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• Iceland was settled in 874 AD and was independent until 1262.  It was a part of the Kingdom of Denmark until gaining its independence in 1944. 
• Geologically speaking, Iceland is situated on both the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates.  The island straddles the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, which marks the boundary between these two plates.  The island is being actively pulled apart by the movement of these plates, with new crust being formed at the ridge and causing earthquakes.  The country is generally considered geographically and culturally part of Europe.  The land is filled with glaciers, volcanoes, 10,000 waterfalls, and thermal pools.  Many areas of the country have no trees. The terrain morphs and changes continually across the country.  Some areas look like the moon.  In 1965 and 1967, NASA sent two groups of astronauts to Iceland for geology field training to prepare for the moon landing.  Iceland was chosen as it had the most moon-like field areas for the astronauts (including Neil Armstrong) to prepare themselves.  Iceland is a popular location for film (including Rogue One:  A Star Wars Story) and television productions (including Game of Thrones) due to its unique and diverse landscapes, which can double for a wide range of settings, from otherworldly alien planets to rugged wilderness.  Areas of the country would remind us of the Faroe Islands, Ireland, and New Zealand. 

• The country is divided into eight regions, with an overall land area about the size of Kentucky.  Approximately 400,000 people live on the island with two-thirds of them residing in the Capital of Reykjavik (approximately 140,000 people).  The second largest town is Akureyri, with approximately 20,000 people.  The highest point in Iceland is Hvannadalshnjukur at 6,920 feet.  It’s part of the Oraefajokull volcano and is a glacier-covered volcano.  The Highlands cover much of Iceland’s interior and are largely uninhabited due to harsh weather conditions.  Some sections of the country do not have electricity. 
• Iceland made global headlines in 2010 after the eruption of the Eyjafjallajokull volcano disrupted European flights, impacting approximately 10 million travelers.  An Iceland Airline offered free stop overs in Iceland.  This brought an influx of new tourists.  The country was not equipped to accommodate travelers as dining, lodging, and public bathrooms were limited.
• Despite its name, Iceland’s coastal climate is relatively mild thanks to the Gulf Stream.  The weather is famously unpredictable.  Summer temperatures generally range from 50 to 59 degrees and due to the close proximity to the Arctic Circle experiences up to 24 hours of daylight in June.  The Northern Lights start to appear in autumn.  Winter brings only 4 – 6 hours of daylight in December, along with snow, ice, strong winds, and temperatures around 23 to 41 degrees.  The puffins and other migratory birds arrive for nesting in the Spring.  We were in Iceland from June 20 – August 3^rd and we typically experienced some rain, some wind (up to 53 mph), and some sun each day.  The highest temperature we experienced was 80 degrees.  Temperatures were typically in the 40s and 50s.  We could still see snow in higher elevations and glaciers. 
• Iceland does not have an army, air force, or navy.  It relies solely on NATO for its defense.  There is a coast guard to keep fishermen and sailors safe.  Voting age is 18.  Iceland’s government is a parliamentary representative democratic republic.  There is: a President, who is the head of state (largely ceremonial); a Prime Minister who is the head of government and leads the executive branch; a Cabinet that is appointed by the president but typically formed through party negotiations after elections; a Parliament responsible for passing laws; a Judiciary branch that is independent from the executive and legislative branches, with the Supreme Court of Iceland at the top. There is a multi-party system, so coalition governments are the norm. While many parties exist, only a handful typically secure enough votes to enter parliament. In municipal elections, even more parties may gain representation — nine parties were elected in the 2022 local elections. When talking with a local man, he told us the government is corrupt.  An example he gave is that the government owns two fish farms and they will pass laws to benefit their personal interest. We talked with Guðni Th. Jóhannesson when we were at one of the National Parks.  He was the president of Iceland from 2016 – 2024.  There was absolutely no security with him.  We saw the Prime Minister’s summer house and there is absolutely no security in the area.  Iceland made history when Vigdís Finnbogadóttir became the first woman in the world to be democratically elected as a head of state. She was elected President of Iceland in 1980 and served for an impressive 16 years.  Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir became the first female Prime Minister of Iceland in 2009, and the world’s first openly gay head of government elected to lead a country full-time.  Iceland is leading the way in gender equality — especially in government. As of 2025, women hold an unprecedented number of top leadership positions across the country:  6 out of 11 cabinet ministers are women; the President, Prime Minister, Foreign Minister, Minister of Justice, Minister of Social Affairs and Housing, Minister of Industry, and Minister of Health are all women; the Speaker of the Parliament and Parliamentary Ombudsman are also women.  The mayor of Reykjavik is a woman.  Iceland is the most gender equal country in the world according to the sign.  We found this sign on a street near the Icelandic Phallological Museum (aka The Penis Museum). 

