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Cessna posted:What's the general opinion on Asatru, the attempt to reconstruct or revive pre-Christian religion? It is my understanding that they're building a church/temple in Iceland. Harmless kooks? Cool folk traditions? In general, people are mostly positive, if they think about it much. They're a visible minority as you see plenty of people around with a little Mjölnir around their necks, which is the more overt tell for it. Ásatrú has an, interesting history, in that despite ostensibly being the original faith of Iceland it had a lot of problems getting official recognition from the state due to the Church being general assholes; a bigger waste of money than that lot I've yet to meet. It's reconstructed from what are probably biased sources, but to consider it completely invented is pretty rich when it comes from Christians. They're as a group mostly politically left simply due to their message and underlying principles; any overt racists get kicked out very quickly but the nationalists and right wing guys are simply frowned upon, so long as they aren't too serious. They do some general blót and whatnot and they're, well, not that bad I guess, although I haven't attended since I became an atheist. I still pay my church taxes to them though, because we should support domestic religion and not foreign ones. Besides I'm boycotting Israel and that Jesus guy came from the occupied territories so it would be very bad paying his cronies.
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# ? Dec 18, 2013 06:20 |
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# ? Apr 28, 2024 03:36 |
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I'm an American who follows that path myself; I was just wondering how the general person-on-the-street in Iceland sees it...
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# ? Dec 18, 2013 17:05 |
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Cessna posted:I'm an American who follows that path myself; I was just wondering how the general person-on-the-street in Iceland sees it... From what the reaction was when I used to be ásatrúar on the forums I expect yanks aren't very fond of it, on either political end.
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# ? Dec 19, 2013 18:51 |
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Deceitful Penguin posted:From what the reaction was when I used to be ásatrúar on the forums I expect yanks aren't very fond of it, on either political end. I've never received any grief for it - not one bit. I suspect that this is because: 1. I live in Colorado, not the Bible Belt. Colorado is pretty open to this sort of thing. One of the ski towns even has an Ullr Festival; admittedly the whole thing is an excuse to get drunk and fall off skis, but it's still nice to see anyway. 2. I'm a pretty private person. I wear a Mjollnir, but it is under my shirt/tie at work. Co-workers who wear Crosses or the like do the same. 3. I have a job and wife and all that; I'm not a teenager. 4. No one knows what it is anyway. When it does come up, which is rare, the reaction is generally affable cluelessness. "You do what? Huh, I didn't know anyone did that." It's nice to know there's a place where people not only know what it but are positive towards it. Cessna fucked around with this message at 22:10 on Dec 19, 2013 |
# ? Dec 19, 2013 21:41 |
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I think part of the negative reaction towards it in the States (and possibly Canada and Western Europe) has to do with how some white supremacist groups have co-opted it.
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# ? Dec 19, 2013 22:57 |
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It sounds really dorky to me in the modern world where Thor is a comic book character.
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# ? Dec 19, 2013 23:10 |
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PT6A posted:I think part of the negative reaction towards it in the States (and possibly Canada and Western Europe) has to do with how some white supremacist groups have co-opted it. Yeah, the hell with them. That's one drawback of not having any central organization; there's no one to kick out the people who make the reasonable people look bad by association. Cessna fucked around with this message at 23:21 on Dec 19, 2013 |
# ? Dec 19, 2013 23:11 |
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Cessna posted:I've never received any grief for it - not one bit. I suspect that this is because: I'm an atheist but I like that polytheist religions are still around. Hindus were lucky that it wasn't the Spanish who colonized their country. While the English were imperialists I get the impression that they were indifferent to the native population professing a different creed. What is it with Catholics and imposing their faith on other people? Didn't they try converting the Japanese and caused the Shimabara rebellion? Wish there was a Greek pantheon religion as I'm a big fan of the whole mythology. TerryLennox fucked around with this message at 05:05 on Dec 20, 2013 |
# ? Dec 20, 2013 05:03 |
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Cessna posted:I've never received any grief for it - not one bit. I suspect that this is because: PT6A posted:I think part of the negative reaction towards it in the States (and possibly Canada and Western Europe) has to do with how some white supremacist groups have co-opted it. Cessna posted:Yeah, the hell with them. The more violent parts, ehh. Some people put a lot of focus on that and you can't rightly call them heretics, but then again it's not like the Christians are known for, hah, "turning the other cheek" when it comes to war and whatnot. Bloodnose posted:It sounds really dorky to me in the modern world where Thor is a comic book character. Also I was re-playing Sleeping Dogs and I thought of you and Cab. Maybe one day. :hongkong: TerryLennox posted:I'm an atheist but I like that polytheist religions are still around. Hindus were lucky that it wasn't the Spanish who colonized their country. While the English were imperialists I get the impression that they were indifferent to the native population professing a different creed. What is it with Catholics and imposing their faith on other people? Didn't they try converting the Japanese and caused the Shimabara rebellion? I don't think the Spanish getting India would have helped much, but this is Ask me about Iceland, not ask me about my impressions on different colonial masters and the various ways in which the different regions of the world are capable of resisting imperialism.
