Putting Iceland on the Map and Incest Apps

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Have you ever worried that you might accidentally sleep with your cousin? No? Nor me, but then, I'm not Icelandic. But on a rather isolated island where the population is just 330,000, everyone is related by 6-7 degrees at least, more likely 3-4. So the probability that the guy/gal you have just met at the bar being a relative is of a concern high enough that an app has been developed where two people can download it to their phones and 'bump' phones before they 'bump' each other. However, this hasn't really caught on despite the dangers: Icelanders preferring to use an online genealogical database, 'The Book of Icelanders' instead. Apparently it gets most of its hits on Sunday mornings. This is one of many useful facts of Iceland that I have learned today.

The day started dark, with no stars or moon. Standing at the bus stop at 9.30 am felt like the middle of the night. I wonder how long it takes to get accustomed to this? Glyn and I headed up to Hlemmur bus station once again and despite being mid morning in the heart of the capital city, it was very quiet. Thankfully it was a lot less windy than yesterday. We stopped to take photos of the presumably life-sized furry polar bear models that were hanging about outside some shops.

Our first destination was the Settlement Exhibition which is an excavated Viking age farmhouse just below street level. It is one of the first if not, THE first, settlement found in Iceland dating from around AD 870. There were the usual fragments of stone, bone and leather that they claimed were tools and clothing. But they also had interactive graphics that displayed the building how it may have appeared back in the day. It was quite interesting but didn't take long to get around.

Next stop was an Icelandic Photography Museum, which today was the work of just one photographer, some guy from Iceland who took photos during the 50's and 60's. Some of the grumpy looking farmers were unintentionally funny and there was also a home video of a topless Icelandic man jumping up and down some rocks. Whatever floats your boat.

We don't have time to do a whale watching trip and anyway, according to some on TripAdvisor, The 'Whales of Iceland' exhibition is far superior. It is a giant experience you know. Like everything in Reykavík, the entrance fee was expensive - 15 quid each, but it was very good. There are around 20 life sized models of a variety of whales and dolphins including orcas, a sperm whale, a humpbacked whale and of course, a blue whale. The exhibition is housed in a large warehouse bathed in blue light with seascapes painted on the walls, fake seaweed hanging from the very high ceiling and whale wailing pumping through speakers. The whales are suspended from above and you start off being impressed by the killer whales, then bam! - there's the sea giants just around the corner. I read some of the info, but really all I wanted to do was wander around these massive replica beasts and be awe-struck. All Glyn wanted was the free coffee and he drank three cups.

What really blew my mind was the 3-D glasses. I could see Glyn sitting on a swivel chair, spinning around donning huge glasses attached to a samsung phone, oblivious to the rest of the world. I had to have a go. And then the battery died but a member of staff supplied me with a newly charged phone and I was off, under the ocean with the giants of the sea. As you physically spin around, the glasses rotate your underwater 3-D movie where whales, fish and sharks swim around you. Some swim above and below, so you really look like a complete goon to those watching you use them. We both had to watch all three available movies, much to the annoyance of a nearby small child impatiently waiting for his turn that eventually came.

It was now time to head to Austurvöller Square which is in front of the most unimpressive parliament building there ever was. Iceland only has 63 MPs, 29 of which are female which is not surprising in this forward thinking country where the quality of life is exceptionally high. We had booked online a City Walking Tour that is free and you tip at the end what you think it was worth. Our guide, Eiríkur (Eric to you and me) is a very enthusiastic History graduate, a font of Icelandic knowledge; from culture, customs, architecture to incest apps and traditional Icelandic food to avoid. If ever you visit Reykavíc, this tour is not to be missed.

I'd love to share all the humorous and interesting tales we were told, but it was a two hour tour and I could never do it justice. Eric told us all about Icelandic politics, how prices have halved since the economic crash resulting in a wages freeze, but Iceland now being just about affordable for tourism. Since the crash, unemployment has reduced from 15% to 3% all due to the increased tourist trade where the country now has more visitors than residents. Prices are still expensive but a pint of beer will cost you 4-5 quid instead of 10-12. All the construction that we have seen around Reykavík is hotels including their first five star hotel on the sea front. However, Icelanders struggle to buy homes now and are more likely to rent.

