Initial Impressions of Iceland

I’ve been in Iceland for two days now and like it a lot so far. There is much to explore and our days are full. Some of my first impressions are:

• It’s cold. Even in late July, one can wear a long-sleeved shirt, a sweater and a jacket. The temperature varies throughout the day, so layering is a must.
  


• It’s cheaper than it used to be, but still expensive. Many of the prices, especially for tourist-related services, have been raised accordingly to pre-devaluation of the kroner levels. Nevertheless, it’s still cheaper for tourists than it was a year or two ago and will probably remain that way for a while
  


• It’s spacious. The land is vast and the population small.
  


• I like the people. Not only are they beautiful, they are proud, individualistic and quite egalitarian. Sixty percent of Parliamentarians are female and they have the world’s first openly gay prime minister.
  


• Reykjavik is a very walkable city. I’m putting on well over 10,000 steps per day without a problem.
  


• Reykjavik is surprisingly loud. Frequent airplanes plus traffic, harbor noises, skateboarders and blaring music make one suspect that there aren’t many noise ordinances here.
  


• It’s light in summer. It’s hard to feel as though as it’s late at 10 p.m. when the sky is still fully light. This takes some adjustment.