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# ? Dec 20, 2013 12:47 |
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In your best estimate, what percentage of immigrants speak Icelandic decently? How many non-native Icelanders have you spoken Icelandic to? What is the general population's view on language and culture? Do you think it is possible for a non-Icelander to be considered culturally assimilated?
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# ? Dec 20, 2013 14:43 |
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TerryLennox posted:Wish there was a Greek pantheon religion as I'm a big fan of the whole mythology. Google "Reconstructionist Hellenism" and hunt around a bit, it's there.
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# ? Dec 21, 2013 00:35 |
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Ferdinand the Bull posted:In your best estimate, what percentage of immigrants speak Icelandic decently? How many non-native Icelanders have you spoken Icelandic to? What is the general population's view on language and culture? Do you think it is possible for a non-Icelander to be considered culturally assimilated? I speak Icelandic to all folks unless they feel more comfortable speaking some other language, so which are a fair number but there's plenty who speak good Icelandic but aren't confident in it. Just yesterday though we had a dude here helping patch up the house and my cousin didn't realize at first he was Polish. Talked about Jak and Daxter and he was perfectly fluid, if a bit off re: grammar. As for views on language and culture, that answer could run on for thousands of words. Can you be a bit more specific on what you want to know? Like, linguistic, what kind of culture, et cetera. Obviously Icelanders are "proud" of their language and go to great lengths to keep it modern but most people aren't exclusive or overly smug about it; comes from everyone speaking at least one other language I'd guess. Icelanders aren't overly keen on high culture, aside from maybe literature, but a lot still dig that. And it's possible to assimilate perfectly but far from easy. They never seem to be able to let go of the whole umbrella thing for one, or they still arrive on time. Although a fair few blend in so well it takes a keen eye to tell they ever came from foreign shores. For kids, of course, it's no big problem.
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# ? Dec 22, 2013 07:32 |
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Deceitful Penguin posted:Pffff, goony foreigners are a cultural staple for Icelanders and I'm sure that they would show you the Yule spirit, by giving you Jólaglögg (somewhat, but not totally unlike your eggnogg), malt & appelsín, hangikjöt and letting you light up a few fireworks. A shame you'll miss the new year but you'll still be able see some good stuff, depending on the weather; there's regular tourist staples like the golden circle, cultural things around the city, drinking like a mofo or maybe you can meet up with me and that guy I promised to take out for a drink. (If he remembers it, who knows at this point, wait was that you? I'll take you out anyway, but maybe just for some food and a bit of drinking) Hey, do you have PMs or anything? Flying out in a few hours and don't wanna clog up the thread. I figure I'll spent most of Tuesday sleeping/eating/drinking, not necessarily in that order. I've been enjoying reading about Christmas customs in Iceland (I've subscribed to Grapevine and Iceland Review) like these Yule Lads with names like Sausage-Swiper and Window-Peeper. I'm kind of relieved I won't have to deal with the shopping-focused holiday that takes place in my neck of the woods. VV edit: thanks much, I'll follow up through email, have a merry christmas Kitsch! fucked around with this message at 21:27 on Dec 24, 2013 |
# ? Dec 23, 2013 19:27 |
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Kitsch! posted:Hey, do you have PMs or anything? Flying out in a few hours and don't wanna clog up the thread. I figure I'll spent most of Tuesday sleeping/eating/drinking, not necessarily in that order. And yeah, they have great names. A fun pasttime is inventing dumb new names, like Door-Licker or Kebab-Taker, which never fails to amuse kids.
