Fun Facts about Iceland II

Fun in Iceland! Photo: Holger Leue/Lonely Planet

I know, skimpy picture, but it's supposed to represent how fun it is in Iceland with pretty girls smiling. Picture is taken from the Blue Lagoon, which is just outside my hometown.

I got nice critiques on my query synopsis, so I'm still working on that (perfectionist here). Until then: More facts about Iceland!

Photo by Ómar Smári Kristinsson

- You can’t get lost in an Icelandic forest. The trees aren’t tall enough and the area isn’t wide enough. You can, however, get lost in the mountains and glaciers, and unfortunately it happens that foreigners sometimes die that way (three this summer that I know of, they were off to see the volcanic eruption in Eyjafjallajökull - come on! It's not that hard to pronounce!).

- Iceland has a female prime minister. She’s gay, but nobody cares.

- I don't like the Icelandic prime minister because she's trying to force us into the European Union.

http://net.visir.is/eurovision/1997.jpg

- Our most beloved pop star is also gay (Paul Oscar), but again, nobody cares.

- Earthquakes don't scare me. They’re too common and our houses are especially built to withstand them. A picture frame broke the last time, but it was a cheap frame anyway.

- There was a big earthquake two years ago in south of Iceland. That one would have scared me. Check it out! I‘m just glad nobody was standing in the aisle in the last bit.

- Most Icelandic candy is salt liquorish covered in milk chocolate (yummmmy).

http://annajfreak.bloggar.is/sida/39543/

- Our chocolate easter eggs are stuffed with candy (droooool).

- I'm on a one week candy probation (sigh).

- There are five Icelandic channels. The rest are American/English/Scandinavian.

http://visualrian.com/images/item/393538

- Every year we think we’ll win the Eurovision Song Contest. Every year we lose.

- Every man denies watching Eurovision, but 90% of them watch it.

- Most Icelanders have blood type O, and blood research suggests that most men back in the settler days (years 874 and up) were Norse, and most women Celtic. That also suggests that the women were slaves from Viking plunders.

The brisk trade in European slaves (Artist unknown)

- Talking of slaves, Icelanders were allowed to kill Turks on Icelandic ground until some years ago. In 1627 300 “Turks” (pirates from Morocco) kidnapped nearly 250 Icelanders, most from Vestmanneyjar (Westman Islands), and only a fraction of those were bought back years later.

- 15 people were kidnapped from my hometown, only one returned.

- Today, Icelanders are 320,000. Back in 1627 they were less than 50,000, so 250 Icelanders was a big chunk.

- Most Icelanders have blue eyes, and most children white hair. When the kids grow up their hair usually goes dark. I’ve also seen a lot of green and some amber (yellow) eyes. There are a lot of people in Westman Islands who have brown eyes and dark complexion (guess why).

- There are five universities for our 320,000 people.

- Most houses are heated by geothermal energy.

Sjósund - Jökulsárlón 2006 048 (Heimir)

- Swimming in the freezing sea is a sport and considered extremely healthy.

- I wouldn't be caught dead in an Icelandic sea. It's dark, bottomless, and has whales.

- There is only one beach in Iceland, and it's man-made (imported sand!). Most other shores aren't reclining, they just drop to being deep right away.

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/ny/look/look-colorful-roofs-in-iceland-010036

- We have very colorful roofs.

- We speak Icelandic (for those who didn't know). It's ancient Norse.

- There are no trains in Iceland.

- We got Toys'R US in 2007.

- There's no Starbucks here - don't know why, Icelanders are heavy coffee drinkers.

- I don't drink coffee, never have.