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Demiurge4 posted:Fastfood restaurant decor in Iceland weird me the hell out. They all look like really fancy places (by danish standards) but then they serve pizza and not much else. Papas pizza in grindavik has a really nice log wood decor that reminds me of old fashioned British bars for example.
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Aug 28, 2015 15:19
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The things Icelandic people did to vegetables before they really picked up Asian/Latin American ways of cooking kinda make me glad they had no variety to them. The only way they knew was boiling them, really. And boiled vegetables are almost universally the worst ones, unless you do it properly. Nowadays of course we have vegan and vegetarian places galore, but you're still pretty much poo poo outta luck outside the capital. Though the Ethiopian place in Flúđir rocks.
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Aug 28, 2015 19:52
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Do you happen to know of any Icelandic émigrés living in Trinidad?  I passed by the harbour the other day and saw a replica drekkar (sp.?) with an Icelandic flag flying. Will post pictures ASAP.
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Aug 28, 2015 20:52
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Noctis Horrendae posted:Do you happen to know of any Icelandic émigrés living in Trinidad?
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Aug 29, 2015 12:46
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Is "ítalska sendiráđinu" correct? Would it not be "ítalskt sendiráđinu" since "sendiráđinu" is neuter and "ítalskt" is the neuter form of the adjective "ítalska"? Or is the adjective form affected by the fact that "sendiráđinu" is declined so as to be definite dative? Content: http://imgur.com/HzqacGi,OLCsNnB,Bs...lZej,pBFIKtP#25 Noctis Horrendae fucked around with this message at 00:26 on Sep 1, 2015 |
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Aug 30, 2015 04:32
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Noctis Horrendae posted:Is "ítalska sendiráđinu" correct? Would it not be "ítalskt sendiráđinu" since "sendiráđinu" is neuter and "ítalskt" is the neuter form of the adjective "ítalska"?
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Sep 3, 2015 10:07
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I think that goes for most languages, at least when we're talking native speakers. Thank you for answering my petty grammar question. I'd ask it somewhere more relevant, but unfortunately your beautiful language is too obscure for such a place to exist.
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Sep 4, 2015 03:28
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http://grapevine.is/mag/articles/2015/09/03/why-is-icelandic-considered-difficult-to-learn/
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Sep 4, 2015 19:06
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How is the reliability of the ferry that connects Landeyjahöfn to Vestmannaeyjar (and back)? It's hard to find a good answer online. I noticed that you can prebook at http://www.visitwestmanislands.com/ but further research (mostly resulting in tripadvisor posts) shows that it might not even be running.
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Sep 15, 2015 17:44
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Not an Icelander, but judging by the ferry itself, and experience with similar, local waters, I wouldn't worry about it too much. The Vestmannaeyjar page only talks about the summer season, but this Eimskip page has a full breakdown of how the ferry sails.
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Sep 15, 2015 19:40
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A lot of the time the ferry goes from Ţorlákshöfn instead, like it did for most of it's history until they decided to shave a couple hours of the sailing time by building a new dock closer to the islands. There's a large glacial river nearby that empties into the sea near Landeyjahöfn carrying with it a shitload of sand which builds up by the shore. When there is a lot of sand the harbour isn't deep enough for the ferry to use it. They do try to constantly pump out the sand but it's expensive and the pumpboats can't handle bad weather. A few times there's been 150+ days straight where the ferry has to use the older more reliable dock. So not very reliable.
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Sep 16, 2015 01:41
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Also, from what I understand, the ferry rarely reaches capacity, with the exception of bringing a car on-board because that space is extremely limited. Between that and the high chances of it not running for various reasons, it seems like you would be ill advised to pre-book. That said, if everything works in your favour, I would recommend Vestmannaeyjar for a day. It's gorgeous.
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Sep 17, 2015 14:24
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Yeah, we booked a stay through airbnb at a place on Vestmannaeyjar for one night. I got a reply from the contact form on visitwestmanislands.com and they said that while they (obviously) can't guarantee passage, we will get a refund if it doesn't work out. Also, I'm thinking that it would be better to bring the car over since we won't necessarily come back to the same ferry launch on the mainland.
