Hi!

I've been to Iceland between 50 and 60 times. Here are a few factoids in case you're interested.

If you would travel all over the World and visit a number of far-flung places, you could get an idea of what Iceland is like. First, find Ireland on the map, turn it on its side and it looks a bit like Iceland. The land mass is about the same size as Kentucky. Like Australia, the interior is virtually uninhabited. Virtually everyone lives near the coast or in a number of valleys not too far from the coast. The largest ice cap in Europe (and the 2nd largest in the World after Greenland), the Vatnajokull, is located in the Southeastern part of the country; about 12% of the land mass is under ice. Geyser is the only Icelandic word in the English language and the "Mother of all Geysers" is located in Southwestern Iceland. There are also volcanoes, pseudocraters, lavafields and not many trees (due to a variety of reasons).

The population is 260,000 with most people living in Reykjavik and its "bedroom communities" and there are varying estimates about the mixture of their ethnic makeup. 20% Celtic - 80% Norse is frequently mentioned and is as good a figure as any; the predominant blood type is the same as Ireland rather than mainland Scandinavia, so that should give you an idea. Culturally, the people are 100% Scandinavian. They speak "Old Viking" and the closest language is that spoken in the Faeroe Islands although the accent is quite different.

Traditional Icelandic song was often accompanied on the langspiel (a forerunner of the Appalachian dulcimer). There were many long ballads (including forerunners of the Child Ballads). The instrumental music is often played on the accordion today, at least to my experience.

Iceland is very interesting geologically, being the place where North America and Europe meet, being volcanic and also glacial. The modern food is excellent and the traditional food is sort of like Peace Corps cuisine. It is expensive. The tax on virtually everything is 24.5%! Late March, April, May, September, October and early November are the best times to go in terms of balancing cost with weather and availability of light.

Iceland is usually windy. Reykjavik is slightly warmer than New York in Winter and considerably cooler in Summer. Being oceanic in climate, there's just not as much of a temperature range as you are likely to find in many other places in the Temperate Zone. There is nothing on Earth like a sunny, still day in Iceland.

The fishing can be very good. Because of the generally cool temperatures, only members of the salmon-trout family are found there. I have had days of catching many, many brown trout only 8 - 13 inches in length and days of catching fewer, larger fish.