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# ? Dec 24, 2013 14:12 |
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So I've got accommodation and I think it might possibly be near the centre of town or the good part or something, but not knowing a thing about this city I don't actually have a clue in the slightest. It's in the area near the Hallgrimskirkja, is that a good area or am I gonna get shivved walking home from uni at 4 in the afternoon? Should I also send an email? Although I guess I'm gonna be there a while so no hurry. I should probably focus on packing instead.
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# ? Jan 1, 2014 09:22 |
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I'd be surprised if you'd get shivved in Iceland at all.
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# ? Jan 2, 2014 00:50 |
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Laverna posted:So I've got accommodation and I think it might possibly be near the centre of town or the good part or something, but not knowing a thing about this city I don't actually have a clue in the slightest. It's in the area near the Hallgrimskirkja, is that a good area or am I gonna get shivved walking home from uni at 4 in the afternoon? Take my word with grain of salt, as I visited only for one week and everything was closed for the holidays, but I would routinely walk around in the early morning in the dark as I never accustomed to the time difference. I felt exponentially safer than my closest current metropolitan center (same approx. population) in America. My lodging was a little less than a kilometer from Hallgrimskirkja, so you'll be fine.
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# ? Jan 2, 2014 02:21 |
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In Iceland, I'm pretty sure you could leave your poo poo unattended on the street for weeks, and it would still be there when you came back for it.
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# ? Jan 2, 2014 13:03 |
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Don't parents leave their babies in their carriages unattended outside shops and cafés while they're inside? And don't Icelandic parents believe that cold air is good for their child's health, and so stick them outside when they're napping? What is the average Icelander's perception of crime? Are there bad neighborhoods? Immigrant enclaves where feelings of exclusion are pervasive? Do they even consider that pedophilia exists?
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# ? Jan 2, 2014 17:28 |
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inscrutable horse posted:In Iceland, I'm pretty sure you could leave your poo poo unattended on the street for weeks, and it would still be there when you came back for it. If you leave it outside your house, chances are it wont go anywhere. goku chewbacca posted:Don't parents leave their babies in their carriages unattended outside shops and cafés while they're inside? And don't Icelandic parents believe that cold air is good for their child's health, and so stick them outside when they're napping? Yes, carriages are commonly left outside shops and such because bringing it inside is just a hassle. And while i'm not sure about the cold being good for health thing, but yes, small children often take their naps outside. Average Icelanders perception of crime? I don't know if i'm average, but i definitely notice crime. (I work at a metal shop and we used to put stainless steel outside the shop in a bin for recycling, but we had to stop putting it outside because it was always stolen) There is a bad neighborhood, or at least, a neighborhood that is commonly referred to as being bad. Oh, we are very aware of pedophilia, but i think we're not really paranoid about it. (I remember being told not to accept stuff from strangers etc.)