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Sep 17, 2015 20:08
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Just don't go on the first weekend of August. There's this big festival in the valley on the main island and about 10-16 thousand people go to get shitfaced and gently caress. Because of this every single hotel, guesthouse and hostel will be booked and all camping areas packed with rowdy drunken teenagers. The local businesses also tend to raise their prices around this time so everything goes from pricey to really pricey.
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Sep 18, 2015 02:07
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I will never understand the Westman Islands and I shun them, as all should. Pretty neat landscape though, if you're into that kinda stuff. Try out the pancakes at Hvolsvöllur if you're using the Landeyjahafnar crossing.
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Sep 19, 2015 17:20
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Should I incorporate a small herb and/or vegetable (leafy greens etc.) gart could pnyden into my quail pen? SEms like they would eat the bugs, it could only do good things for the plants
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Sep 20, 2015 12:27
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Avshalom posted:Should I incorporate a small herb and/or vegetable (leafy greens etc.) gart could pnyden into my quail pen? SEms like they would eat the bugs, it could only do good things for the plants
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Sep 20, 2015 17:53
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My friend is visiting Reykjavík and she sent me a picture of a toilet paper dispenser that dispensed individual sheets. It looks similar to a contraption that restaurants in the US use for napkins. Are these common in Iceland? Where I come from, we get our toilet paper on rolls and rolls only. Are there any other plumbing novelties foreigners might not expect? I went to Mexico on a university trip, most of the pipes couldn't handle TP so there was a wastebasket next to the toilets. Apparently some classmates were too weirded out by this and clogged their host families' toilets, more than once!  Thanks so much for the thread, it's been super interesting & informative.
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Oct 12, 2015 02:25
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No, that is bizarre and odd, which is fairly normal in of itself. Novelties galore. We mostly use standard European toilets here, which are somewhat inferior to the German poopshelves, but less wasteful and likely to wet ur butt than American ones. Thankfully we had no plumbing until fairly late so ours is acceptable still. You can wash your toilet paper straight to the closest filtration plant. 
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Oct 12, 2015 02:28
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Dadmancer posted:My friend is visiting Reykjavík and she sent me a picture of a toilet paper dispenser that dispensed individual sheets. It looks similar to a contraption that restaurants in the US use for napkins. Are these common in Iceland? Where I come from, we get our toilet paper on rolls and rolls only. Those used to exist in the US. Edit: the single sheet tp thing.
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Oct 12, 2015 22:50
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I'm kind of an Iceland fan boy, being in the asatruar community and even have an aegishjalmur tattooed on my arm, but I really don't know as much about Iceland as I'd like to :iamafag: Is it true that road construction is postponed or even waylaid because it's illegal to disturb faerie haunts? What are must-see areas of Iceland? Particularly nature spots? What are the religious demographics like on Iceland? I recently learned that you guys are building your first pagan temple in thousand years, but I feel like there must be a good deal of christians as well.
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Mar 8, 2016 14:11
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Tias posted:I'm kind of an Iceland fan boy, being in the asatruar community and even have an aegishjalmur tattooed on my arm, but I really don't know as much about Iceland as I'd like to :iamafag: Alas, we no longer respect the elves as much as we once did; we now move the rocks instead of changing things around. The hills are still moved around though. Tias posted:What are must-see areas of Iceland? Particularly nature spots? Tias posted:What are the religious demographics like on Iceland? I recently learned that you guys are building your first pagan temple in thousand years, but I feel like there must be a good deal of christians as well. I really should link this in the OP, because StatIce gives you pretty much all the statistical info about Iceland you could want. Only about half of Icelanders are members of the national, lutheran church. The rest are atheists, pagans, some other type of Christian, a few muslims and buddhists and some more exotic ones as well. Things have changed really rapidly since back in the day, when just getting Ásatrú in was a hassle.