• Public Holidays:  New Year’s Day – January 1^st; Maundy Thursday – Easter Week; Good Friday – Easter Week; Easter Sunday and Monday; First Day of Summer – Third Thursday in April; Labor Day – May 1^st; Ascension Day – 40 days after Easter; Whit Sunday and Monday – May/June; National Day – June 17; Commerce Day – 1^st Monday in August; Christmas Eve – December 24^th; Christmas Day – December 25^th; Boxing Day – December 26^th; New Year’s Eve – December 31^st.    Beer Day is celebrated each year on March 1^st (beer was banned from 1935 – 1989). 
• Iceland’s healthcare system consistently ranks among the best globally for access and quality.  It is a state-centered, publicly funded universal system that covers the entire population.  About 84% of healthcare costs are covered by taxes, with the remaining 16% from service fees.  Private insurance is rare.  Iceland boasts one of the highest life expectancies in the world, due to its strong healthcare system, clean environment, and active lifestyle.  We don’t recall seeing any locals smoking (a few were vaping). Women live to about 85 years of age and men to 82 years of age.  The maternity and paternity leave in Iceland is 12 months with a 5-5-2 split, meaning five months go to parent A, five months to parent B and the parents decide together what to do with the remaining two months.  Men are very involved in parenting (we saw more men walking or playing with the children than women). 
• The official language is Icelandic, however, many are concerned there is a risk of losing the language because there are so many TV, movie, and music influences from the United States and England.  Students learn English and Danish in school and other than older individuals in rural areas, everyone we talked with spoke excellent English.
• While Christianity—specifically Lutheranism—remains dominant (with about 59% of the populations), the country has seen a steady rise in religious diversity and secularism.
• It is one of the safest and most peaceful countries in the world.  The Imagine Peace Tower, created by Yoko Ono in memory of John Lennon, is located on Viðey Island in Kollafjörður Bay, just off the coast of Reykjavík.  It is lit on his birth date until his death anniversary date.  Yoko selected Iceland as it is a peaceful country. 
• Police do not carry guns.  There are five prisons across the country with a collective total capacity for less than 200 inmates.  These prisons are generally small and low security, reflecting the country’s low incarceration rate and emphasis on rehabilitation.
• Same sex marriage was legalized in 2010. 
• You can feel the deep care and respect for nature in Iceland.  The country is known for having one of the highest percentages of renewable energy use in the world (90% of Iceland’s energy is green).  The country relies primarily on renewable energy sources such as geothermal and hydroelectric power for its electricity production and heating needs.  The hot tap water is HOT, HOT, HOT! Approximately 85 – 90% of Iceland’s total energy consumption comes from renewable sources.  The country’s goal is to be carbon neutral by 2040.  Everywhere is diligent about recycling, including organic waste.  Iceland is ranked as one of the countries with the best air quality.  It is one of the cleanest countries we have visited.