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# ? Jan 2, 2014 19:30 |
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Interesting thread! I'll be visiting Iceland in a few months so this was cool to read. I'll fire off a few questions of my own... How did your country end up being so crazy expensive? I live in Australia, which is hardly a cheap place to live. I am accustomed to high prices, so accustomed in fact that I can visit just about any other country in the world and consider it 'cheap' in comparison. Yet prices in Iceland are insane, particular car rental. I'm having to drop more than $4000 USD just to rent a 4x4 for three weeks. Plus fuel on top of that. Does the average tourist have a hope in hell of ever pronouncing anything correctly in Icelandic? I am pretty sure I can say Reykjavik and Landmannalaugar correctly but not much beyond that. What do Icelanders think of Australians? Do you see many Aussies up there? It's pretty much as far away as we can possibly travel, so maybe not. Also, up for going drinking with any Icelandic goons in this thread in July when I am there although I don't plan on spending more than a day or two in Reykjavik. Your booze prices do not scare me, they are pretty much the same as those at many 'good' Sydney based bars and clubs. Only slightly more expensive at worst. Kujaroth fucked around with this message at 14:13 on Jan 3, 2014 |
# ? Jan 3, 2014 13:46 |
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Laverna posted:So I've got accommodation and I think it might possibly be near the centre of town or the good part or something, but not knowing a thing about this city I don't actually have a clue in the slightest. It's in the area near the Hallgrimskirkja, is that a good area or am I gonna get shivved walking home from uni at 4 in the afternoon? (Your fears are completely unfounded and you're in a fairly good location, I'll show you the good noodle joints around there.) I've already tossed my email around here, but in any case the one I'm using for this thread is malcowitz at gmail.com. Toss me a line there when convenient. goku chewbacca posted:Don't parents leave their babies in their carriages unattended outside shops and cafés while they're inside? And don't Icelandic parents believe that cold air is good for their child's health, and so stick them outside when they're napping? And yeah, dor1 is pretty on the money; while violent crime has been decreasing, petty theft has been increasing; depending on where you are though you might be oblivious to it. People know pedophilia exists and we have all the usual scandals on occasion, we even had a "pedo scare" a way back. There's this perception of Breiðholt being a bad neighborhood, but this is greatly exaggerated, I feel. No enclaves as far as I know. Kujaroth posted:Interesting thread! I'll be visiting Iceland in a few months so this was cool to read. Also we're way tinier than Australia, in such things as size of economy, population and number of poisonous snakes. Smallest independent national currency mofos! Kujaroth posted:Does the average tourist have a hope in hell of ever pronouncing anything correctly in Icelandic? I am pretty sure I can say Reykjavik and Landmannalaugar correctly but not much beyond that. Kujaroth posted:What do Icelanders think of Australians? Do you see many Aussies up there? It's pretty much as far away as we can possibly travel, so maybe not. Kujaroth posted:Also, up for going drinking with any Icelandic goons in this thread in July when I am there although I don't plan on spending more than a day or two in Reykjavik. Your booze prices do not scare me, they are pretty much the same as those at many 'good' Sydney based bars and clubs. Only slightly more expensive at worst. Btw, thanks for chiming in dor1. Good to have others giving their opinions to the readers.
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# ? Jan 3, 2014 16:15 |
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I also just booked my flight from Canada in July to visit your country for the first time with my gf! They now have a direct 6hr flight from Edmonton to Keflavik for a decent price, so I'm visiting in July for the ATP concert series. Has anyone had any experience with the festival? It's first Icelandic version of the festival was last year at Ásbrú in Keflavik and this year there is supposed to be stuff happening in Reykjavík the week before I'd like to check out alongside some touring of the country. Aside from the headliners all the other bands announced so far are Icelandic.
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# ? Jan 8, 2014 19:58 |
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What are the main foreign influences on modern Icelandic culture? Is Icelandic culture similar to other Nordic nations or distinctly different? I've always wondered about this.
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# ? Jan 8, 2014 21:41 |
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Elrobot posted:I also just booked my flight from Canada in July to visit your country for the first time with my gf! They now have a direct 6hr flight from Edmonton to Keflavik for a decent price, so I'm visiting in July for the ATP concert series. Has anyone had any experience with the festival? It's first Icelandic version of the festival was last year at Ásbrú in Keflavik and this year there is supposed to be stuff happening in Reykjavík the week before I'd like to check out alongside some touring of the country. Aside from the headliners all the other bands announced so far are Icelandic. Noctis Horrendae posted:What are the main foreign influences on modern Icelandic culture? Is Icelandic culture similar to other Nordic nations or distinctly different? I've always wondered about this. Art is also rather cosmopolitan; plenty of mainland and yank influences there, though I'm not good on the hauté couture end. Literature is solidly European though. But yeah, Iceland, while somewhat supportive of domestic culture before the current administration decided that culture was for losers, was pretty Americanized, with continental influences being more structural than intentional. If your question was meant more about like, "national culture", then Icelanders are the most Right-Wing of the Nordics, which is like being the shittiest member of the best club in the world, to use a flawed analogy. Stereotypically, Icelanders are characterized by a carefree attitude towards everything, with the general idea that things will work out in the end, being always late and being kinda money-grubbing. Oh, and way too conceited and arrogant on the international political stage. Hah. On the other hand they're supposed to be friendly, hard-working and good at drinking? Something like that. That kinda poo poo always seems a bit over-simplified to me but then again, I'm in the culture game academically. (Just, focused on the other end of the planet.) Nicknames include: Little America, Europes Nature Park and The Country that went Bankrupt.
