Iceland is fiercely independent, built into the very fabric of its being. From its rugged volcanic landscape to fields of soft moss and dramatic waterways, each bend in the road leads to a unique and equally stunning view. With a culture built on saga literature, the Icelandic spirit differentiates itself from Norwegian roots but remains true to the original Scandinavian pioneers. Find yourself, utterly alone in an ethereal landscape or surrounded by international tourists in a misty blue lagoon. Iceland is a microcosm of all nine worlds in one.
Places to Visit
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Golden Circle (Thingveiller, Gulfoss, Geysir)
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Laugavegurinn (Top 20 Nat Geo Trek)
What & Where to Eat
What to Read & Watch
An Icelandic Starter's Guide
Movies
Books
10th - 14th Centuries: By Podcast (2013-2020)
The Sagas of the Icelanders tells the life of ordinary Icelanders and extraordinary events. A complete picture of life in 1000 AD Icelandic democracy. But with blood feuds, heroes, monsters, and the Norwegians.
TV Series (2013-2020)
You'd never realize this came from the history channel... it's action-packed, clever, and still true to the Icelandic sagas. Ragnar and Lagertha are especially compelling, from their ascension of subsistence farmers to viking royalty.
Halldor Laxness (1934)
Nobel Prize for Literature winning author/book (along with Iceland's Bell). Captures Iceland's fiercely independent sprit and the life of a small-time farmer.
Einar Már Guðmundsson (1995); Movie (2001)
It is inspiring and tragic, profound and fleeting: the lives of asylum patients in Iceland. It might be compared with other American works, like One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest or Girl, Interrupted.
Halldor Laxness (1934)
Nobel Prize for Literature winning author/book (along with Independent People). Captures Iceland's fiercely independent sprit and the life of a small-time farmer.
Movie (2001)
Dark comedy that could only be made in Iceland. Give it a try and then visit some of Reykjavik's bar scene that make an appearance.
Arnaldur Indridason (2007)
A thrilling detective story by best-selling, Icelandic author Arnaldur Indridason. Detective Erlendur returns to track the cold case of a mysterious skeleton, just uncovered.
Sagas - Heroes, Monsters, & Everyday People:
Part mythology - part documentation of a small island's lineage. Driving around Iceland's Ring Road, you can stop by the ruined foundations of "Burnt-Njal"'s home. But good luck finding trolls and huldufolk (the little fairy people - you'll find little doll-house sized homes in front of locals' houses). The stories are intricate and exceptionally human - they tell the lives of Iceland's residents, from colonization to the 14th century Norwegian takeover. And interrelate with Scandinavian history, even Leif Ericsson has an origin saga in North America's "New World".
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Start with the Viking's TV Series​, a re-telling of the Saga of Ragnar and his sons. It's highly entertaining and true to saga and Norse mythology alike.
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Try the sagas by podcast before you take to reading old, dry manuscripts. Two Icelandic literature professors put on a great podcast:​
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Gisli's Saga:​ short'n'sweet story of vigilante justice with all the great saga elements
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Njal's Saga: Perhaps the world's most-famous viking-lawyer, his BFF, and their wives.
Find Njal's house on the ring-road.​
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Egil's Saga: Iceland's favorite beserker.
Walk through his story, on exhibit, at the
Saga Museum in Borgarnes.​
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Finish with Halldor Laxness Nobel Prize winning novels of the small-time Icelandic farmers. Few stronger than, Independent People.
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The Icelandic One-Flew-Over-the-Cuckoos-Nest:​
Minus Nurse Ratchett - it is the powerful story of several patients at a mental hospital struggling for friendship and normalcy. Find it as a movie or a book.
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To the small-time Icelandic farmer:
​Laxness won a Nobel prize in literature for his vivid descriptions of the Icelandic interior and revitalization of Iceland's literature. If you're ever wondering how people make a living in the small sod-roofed houses that dot the landscape, look no further.
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You will inevitably travel through Reykjavik:
And it's well-worth it! Artsy, innovative, and thoroughly Scandinavian, Reykjavik is the world's most northerly capital.
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Reykjavik 101 - Seems to capture some of the dark humor and Icelandic spirit that defines that city's capital. It wasn't my favorite movie - but it helped me make sense of this enigmatic, energetic city after visiting.
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An Icelandic Mystery Novel
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Silence of the Grave - A thrilling mystery tale, Inspector Erlendur is a recurring detective character in Indridason's mystery series. This story is a quick read, entertaining, and suspenseful. With a glimpse into modern times, as well as the former military base (now today's Keflavik Apirport).
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