• Drivers pump their own gas at stand-alone pumps.  We appreciated the free water hoses and brushes to clean vehicles that were available at gas stations.  The cost of gas is more than we are used to – it converted to about $9.50 per gallon.
• It is mostly a cashless country.  We did not need cash to pay for anything, even in the rural areas. $1 USD = 122.52 Icelandic Krona.
• The grocery stores have more fruits and vegetables than we anticipated.  They have geothermal heated greenhouses across the country, which produce half of the vegetables consumed in Iceland.  Groceries were similar in price to Sarasota, FL.  Lodging, restaurant meals and liquor store purchases cost about double what we normally pay.  Our movie tickets cost $19 each (we could have paid $40 a single ticket that included a medium popcorn and soda with refills). 
• We asked many locals how they can afford to live here.  They indicated they are paid a higher wage (due to “union” bargaining), the cold water is free, geothermal heating and electricity are inexpensive.  One woman we talked with indicated there are monopolies which cause the higher prices – two families own major stores so it’s very expensive and the owners are trying to pass legislation for locals to not be able to order from certain discount online stores (to protect citizens due to quality issues). 
• Iceland does not have an official government-mandated minimum wage.  Minimum wages are negotiated within each industry through collective bargaining between unions and employers.  Common salaries in Iceland are:  Manager $93,000 – $112,000; Software Developer $70,000 – $85,000; Nurse $60,000 – $72,000; Fisherman $50,000 – $70,000; Teacher $55,000 – $65,000; Construction Worker $50,000 – $60,000; Chef $45,000 – $55,000; Tourism Guide $40,000 – $50,000; Retail Salesperson $35,000 – $45,000; Cleaner $32,000 – $40,000.  Locals shared that many Icelanders are moving to other countries, like Denmark and they are losing professionals.
• When conversing with several locals, they expressed concern with the number of immigrants (approximately 15% of the population, the majority from Poland) moving to Iceland.  They do not feel their infrastructure can manage the additional population and feel their traditions and culture are at risk of being impacted.  Almost everyone we met in the service industry was from Poland, Czechia, Romania and Ukraine.  They came here after the tourist boom in 2010 to make more money. 
• We saw familiar franchise chains:  Subway, Costco, IKEA, TGIF, KFC, Sbarro, Starbucks, and Pizza Hut.  Iceland once had three McDonald’s in Reykjavik.  All locations were closed due to the fallout from the 2008 financial crisis.  There are several local chains for grocery stores, restaurants, convenience stores, gas and coffee shops.    
• Traditional foods include fish, lamb, whale, puffins, horse, reindeer, smoked, salted and fermented foods (traditions that remain from pre-refrigeration – fermented shark, pickled ram’s testicle, fish jerky).  Cocktail sauce is a mix of mustard, mayo and ketchup.  Black licorice is one of their favorite candies and comes in all kinds of varieties (including chocolate covered candy bars and baked goods).  I like black jelly beans, so I had to try it.  It was too salty for me, even though sugar was the 1^st ingredient. 
• There are about 40 Icelandic sagas primarily written in the 13^th and 14^th centuries.  These sagas focus on real families and events from the 9^th to 11^th centuries, blending history, myth, and drama.  They are considered literary treasures.
• Icelanders have long believed that the land itself is alive – with elves, trolls, and ghosts inhabiting rocks, mountains, and waterfalls.  “Hidden people” or elves who live in rocks and cliffs, are often invisible to humans.  In fact, construction projects have been rerouted to avoid disturbing supposed elf dwellings.
• Traditional housing looks like the house below and new apartments are very modern. 

• We saw lots of Tesla, Dacia (owned by Renault in France – made in Romania and Morocco), Suzuki, Toyota and Nissan vehicles.  Many electric cars. Our apartment building garage had an electric plug in port in every parking spot. You need to be 17 to obtain a driver’s license.  Reykjavik has an easy city bus system to navigate.  It costs about $5 per bus ride, and you can pay on the machine with your phone when you board the bus.  Akureyri has a free city bus.  There are some long bus routes around the country, however it is probably best to rent a car if you want to explore the island.  The road infrastructure overall is fairly good.  Some roads have electronic signs that display the current road temperature and wind speed.  There are signs that detect your speed and give a green smiley face or red sad face.  Many roads in rural areas are very narrow with no shoulders and deep ditches. Many roads are gravel and there are plenty of one-lane bridges across the country.  The Highland area contains mostly F roads (which stands for the Icelandic word Fjall for mountain) which need to be traveled by 4 x 4 vehicles only and the roads are only open in the summer.  You need to pay $5 – $10 for parking in the majority of site seeing places around the country.  You can pay with a QR code on your phone.  They have cameras and if you don’t pay you are accessed a fine that continues to increase until you do pay the fee.  We didn’t pay for a $10 parking fee and our rental car sent us an email that we were charged $52 with the fine.  We listened to the same radio station (when it would come in) when driving across the country. A wide variety of music was played, including Shaboozey, Morgan Wallen, Gracie Abrams, 80’s and Icelandic songs. 
• There are over 400,000 sheep, being raised primarily for meat and wool.  Farmers let their sheep roam freely during summer months.  Approximately 80,000 Icelandic horses roam the countryside.  We saw seals, whales, puffins (and lots of other sea birds), cows, and goats.  The Artic fox is the only native mammal.  The country does not have any reptiles or amphibians.  It is one of the few places on earth that does not have mosquitoes (but watch out for the midges as they are annoying and bite).  Polar bears are not native to Iceland.  However, they sometimes drift over to Iceland from Greenland on icebergs.  In rare cases they have swum 186 miles from Greenland to Iceland.  Arctic terns undertake one of the longest migrations of any bird species.  They travel from their breeding grounds in the Arctic to the Antarctic for the winter, covering an average of 44,100 miles.  Arctic terns are known for attacking humans when they are near their nests (which we experienced multiple times).  There are no penguins (they only live in the Southern Hemisphere, except for the Galapagos Islands).
• Lupines were in full bloom.  Fields and ditches were blanketed in purple the end of June.  Towns plant lots of flowers. 

