Citizens of the World: A Stoic Podcast for Curious Travelers - Best of Iceland: Traveling Beyond the Blue Lagoon and Golden Circle

Episode Date: December 15, 2018

My guest today is Kaelene Spence, who writes the blog Unlocking Kiki, a very useful resource for anyone thinking of moving or traveling to Iceland — and she puts together travel itineraries, too. Kaelene is an American who now lives in Iceland with her husband and baby boy. On this episode, she shares how she ended up in the northernmost capital in the world; her tips on how to land the job you want in a new country; the best and worst things about living in Iceland, and more.    Of course, you will learn all about the sites you need to see in Reykjavik and beyond; the foods you need to try (fyi, this is a carnivore’s paradise — but there are veg-friendly options); where the locals — including Bjork — go to unwind in the geothermal water; and other off-the-beaten path travel recommendations.    If you are like most people in the world, you do not speak Icelandic and will have no idea how to spell some of the things we talk about here. Thankfully, Kaelene has shared the names and I’ve posted them all on postcardacademy.co as a resource for you.    I’m your host, Sarah Mikutel. Ready to travel? Sign up for my newsletter and get your free guide to cheap airfare.    Thank you so much for listening to this show. I know you’re busy and have many listening options, so it means a lot to me that you’re here. You are the best.   This podcast is brought to you by Audible. Not a member yet? Postcard Academy listeners can get a FREE audiobook and a 30-day free trial if you sign up via audibletrial.com/postcard   This podcast is also brought to you by World Nomads. Need simple and flexible travel insurance? Get a cost estimate from World Nomads using their handy calculator at postcardacademy.co/insuranceDo you ever go blank or start rambling when someone puts you on the spot? I created a free Conversation Cheat Sheet with simple formulas you can use so you can respond with clarity, whether you’re in a meeting or just talking with friends.Download it at sarahmikutel.com/blanknomore and start feeling more confident in your conversations today.

Welcome to the Postcard Academy, your weekly travel and culture podcast. I'm your host, Sarah Micatel, and I hope you are having a wonderful week wherever you are. I'm in Connecticut, visiting my family for the holidays, and I saw my first snow flurries of the year this week, so I thought this was the perfect time to talk about a beautiful place that is cold all year round. Iceland. My guest today is Kayleen Spence, who writes the blog Unlocking Kiki. which is a very useful resource for anyone thinking of moving to or traveling to Iceland. And she puts together some really fantastic travel itineraries as well. Kaeline is an American who now lives in Iceland with her husband and their baby boy. And on this episode, she shares how she ended up getting there, her tips on how to land the job you want in a new country, the best and worst things about living in Iceland, and more. Of course, you will learn all about the sites you need to see in Rikeevic and beyond.

The foods you need to try, FYI, this is a carnivores paradise, but there are veg-friendly options there. Where the locals, including Bjork, go to unwind in the geothermal water, and other off-the-beaten path travel recommendations. If you are like most people in the world, you do not speak Icelandic, and you will have no idea how to spell some of the things we're talking about. here. Thankfully, Kayleen has shared the names and I have posted them on postcardacademy.co as a resource for you. This episode is sponsored by World Nomads. Are you traveling abroad soon? Travel insurance is a very smart idea. You can get a free cost estimate using the handy world nomads insurance calculator by visiting postcardacademy.co slash insurance. I actually need to do that myself as soon as I finish recording this. And while you're

planning for your trip, don't forget your reading and listening material. If you sign up for audible using the link audibletrial.com slash postcard, you can get a free audiobook and a 30-day free trial. Now into my conversation with Kaeline. Welcome Kaeline. Thank you so much for coming on the podcast. Thank you for having me. I'm looking forward to this. So you're an American living in Iceland. Where did you grow up? So I am from Oregon and I grew up in a town called Eugene. And how did you end up in Iceland? So I actually, when I was in my senior year of university, eight years ago, did a study abroad internship in Sydney, Australia.

And while I was there, I met a boy who I thought was Australian. And then probably two weeks into being in the same circle of friends realized he was speaking a different language that I did not understand and learned he was actually Icelandic. So we were both living in the same student house. housing while we were in Australia. And he had been living there for over three years. So he had picked up a pretty strong Australian accent at that time and was actually in Icelanders living in Australia.

So after several years of long distance, traveling together, trying to figure out which country would be the best option for us, I came to Iceland five years ago now and have been living with him since. Is living abroad anything you had really thought about before you met him? Not exactly. So actually going to Australia was my first time on a trip alone and on a trip abroad. The furthest I had been was to Hawaii, which my grandma lived there. So, you know, didn't really count as a faraway trip for us. And I remember when my parents dropped me off at the airport to say goodbye. And I think I had been there maybe an hour. And I called my mom and begged her to come and pick me up because I thought this was a terrible idea. And she told, yeah, and she told me, call me when you land and she hung up and turned off her phone. And it's probably the best thing that's ever happened to me, but it was terrifying. I was like, this is a bad idea.

I mean, no one in my family had traveled or had a passport or anything. And I'm the oldest of five. So, you know, I was just off on an adventure that no one could really relate to that I knew around me. So it was an experience, but one that I am so glad I took the leap to do. and now as I am the oldest of five, I'm always trying to get all of them to come out and travel with me. Because I feel like once you get that bug, you know, just a little bit, then it's hard to stop. I agree. And that's such a great point. Thank you for sharing that you freaked out at first and thought you were making a mistake.

Because I think that that happens to almost all of us. And some people think, oh, I don't have what it takes. I would be too nervous. We all freak out, I think, before when it comes to something that big. But then when you push yourself, you know, it turns out to be an incredible experience. Exactly. So you have had a really busy year this year. You finished your MBA, had a baby, got married in Oregon.

