Chronicles of a Wandering Music Fan
Akureyri is Iceland’s second-largest city, and despite the large population jump (~150,ooo in Reykjavik to ~20,000 in Akureyri), the town has quite a lot to offer. Though many of the nearby attractions and activities, such as whale watching or a visit to the Myvatn spa, can tend to be quite pricey, there are still plenty of things to do for travelers on a budget. [Read more…]
For many visitors to Iceland, outdoor adventure is the main goal. And who could resist? With a million-and-one breathtaking places to explore, wild camping, and the ease and relative safety of hitchhiking, more and more people are looking to Iceland as a destination for some serious adventure.
There are many risks to this kind of travel. Iceland’s weather is fickle, unpredictable, and can turn severely bad at any moment. It can be easy to get lost seemingly-endless otherworldly landscape. There can be a pretty large distance between towns, and sometimes days-long gaps in traffic (even on the ring road), making it difficult to find help if something were to go wrong. [Read more…]
Hailing from Seattle, finding a good coffee shop is pretty high on my list of priorities when I travel. Not just for my much-needed caffeine fix, but also for the great comfort and workspace that comes from a really good coffee shop. Though quite a small city, Reykjavik is certainly not lacking in cosmopolitan comforts, and coffee is no exception. Though there are many great shops to choose from, these are my favorite coffee spots in Reykjavik. [Read more…]
via Bæjarins Beztu’s Facebook Page
When you think of the “national food of Iceland”, you may be thinking of cod, skyr, or lamb…but you’d be wrong. Turns out, the ultimate Icelandic food is the pylsa, or hot dog.
Icelanders really, REALLY love hot dogs.
…and for good reason! Pylsur are fantastic and super cheap, maybe even the cheapest cooked food you can buy in Iceland. A pylsa comes with ketchup, raw onions, crispy onions, a sweet Icelandic mustard, and a remulade. You can make them at home (ingredients are widely available at grocery stores in Iceland…you may even want to bring some back with you for when the pylsa craving takes over at home. It will.), and they’re available at a lot of different places, but the very best hot dogs come from the famous Bæjarins Beztu stands, the most popular of which is right by the harbor, and conveniently located next to several downtown bars for optimal drunk munching. [Read more…]
While getting ready for my first trip to Iceland in 2012, I started doing some casual online research, looking for things to do aside from the Iceland Airwaves Music Festival, which I was in town to attend. This is when I stumbled upon the Iceland-focused blog I Heart Reykjavik, which turned out to be a treasure trove of good information for travelers in Iceland. I’ve used her very-helpful posts to help plan parts of each of my trips to Iceland. When I found out that Auður (the woman behind IHR) was leading walking tours of the Reykjavík, I knew I had to check it out. [Read more…]
Seljalandsfoss, on Iceland’s south coast.
Iceland is one of Europe’s newly-very-popular tourist destinations. Between airfare deals from their biggest airline, a recent addition as an EasyJet destination, and huge festivals like Iceland Airwaves drawing in foreigners by the thousands, there’s been a steady increase in backpackers and budget travelers visiting this beautiful volcanic rock.
As I embark today on a 2-month trip to Iceland (my third visit in two years…I think I might be kind of addicted), I’m again thinking about ways i can keep to my budget and save money in this rather expensive country. Here are a few of the easiest ways to save some serious kronur, and make the most of your time in this amazing place. [Read more…]
Seljavallalaug, Iceland 10/2013
I’m Katy, a Seattleite quitting my normal life to pursue my two greatest passions: travel and music. I’m documenting my general travel adventures, as well as great record stores, labels, festivals, and music I find around the world.