Word for the Travel Wise (12/13/06)

by Adrienne Wilson on

Here is an easy and very common word I’m sure you’ll be using on your stay in Iceland.

Today’s word is an Icelandic word used in Iceland:

bless – goodbye

Háskóli Íslands, one of the universities offers an excellent free starter course to learning Icelandic. Pictures, text, and audio for sample conversations are included. European Youth Portal points out other sources of study within the country and distance learning. I’ve met several speakers with My Language Exchange. Lastly, check out the BBC for a few easy phrases to help get you around the town.

Past Icelandic words: söngkona/söngvari, himnaríki, velkomin, dýrt, menning

Hot Icelandic Blondes?

by Neil Woodburn on

When I visited Iceland four years ago, nearly every male asked me the same question when I returned home: Were all the women hot blondes?

My answer? Is Björk a hot blonde?

Stereotyping is a type of ignorance and prejudice which travel either substantiates or refutes. Stereotypes exist because, yes, there are some hot blondes in Iceland just as there are humorless Germans, rude French, and obnoxious Americans. A responsible traveler recognizes this, but more importantly, is cognizant enough to realize that not everyone falls into this generalization. In fact, it is more often the case that very few people live up to these ugly stereotypes.

Travelers will also learn that every nationality which harbors a stereotype is at the same time very defensive about that stereotype. I’ve met many fun Germans with a great sense of humor who are aghast over the generalizations foreigners make about their fellow countrymen. “We are not all without humor,” they tell me. In much the same manner, I often find myself defending the particularly bad stereotypes foreigners have about Americans.

But what about when the stereotype is a good one? I, for one, wouldn’t mind being part of a widely accepted generalization that involves the adjectives, sexy, beautiful, and smokin’ hot! Of course, I’d be one of the exceptions but to at least be in the club would be pretty cool.

Or so it would seem.

I recently came across an article in Iceland Review written by a hot Icelandic blonde dismayed at the “hot Icelandic blonde” stereotype. Eygló Svala Arnarsdóttir argues that media has taken that baton and run with it. Sexy Iceland is a sexy concept and evokes all sorts of sweaty brows and heart palpitations amongst those males who subscribe to this theory. The international press can’t seem to let it go, continually painting the small Nordic country with the stereotype people most want to associate it with. “I just hope people choose common sense above stereotypes and visit Iceland, and all other countries, with an open mind,” Arnarsdóttir writes. And, I agree with her.

Oh, and for the record, the women in Iceland are hot–just as they are in New York, Prague, Denmark, Madrid, and countless other cosmopolitan metropolises around the globe.

Diving the Crystal Waters of Iceland

by Neil Woodburn on

Last week we posted about surfing in Alaska. This week we take you to Iceland to scuba dive.

I’ll spare you the regular clichés on why it’s humorous to even think about diving in Iceland and jump right into the reality: Iceland boasts one of the ten best dive spots on this planet. Many people might argue this, but after reading about the dive at Iceland Review, I would have to believe that it certainly ranks up there with the very best.

The dive takes place within a deep crevasse named Silfra, near Thingvellir Lake. It is a fresh water dive unlike any freshwater dive you’ve ever experience. This is because the water actually originates from melting glaciers. To reach Silfa, it has traveled underground and, according to Iceland Review, has been cut off from both oxygen and sunlight. This, combined with very cold temperatures, ensures that almost no organisms live within the water, making visibility extend beyond 100 meters. That’s more than 300 feet folks!

As if this isn’t cool enough, the crevasse itself is part of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge–the result of the slow separation of two tectonic plates: the North American Plate and the Eurasian Plate. What this means is that you can begin your dive in Europe and finish it in North America.

Sound fascinating? You bet it does. The folks at either DiveIceland.com or DivingInIceland.com can help you get set up and also point you to the island’s other fantastic dives–such as the Strýtan thermal chimney in case Silfra is a wee bit too cold for your liking.

Icelandic Whaling: To Visit or Boycott

by Neil Woodburn on

Whale watching is cool. Killing them is not.

Tourists planning on vacationing in Iceland now face a bit of a moral dilemma. Our favorite North Atlantic country has gone and decided to allow commercial whaling.

As you know, a variety of whales remain endangered and on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, including the fin whale which was killed by Icelandic whalers on October 22 to kick off their whaling season.

The international community has responded vehemently to Iceland’s decision to resume whaling after having signed a moratorium more than 20 years ago. Greenpeace is asking people to sign a “Iceland Whale Pledge” promising that they will travel to Iceland instead of another vacation destination if the country were to stop its whaling. Others, however, are calling for an all-out boycott of Icelandic tourism and its products.

So, what to do?

Although I’m personally against whaling, I’m not sure that my tree-hugging roots grow deep enough to prevent me from visiting Iceland as a result of their nautical hunting habits. But, if I do go, I promise not to eat any of the big fellas if they happen to appear on a menu.

Photo of the Day (11/3/06)

by Neil Woodburn on

I was feeling a bit nostalgic for Iceland and did a quick photo search over at Flickr for my favorite little Scandinavian Nordic island.

The entire country is so photogenic that I could have spent hours searching through the 149,849 photos tagged with “Iceland,” but I didn’t get past the first page before being blown away by this shot taken by hkam at the “gait championships at Mývatn.” Cold, blustery, and beautiful, I just had to share it with our Gadling readers.