ICELAND!?
Bambouche
1,484 Posts
Are there any Icelandic folks here?We just bought tickets to visit your country of natural wonders, landing in the world's most northerly capital in about a month.Are there any record stores in Reykjavik? What are the Icelandic records to look out for? Also, are there any independent bands/labels from Iceland? I'd be interested in hearing them.Things I am excited about:1. Swimming in geothermic pools and hot springs2. Your coffee3. Birdwatching (PUFFINS!)4. A sun that never sets5. The fjordsThings I need guidance on:1. Food: Haroifiskur? What does wind-dried chewy cod taste like? Is the hakari worth trying? (The description scares me a little.) Also, I'm daring, but I don't know about svio (boiled sheep's head), slatur blood pudding or sursaoir hrutspungar (pickled ram testicles). If you had to choose one?2. The language. Your words perplex me.3. What's essential? Time is limited and I want to get lost in some wilderness.Please, please, please advise.And thank you.~B
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Vik at dawn:
amazing place...have fun!
Oh, try and get a tour of the geothermal fields the electric/utility companies use..its insane...they put these big metal tubes around the geothermal holes...so it is like a field of jet engines all going off at once...its crazy.
well, it??s really expensive and there are barely any interesting records,
BUT the countryside is beautyful and unique, there is quite some nightlife going on in the capital & people are friendly.
watch out for trolls!
yes, fetid shark...it is awful. Like a piece of rubber that smells like feet dipped in ammonia. The shot of Brennivin after the shark is essential. Brennivin (translates as "Black Death") is a tasty schnaaps-like liquor. Too bad you cant take liquids in your carry-on anymore...I brought 4 bottles of that stuff back with me.
I'm pretty sure DesOne is from Iceland.
Myself and Mondeyano.
There are records stores but the only good ones sell new music. 12 T??nar and Smekkleysa are the ones to visit. 12 T??nar sells indie, comps, electronic music (incl. "experimental" whatever that is...), choice Icelandic music and classical. Friendly, pretty knowledgable staff and you get free (good) coffee. They also have sofas as listening stations + new/newish magazines.
Smekkleysa is the record store outfit of the semi-famous label/publishing/performance arts entity of the same name. Bj??rk was a co-founder. Decent selection of new music and a good selection of Icelandic music. Real friendly guy who works there most of the time, Benni.
There are many, many bands around here of various quality. Kind of depends what you're after really. I'd recommend just browsing through releases in the records stores, that way you'll avoid any bias.
I can update you on shows 'round the time you get here.
Overall I'd recommend less record time and more outdoor time.
All great. Although you have to travel to offshore islands to catch puffins. They're called Vestmannaeyjar and are just off the south coast. It's made up of a few islands, the largest having a decent population. In 1973 there was a minor volcanic eruption on the main island, so you can still walk on warm/lukewarm hardening lava today. The surrounding islands offer a beautiful scenery and you can take small hikes there too.
You can get there by ship or plane.
Har??fiskur is indeed wind-dried fish. It's not so chewy and it's actually really tasty. I eat it regularly. You can have various types of fish prepared this way. Cod is not really the best pick. You want to go with either ??sa (haddock) or steinb??tur (seewolf).
Everything else you mentioned is kind of an acquired taste. I don't really eat those things but I can help you find them if you choose to.
The language, what do you want to know?
Essential. For me it would definitely be Sn??fellsnes. It's one of the more beautiful places around here. It's on the west coast. The nature there is stunning while desolate at the same time. Lots of great hiking too, including a glacier called Sn??fellsj??kull. It's and old volcano, mythically said to be the gateway directly to hell (that's probably just Jules Verne talking though).
One of my favourite places is around there and is called Dritv??k. To get there you first have to enter an open grey sandbeach with scraps of a stranded ship and then hike over a rocky hill for about 15-25 minutes (depending on how fast you're walking). You then get to a small, closed beach which is incredible. There is an old emergency cabin there which smells like shit, complete with an outdated radio and useless beds.
There is also a beautiful short hike to be had near the small town Hellnar, which is situated right under the glacier. It's about an hour and ends by a small wooden caf?? which has decent food options ranging from seafood soup to vegetarian quiche.