What was it like bringing together your friends and family from Iceland and the United States? At one point, we had a big barbecue in my parents' backyard, which was the home I grew up in since I was five. So, you know, I never imagined having a backyard filled with Europe. and Americans and just everyone together. And it was so wonderful to see my family and my husband's family mixing and sharing their culture and their backgrounds. It was just the best time. What would you say is the biggest difference between American and Icelandic culture? On the topic of marriage, marriage is very different here.

It's much more common that a couple would maybe be together for quite some time, have a few children. and then just decide, hey, let's get married. I think it's around 70 or 80% of children are born out of wedlock here. Like just in the last year, that was the statistic. So it's not anything like what I am used to in the States where, you know, you must get married before you have children. So this was a lot of their first weddings and all of their first American weddings. So they were pretty excited to see how, if it would be like the movies,

basically what they told me. I think we lived up to some of their expectations, but we did have a bit of a more Icelandic twist in our wedding. So are you and your family living in Reykjavik right now? We are, yeah. I wonder, I'm not quite sure the percentage of the Icelandic population that lives in the Reykivik or the Reykivik area. When I first moved here, we lived in just downtown Reykavik. And it was really amazing to see the transformation of that area in the few years that I was there. It's just a completely different place than what I moved to.

And I remember we were starting to search for a place to buy a little bit outside of the city. And when I say outside of the city, I'm like 10 kilometers from downtown. So this is nothing to me. But since Reykivik is such a smaller area, people tend to think this means like you're out in the suburbs, which I always find funny. Could you give us a visual snapshot of Reykjavik? Where is it geographically? And what does the postcard look like?

So Rakevik is actually the next. northernmost capital, I think, just in the world. But we are located in the southwest of Iceland in a little peninsula. And if you were to get a postcard from Reykjavik, I guarantee it would be colorful little cute houses with a picture or with the view of the beautiful Mount Essian, which we all get to overlook from this peninsula and one of my favorite parts about living in Reykavik. and if those items were not on the postcard you received, you would most definitely have one with a cat because there's cats all over downtown Reykjik.

It's the most cats I've ever seen in my life. And they all are, they're not stray cats. They all have homes. They are very well-fed, happy cats, the bear everywhere. My kind of city for sure. Yeah, exactly. What historical or cultural fact do you share with visitors

when they come to Iceland? I think one thing that, I always am asked about and is the topic discussion everywhere I go is the last names of Icelanders, especially now that I am married to one. I did not take his last name because in Iceland you are named after your father. So if your dad is named Magnus, a very common Icelandic name, and you are male, then you would be named Magnus Son as your last name. Or if you were a girl, you will be Magnus Daughter. So there are no family names here.

Just the son or the daughter will be at the end of the names. That is so interesting. And so for our, yeah, everyone's always asking me this. And especially, you know, we have had a child and then we got married. And all three of us essentially have different names. We did, I added my name to our son as well. So there would be some common name going on when we're traveling into the U.S. makes immigration processing much easier to get through.

but other than that, yeah, everyone has different names. And I remember when I first was coming here, I was so confused of who everyone was because they kept telling me these last names. I didn't, it took me a while to understand how it works. That is fascinating. It's unique, that's for sure, but it's not very common that you would call someone,

you know, like Mr. Magnuson. It's much more first name basis here because the last names, you know, hundreds of people could have the same last name as you, essentially. So it's not really a thing to be addressing individuals with that name anymore. How do they do it then? I think the most common that I have seen is they will say their first name and their middle name because then again, the names that they have here are very limited. They actually even have a naming committee. So if you wanted to bring up a new name that wasn't on the already

approved list of Icelandic names, it has to pass this naming committee. So this means there's a lot of similar names in the society. And so when I first meet here, everyone kept telling me, you know, like, oh, I am Cigaron Maria. What's your name? Like, oh, Kailene. But they were, no, what's your other names? And I've never said my middle name with my name before.

It was just very different to me. So I get that a lot where people will be addressed by their first name and middle name. And that's how they're distinguished. That's so cool. I wonder if that's where, like, the last name's Thompson and Johnson come from. I guess those aren't sound more English. think this. It must be.

Yeah, I always think this when I hear it on a, you know, a movie or something like, I wonder where their heritage lies. It must be some Scandinavian thing. Oh, that is so cool. So Kaelin, when people visit Iceland, how do you recommend that they usually go from the airport to Reykjavik to get their trip started? So if they're not renting a car, because if you're renting a car, which I highly recommend because it's the best way to see the country.

Then the second best option to get from the airport to Reykjavik, which is about a 45-minute drive-in, is through the shuttle bus called the fly bus. And it's a really easy transportation to take. You can buy your tickets on most of the airlines. They will let you purchase them on the flight, or you can do it online before you go. Or even just once you arrive and have picked up your bags,

you can purchase the tickets. and it's around $30 U.S. dollars for a one way. And it's just, it's very easy. Simple. They drop you off right in the central of the area and the city. And if you have a hotel that you wanted to get then taken to, they will have smaller buses that will take people to their hotels as well. Yeah.

