. Thank him, and leave. Crucial. 

Return to the shop the next day. He will have somehow “procured” a used bike that is barely suitable for riding on a bike path, much less cross-country.

Go to Thingvellir, Geysir, and Snaefellnesness. Take dips in hot pools wherever possible. Use the cycle to cross the Kjolur Route through the Central Highlands. On the way, a lanky Pole with a runny nose will point the way on your map. This is Polski. He has been helping travelers on the Kjolur Route since the Early Age, roughly 980 - 1140 AD. 

At Hrerravellir, enjoy the hot pool. Meet young magi from CERN as you reposition the hot water hose. 

Upon your return to Reykjavik, set up your bike opposite a jewel shop on the main commercial street. Place a sign on the bike offering it for sale for kr175,000. Within five minutes, the jeweler will emerge and purchase your bike for that exact amount. 

Thus you will have re-enacted the Saga of Vilaf, of the Hill People. You may return to your home lands triumphant. A large feast will be assembled in your honor, and you will be invited to blow the horn of an ox 19 times. 

Greenland

 
Photo by Karlissimo del Banco.

Least Politically-Correct Menu Board Ever

Laugavegur, Reykjavik, Iceland

Djúpalónssandur

 
 

Iceland Search and Rescue

 
 

Kjölur Crossroads

 
 

Kjölur, Iceland, 1:30 a.m.

 
 

Langjökull Glacier

 
 

Þingvellir National Park

 
 

Mailbox

 
 

Valdi's CD Store

 
Reykjavik. 
 
 

Graeggi

 
Graffiti possibly related to the 2008 economic crisis. 
 
 

Knit Graffiti

 
Knitted sleeve on a street sign in Reykjavik. As part of the Loops Knitart 2010 exhibition at the Nordic House, travelers are invited to kit small swatches to be fashioned into "knit graffiti." 
 
 

Opal

Some type of candy sold in Iceland. Groovy package design.

Viking Monument

 
Reykjavik. 
 
 

Applesin

 
National soft drink of Iceland. 
 
 

Oreilles Gauloises (Ísland Edition...kinda) - Killing Joke (Killing Joke)

I know, I know, Killing Joke is NOT a band from Iceland, but they lived there...at least for a little while. Jaz Coleman, founding member of the band, and its lead vocalist and keyboardist, evidently thought shortly after finishing their third album Revelations that the end of the world was nigh, and decided that the best place to be for that event was Iceland. He quickly moved there with the band's guitarist, soon to be followed by the rest of the band. Interestingly, they never recorded there, but worked with various local bands, and one in particular which would later become The Sugarcubes. Jaz, upon realizing that maybe the Apocalypse was not that close, returned to England and continued recording with Killing Joke.

This album (Killing Joke) is their debut. I can't remember when I first heard it, but I do remember the son of one of my mom's distant cousins telling me the story in the 80's about how his band had opened for Killing Joke once when they played his local town.  He told me that there was a lot of drug paraphernalia backstage, including spoons and cotton balls. That really sealed the deal for me, and I somehow got my hands on some of their albums, and though I didn't initially like their music, I developed an appreciation for their work over the years that culminated a few years ago when I realized how brilliant their music really was (at least to me!).

If Jaz Coleman was running away from the Apocalypse, his band's first album sure as hell sounds like the Apocalypse! It's loud, with a brutal rhythm section, and really thrashing guitar licks. Listen to songs like "Requiem", "Wardance", or "The Wait", and you'll probably hear what I mean. Though I wanted desperately to "get it", I really didn't start appreciating this kind of music until much later in my life when I got into bands like The Swans, The Birthday Party, and even Nine Inch Nails. Killing Joke's first three albums are a strange and intoxicating mix of metal, punk, and industrial sounds. The result is unique, and though many bands have tried hard to copy their style, they remain the indisputable source of that sound.

The band is still around, putting out really excellent and hard-sounding albums after a period of leaning on more dance-music sounds (check out their most recent record), and they are currently touring with all the original members after the tragic death of long-time bassist Raven.