Sn??fellsnes was recently granted national park status so there's an infocenter which is pretty good + hotels. It can easily be a great (albeit long) daytrip, since it only takes about three hours to drive there from Reykjav??k. It can easily work as a overnight detour on your way to the north-western fjords though too.
If you'd like I can guide you on the hikes.
I have to run but there are many, many things to see in the wilderness. Shoot me a pm if there's anything else.
I have to tell you about this place called, Askja, when I have the time.
All the best,
Tryggvi.
Regarding record shops and Icelandic records, the big joints are Natt??ra - Magic Key[/b], Icecross[/b], Svanfr????ur[/b] and others but you might not have much luck finding those. Haven't found that many non-raer records where the music's real quality but if you're looking for breaks or something there are a few. For second hand vinyl you should check out Safnarab????in (The Collector Shop) where he has tons of shit, all priced outrageously but at least you can listen to the records there. There's also a weekly flea-market called Kolaporti?? downtown on Saturdays and Sundays from 11-17.
For puffins you don't need to go all the way to Vestmannaeyjar, if you go on a whale-watching trip from Reykjavik harbor they stop by some reef-type ish where there are tons of puffins hanging out.
If I were in your shoes and had to choose one of the Icelandic delicacies I'd choose the sheep's head. It doesn't get more gnarly than that. Blood pudding is not bad and the shark's just horrendous. Eat tons of the dried fish, that shit is good.
I've been busy. Sorry it's taken me so long to reply to this post. Thanks so much, I appreciate all the information.
I'm still reading through the few books we have on Iceland, and gathering more questions. But I wanted to say thanks.
I'll PM you now.
Norway innit?
theres a penis museum if you want to see some cocks err
No. Plenty of vegeterian choices, although I agree that the two (e.g. veg vs. meat) seldomly mix around here.
Yup, most stuff i bought there was about twice as expensive as in Norway(!!).
yall are lucky to live out there
My constant interest for wide open space was trounced by kilometer upon kilometer of moss-covered lava fields. As far as the eye can see, nothing but icefields and fjords and rocky plateaus and snow and fog and grass and volcanic residuum. So few people, but quite a few sheep. A country the size of Kentucky with 300,000 folks, mostly situated in a handful of cities--the largest of which is about the size of my neighborhood--leaves lots of room for roaming.
Life with a sun that never set took some getting used to. 12 hours of twilight was pretty unhinging. Also, everyone I encountered was extremely friendly. A national level of general affection that surpasses the Canadians.
We met Soulstrut's own DesOne and Mondeyano. True gentlemen. Both were charming and welcoming and full of Icelandic lore, including, but not limited to: elves (mostly the scary ones who eat children), Satanic forests where rabbits--ideal for sacrificial offering--run wild, glue-made moonshine, the housing market, illustrated children's books, mushrooms that grow wild ("the cops can't do anything!"), daily life, fish, records, famous d'n'b DJs, volcanoes, best spots for fish and chips that have burnt down, which stone walls to jump without fear of prosecution, the nuthouse on the hill, Icelandic easy listening collections, the role of a supersized Jeep plays in the aspirations of the Reykjavikian cog.
Thank you for the recommendations. Smekkleysa was grand--Independent, Icelandic, Inspiration. And Purrkur Pillnikk is on heavy rotation. I'm still familiarising myself with Stanya, but what I've heard so far is promising. Takk.
We drove about 1,600 km and covered the westernmost smidge of the rock. From Reykjavik north up to the Sn??fellsnes peninsula and on to Akureyri, detouring at B????ir, Go??afoss, Glerhallav??k, Glaumb??r, and Lake M??vatn. I would have really like to get into the interior, and around to the southeast... next time.
A few photos:
I'd heard about this place.
Drying fish (is this where Purrkur Pillnikk took their album photos?)
Hours of sundown in our apartment
Waking up in the middle of the night (3:31 am) thinking it was morning
And, of course, the required "Str??tters" photo
amazing!
Just had an offer to go to Iceland and meet up with an American friend of mine, and seeing Bambouche??s AMAZING photos, I just might have to do it.
- J