So I guess if you don't have a car, so I went to Iceland a number of years ago and we didn't have a car, but we just ended up doing tours that would take us around everywhere. So I guess that's what you would have to do. Yeah. There's really not that much public transport in Iceland is there. Exactly. No, that's why I was saying it's definitely the best option to take a car

because there's not this public transportation system, especially out of the central area. And of course, the tour buses are, you know, a good alternative to it. But I find, especially now with how many tourists are visiting when you are on these buses, you might show up to a location and there's 10 to 15 tour buses at the same time. And, you know, it really, I feel. can take away from the experience versus if you did have the option to have your car and you could maybe time things differently and get to go to some extra spots that the buses won't

have time to take people to. Yeah, that's a great idea. Let's say I'm coming to visit you in Reykjavik. What are our mustsees? So my favorite place to start, and I've made all of my visitors go here, is there is a large church in downtown. I'm sure you probably remember. This is also a very iconic look for Reykjavik. It's called Halkh, kick yeah and it's I mean you did it's the tallest building you can't miss it when I first moved here and was taking the bus around the city I knew I was lost if I couldn't see the top of the church because I didn't know areas that you couldn't see it so that was how I was my north star for a while but at the top of the church they have a viewing platform and I think it's such a fun way to kick off

your time in the city you get a really good view over the whole area and can really quickly see like, okay, so that's where this is at. And here you can see the ocean. And it's a nice way to start off the time. And then from there, I love to go and walk the streets just in the downtown area. A street that's really popular is Leovager, which is the main shopping street. There's lots of cafes there. And from this main street, there's several little side streets. And these are where you will find a lot of the really characteristic, colorful houses of Reykavik and all of the quirky cafes. here and lots of arts and craft shops and Icelandic design shops. Would you say that the Blue Lagoon is what you must say?

I really struggle with this one. So a fun story about the Blue Lagoon does just show how much it's changed. I first came to Iceland in 2011 and I was just here for a two week visit and so we went to the Blue Lagoon and I remember that Helgi and my husband, he had said, don't speak English. I'll just speak Icelandic. and he spoke just Icelandic to them and I look quite Icelandic I mean blonde, pale

people always assume I'm Icelandic when I'm out and about and so he just spoke Icelandic to him and we got a two for one pass I think we paid maybe 20 US dollars to go into the lagoon the first time and they had a really simple changing area and we just out we went

and there was not more many people and I thought oh this is so nice and the floor of the lagoon was that silica mud and you could just like pinch it with your toes or scoop it up and put it on your face. So that was my first experience with the Blue Lagoon. And that was just really incredible. And this water is amazingly blue.

But then the next time I went back to the Blue Lagoon was many years later. I must have been in 2016 or so when I first went again. And there, then they had electronic bracelets to open your locker. It was like $80 per person to enter the lagoon. And the expansion was just incredible. And they know they scraped the bottom of the lagoon, so all of the silica mud is now in buckets off to the side that you put on your face. So it was a much different experience. It was much more of a luxury spa type of experience than the first time I had gone there.

I mean, the water itself is incredible to see definitely a stop by just to walk around the lagoon is worth it. But I'm up in the air of going into the lagoon is actually 100% a must when you come here. I would much rather just go to a hot spring that's out in the nature because I feel like that justifies Iceland much more than what the Blue Lagoon does. And so if we decide that in the end, the Blue Lagoon is too expensive where we just don't want to be around that many people, the hot springs are great in Iceland. You mentioned that you like doing that. Do you have any particular areas you would recommend that we could go to?

Well, it depends on the time of the year because I, of course, in the winter you can't get to all of them. If it was in the summer and we were going out traveling around the country, the best area for the hot springs in Iceland is in the Westfjords, in my opinion. There's just hot springs all over the place there. And it's probably the least visited area of Iceland, that in the East Coast, just because it's a bit further away from Reykjavik. I think it's about a five-hour drive to get there. But it's gorgeous if you do have the time to make it there. If you were just staying in the Reykjavik area, then the next best alternative to the Blue Lagoon would be going to the local pools. If you're coming and you want to get that experience of the geothermal water

and the Icelandic culture, because the pools are a huge part of the Icelandic culture. Then there's some really great pools in the downtown area. One of my favorites is called Vestabai pool. It's just a few minutes out of downtown, and it's one of probably the local's favorite spots because it's right in a local neighborhood. And it's recently been redone. I've been there a few times where I've seen Bjork in the hot pool next to me. So it's just a really fun place to go and visit. You never know who you'll see them.

And I think it's a good location to go to to get the Icelandic cultural feel because you'll just see all of the Icelanders gathered together. It's a real meeting spot for them. And they're just catching up in the morning or in the evening after work. People are grouped together having their chats. And because they're geothermal, you can go there all year? All year, yeah. I actually, my favorite is to go there in the winter when you're just sitting in the warm water

and the steam is all around you because it's so much colder out in the air and it's just really relaxing. And it's a great way to be able to get outside in the winter when it's colder and you're not outside as much. So I think it's such a nice way to still get to be outside and warm, which is always what I'm looking for. That sounds pretty magical. So what are some hidden gems you would take me to either Reiki Vick or outside the city? So in Reykivik, one of my favorite locations to go to is a, it's essentially, I would say, a park nature reserve area called Etla Dalarin. And it has this beautiful river running through it and there's several little waterfalls that trickle down. And it has really nice pathways in a big loop.

and it's not even a 10-minute drive from the city center, and I always think it's just the best place to kind of get out into the Icelandic nature, but still in the city. So that's one that I'm year-round, every season is just beautiful to go and walk around. If we're leaving the city and we're going in the south of Iceland, one of my favorite locations is a place called Gowan, and I always describe it as a fairy tale land because you walk up, to it and your first view will be just this green valley with about a dozen little waterfalls trickling down in all directions.

And I think it's just so beautiful. And I have yet to be there with other people, which is even more magical, especially in Iceland these days. It sounds like a fairy tale. I can imagine rainbows everywhere. Yeah. I mean, I was just waiting for a unicorn to jump across the river or something and it would have just been exactly what I thought. But it was a very beautiful. And we actually heard about it because we were going somewhere completely different.

