Final Thoughts on Iceland. . . .

Have now arrived in England but still have some final thoughts on Iceland since this was my first visit.

I enjoyed it and would come back. It would be fun to range a bit further afield and see more of the country, although I really liked Reykjavik (and feel proud that I can now spell that without checking -- it's taken 3 days and writing it a lot). This city is quite walkable, and I did walk a lot. Next time I'd try the bus system since some things I'd like to see are a bit far for walking, and it appears that the bus service is quite good. The city is generally clean (I barely avoided being hit with a spray of water from a street cleaning machine as I waited for the airport bus outside the hotel at 4:30 a.m.) with not much graffiti, although there was more than I'd expected to see. The people are quite friendly, although I didn't meet any locals not involved somehow in tourist activities so that might not be a representative sample. I like the pride that people seem to have in being Icelanders; their history, literature, and democracy are quite impressive -- in general and particularly given their small size.

Once again I was grateful that the rest of the world tends to speak English. As someone not good at languages (although I keep plugging away on my Korean), I so admire those who speak another language well. Most Icelanders seem to speak excellent English; most impressive. Many people speak three languages. The guide on the bus tour moved easily between English and German. She made the point that the one part of the Iceland economy still going reasonably well is tourism and encouraged us all to encourage other visitors.

The main drawback to Iceland is cost. Everything is quite expensive by American standards. My hotel was ranked as 3 stars; the top hotel is four. I found it quite acceptable, but not at all a luxury facility. By paying in advance on a no change/no refund basis, I saved quite a bit, but the standard rate for the room I had (very small with minuscule bath with shower only) was about $170 per night. The hotel was well located but slightly shabby; the carpet definitely needed replacement in places, and the furniture was well used.

Food also is quite pricey. Being self-sufficient in dairy and meat products didn't seem to reduce those prices. And more other commodities must be imported thus resulting in high costs. One of the bus drivers commented that I should have been here a yer and a half ago; then their financial crisis had resulted in an excellent (for the dollar) exchange rate, but prices had not yet increased (now they have).

I'm just afraid that any future trip I make might have too high expectations for good weather -- unlikely to be met. The three+ days I was in Iceland were beautiful. It was sunny, temps in the 60's, and extremely pleasant. The little rain which occurred happened overnight (late Wed. to early Thurs.). So no complaints on the weather front.

It was a good visit -- well worth doing.