• It is neither unusual nor is it frowned upon for people to have children with more than one partner.  Every child must be given a name before the age of six months.  Names must be chosen from the personal names registers, which includes all approved Icelandic names.  The country has a committee responsible for approving or rejecting new given names for Icelandic citizens based on the Icelandic naming conventions and linguistic rules.  Icelanders use patronymic or matronymic surnames, not family names.  For example:  Jon’s daughter would be Jónsdóttir and his son would be Jonsson.  Women don’t take their husband’s last name when they get married.  Instead, they keep their last name throughout their lives. 
• Legal drinking age is 20, although some venues may have their own age restrictions to be 22 years or older.  Liquor stores (Vinbudin) are owned by the state and is the sole legal retail vendor of alcohol (with more than 2.25% alcohol content) in Iceland.  The purpose of this monopoly is to regulate alcohol sales and promote public health by controlling availability and reducing alcohol-related harm.  The stores have limited hours and are generally closed on Sundays.  You can purchase alcohol at licensed bars and restaurants as long as it’s consumed on the premises.  Breweries can sell their products directly to customers on-site. 
• The most popular sports are handball, soccer, horse riding, golf, swimming and cross country and downhill skiing. We saw lots of golf courses which ranged in price from $65 – $165, depending on the day and time, for 18 holes.  There are paved trails for walking and biking all over towns and the country.  The public pool is the heart of almost every town in the country.  Public pools have open locker/shower areas.  Everyone is required to wash fully (without their swimsuit on) before going in a pool.  Playgrounds have mini ziplines and bounce mats. 

• Reykjavik has cultural activities, museums, the Iceland Symphony Orchestra, the Icelandic Opera, music and comedy events, and an international film festival. 
• The Westman Islands (Heimaey) has 15 islands – only one is inhabited – and they refer to the mainland as the 16^th island.  Heimaey is referred to as “Pompei of the North” due to the 1973 volcano eruption which buried 400 homes.  
• We saw lots of active apartment construction in bigger cities.   
• Like Denmark, some of the grocery stores have handheld scanners that you use when shopping to scan items while shopping and putting the items directly into the bags in your cart.  You scan a machine at the end to pay for your items. 
• We saw lots of campers with German license plates.  They come over on the ferry from Denmark.  There are lots of camper rentals and local Icelanders travel with their campers.  Over 2.26 million international tourists visited Iceland in 2024 – mainly from the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Poland, and France.
• Women wear leggings with skirts and dresses (even in the summer). 
• Movies still have an intermission, like days gone by. 
• My hayfever was activated a lot in the rural areas where they were cutting hay.  I had trouble sleeping at night because I was too warm.  I like my bedroom to be 68 degrees or lower.  There is not air conditioning or ceiling fans.  The windows open outwards so that the wind pushes it inward and the rain doesn’t come in.  Because we were here in summer when it is mostly daylight outside, we had to close our curtains which blocked the cool air from coming in. 

• One Icelander indicated they don’t care what anyone wears and their attitude is usually “you do you”.  We only get really offended if people litter, drive off road, disrespect nature and don’t wash naked with soap before going in the pool.
• One Icelander made fun of their basic and general descriptions, like a pizza chain called Pizzan and a coffee shop chain called Te and Kaffi (Tea and Coffee).
• One of the Icelandic sayings is “window weather”, which means it looks amazing outside but it’s actually cold and windy. 
• Iceland ranks amount the top countries per capita for Miss World Titles (three winners).  Icelandic beauty queens are often portrayed as multidimensional – intelligent, independent, and socially conscious. 
• Iceland has won nine World’s Strongest Man titles, more per capita than any other nation.  The country is often called “the strongest nation in the world” due to its dominance in strength sports.  Ancient tests of strength involved lifting massive stones to prove one’s worth – some of which are still used in contests today.  Iceland’s rugged terrain and demanding lifestyle historically required physical resilience, shaping a culture that values strength.
• The country is known as “The Land of Fire and Ice”.  And some of our favorite memories are directly related to fire and ice.  There was a fissure eruption while we were in Iceland at the Sundhnukur crater.  We got within about a half of a mile to view it.  The pictures don’t capture the moment.  It was absolutely mesmerizing.  We loved Diamond Beach and seeing all of the ice on the black sand beach.

Our Journey Around Iceland