Fact check: in this post I want to clear up a few pieces of misinformation, prejudice and misconceptions about Iceland.
Above all, though, I’d like to use this opportunity to remind everyone of basic netiquette and make one thing clear: nobody is free of mistakes. You will find misinformation on this blog too, of that I’m unfortunately fairly certain. I research all my posts to the best of my knowledge, but that doesn’t make them error-free. That’s why I always appreciate constructive criticism — the goal is always to get a little bit better at everything you do. Unfriendly, unhelpful or downright insulting criticism simply gets ignored.
False claims in a German TV feature about Iceland
The reason for this post is a video by German public broadcaster ARD that I shared on Facebook. Comments immediately pointed out that the feature was rather shallow and in parts simply wrong. So I thought I’d watch it myself and correct all the claims I disagree with. I can’t claim to be the ultimate Iceland expert — there are plenty of people who know the country far better than I do (at least 330,000 of them 😉 ).
Deliberately nitpicky and to be taken with a good pinch of humor, here are a few comments:
Language
Claim: “Good morning” is “Moronn”
Correction: Góðan daginn or Góðan dag
Daylight hours
Claim: In February it’s already light in Iceland, “a few minutes longer than back home in Germany”.
Correction: In February the sun rises in Reykjavik at around 10 am and sets again at around 5 pm. In Berlin it rises at around 7 am and sets between 5 and 6 pm. The balance flips in April: from then on Iceland gets more sunlight per day than Germany. That lasts until October, when Germany gets more sun per day again.
Places & names
Claim: “The town of Geysir”
Correction: Even though it is a place, Geysir is not a town in the sense of a settlement. It’s better thought of as a sight. Geysir gave its name to every geyser on the planet and is often mixed up: Strokkur, which erupts regularly about every 10 minutes, is not the Geysir but a geyser. Other famous specimens can be found in Yellowstone National Park (Old Faithful and Castle Geyser). Those two erupt far less frequently, for example, and in quite different ways.
Tectonic plates
Claim: “The small fissure between North America and Europe, which gets 170 cm wider every year”
Correction: Ambitious. If that were true, the photos from Silfra would look strikingly different every year. They don’t. I worked there for three months and heard various statements: there are apparently studies saying the fissure is currently barely moving at all, others speak of a few millimeters per year. What is a fact is that divers are currently not allowed to enter the cave system beneath the Silfra fissure, simply because nobody wants to take any risks.
Food
Claim: “Eating whale meat is no longer possible”
Correction: It is. You just have to decide for yourself whether it’s morally OK or not. In 2015 I did try a whale steak: it tastes surprisingly different from fish, but it didn’t really win me over. Had I liked it, I would probably do what I do with my regular meat and simply make sure it’s sourced sustainably.
The “Siffra” fissure
Claim: Siffra fissure
Correction: Just in case you want to Google it: Silfra!
Diving in Silfra costs €200
Claim: “You can dive in Silfra, for €200”
Correction: Well. In 2013 that was certainly possible, back when prices in Iceland were still manageable. Today the dive costs just under 44,000 ISK, which in April 2017 was equivalent to almost €370. Snorkeling costs about half that. It’s safe to assume this price will go up again before the end of the year!
My verdict on the TV feature
For me, the feature was more of a nudge to finally write this article. Most of the claims in it are perfectly correct, and it’s nicely and humorously made.
When a country is as peculiar as Iceland and throws so many extremes around, freeloaders always jump on the bandwagon — and I have to admit that I exaggerate here and there myself: super jeeps are not as tall as houses, and Silfra is perhaps only one of the most beautiful places in the world to me (above the water it’s nowhere near as impressive!).
So here are a few more “facts” you should take with a grain of salt:
The Blue Lagoon
Claim: The Blue Lagoon is a natural hot spring
Correction: The Blue Lagoon is about as natural as an indoor tropical water park: not at all. It came into being during the construction of a geothermal power plant right next door that generates electricity for Icelanders. By the way, the water is brackish water: that’s the official term for a body of water that contains just a little salt, like in river estuaries 😉
The Icelandic pony
Claim: Icelandic horses are not ponies
Correction: Yes, they are! But a) you must never say that when an Icelander is within earshot, because b) it simply comes down to the fact that in Iceland there is only the word “horse” and no further distinction. Purely in terms of breed and height, the animals are ponies.
Tipping
Claim: In Iceland you don’t tip, or people won’t accept it.
Correction: Nonsense, and unfortunately a recurring excuse for people who simply don’t want to tip. Service staff in Iceland appreciate a tip just as much as anywhere else in the world. That said, I no longer tip in Iceland myself — but my reason is that, at these prices, I believe employers can afford to pay their staff decent wages, and I’ll happily say so when I pay my bill.
There is no right to roam in Iceland!
Claim: Iceland has a right to roam and you are allowed to camp anywhere!
Correction: That is simply wrong. I fell for this claim for a long time myself, and for many people it’s simply a case of wishful thinking. In many Scandinavian countries (Sweden, Finland, Norway…) there is a right to roam (everyman’s right). It permits certain uses of the wilderness and in part even private land, for example for camping, making fires and foraging.
Iceland has no such right to roam, and you are not allowed to camp wherever you like. After some research you eventually end up at the Icelandic Nature Conservation Act, and Article 20 says, loosely translated:
Anyone who wants to spend one night on uncultivated land with fewer than 3 tents may do so, provided they have the landowner’s permission. Excluded are national parks, inhabited areas and, of course, cultivated land.
And please don’t take “wild camping” too literally: behave yourselves! 😉
Electricity costs money in Iceland too
Claim: Electricity is free in Iceland
Correction: If only! Even though electricity prices in Iceland are somewhat lower than in Germany, and the energy comes almost exclusively from renewable sources such as geothermal and hydropower, Icelanders still have to pay their electricity bills.
Iceland also uses energy from fossil fuels such as oil and gas — not all of its energy comes from renewable sources. Around 15% of the energy here is also generated by combustion, although a large share of that is road traffic and related industries.
Conclusion
There are quite a few myths surrounding Iceland. Most of them are quickly debunked, others persist stubbornly. Some are just plain funny — and Icelanders themselves in particular enjoy spreading them — while others have unfortunately turned out to be not so helpful.
To stay on the safe side: always check several sources and, when in doubt, ask the official authorities! And by the way, you shouldn’t blindly accept what’s written on this blog either: I make mistakes too, and I’m genuinely happy when you show some media literacy and point them out to me! Constructive criticism is always welcome here, whether by e-mail or as a comment.
Dear ARD: if you happen to stumble upon this post, the same goes for you. Your feature was mostly really good, and the few little mistakes were simply a nice excuse for me to do some nitpicking 😉
Have a great time in Iceland!
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