[RoadTrippin]

What an awesome trip report. So glad to see this, will be bookmarking this and try to replicate it at some time.

[ach1lles]

Oh my word. Super stuff, Kings Wit. Bookmarking this and saving it for a lazy afternoon with some cold beverage. How long did it take you to write this up? Haha.

I will get into reading it properly later, but how good would this be for a guy's trip? Also, 10 days is just about right. You always want to come back wishing there was more time to do more stuff on the trip. Though we may never go back, ever, that is still the best way to leave a former foreign place.

[Kings_Wit]

Originally Posted by ach1lles

How long did it take you to write this up?
I will get into reading it properly later, but how good would this be for a guy's trip?

I haven't kept count on the number of hours, but I started writing on 1st October, after work-hours.

Iceland has something for everyone. The people, especially, do not make you feel like an outsider. Rest assured, there is treasure aplenty.

[procrj]

Originally Posted by Kings_Wit

Iceland has something for everyone. The people, especially, do not make you feel like an outsider. Rest assured, there is treasure aplenty.

Thank you for that well crafted thread which does cover the highs and lows of your trip along with all necessary information. What would be interesting to know is the experience with the people there and how easy/difficult it would be to travel with kid(s).

[Kings_Wit]

Originally Posted by procrj

What would be interesting to know is the experience with the people there and how easy/difficult it would be to travel with kid(s).

I had planned to cover this within the ten experiences, but for the sake of aesthetics couldn't fit it in. Thanks for asking. Here goes.

<Experience 11> People and Life in Iceland

From the moment you land till the moment you take off, you'll be overwhelmed by the hospitality of Icelanders. Most importantly, it's all genuine, and not the by-product of its tourism driven economy. They speak English really well, and I somehow feel that most of them have German as their second language. Every place that we interfaced with an Icelander was lovely - supermarket, tourist information centers, cafe, hotels, guesthouses and sightseeing trips.

In 2016, 325,000 American tourists visited Iceland. That's as many Icelanders there are. It all seems like one big happy family. Away from the cities, Icelanders are largely employed in tourism, agriculture and fishing. They love their fishes and meat; and have a penchant for monster jeeps. Customer service is very good, and if you have trouble with the menu, they will take all the trouble to take you through it one by one, even if you don't order at the end of it. Note: Icelandic food portions are HUGE. They also close by 6 in the evening, to spend the rest of the day with family and friends.

We never had the opportunity to do an Air BnB or couch surfing, because our check-in times were always after 7 in the evening. Too much of a trouble co-ordinating with a house owner. But the reviews were off the charts. Note: Many Icelanders own dogs. And just like them, they have excellent temperament, a little too healthy, but fun to be around. Border Collies are the rage here.

Icelanders, apart from the quaint way of life, also know how to have fun. Reykjavik has one of the best night-life in the world, concentrated in the street named Laugavegur.

We have already discussed how whimsical the weather is, and every Icelander is always prepared for it. It's almost become their way of life, dealing with sudden winds and surprise showers. What could throw you off a cliff, doesn't even earn a blink from them.

Icelanders are basically Viking settlers. Ironical, considering the contrast between the violent Viking history and the cheerful population we see today. Their history is composed in Saga's or ballads, that recite dramatic stories of some Viking heroes and their exploits. You can visit the Settlement Center at Borgarnes to get to know them better (highly recommended). Many places and cultural markers in Iceland come from Norse mythology, so if you like the story of Odin and Thor, then you'll definitely find a lot to relate to here.

Most of Iceland is Christian. They used to worship Nordic gods until 1000 CE, but then later moved on to Christianity. There are plenty of lovely churches in the country, with some radical architecture that you can't miss.

Sometime during our trip, we had the chance to switch on the radio. Big mistake. Maybe the Eurovision contest was something else I heard.

</Experience 11>

Iceland for Kids:
Iceland is super fun and educative for kids. Most Icelandic attractions do not have any entry concept. You just park your car, and check the place out. Which means, it doesn't matter if you are infant or an elderly on wheels. You have access to all places. The only trouble would be bladder control due to the lack of toilets, but if you plan your trip well then this shouldn't really be a problem. In our case, we were driving 150-200 kms at a stretch.

Apart from this, Kids will really dig the geography lesson they get out of the place and the lovely beasts they get to see.

This is all I could think of. Anything more you wanted to know in particular?

[amrisharm]

Wow what a trip! Amazing photos. Very well written travelogue as well. Just curious about your camera gear. What camera and lenses did you take on this trip? Was an Ultra Wide angle required in Iceland (10 mm on Crop)?

[Kings_Wit]

Originally Posted by amrisharm

What camera and lenses did you take on this trip? Was an Ultra Wide angle required in Iceland (10 mm on Crop)?

An old Nikon 5100 D, 18-55mm kit lens & a Nikkor 55-300mm f/4.5-5.6G ED VR. Apart from this, the panorama's are all shot on iPhone 6.

Sure, a wide angle lens would certainly be handy. But honestly speaking, a good phone camera along with a telephoto lens is all that you need here. And I deeply regret not taking 360 photos here.

[kraft.wagen]

This is fantastic! Great pictures and details. I'm sure your months of research will help future travelers

[Kings_Wit]

Originally Posted by kraft.wagen

This is fantastic! Great pictures and details. I'm sure your months of research will help future travelers

Hence the reallllllly long write up.

[ringoism]

Stunning. Just stunning. One thing I noticed is how clear the atmosphere seems everywhere. I would just love to get my lungs filled of it there; it must be about the least polluted place on earth.

Your pics look highly professional; I didn't read the text but wondering if you could be a fan of "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" (Ben Stiller). Loved that film not only for its quirkiness, but for the beauty it depicted of this land. And there is that photog connection / theme in there, too (Sean Penn, of whom I'm no fan, but his brief appearance was a great one).

Gosh, wish I could get there myself... the coastal roads would seem to take travelers through a real wonderland. Something to dream of for sure.

Thanks so much,
-Eric

[Kings_Wit]

Originally Posted by ringoism

I didn't read the text but wondering if you could be a fan of "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" (Ben Stiller)

Thanks Eric. The answer to your questions is in this post. It's a shorter read than the others, I assure you.

[Srikji]

WOW. What more can I say. Your writing made the experience very real.

[Kings_Wit]

Working on some videos. Here's a couple that we casually shot.

Driving through Trollskagi towards Akureyri

https://youtu.be/c6xJgbg1p20

Entering Sauðárkrókur

https://youtu.be/XWOEErNIRg0

[rohan.xj]

Fabulous review!

I did a similar road trip in Iceland about 2.5 months ago (3000km, 10 days)and perusing through your travelogue brought back some vivid memories

Quick Q, did you get any traffic infractions? It's so easy to cross the 50-90km/h speed limit that I frankly could not keep a track of the same. I want to plan another road trip in Iceland (this time on a bike) but worried about the traffic infractions.

[Kings_Wit]

Originally Posted by rohan.xj

Fabulous review!
Quick Q, did you get any traffic infractions? It's so easy to cross the 50-90km/h speed limit that I frankly could not keep a track of the same.

Thanks. I have mentioned this in my write-up. I did exceed the speeds, in areas where there were roadside speedometers, by around 10-15 mph, and was afraid I might get a ticket. Surprisingly, never got any. But I don't think, I oversped more than 3 times during the entire trip. Maybe there is a limit to these infractions, before the driver gets a ticket?