Iceland smells different. I grew up by the coast so I’m familiar with the scents of land meeting the sea, but this is a little bit exotic; the air seems heavier, with a richer mineral content.
Iceland’s tourist industry appears to be alive and well. It makes sense to capitalize on their prime location between Europe and North America, and they are really going for it. All the signs in the airport are bilingual, and the bus from the airport will not only take you straight to your hotel (after the 40-minute drive into town), but will happily drop you straight off at any of a number of tourist destinations instead.
The geology and plant life are fascinating, even out the window at 60 kilometers an hour on the bus. The environment contains elements I’ve experienced before, but never in a combination like this. Dense lichen and moss cover an alien landscape of igneous rock mounds that punctuate a prairie of short, soft grasses and dainty purple flowers, with cinder cone volcanoes dominating the skyline. We passed several stands of miniature conifers, which in North America would clearly be a Christmas tree farm. All this within view of the ocean. It’s at once magnificent and confusing, and I love it.
As we get closer to downtown, however, I am less impressed; I didn’t travel all the way here to see Taco Bell, KFC and Domino’s marring the view. Although I know I shouldn’t worry, as this part of the world has iffy food of their own, I have to cringe again when I think of all the other awful U.S. cultural exports that aren’t viewable from the road. (See reality TV or any current political programming for more details.)
After failing to get a pedicure at the Minneapolis airport despite a 6-hour layover, I thought I’d look into getting one done in Iceland. A preliminary search showed several options within walking distance, including three that were open even though I managed to arrive on Icelandic Labor Day. Now, I’m not very experienced in exchanging foreign currency, but I get the idea (not to mention Google can tell you any current exchange rate in real time). The prices listed were so outrageous that I had to ask Sigrun to verify, thinking I’d done it wrong somehow. No such luck, and I wasn’t about to spend $90 on a pedicure. According to Sigrun, “everything in Iceland is expensive.” Borrowed nail clippers for me, please.
Fortunately, I was able to take the same bus all the way from the airport to “Tales of Iceland,” which is now my Number One Recommended Stop for first-time visitors to the country. The small storefront opens up (abruptly – watch your step) to a rather large room filled with TVs and mismatched couches. Pass the obligatory gift shop on the left to the counter, where you can gain access to a locker (a big plus if you’re coming directly from the airport), as well as catch a glimpse of their local sense of humor.
An interactive love letter to the country, the exhibit consists of sixteen four-minute videos about Iceland, synchronized so that you have 20 seconds to move between videos. On the bottom floor, watch mini-documentaries about the arts, culture and sports of Iceland (did you know that one in 10 Icelanders has published a book? Or that the country has no mosquitoes?), as well as a few little video travelogues in which foreigners document their experience in the country from their unique perspectives. The top floor is full of “Iceland in the News,” each one covering the basics of the country with video footage from the era; topics include volcanic activity, naming conventions, the Cod Wars (s&*k it, Britain), and pop culture (“More than Bjork, Parts 1 and 2”).
In addition to the videos, there are several interactive media opportunities. One is an augmented reality look at Iceland’s thirteen Santa Clauses (none as awful as the Krampus, but still not the jolly fellow of my childhood photo ops). Another is a virtual video experience where you can fly over the country’s breathtaking scenery with a 360 degree view. Finally, there’s a choose-your-own-adventure-background photo booth, where you can pose with a variety of “Viking” props, including a life-sized stuffed sheep on wheels.
Math says it takes just over an hour to complete all the videos, but you can stay as long as you like. Many I found I wanted to watch again, as they were so densely packed with information that I wanted another crack at absorbing it. Thanks to the fascinating content, free WiFi and included snacks and beverages you can take around both floors with you, I happily whiled away close to three hours waiting for Sigrun to return from tour.
It was around the eighth or ninth sheep selfie that Sigrun messaged me to let me know she was home.
Protip: watch your step on the way out, too. Thanks to jet lag (admittedly debatable but I’ll play the card), I tripped in the doorway in both directions.
My boyfriend refers to sleeping as my “superpower,” and once Sigrun and I got settled in and adequately caught up at around 4 pm (sorry, 16:00), I made good use of the rest of the day, and night, and much of the next morning by exercising it.