And we happened to stop at a tourist center. And it was me and my mother-in-law and husband. And she started talking with the man that was working there. And he had been living in this small town his whole life. And so he told her about this valley she had to go to and visit. And so that's how we found out about Gowan, which is from this man. And I know now it's becoming a bit more known with visitors here. and I've heard of many other people visiting it,

but it still is not a place that is overly crowded, which is becoming a bit more rare here these days, especially during the summer season. Another one last stop I would mention that's very close to where most people will be traveling is just off the Golden Circle area, and it's a waterfall called Thorofos, and if any Game of Thrones fans are out there,

they would definitely recognize it when they saw it. And it's just a really powerful, waterfall, just sitting kind of in the middle of nowhere, you wouldn't expect to find it there. And I think it's always a fun place to stop because, again, I've never been there with another person. And it's just impressive to have this powerful waterfall in front of you and this beautiful landscape to enjoy all to yourself. What is the golden circle for people who don't know? So the golden circle is the most popular route that people take when they come to Iceland. And it is I believe it's around 140 kilometers in total from Reykavik.

You do a loop. And it takes you to three main stops. The first one is called Thingvellar National Park. And this is where the tectonic plates are separating. And you can walk through that area. And it's also the location of the first parliament in Iceland. So it has a lot of historical significance. And it's just a beautiful area to walk around.

And you could spend hours walking around this area. They have a location there called Silvra, which is a lake and then a stream off of it where it's very popular for scuba diving. It has one of the highest visibility in the world for water. I've done snorkeling there. I did snorkeling there too. It's amazing. It's amazing, isn't it? It's been on my husband's bucket list for years.

And I was so scared about the cold water. So I kept pushing it off. And then finally I'm like, okay, we'll do this. We'll see how bad can. it be. It was not as bad for me, but he ended up getting a hole in his glove. So he always had water sinking in. So it was kind of like a, you know, strange twist of faith that I actually loved it and he was freezing. But it was beautiful. Yeah. I mean, that was the first and only time I've been snorkeling and I did not expect to be doing it in Iceland like you. I thought it would be way too

cold. Right. And it was cold. But, but you wear a wetsuit and it, the water, there was so clear, and there were so many brilliant colors under there. I was shocked. Yeah, it's really amazing. And I think it's just a fun thing to be like, oh, yeah, I went to Iceland and I went snorkeling. I mean, who would think you would do that? And you're also snorkeling between the tectonic plates.

So essentially you're snorpling between two continents, which I think is a pretty cool thing as well to say that you've got to experience. So you are swimming from North America to Europe, essentially? Yeah, and then the Eurasian continents are. That's the plates that are, that's what the crack is from. Yeah, sorry, it's a silver fissure or something, the crack that you're swimming in between. So it's a really unique spot for sure.

So it's fun to hear that you got to experience that as well. I loved it. So you mentioned the first parliament, and I remember hearing a story about that. But I mean, that's like hundreds of years ago, right? It's the oldest parliament in the world, and it was founded in 930. It moved to Reykivik in 1844.

So it's been here in Reykjavik since the 1800s. In the next location of the Golden Circle. So from there, there's two other stops. The geysher, which is a favorite of my family when they come to visit. And that's a really fun place to stop as well. They have a lot of other geothermal hot, smaller pools that are bubbling away. And then there's one that will actually erupt. And it goes off quite frequently.

It's usually every 15 minutes, but I've been there when it's gone off much close. closer. Did you stop there as well? We did see the geyser, yes. Do you know how tall it gets? I think it's between 30 to 50 meters that it can shoot up. Yeah, it's pretty impressive. Yeah, it's really impressive. And then the last stop that most people go to is the big waterfall Gulfoss, which is also a golden waterfall. And it's massive and impressive. And I am amazed at how much infrastructure they have now built around it. There's viewing platforms that you can walk out on and a nice stairway that you can walk down and get a bit closer to it. So you can spend a long time there just checking out the waterfall,

especially if you love waterfalls like me. I love that one. So you started bogging about your experience abroad a number of years ago. Where did the name unlocking Kiki come from? So when I first moved to Iceland, I moved here at the very start of winter. I think I thought at the time it was best to start, you know, at the worst weather possible. and it could only get better from there.

And I was still waiting for my visa, so I essentially could not do anything. And I desperately needed a hobby and coming from just finishing my university and working full-time, I never had had time for a hobby. And I'd always enjoyed writing and had just discovered the world of blogs.

And I remember we were sitting in a cafe in downtown Reykjavik. And I said, okay, we can't leave here until I come up with a name. And Kiki was, is a nickname that my girlfriend back home had always called me. And then as well, since I was in this phase where I did not really know what my future held, I kind of felt like, you know, I was unlocking new experiences. And I just liked to put them together, like unlocking Kiki and just seeing what I was going

to unlock along this new journey in Iceland. And you wrote about your experience getting your first job in Iceland. Could you share that with us? And also, what kind of visa were you waiting for? So I actually was doing a cohabitation visa, so it was slightly easier for me. I was allowed to be in the country because I had actually previously lived in Iceland for about a five-month period doing an au pair visa. It was kind of a way for us to test the waters. And since I had already done that, I had the Icelandic social security number, which you need to do anything here.

I mean, you couldn't even go to the library and rent a book or check out a book. You did not have this number. It's just an absolute muscle. When I came here, I thankfully had this number and was able to do other things, but legally work. And so they just had to reprocess my visa essentially and kind of switch me over to a new line. So it was much easier for me than others that are starting from scratch, and you have to wait outside of the country before you can come here.

And then for once I got the visa, I remember the first day I got it, I applied for a job at a cafe because I had worked at a coffee shop all through college and thought, oh, I can do this. And I went to the coffee shop, worked a four-hour shift, and I thought it was just awful. I remember feeling like I did not move across the world with the college degree to chase a boy and work in a cafe. It was really important to me that I had my own career here

if I was going to make my life here and did not want to feel like I just was following my man around the world. So I remember I had called my dad, and I wrote down a plan of how I could possibly get a, what I would view a more professional career for during job. And so I started by making a list of all of the companies I knew in Iceland that had either international business or they had international workers. There's just any place I knew would have some English in their work that would be open

to hiring a foreigner that couldn't speak Icelandic. And so then I started reaching out to these places and I ended up one of a friend of ours, basically a friend of a friend, how everything works here in Iceland, was looking to hire someone for just a one month job working on social media for her company. And because I had been blogging already for a few months here in Iceland, she took that as a good enough justification to her boss to hire me for a month. So I started working for them for a month. And this was at the university here in Reykjavik. And during this month, I just made the most of it trying to network with every person that I ran into in the university.