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# ? Jan 9, 2014 17:44 |
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DP is being very modest, I suspect. For an outsider looking in, Icelandic culture is quite different from continental Europe, even from the rest of the Nordic countries, but this is meant in the best way possible. Whilst I can hardly say I like a lot of Icelandic music or literature, I can certainly appreciate how they try to create something that is unique to Iceland. This is not to say that Icelandic culture is completely alien - it's still readily identifiable as being quite Nordic, but it is unique. As a Faroe Islander, I've always found it to be positive when my compatriots look to our cousins in the north for inspiration, and then create something new and distinctly Faroese.
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# ? Jan 9, 2014 18:04 |
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Speaking as an American who kind of wants to be Icelandic, the culture in Reykjavík is basically a fantastic mix of some of my favorite things about living in different parts of the USA. Reykjavík is full of people who are at least as cool, if not cooler, than all the hipsters (said lovingly) that fill my adopted home of Seattle. This is also clearly a culture that loves good food, and the fact that you can get great-quality food from dozens of different types of cuisine reminds me of the best parts of city life generally, perhaps specifically of the ease of hopping from cuisine to cuisine in Washington D.C. (though I will say the Mexican food we had in Reykjavík was terrible). And speaking of how to counteract what I hate about city life (the impersonal nature), there is also a friendly-to-the-point-of-eeriness, reminiscent of my time spent in the rural upper peninsula of Michigan, that pervades the interactions I had with nearly everyone I met, from business owners to strangers in restaurants to the locals I knew through friends-of-friends-of-friends. I mean, we booked an apartment complex for our wedding guests and after a couple of days of being there the landlady gave us the keys to her beach house an hour away and told us to go spend a day or two there for our honeymoon. What? No, that is not a thing that happens in real life. Neither is our wedding photographer giving us all of our photographs after taking them and telling us to pay him whenever we wanted. I do imagine that the rest of Iceland that is not Reykjavík has a completely different culture, though. Kind of like how people in the rural parts of the USA sometimes think that all big cities are full of evil and should be destroyed. Also Ultima VII avatars are perfect for the Faroe Islands.
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# ? Jan 9, 2014 20:36 |
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Very interesting, thanks. IMHO being extremely right wing isn't too much of an issue so long as you don't end up with too many extremist groups, and Iceland doesn't have the population to support that, so.
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# ? Jan 12, 2014 22:45 |
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Quarex posted:
The "City of Fear" was a nickname often used for Reykjavík in the parts where I'm from.
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# ? Jan 13, 2014 20:41 |
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Laughing Zealot posted:The "City of Fear" was a nickname often used for Reykjavík in the parts where I'm from. What're the origins behind this name, out of curiosity? Aren't the bigger cities in Iceland the most safe?
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# ? Jan 13, 2014 21:36 |
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Noctis Horrendae posted:What're the origins behind this name, out of curiosity? Aren't the bigger cities in Iceland the most safe? A few years back there was an unusually high amount of fights and attacks on people in the Reykjavík nightlife. Well, maybe just an unusual amount of news about them. http://www.grapevine.is/Author/ReadArticle/Is-Reykjav%C3%ADk-the-City-of-Fear DP may be able to provide a better answer though.
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# ? Jan 13, 2014 23:11 |
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Laughing Zealot posted:A few years back there was an unusually high amount of fights and attacks on people in the Reykjavík nightlife. Well, maybe just an unusual amount of news about them. Interesting. Thanks for the link. I've literally never heard of any major, sudden crime outbreaks in Iceland - far less Reykjavik - so this is news to me.