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Mar 9, 2016 15:17
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I really enjoyed the Golden Circle when I went around it with my dad so definitely check it out. I still haven't gone to the Blue Lagoon though because when I ask anyone the reaction always ranges from "it's okay" to "it's a lovely tourist trap" so, 
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Mar 9, 2016 15:29
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Another Icelander here chiming in. On the topic of religion, there are more than 3,000 members registered as Zuists, though as the link mentions, it's openly a protest against a tax that each citizen must pay to their religion(and is not refunded to those not belonging to any religion), so their mission is just to refund taxes paid to them. Re: The Blue Lagoon. I'm in the "it's okay" camp. That was several years ago, though, and I really only expect the place to get worse as it's marketed as the #1 destination for tourists, and they keep multiplying. Hot springs aren't exactly a rarity in Iceland, you can easily find others, though they'll be less accessible from the capital. If you have the time to travel to the north, Mývatnssveit has both Myvatn Nature Baths, which is to the Blue Lagoon what your mother's cooking is to McDonald's, and Grjótagjá, a cave filled with warm water. I've visited both and had a much more pleasant experience than in the Blue Lagoon.
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Mar 9, 2016 18:18
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Alternately: If you go at a time when the Blue Lagoon not completely full (not sure when that is precisely...definitely during the day before the schoolchildren show up) it is basically the most-worth-visiting tourist trap I have ever seen in my many years of elitist globehopping. It is an experience unlike any you are likely to find anywhere else in the world besides Iceland--even if I would also have no problem believing there are as-good/better hot springs elsewhere. I have just for various reasons not been able to really get far from Reykjavík in any of my three visits, so I was quite thankful for its existence. Of course I have basically liked every single place I have been and thing I have seen in Iceland, so my taste is questionable. Actually no, Prikiđ's breakfast was not that great  Lunch, though...oh drat.
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Mar 12, 2016 09:35
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Having read the entire OP I can see that you learned Danish in school. When did that stop, and are you still fluent? Also, would you mind if I wrote you some PMs? My girlfriend and I are aching to go to Iceland, maybe we could run some questions by you.
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Mar 14, 2016 11:02
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Tias posted:Having read the entire OP I can see that you learned Danish in school. When did that stop, and are you still fluent? While i cant speak for OP, but i started learning danish in 7th grade and stopped when i was 18ish. I can read some danish/norwegian/swedish (because they are all the same), but i cant speak any of them beyond asking for beer.
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Mar 14, 2016 14:04
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Tias posted:Having read the entire OP I can see that you learned Danish in school. When did that stop, and are you still fluent? As for PMs, they didn't survive my ban, so alas, if you wanna get in contact, you can email me at Malcowitz at gmail.com, it's the one I use to get in touch with folks in this thread.
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Mar 14, 2016 16:42
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I started learning danish in 4th grade, I was one of the last kids to start that young. I started english in 7th grade, but cartoon network, TV, adventure games and reading books on my own left me far ahead of the curve. Feel free to PM me with stuff regarding stuff.
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Mar 14, 2016 17:54
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I've just spent this whole workday blazing through this thread, and now I want to visit Iceland even more than I did before! Thanks for making it, can't wait to read more stuff!
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Mar 16, 2016 23:29
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I just want to talk about how utterly hosed up bank loans and especially mortgage loans are in Iceland. I just rent, but colleagues I have owe way more on their houses than they did 10 years ago because loans adjust up for inflation, that's kinda hosed up. I haven't met a happy home owner yet. Can someone give me a comprehensive overview on it? I assume it's because the money has to come from abroad and so they have crazy requirements for security but drat, it's straight up usury.