And at the end of my time there, I remember I really started to get stressed. Like my money was running out. I didn't have any more leads and thought, okay, if I can't make it another month, I might have to return back to the States. And a job opened up in a different department at the university. And I applied for it. And I was the only foreigner. I think they had like 120 applications and then me.

And thankfully, I had had lunch with the individuals that were hiring several times. during my time there. And so they knew who I was and didn't just throw out my application and called me in for an interview. And I was lucky enough to get the job and have been there ever since. But I feel like this is something that I hear so often from people moving to Iceland that you can never get a job in a company here. You're only going to be working as a hotel cleaner or in the cafe. And I really felt discouraged when I was always being told this from other foreigners here. and I always now try and just share my experience instead with them. It's like, no, it is possible.

Don't just settle for whatever job you think you deserve because there's many foreigners here not speaking Icelandic, working in really great jobs growing their career during their time here. And it's just all about networking here, putting yourself out there. Maybe you need to take a unpaid internship for a short time. If you are able to do that, just whatever you need to do to get your name out there,

is a huge step here in the small community. That is fantastic work advice for anyone who wants to move to Iceland or move abroad anywhere. So thank you very much for those tips. What would you say is the most challenging thing about living in Iceland? For me, I would say I struggle a lot with the weather. But I grew up in a place that's very mild. So a summer day here in Iceland could be very similar to what middle of winter would be for me. So that's always something challenging.

You know, once it comes April, I want to be outside all day long. And the weather doesn't usually allow me to do that here in Iceland. So I've struggled a lot with that more than I ever thought that weather would actually affect me. And I used to complain and say that it was bad weather where I grew up. And now I'm like, I had nothing to complain about. Oh, yeah, it could be brutal. I went at the beginning of July and was not prepared at all for how cold it would be in July. Exactly. And I think because, you know, it's interesting to see how I experienced it versus like my husband because he grew up in it. And so he, if it's not super warm out, which, okay, it's never super warm out. But, you know, if it's not like sunny or something in July, it doesn't even think twice about it. And for me, I'm like, I expect it to be sunny and I'm outside. No problem, no coat all summer long. So it definitely affects me much more. And I have a harder time with homesick.

sickness in the summer than I do like over the holidays for example and I think it's because of the weather like I just want to be outside enjoying the heat and it it doesn't come yeah one thing we didn't touch on was the midnight sun and how at certain times of the year the sun is always out so maybe it's not warm but it's bright at least it's bright at least yeah and but to be honest I actually really like like you know a summer night and you have like the warm weather and you're outside still and it's dark but they're the opposite and they love the summer because it's just bright all the time. I mean, it does affect you. You don't need as much sleep and before you know it's 11 o'clock and you're like, oh, I should

probably like start winding down for the day. But yeah, you just don't need as much sleep. But then on the flip side, you have winter and I mean, you could just sleep until 11 a.m. when the sun does come up? So it's pros and cons. When do the northern lights come out? So you usually will start to see them around September. And I always recommend for people,

come in September, October time, or in like March or early April. A lot of people come here in like dead winter and, you know, December, January, thinking that this must be the coldest time. It must be the best for the northern lights. But in fact, it's often the worst because it's usually a lot of winter storms. So the skies are cloudy and so you don't see the lights. But if you come in the fall or the early spring, then you still have the darkness and the crisp air, which will bring the northern light. So it's usually clear out. And I always have seen them much better at that time of year than in the middle of winter. That is a great tip. And what would you say is the best thing about living in Iceland? I have a lot of things, actually, coming from the states, the work-life balance.

And now that I am a mom, I feel like I couldn't have been luckier in the place I had my child in. I mean, I had excellent care and I think our total bill at the end of my pregnancy and when I walked out of the hospital with our baby was around $50. And that was for my husband to stay overnight in the room with me and have a dinner. So it was the total cost for all of it. And compared to in the States where I don't even know how many thousands I would have been paying. And, you know, the fact that I, we have paid maternity leave here and I was able to just be home with my child for his first year. And it's just not even a question here. You know, it's just like what you do.

So I feel really lucky to get to list somewhere that they value these things. I find them really important. I also love living so close to the nature. I mean, every day I look at the mountains and the ocean all around the area that I live in. So I love that. Speaking of nature and tours, one of the other things I did when I was there was some cave exploration. Did you do, have you done that? So did you do Ice Cave?

caves. Just caves. In the lava tubes. In the lava tubes, yeah. So when I was doing that first project at the university where I was just being hired on for the one month, I actually think I'd maybe only been there for a week and they sent me out with a group that was visiting to go do a exploration day. And one of them was that we went down into lava tubes. And it was in the middle of winter.

And I remember they had, and you're out in the lava field, which you wouldn't know because it was covered in snow. and then they had dug away the snow from the entrance and you had to just kind of like jump down there and I was like, I'm getting in there. This is crazy, but I went and that was really fun. It was cool to see the inside and especially with the ice at the time,

you know, it was kind of sparkling everywhere. That was beautiful. Your job sounds very fun. That's the only time I've done that. I'm not sure how these are ever discovered because there's many of them that are now available for tours and some of them are impressively long that you can go through. I always recommend people take a tour to do these things as well.

Please do not go out to the lava field and find a hole and crawl down by yourself. It's just to happen. But they are a very cool way to see the geology here. But I think one thing about the volcanoes that I'm asked a lot here in Iceland is, for some reason, it seems like the international news outlets always say that there's like an eruption happening here or one's about to happen. and I will get contacted from people, maybe someone that has read my blog or something, and they are coming soon and are so worried about this volcanic eruption.

