This time, last year I went to Iceland. It was a weird trip because the land is really weird – in a good way. Iceland is different. Special. Unique. I had never visited such place before. Already the landing was an experience. The sun was shining pretty and covering the ice and the snow with its rays. Then started the long weekend; me and my photographer Antti had a lot of fun in Reykjavik! But didn’t have time for else. Thus, we were thinking to come again, during some other season. A road trip with a van would mean such a great times over there. Anyway, before next time: this is how I remember odd Iceland the best! These are the strangest things there:
Horse rule it there
Before visiting I didn’t know that there can be only a one horse breed occupying the island. They want to keep Icelandic horse so pure and unique that it rules the country. It’s not allowed to bring any other horses to the island, and if you bring your Icelandic abroad, there’s no coming back on horseback!
Icelanders’ sick humor
Now I get where do the Hukleikur Dagsson cartoons come from! The hit book ‘Should you be laughing at this?’ really described my feelings in Iceland. We happened to have a night out and flushed down a few pints of beer with locals – that was seriously the craziest two hours of my life. The chat was so hilariously rude; everything they split out was so black but so laughable. They, for instance, were joking about a German tourist who had jumped in a boiling spring. And me, what I did, I joined them! “Maybe she was so dumb that it was better that she didn’t reproduce!” I couldn’t help feeling bad in the next morning. Was having that ‘should I even had laughed at this’ feeling. Weird shit… Icelanders get some weird shit out of you.
Crazy weather
If there are cats and dogs raining in Great Britain, it’s cats and dogs that are having a rabies raining in Iceland! Within the four days, we experienced all the possible weather conditions that might change in minutes. Seriously I’m telling the truth here on these pages. Once for instance it was a nice and calm sunshine hour, and just suddenly it started to wind and blow out of nowhere, and it almost took me with it! I could have had a ride to Greenland. But I preferred not and went inside to wait for the weather gods to figure out their arguments.
Showering in the smell of boiled eggs
As soon as I went to shower the first time I started to snuffle. In volcanic Iceland, you can have a shower with an egg flavor, or scent to be specific – the tap water tastes really really good like in homeland Finland. But Finland wins in this one because our water doesn’t smell like somebody is boiling eggs next to you. Anyway, I didn’t mind; I can adapt to everything.
Secluded trend scene
Before hitting Reykjavik, my friend had told me that the hipsters were in fashion there already ten years before Finland. I can believe that. Even Iceland and Reykjavik is really secluded there is an outstanding amount of trendy things that give the isolated place a very updated feeling. The cutest thing on earth is to have such many personal cafes, restaurants and shops that are decorated in a unique way. I was fascinated at every place where I went. I clearly liked it on this ‘my kind of strange’ island!