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# ? Jan 13, 2014 23:16 |
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Myself and a friend were in Reykjavik for a few days between Christmas and New Year and had an amazing time. We did our tour with Iceland Excursions which was £170 and we thought pretty good value for money (seven of us in the truck; Geysir, Gulfoss, Northern Lights, Viking parliament, dinner and thermal baths, 11 hours).
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# ? Jan 14, 2014 12:34 |
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There is a saying: "Keen is the visitors eye", which may apply here. My view of Iceland has always been very critical, but perhaps one of the best attributes has undeniably been our ready acceptance of foreign influences up to a point. Although until recently we didn't have great mexican and the new place doesn't make quesadillas. Most of the other places I been for long enough to compare with have been podunk places anyhow, like the S-German countryside or Norway. And Norway don't even got KFC outside they capital! Noctis Horrendae posted:Very interesting, thanks. IMHO being extremely right wing isn't too much of an issue so long as you don't end up with too many extremist groups, and Iceland doesn't have the population to support that, so. Laughing Zealot posted:A few years back there was an unusually high amount of fights and attacks on people in the Reykjavík nightlife. Well, maybe just an unusual amount of news about them. I guess it would be remiss not to mention that there were a few violent crims that were out on the street when they oughta been in prison but weren't, due to lack of room but that was only a few dozen at most and they made room soon enough, from what I remember. GiantAmazonianOtter posted:Myself and a friend were in Reykjavik for a few days between Christmas and New Year and had an amazing time.
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# ? Jan 14, 2014 17:24 |
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Deceitful Penguin posted:Most of the other places I been for long enough to compare with have been podunk places anyhow, like the S-German countryside or Norway. And Norway don't even got KFC outside they capital! Podunk, maybe. But slightly less barren than this: Or this: The first image is from somewhere around Mývatn if I remember correctly. The second image is, of course, Heimaey. What a cool little island. The view towards the town is a little better: I visited Iceland in the summer of 2011, had fun driving all the way around. NFX fucked around with this message at 17:49 on Jan 15, 2014 |
# ? Jan 14, 2014 19:38 |
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Deceitful Penguin posted:Oh, our extreme right dudes are usually libertarians, which are laughed at by the majority of the population. Really, the current right-wing here might be described as blue dog democrat on a bad day but normal one on a good day. Oh god, how terrible. THAT kind of right-wing politicians.
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# ? Jan 14, 2014 21:01 |
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I'm going to start a business, and export white paint to Iceland - I'm going to make a fortune
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# ? Jan 14, 2014 21:30 |
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inscrutable horse posted:I'm going to start a business, and export white paint to Iceland - I'm going to make a fortune Well, you'll make a fortune for the first few years, and once everyone in Iceland has enough white paint you'll go broke. There's only 300,000 to sell paint to, mind.
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# ? Jan 14, 2014 21:41 |
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NFX posted:Podunk, maybe. But slightly less barren than this: inscrutable horse posted:I'm going to start a business, and export white paint to Iceland - I'm going to make a fortune
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# ? Jan 16, 2014 18:29 |
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# ? Apr 28, 2024 03:36 |
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Deceitful Penguin posted:Nice pics! I'll take that as an invitation! We had a really nice trip. Except for a few days with overcast weather, it was sunny and almost 20 degrees celsius (68 F) the entire time! Of course, on the morning we arrived the volcano Katla had decided to wash out the road, so we had to take a small detour: A volcanic lake, again near mývatn: "Pylsukofinn" basically means sausage coffin: Gullfoss was kinda crowded: Like I previously hinted, a lot of Iceland is really flat: I can't actually remember what this place was called, but we were told to check it out. It was pretty: Hey it's another picture of that church named after the guy who was kidnapped by Ottoman pirates: And then I ran out of batteries for my camera and forgot to charge them again. NFX fucked around with this message at 07:57 on Jan 17, 2014 |
# ? Jan 16, 2014 22:42 |