Whenever I'm in a new city (or even in cities that I know well), I try to take a guided tour and walk around with someone who knows the stories of the place. The good part is that there are organizations who offer free walking tours, meaning you don't have to pay a specific fee, but it's expected you'll give a small donation at the end, depending on how much you liked it. So when I was in Reykjavik, the first thing I did was to look for a free guided tour, to get a solid context for my trip. There's several websites who offer tours. I went with the guys from Citywalk; they do it every day, you just have to book your spot in advance.
It was a cold sunny day in March and we started early in the morning. The tour took about 2 hours and it was really enjoyable. The guide was funny, his English excellent (like it's the case with pretty much everyone in Iceland), our group was friendly, even though very heterogeneous. We got a nice introduction in Icelandic history, culture, politics and even language; at the end some of us had lunch together and shared tips on what to visit, before parting ways. 1. The inbreeding fear
Iceland has a small population (around 330.000 people) and so, dangers arise. People are so afraid of the possibility of hooking up with a potential relative (legitimate fear for a small island, otherwise), that an app was created, where you could check if the girl for whom you just bought a drink at the bar happens to be a third cousin of yours. Not a bad idea. But apparently it became kinda embarrassing to have this app installed, because it would show you're... erm, a frequent user. Also, the funny thing about it is that it would get the most hits on Saturday morning. So...uum, after the fact.
2. A Viking first discovered America
500 years before Columbus, Leif Eriksson and his men crossed the Atlantic. Some say by accident, others say purposefully in search of the new land he had heard about from other explorers that had seen it, but had never set foot on it. Eriksson was supposedly born in Iceland around 970 A.D., so the Icelanders are proud to say it was one of theirs to first get to America.
3. They have a long history with gender equality
For many years now, Iceland has ranked first in gender equality. Around 18th - 19th century, several feminist movements took place that eventually led to women's suffrage in 1881 (women's associations and schools were established, petitions were made, debates were started). Iceland was also the first country in the world to allow equal inheritance rights for men and women.
4. Bill Clinton made a hot dog stall famous
Hot dogs are really popular in Iceland and you'll find them in many places around Reykjavik. The most famous of all is Bæjarins Beztu Pylsur (meaning "the best hot dog in town") and it was first set up in 1937. It became (probably) the most famous stall in the world in 2004, after Bill Clinton stopped there to have a hot dog while visiting Reykjavik. Now all tourists eat there. Of course, I went there too. It's a really small stall, on the side of the road. Always full of people, queuing to eat a hot dog out there in the cold. The simplest one costs about 3-4 Euro. It's good, but not life changing. (I've actually had better hot dogs in other places in Reykjavik.)
5. The Vikings caused deforestation
When they got to Iceland, the Vikings started chopping down the trees to make ships and then let sheep graze around, which prevented saplings from growing. And so, there was not a lot of timber left to build houses. In order to protect the existing ones, people started using corrugated steel. First used for roofs and later to cover the walls, steel protects the timber from harsh weather conditions. Also from the fire, so that's a double win. And the best part about it is that people used ship paint for these corrugated steel walls, and so everything's really pretty and colorful, like it's all made of Lego. All in all, Iceland really does have this feeling of surreal beauty, whether you're looking at architecture or wild landscapes. But more on that in a future article.
