Update 1/18/2010:
The flag of Iceland……….
But please bare in mind what flag is the most important during the week of March 27th thru April 1st, 2011:
Other pictures from Iceland are also attached:
The volcano activity (graphic depiction) from March/April 2010………….
The local currency is the Icelandic króna (ISK), and its value collapsed quite dramatically during the 2008 economic crisis. As of May 2010, it trades at around 1 EUR = 160 ISK. This has also made local prices more affordable for the visitor, although the prices of imported goods have risen rapidly.
You will get a better rate of exchange if you buy and sell your króna in Iceland itself. Just about every establishment in Iceland will accept a credit card, including taxis, gas stations, souvenir stands, and even the most remote guest house, so it is not necessary to carry large amounts of Icelandic currency. However, due to the currency’s instability some credit cards are still wary of króna transactions, so check with your bank before you go and don’t rely entirely on plastic.
Following the 2008 economic crisis, foreign trading in the króna has been restricted, so you may struggle to get króna notes in your home country. As at March 2009 we found the only method was to find old stock at Bureaux de Change which carried it in stock, such as Marks & Spencer. This may have to be ordered in about a week in advance though. (Author’s note: I plan on buying my currency in Iceland upon landing)
Visas
Iceland is a member of the Schengen Agreement. For EU and EFTA (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland) citizens, an officially approved ID card (or a passport) is sufficient for entry. In no case will they need a visa for a stay of any length. Others will generally need a passport for entry.
Update 1/17/2010:
This useful information was sent from Sabrina, my teammate. Weather related information for Reykjavik Iceland is as follows:
Reykjavik, Iceland
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| Month | Average Sunlight (hours) | Temperature | Relative humidity | Wet Days (+0.25 mm) | ||||||
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| Min | Max | Min | Max | am | pm | |||||
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| Jan | 1 | -2 | 2 | -17 | 10 | – | 81 | 79 | 20 | |
| Feb | 2 | -2 | 3 | -14 | 10 | – | 78 | 75 | 17 | |
| March | 4 | -1 | 4 | -14 | 14 | – | 78 | 72 | 18 | |
| April | 5 | 1 | 6 | -13 | 15 | – | 80 | 73 | 18 | |
| May | 6 | 4 | 10 | -7 | 21 | – | 75 | 67 | 16 | |
| June | 6 | 7 | 12 | 0 | 21 | – | 78 | 72 | 15 | |
| July | 6 | 9 | 14 | 1 | 23 | – | 81 | 72 | 15 | |
| Aug | 5 | 8 | 14 | 0 | 21 | – | 81 | 71 | 16 | |
| Sept | 4 | 6 | 11 | -4 | 20 | – | 82 | 73 | 19 | |
| Oct | 2 | 3 | 7 | -10 | 16 | – | 83 | 78 | 21 | |
| Nov | 1 | 0 | 4 | -12 | 12 | – | 80 | 80 | 18 | |
| Dec | 0 | -2 | 2 | -17 | 11 | – | 81 | 80 | 20 | |
As you can see, the average sunlight hours in March and April is 4 and 5 hours a day……..this just blows my mind but I can say with complete certainty that I am glad to not be visiting Iceland in December or January!!
Original Post:
Believe it or not Iceland does exist……Look at the map below, its tiny so try not to miss it!! The lines on the map depict the path myself, as well as the rest of the team will take from Minnesota and South Africa, respectively and we’ll hope the pilot does not overshoot the island on landing!!
Check back on this blog often as I will be updating it with useful/random facts about Iceland as I have more time to play around on the internet 😉
