Sunday
Jan232011
10 Things I Didn't Know About Iceland - December 2009
Sunday, January 23, 2011 at 4:12PM 1) They love their geyser humor. What's the fastest way to boil a tourist? Put them in front of an active geyser of course. I had the pleasure of witnessing one soaking in particular.
2) Rot cured shark, called hakarl, is one of their smelliest delicacies. The shark contains toxic levels of ammonia so can't be eaten raw. It's edible only when cut into small pieces and buried for a few months to let the poison drain away. Best to chase it with Brennivin, a local schnapps.
3) In the winter there is only about 5 hours of daylight and in the summer there's only 2 hours of darkness, from 1-3am, so hotels have installed two layers of heavy drapes to combat the neverending sun.
4) Whale tastes like beef and hardfiskur, a popular dried fish found in grocery stores, smells and tastes like fish food. Eww.
5) In December the locals put electrically lit crosses up at their relatives gravestones to mark the holiday season. When you venture closer you can see the white electrical cables criss crossing across the graveyards.
6) Baejarins Beztu Pylsur, in downtown Reykjavik, is the most popular hot dog stand in Iceland with a photo of Bill Clinton devouring a hot dog behind the counter. It was voted the best hot dog stand in Europe by The Guardian.
7) Alcoholic beer was banned in Iceland until the mid 1980's an effect of the prohibition that lasted there until the 20's. Icelanders would often put vodka in the non-alcoholic variety to provide a buzz.
8) The country's geothermal water smells like rotten eggs because of the sulphur so whenever you turn on the hot tap in your sink or shower be prepared for a nosefull.
9) Icelanders use the first name of their father as their last name. So if their father's first name was Johann his son's last name would be Jóhannsson (for son) and his daughter's last name would be Jóhannsdóttir (for daughter). Family names aren't commonly used in Iceland. Even the prime minister is called by his first name.
10) Traditional Icelandic houses circa the 1700's were one level and built from rocks and grass. When the first two storey houses started appearing the main floor was for the animals and the 2nd storey was for the owners. It was an old fashioned form of heating as the animals heated the house this way. Quite ingenious I think.
2) Rot cured shark, called hakarl, is one of their smelliest delicacies. The shark contains toxic levels of ammonia so can't be eaten raw. It's edible only when cut into small pieces and buried for a few months to let the poison drain away. Best to chase it with Brennivin, a local schnapps.
3) In the winter there is only about 5 hours of daylight and in the summer there's only 2 hours of darkness, from 1-3am, so hotels have installed two layers of heavy drapes to combat the neverending sun.
4) Whale tastes like beef and hardfiskur, a popular dried fish found in grocery stores, smells and tastes like fish food. Eww.
5) In December the locals put electrically lit crosses up at their relatives gravestones to mark the holiday season. When you venture closer you can see the white electrical cables criss crossing across the graveyards.
6) Baejarins Beztu Pylsur, in downtown Reykjavik, is the most popular hot dog stand in Iceland with a photo of Bill Clinton devouring a hot dog behind the counter. It was voted the best hot dog stand in Europe by The Guardian.
7) Alcoholic beer was banned in Iceland until the mid 1980's an effect of the prohibition that lasted there until the 20's. Icelanders would often put vodka in the non-alcoholic variety to provide a buzz.
8) The country's geothermal water smells like rotten eggs because of the sulphur so whenever you turn on the hot tap in your sink or shower be prepared for a nosefull.
9) Icelanders use the first name of their father as their last name. So if their father's first name was Johann his son's last name would be Jóhannsson (for son) and his daughter's last name would be Jóhannsdóttir (for daughter). Family names aren't commonly used in Iceland. Even the prime minister is called by his first name.
10) Traditional Icelandic houses circa the 1700's were one level and built from rocks and grass. When the first two storey houses started appearing the main floor was for the animals and the 2nd storey was for the owners. It was an old fashioned form of heating as the animals heated the house this way. Quite ingenious I think.
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