I'm going to Iceland next week- any good CD shops out there?? & any other advice?

I'm going next week- staying in the capital. Obviously have to see the Blue Lagoon, etc.
Any good record stores out there? What other stuff do I need to see that a book might not necessarily tell me?

 

You're going to Valhalla-on-Earth Viking-babe heaven and you're asking about CDs? OMG!

 

You can almost throw a rock from one end of Reykjavik to the other, and CDs are expensive there so it's not the best place to hunt for things. However, there are a lot of good local bands (now and in the past) and any number of people will tell you who they are. Several record stores, but you will inevitably stumble on them without trying. Buy some brennivin (the local drink of choice - quite nice when chilled in the freezer!) and it's true - the ladies are incredible.

 

I was born and raised in Reykjavík, but I generally try to stay away from there.
The countryside is often spectacular,however--bare, but beautifully so. Stunning mountains and waterfalls, great, eminently breathable air!

I hear the fish is excellent, but I never eat fish, so I can only assume that it is (I used to like fish, but when you grow up having it five days a week, as I did, you really never want to see it again). Icelandic lamb, on the other hand, is the best I have ever tasted. I would stay away from the Brennivín, it is cheap stuff that tries to be Aalborg akvavit, but doesn't come close. When I was a kid, people used to drink it only because it was the least expensive way to get drunk (beer was banned--it no longer is). Alcoholism was a big problem in Iceland, but I understand that drugs have taken over.

Look forward to hearing how you liked/disliked it--the latter will probably be the case.

 

So it would be safe to say you won't be on the Iceland tourist board anytime soon

 

Bring a sweater?

 

That's the last thing you need to bring. For one thing, unless you intend to climb Vatnajökul, the Gulf Stream heats things up comfortably at this time of the year. Secondly, sweaters (and other wool items) are what you should shop for in Iceland--they are great and a lot cheaper up there than on Fifth Avenue.

As for the Tourist Board, I think you are right, Bobo U2. About ten years ago, I was one of ten journalists invited to spend five days circling one of the Icelandic glaciers (the one Jules Verne used as a locale for "Journey to the Center of the Earth"). I deliberately did not reveal my Icelandic background to the tourist board reps until five days later, when we were treated to an impressive farewell dinner in Reykjavík. At one point, I told one of the ladies that I speak Icelandic. She shook her head and said that's funny. I told her that it was also true, and suggested that she say something to test me. When I answered her in flawless Icelandic, she almost fell off her chair. Then, having composed herself, she said, incredulously, "But you don't eat fish!"

On the five day-trek around the glacier (which we never actually saw, due to heavy fog) I had been the only one who wasn't eager to sample the fish, a source of national pride.

 

to heck with the fish and beer, is it true that the place is crawling with stunning blondes?

 

...and redheads, and brunettes.

Yes

 

What is the temp this time of year? How sunburned will I get?