100 Crazy Things (Apparently)

A far cry from Icelandair’s notorious ‘Dirty Weekend in Reykjavík’ ad campaign a few years back and the Bangkok of the North label Iceland has received in the past, this book is sweet and romantic rather than sex-oriented. It is aimed at foreign couples visiting Iceland and lists a number of romantic activities for them to try during their stay, but can just as easily give romantic-starved natives some good ideas for a date or a weekend away from the children. Some of the romantic things mentioned can admittedly be done almost everywhere, like staying together in bed for a whole week, running a marathon with your loved one, or making out at the movies, while others are limited to Iceland, such as diving in the rift between the Eurasian and American continents in Þingvellir, swinging in the Westman Islands and getting married Viking-style.
The book seems thoroughly researched and is very informative. The text makes for a fun read and the photographs are mostly very good, some even spectacular. But I have to say that in some cases the practical information was lacking, as tourists just off the plane are not likely to know where to turn to book a private flight, a diving session or who to contact to in order to become a cabin guard in the Icelandic highlands for the summer.
A list like this can obviously never be finite, so the last pages of the book are blanks for you to fill in your own romantic things to do in Iceland.

Text by Snæfríður Ingadóttir

Photographs by Þorvaldur Örn Kristmundsson

Translation by Kristín Birgisdóttir and Darren Foreman

Design and layout by Arnar Geir Ómarsson

Salka, Reykjavík 2009