And I'm like, I live here and I have no idea what you're talking about. I think it's fine. What are some local foods and drinks we should try when we're in Iceland? The fish is my favorite, but that's just because I'm not crazy about lamb. So if you enjoy lamb, I have been told it's the best lamb in the world. But I love the fish, and they have a lot of fresh fish. and I have yet to have a bad fish dish here in Iceland, and we cook fish at home two to three times a week.

The Icelandic hot dog is a very famous and popular one. So definitely if you like hot dogs, go to one of the hot dogs stands downtown and order one of those. And a fun Icelandic treat to try that is still something that people eat very often, you know, it's a snack or something in their homes, is they have this bread called flat bread. And it's almost, it's like a, A mix between a tortilla and a pita, almost how I would kind of describe it.

And then smoked lamb is what they put on it. And it's called Hangikyut. And that's really traditional and good to try together. And then I think for something as a sweet treat, they have an Icelandic donut is what they call it. And it's called the Kleiner. It's not really sweet, but it is a donut. It's a fried pastry. And I think it's a fun one to try out when you're out of a cafe or a bit.

And then I think there's salty licorice as well. Oh yeah, I can't believe I forgot that one, because that's actually one of my favorites. Yes. And the salty licorice is something actually when I met Helge in Australia and I asked him, what do you miss from back home? And he started describing to me this black liquor so that it was salty and sometimes it's in chocolate. I remember thinking, this is gross. What is he talking about? And then I came here and I tried it and I love it. The salty licorish is really good. And I like it. Just plain salty black licorish. or inside chocolate. So definitely try that.

Yes, it doesn't sound good at all, but it is, and it's addictive. It's so addictive. It is. I have to bring my dad back a bag every time we go and visit him, because when he came to visit, he got hooked.

Are there any foods that vegetarians can try? Traditional, traditional food is like the kind of what you would expect from a cold country, meat and potato type of thing. But they do have a lot of vegetarian options here. if you're a vegetarian traveling here or with any dietary restrictions, like Rakevick will more than be catering to your needs of what you would need. One of my favorite vegetarian restaurants to go to here is a restaurant called Glow,

and it's now become a bit of a chain. They have several locations through the city, and they make a lot of just, they'll make vegetarian dishes or raw food, and they use a lot of the Icelandic produce, which is grown often in the geothermal greenhouses. So I think it's always fun to try some of those. the produce dishes and it's amazing to taste how good these vegetables will taste that have been grown in a greenhouse in the winter. That is so cool. Yeah, it's amazing how they've managed to

engineer all of that. Yeah, it's really incredible. And one place that I, it's like a must for me to take my family to when they visit is just off of the Golden Circle. It's a greenhouse called Freithheimer. And there, they've now turned it into a restaurant as well. And you can see just up close, like you dine inside of the greenhouse around the tomatoes. It's a tomato farm, and they have delicious tomato soup. But then they will also give you a bit of a presentation on how the geothermal greenhouse is operating and all of the functionalities of how they use geothermal water that's underneath this land to create their produce.

It's really incredible to learn about. That is so neat. So back to foods to try. When I was there, I went with a group of friends. and one of mine wanted to try like everything. And you're right, it's very meat-centric. And she was eating reindeer and puffin. I was like, how could you?

How could you eat a cute little puffin? Yeah, I have not done that one. I feel the same. Are there any good food markets in Reykjavik? I would not say so. At least not what I think of when I think of a food market. So instead, what I would recommend is they have recently within the past year to open up these food halls, which sometimes in the summer months,

they will have a food market happening there. But you wouldn't really find it in the winter. And these two food halls are called Lema food hall and then Grande food hall. And they're both in the downtown area. And they each have several different restaurant booths there. And it's always really fun and delicious foods. And most of these restaurants emphasize local produce and product. and the items they get here in Iceland.

So it's a fun place to go and try out Icelandic foods. What is the going out culture like? Is it a big drinking culture in Iceland? Yeah, so I actually came here the first time when I was 22. So, you know, right in the middle of like, let's party all night. And I never forget the first time I was going out here. And they told me we weren't going to go to the bar until like one in the morning. I was like, what do you mean?

not I have to stay up until one before we leave. And this was just shocking coming from in the States where, you know, you can't buy a drink after 2 a.m. And so I've quickly learned that when you go out here, you, like they said, don't go to the bar until midnight or 1 a.m. I mean, if you go to the bar as much earlier than midnight, there won't be that many people there. And the bars just, like, don't really close. There's not a last call. They are open until like five or six in the morning. And then a lot of them just flip over into a breakfast spot.

but it's much more common here that you will meet up at a house party. It's almost always you will meet up with your group of friends at a home and have drinks there because the drinks at the bars downtown are so expensive. So from what I have seen and experience, it seems more like people drink a lot before they go downtown so that they don't have to buy any drinks when they're downtown. And so it tends to be that when you get downtown, everyone seems very, very drunk. and I think it just comes from this to the fact that it's so expensive for them, they just drink a ton at home and party then,

and then they go out dancing and stay out until five or six in the morning. And it's a very weird feeling to come out of a bar, a five or six in the morning in the summer when it's just like daylight out. You feel like you just walked out in the middle of the day. And it's like, whoa, what's happening? Why is it so light out? I've been out all night, but it feels like it's noon. I really appreciate your time.

before we go, can we do a quick lightning round of your favorite places in Rikievich? Yeah, of course. What is your favorite bakery? Bracinco. I love the cinnamon rolls. They're pretty amazing. They also have really good sourdough bread, but then any pastry there is good. And my favorite one is downtown, and the building is painted this fun tie-dye colors.