Tourism has also increased because of the volcano, Eyjaafjallajökull which put Iceland on the world map after it erupted and stopped European air traffic for a few days. Eric told us the people outside of Iceland hadn't heard of it until then. Some years previous to the eruption, he was travelling from Vietnam to Cambodia and was stuck on the border as officials didn't believe Iceland existed! He had to get the Vietnamese Embassy to call the Icelandic Embassy before they let him pass.

Eric also gave us a brief lesson on how to pronounce Icelandic words. The language itself is so hard to learn and they have 17 vowels alone, some of which sound exactly the same. We were shown examples of sentences including one that used the same letter (a) four times in a row, each letter a having a different meaning. No you haven't misread that, it is as insane as it sounds and Eric says, a nightmare for dyslexics. I asked him about a place name we had seen last night, 'Bygggarður', meaning 'Barley Field'. I had to know: how and why three g's all in a row?! No need I tell you! Apparently it has something to do with it once being two words. Whatever. Just in case you're wondering, ð is an Icelandic letter and I think it's pronounced as 'th'.

Eric's reasoning for the Christmas decorations still being up is that Icelanders are lazy. He also claimed that the wind that was cutting through us was but a mere breeze, although it was nowhere near as insane as yesterday. However, yesterday's high velocity gale was of little interest to Eric, Icelanders are used to it and old people just stay indoors during the winter.

Other noteworthy things about Reykjavík is that there is barely any litter. Crime is so low that there is almost no police presence on the streets, their only visible presence being on Instagram we were told. They have only one high security prison with about 30 inmates. Literacy is 98.5%, so as Eric said, about 3 people in Iceland can't read (and Eric is crap at maths). Kids learn English from the age of 8 and Danish from the age of 12. As a result, they can easily pick up Norwegian and Swedish. I didn't spot any homeless people although I guess one night on the streets in winter would kill most people.

The tour wound up at City Hall by a frozen lake where some people where walking over the ice. Eric asked that we did not try this until after the tour as his insurance didn't cover us breaking through and freezing, however unlikely that should be. After he recommended things to do in the city we gave him a good tip and went on our way.

Newsflash: I finally saw my first Icelandic cat!!! A large fluffy black and white one, running down Laugavegur. This is the main shopping road of Reykavík but still quiet enough for a cat to hang out there. I couldn't get close enough to photograph him though, as his owner had just turned up after walking a cow-sized dog.

It was after 4pm so we went to the water's edge to photograph the Sólfar (Sun Voyager) Sculpture which is a metal Viking ship skeletal sculpture that is pretty cool looking. There was only just enough natural light left to not need a flash. Only just though.

Glyn had seen somewhere to eat online that had soup in a bread house and we searched high and low for it to no avail. But on the plus side, the excursion meant that we briefly saw a second Icelandic cat, this time ginger and white running past in a hurry. So instead we went to a Korean restaurant that was very tasty but very expensive as expected. I had four tofu dumplings (a starter) and an Icelandic beer (Viking Gold, no less). Glyn had a small main meal of Korean fish burger and trimmings plus a coke. The bill came to 35 quid. Ouch. This is why we don't eat out here.

Upon returning to our hotel, we got ready for our much anticipated Northern Lights trip. In the foyer of the hotel was an English woman having a right go at the receptionist because the tour was cancelled due to weather conditions. Yes it was very disappointing, but such is the nature of nature. The silly woman was saying that she'd done nothing all day in anticipation of the tour and now she was going to have to do it tomorrow after the Golden Circle tour. Oh hardship! Apparently last night people got to go on the tour despite there being no lights and she still wanted to go on the tour with or without the lights. Personally, I think it's great that we are given two shots at seeing the lights. After all, they are unpredictable and chances are we won't see them at all, that's just how it is although I will be gutted. But I promise I won't have a go at the staff - the receptionist just booked us in for tomorrow. To be honest we are knackered. Glyn is meant to be writing his blog too but he is currently asleep with his Ipad on his lap. I guess I'll wake him up so he can go to bed and be bright eyed and bushy tailed for a Golden Circle Tour and Northern Lights Tour all in one day tomorrow - oh the hardship of holidays!

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