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Mar 16, 2016 23:39
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Demiurge4 posted:I just want to talk about how utterly hosed up bank loans and especially mortgage loans are in Iceland. I just rent, but colleagues I have owe way more on their houses than they did 10 years ago because loans adjust up for inflation, that's kinda hosed up. I haven't met a happy home owner yet. Orrrr, we could just point out that the Icelandic banks have a monopoly on Icelandic banking an prop up a system of loans that benefit them in every way and actively hinder the access of foreign banks by sitting on all the available "bank numbers" so that we still don't have a Scandinavian style "Folksbank" yet. 10 Beers posted:I've just spent this whole workday blazing through this thread, and now I want to visit Iceland even more than I did before! Thanks for making it, can't wait to read more stuff! I really should add goon discounts to the OP, as I have access to some of those these days for folks visiting here, at least for some tours and poo poo.
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Mar 17, 2016 03:21
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Demiurge4 posted:I just want to talk about how utterly hosed up bank loans and especially mortgage loans are in Iceland. I just rent, but colleagues I have owe way more on their houses than they did 10 years ago because loans adjust up for inflation, that's kinda hosed up. I haven't met a happy home owner yet. Happy homeowner here. We even paid off our entire mortgage in five years, owning our house outright at 34, despite having a child. Though admittedly we got lucky with our purchase time (2010) and both have higher than average salaries. The banking system is usurious and needs some overhaul, but it's not actually that difficult to stay on top of inflation increases unless a person is living paycheck to paycheck (which some are, but not too many homeowners are in such dire financial straights they can't chop a few habits down so they have extra funds for those inflation increases). Additionally there are non inflation indexed loans offered now, though the requirements put them out of reach for most people. Here is an article comparing the costs between Reykjavik, San Fran, and the US average, put together by my husband (top 7 photos by yours truly) http://creativekarlsson.com/interesting/how-expensive-is-iceland/
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Mar 18, 2016 13:54
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poopinmymouth posted:Happy homeowner here. We even paid off our entire mortgage in five years, owning our house outright at 34, despite having a child. Though admittedly we got lucky with our purchase time (2010) and both have higher than average salaries. Also, Nice pics.
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Mar 18, 2016 16:44
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Deceitful Penguin posted:Oh that was your husband doing that? Tell him I quite liked that article and shared it with folks I knew. Thank ya! We're trying to keep adding regularly financial content.
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Mar 19, 2016 00:03
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poopinmymouth posted:Happy homeowner here. We even paid off our entire mortgage in five years, owning our house outright at 34, despite having a child. Though admittedly we got lucky with our purchase time (2010) and both have higher than average salaries. San Francisco is kind of an outlier in general when it comes to comparisons, because it exists in a very weird sociopolitical space, between the poor (who have been flocking to SF since even before the 60s), the rich (highly skilled workers drawn by the plethora of highly skilled jobs) and the greedy (who raise prices and evict to capitalize on the tech gold rush). On a somewhat related note, how exactly is WOW Airline? They're coming to SFO this summer (along with a poo poo ton of other new flights).
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Mar 21, 2016 19:37
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Wow is dreadful, but inexpensive. I usually go to the US at least partly to shop, so Icelandair offering me 2 checked in bags is good and in-flight stuff is better. If you are willing to put up with their inadequacies, you might save some money I suppose. Nice colour scheme too.
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Mar 22, 2016 04:56
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Demiurge4 posted:I really enjoyed the Golden Circle when I went around it with my dad so definitely check it out. I still haven't gone to the Blue Lagoon though because when I ask anyone the reaction always ranges from "it's okay" to "it's a lovely tourist trap" so,
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Mar 22, 2016 16:23
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They're also the only really viable place for foreign folks to get drunk in a hot tub; you wouldn't know the right people in the right pools (hint: anywhere in the countryside) to ask about slipping into the pool with some and it's unusual to bring people to the other natural abode of the hot tub; their suburban house or, more commonly, the Summer House. There is something wonderful about being drunk, in the warm, as you freeze your hair into interesting shapes with the clear night sky above you though.
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Mar 22, 2016 18:16
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Deceitful Penguin posted:Wow is dreadful, but inexpensive. I usually go to the US at least partly to shop, so Icelandair offering me 2 checked in bags is good and in-flight stuff is better. Please come to Kentucky and bring cool stuff and drink copious amounts of bourbon.
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Mar 24, 2016 01:22
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