It's a really popular Instagram spot as well. Is there any special sort of like, tea time hour or any like special hour like I know in sweden they have something called fika where everyone has like a little pastry and coffee does iceland have something similar i wouldn't say that the culture is as strong around a specific time um but they do have you know their their coffee time they call it just coffee tima and there's a ton of great cafes in downtown rakevik and the coffee is really good rakevik roosters is a great place to go and it a delicious cup of coffee.

So it's really common that they will drink a coffee. I always see them more having like bread and cheese or something with their coffee time. But a pastry that you might see someone having would be the cleaner like I had discussed earlier or another one that's really good is called Vina Brace. And it's almost this like custard filled pastry that's really delicious. I always like to have that if I'm going to do a coffee. That does sound delicious. My hair at coffee shop is Stobon Cafe.

I took my mom there and she said, oh, this is just the funky old spot that I would put in my house as well. So it's a bunch of very antique furniture. It's brick walls. It's almost like you're walking into your grandma's old living room, but I love it. How about lunch spot? I think if you're looking to go and get, you know, like a really traditional Icelandic meal, because I think it's kind of hard anymore to tell, you know, what is this like a touristy trap and what's not.

But there's two spots that I think have still really maintained their business style over many years. And I had asked around about this as well. So two locations I would recommend is Café Loki, which also has a really beautiful view of the church, Halkemskia. So you can dine and watch that. And they have this rye bread pudding, which the rye bread is, the bread they make in the ground through the geothermal steam. And it's really delicious.

And this bread pudding sounds strange, but it's really, really good. So I recommend trying that out. And then another spot is called Mula Cafe. And this is one where, you know, the average worker from the day will just pop in and grab, you know, Icelandic meal that maybe their mother would have made for them growing up or something. So that one is still really popular with the locals. My favorite lunch spot is a restaurant called Naipul, and it's actually next to the geothermal beach here in Reykivik, and the fish of the day there is just always amazing, and it has a really beautiful view over the bay. So I think it's really good spot to go and relax for a few hours.

Where do you like to go for dinner? My favorite place to go out for a dinner would, I have, I couldn't choose just ones. I have a couple of spots that I'd recommend everyone. There's one place called Apotech, which actually means far. pharmacy in Icelandic. And it is a couple of years old now, but it is located in one of the first pharmacies in Reykjavik. They converted it into this restaurant and it's a really delicious menu. And then also one of my favorite spots is tapas. And both of those locations, I think getting the tasting menu, it is maybe a bit of a splurge, but it's like some of the best dining experience

that I've had and such a fun way to get to sample a lot of different Icelandic dishes. all in one go. What time do you guys usually eat dinner in Iceland? It could be anywhere from like seven to nine, I would say. So a little bit later then you probably would eat in the States. Yeah, yeah. And how about wine or cocktail bar? For a wine bar, there's a new wine bar actually in town that's really good. It's called Port Nine or Port Neu, because they have on the sign. For earlier happy hour, I love to go to Keck's hostel because they have a beautiful view over the ocean and then the mountains and just big windows there and it's always a fun fun vibe some often they'll be live music there and good prices so that's key when you're looking for a happy hour here

and then if you're looking for a place for some fun cocktails there's this location called slip baron and they i always like going there just to read the cocktail menu because they come up with the craziest combinations and names and then they serve them the presentation's always fun i remember one time I went with my friend and she got one that was called the brown bag and it was this big bottle inside a brown sack like you would see someone out walking the streets drinking like a bum and that was how they presented it and then like they lit the top on fire they just it's very extravagant we never know what you're going to get there when you order the cocktails so that's always a fun spot to go to and how about museum i'm not the biggest museum person but there are some fun ones here

that i actually quite enjoy there's one called the settlement museum downtown and this is actually built around a area that they had found an original settlement when they were excavating the area so they preserved it and built around and built it into a museum so it's a really fun place to go and learn about the first settlements here in rakevik and more about how islanders live and then there's another one that's called our bi museum and it's an open-air museum so they i think only on the weekends now but they will have have almost like a reenactment of the early settlements of Reykavik. And they have built a little village out there and people will be walking around doing activities

that they would be doing when they first settled in Reykjavik. So it's fun if you like to kind of step back in time and experience things like that. How about a walking tour company? I actually have done one with it's the free city walking tour and Rickvich. I think it's just called Reykivik City Walk. and I did it back when just the one who had started it was doing them on his own. His name's Martin, and I've met with him several times since actually. And I just love their tours.

They're so enthusiastic for what they're sharing. And I think it is a really fun way to learn about the basic historical facts of the city. And I like the fact that you can pay them, you know, what you can or what you feel like the tour was worth. Because I think anymore some of these tour companies are charging. a lot of money for the tours. And I like to, you know, make sure that people that come here, they get their money's worth.

I think this is the best way to do that. And I don't think people would be disappointed and would want to pay them because it's a really fun tour. Where do you go when you're in the mood for some culture? So there's almost always some live music downtown that you can pop into a cafe or a bar and there will be some band playing

and most likely they will be very good. If you're looking for more of like a party night out with live music, there's this bar called the Danish Pub. And that's probably one of the more popular spots with the locals as well. And they always have a fun live band playing in Icelandic. And they'll sing, you know, traditional songs that everyone knows and sings along with in English. So that's a really fun spot to go to. One of my favorite bands is of Monsters and Men in Icelandic bands.

I first heard them, you know, on a CD when I was in Iceland. And I was like, who is this? So now every time I hear them, I think of that trip. I just love them. And they're pretty chill and foky. Do they ever play out? Not really anymore. But I think before they used to show up at some spots, there are also a lot of music festivals

here. So then they sometimes will still come to those when they're happening. But there's a lot of bands that remind me of the similar sound to them. So it's, especially if you like, you know, Monsters and Men, there will be lots of music that you like. There's one other really good spot that people always go is called Cafe Botton, and this place always has some fun bands playing, and that people will go and check out just most nights of the week, it seems.

