Random Icelandic facts!

My next adventure has been booked!  Another country/continent checked off the bucket list!  But, before we talk about that, we still need to discuss the random Icelandic facts I absorbed while there!  So lets start!

• Do you like McDonalds?  If McDonalds is your go-to restaurant, favorite restaurant, etc.  Do not go to Iceland.  McDonalds went to Iceland, and left Iceland.  It didn't last!  It went out of business.  However, they do have Taco Bell, Subway, KFC and Quiznos.  So you will not be without those American "luxuries", if you call them that. 
• Crime is minimal in Iceland.  Reykjavik's city jail had one person in it while we were there.  The ONE maximum security prison is similar to a 4-star resort.  Once a criminal leaves, they tend to try to do what they can to get back in.  The prisons have private rooms, flat screen tvs, laptops and personal bathrooms.  There is a murder once every 5-10 years.  Most crimes are traffic violations.  The longest prison sentence was 17 years.  
• Sticking with the crime topic - Iceland is a very trustworthy country.  So trustworthy that parents leave their babies outside stores and restaurants (in their strollers) while they shop and eat.  Crazy huh?!  If you left your baby in a stroller in America, the cops would be arresting you for neglect!
• Icelandic folks have apps on their phones that track their genealogy.  When they meet someone in a bar, they can "bump" their smartphones and find out if they are distantly related.  We don't want any incest folks!
• Trolls, fairies and gnomes are "real" in Iceland!  Since they live in rocks or large stones - when construction crews are building roads they will purposefully build around said rocks/stones.  We were told the story of a time when construction crews tried to remove a rock.  From that point forward, they had problems - mainly, machines broke down.  So, they did not remove said rock.  They built around it.

That's the random Icelandic facts of the day.  Iceland is truly a beautiful country.  I hope to go back someday.  I would love to go back during the midnight sun.  But, I would love to go back to see the Northern Lights (for real this time!)  If you have the opportunity - GO.  It is worth every penny.  It's a quick - hop, skip and jump from the Dulles airport (4 hours!).  

Now - a hint about my next adventure (If you already know, you can't play this game!)  :)  It is another active country.  They love lamb as much as Icelandic folks, but is a much longer flight.  And have almost as many waterfalls!  And the answer is.......