So it's a good spot to go if you're looking for that. What's the typical, like, souvenir products we could bring back with us that will remind us of Iceland? I, you know, someone that tries to find something a bit more authentic. I don't want to go. There's a lot of shops in downtown Rikovic that the locals actually call them puffin stores because they're just like stuffed animal puffins or these really like cheap looking souvenirs that are just, it's just everywhere now. So I avoid those and I recommend you do. But if you're looking for something that I feel really represents Iceland, it would be Icelandic wool. And this could be the traditional Icelandic wool sweater, which is a very popular souvenir called a lopa Pesa. Or it could be. you know, something smaller, like wool gloves or wool socks. But the traditional Icelandic wool, I think, is a really nice souvenir to take home that will actually last many, many years. And if you're somewhere a bit chillier, we'll be used a lot.

I actually bought my dad a wool blanket when I was in Iceland. See? There you go. Perfect. Yeah. Are there any designer markets that support, like, local artists or anything like that? Yeah, there's a few different places. So, um, on the, weekends on Saturday and Sunday they have it's called the flea market but I feel like it's much more it's not Icelandic arts and crafts and then there will be the occasional person selling maybe their clothes that they're trying to get rid of but there's a lot of people that you'll see in there that are sitting there knitting these sweaters or any wool products so I always recommend

going there it's called holopotes and it's a really good location to go and try and pick up some Icelandic souvenirs or just see kind of the different crafts that they make. There's a lot of jewelry that you'll see there that's made from like lava rocks. And there's some food. You can even try rotten shark if you're crazy. I have not tried it, but they have a sampling platter there that you can taste if you want. That sounds like it would kill someone. Yeah, that's what I, it smells like it is what I always think as well.

But people actually eat it. And then for an Icelandic design store, I mean, I love Icelandic design. I just wish that my bank account matched it so that I could buy all that I wanted. It is very, very pricey, but two stores that I love are the farmer's market and then Geysher. These are clothing stores, though, but I love all of the clothing there. And it just looks so beautiful and like it would keep me warm compared to my five layers that I put on to keep warm. I also love Icelandic design and I got into a little bit of trouble when I was there because the currency was something that I couldn't figure out and I think I completely misunderstood what I was

spending and when I got my credit card bill my eyes popped out and I was like oh that's not what I was expecting yeah I struggle with the currency still like if the number gets too big I'm like ten dollars is a thousand krona and I always have this ten and to take off some zeros when I'm saying the number out loud because it just seems crazy to be like, oh yeah, a million krona, but really it's only, you know, 10,000. I don't know, it gets confusing to me. Yeah, I totally understand that. What are some culture tips we should know about Iceland before we go?

So one of them that I get asked a lot as an American is how much you should tip and you actually don't tip here. So that's one that you don't have to worry about. And then if you are visiting someone's home, this is. probably maybe that's something that most will be doing when you're traveling here, but it's one that I found was different, was that you always take off your shoes before entering someone's home. And now when I go back to the States,

I feel really uncomfortable wearing my shoes around the house because I'm so used to taking them off immediately. Oh, I take mine off immediately because I lived with some Swedes for a little while, and I was like, you know what, this makes perfect sense. We should all be taking off our shoes. Exactly. It makes so much sense. So now I just have a really hard time to not take them off. What neighborhood would you recommend us staying in if we are visiting Reykjavik?

So I would recommend staying in the central neighborhood. And all the neighborhoods are often called by their zip code. So the downtown area is called 101. That's a really great location to stay where you can just easily walk everywhere within just a couple of minutes. And you're just right in the action. And with all of the food and shopping and the main attractions in Reykivik. but it's also really nice to stay in a little bit west of the downtown area and the neighborhood called 107. This is also you can quickly walk over and it maybe isn't not as expensive if you're trying to find a bit more of a budget-friendly option or like a great Airbnb spot Airbnb spot.

Oh, there's this neighborhood called Legatollar and it's zip code 105 and this one is really great for families because it is near a lot of outdoor playgrounds or attractions that families would like to go and visit with their children on the trip. So I think that's always a good spot. And you're really close to downtown as well. I mean, maybe you don't want to walk there necessarily, but it's like not even a five-minute drive. Well, thank you so much for speaking with me today. Where can people find out more about you and about the amazing Icelandic itineraries you create? So you can find me over on my blog. It's unlocking kiki.com. Sometimes I'm updating. not always as frequently now that I have a little one I'm chasing after,

but I'm always updating on my Instagram, which I'm also there under the same title as well, unlocking Kiki. I always love to connect with others or answer any questions I can as well. If someone's coming to visit here and has no idea, what do you pack for Iceland in May? It's way different than I would have packed. I can tell you guys that I never would have known before I moved here. I absolutely should have read your blog before arriving because I wasn't prepared.

so everyone definitely has to check out Unlocking Kiki before they go. Yeah, thanks so much. All right, thank you again for your time today, Kailene. Thanks so much. This was really nice. I have so many takeaways from this episode. First, I love how Kaleen refused to give in to the naysayers who said that she would never get the kind of job she wanted in Iceland.

And how she came up with an action plan to build a career for herself and her new Icelandic home. I am also itching to get back to. Iceland so I can soak in that geothermal water and also eat fresh tomato soup in a greenhouse, which just sounds like the coolest experience ever. Reminder, you can get the names of Kaeline's favorite things to see and do and eat on postcardacademy.co. All right, thank you for listening to this episode. If you like what you heard, please subscribe to this podcast and share this episode with a friend. That is the best way to support and grow the show.

That's all for now. Thanks for listening and have a beautiful week wherever you are. Do you ever go blank or start rambling when someone puts you on the spot? I created a free conversation sheet sheet with simple formulas that you can use so you can respond with clarity, whether you're in a meeting or just talking with friends. Download it at sarahmicatel.com slash blank no more.