FAQ
Practical information about Iceland, Laugarvatn, travel and other.
Apartments and farmhouse:
Guests are expected to take good care of everything in the appartment, keep it clean and tidy at all times and pay for any accidental damages caused during the time of stay. Pillows, duvets, sheets and towels are provided for two persons.
The resident guests are encouraged to participate in mutual activities.
Before leaving:
Before you leave, the apartments have to be cleaned: Floors vacumed and washed, dishes washed and put away, dishtowels and rags washed and hung to dry and bathroom and toilet cleaned. If you have moved furniture around while there please put it back in place.
Laugarvatn:
The Gullkistan residency is located in Laugarvatn, a small school village 90 km east of Reykjavík. It is in an agricultural area, close to some of the most popular touristic sites of Iceland and close to the highlands.The village of Laugarvatn has 250 inhabitants. One childrens school, kindergarten, high school and the department of athletic pedagogics of the University of Iceland. There is one outdoor swimming pool and good sports facilities inside and outside. There is a grocery shop, Lindin restaurant and summer hotels in the schools. The next town is Selfoss, 45 km south of Laugarvatn. Around Laugarvatn there are farms and many summerhouses. Swimming pools are everywhere to be found in Iceland, most including a hot tub, so a bathing suit is something you might want to bring.
Arriving at Laugarvatn
There are buses from the Keflavik International Airport to Reykjavik, 45 km. http://www.re.is/Flybus/
From there you can take a bus to Laugarvatn.
Bus staion: http://www.bogf.is/en
If you are arriving by car from the airport you drive to Reykjavík (45 km) until you see signs for Selfoss. Just before Selfoss you will see a sign to turn left for Laugarvatn, 45 km.
Administration:
Directors are Alda Sigurðardóttir http://www.simnet.is/aldasig/ and Kristveig Halldórsdóttir http://www.internet.is/kristveigh/
We will be there to assist guests with what they need and want.
Other cost
All personal expenses have to be covered by the guests. This includes all travel expenses such as flights and buses and insurance. This also includes materials, shipping of artwork and food. Telephone expenses are the responsibility of each guest during his/her stay at Laugarvatn. If there is some special food that you require in your diet we suggest you bring it with you. Importing uncooked meat is illegal.
Practical Information - Passport and Immigration
A stay in Iceland up to three months does not generally require a visa. See a full list of citizens exempt from a visa on http://www.utl.is/english/visas/no-visa/. All other citizens need a visa to enter Iceland, see the list of embassies in your country that issue visas to Iceland on http://www.utl.is/english/visas/apply/
Staying in Reykjavík:
If you need an affordable place to stay in Reykjavík, SÍM, the Association for Icelandic Artists is located in the center of town not very far from the bus station BSÍ. Just take any bus from across the street up from BSÍ that is heading towards the center. At SÍM they have nice and clean rooms to stay for about 3.500 IKR a night, see: http://www.sim.is/Index/English/ , Telephone: +354 551 1346 - Fax:+354 562 6656, e-mail: sim(at)simnet.is
If you have lots of luggage and would need a cab to SÍM it might be better for you to book at http://www.guesthouseanna.is/ which is across the street from BSÍ, which has a shuttle service even if it is just 200 meters. The prices are more expensive in the summer but affordable in winter.
The other affordable place to stay is the Youth hostel. They are situated about a 7 minute drive from BSÍ right by the main swimming pool in town. They will be opening a new hostel in the city center in the summer of 2009: http://www.hostel.is/displayer.asp?cat_id=13
Renting a car in Iceland:
For renting a car in Iceland Berg car rental is known to be the cheapest, see ;
http://www.thrifty.is
http://www.bergcar.is
http://www.carrentalss.com
Other trips:
Þingvellir, Gullfoss and Geysir
Selfoss (nearest town, 45 km)
Reykjavík
The tourist board of Iceland can send you brochures but you can also check their information website on http://www.icetourist.is/ . The cheapest accommodation in Iceland if you are traveling around is “Farmhouse accommodation” listed on their site. Most of them have both sleeping bag accommodations and made up beds, which is slightly more expensive.
More on money. Credit cards like Visa and Master-card are accepted everywhere. In Laugarvatn there is a mini-bank (ATM-automatic teller machine) where you can withdraw cash, just bring your pin number. Most other types of plastic cards are also acknowledged in the banks and ATM’s.
Grants:
For grants we recommend that you contact any possibilities in your home country such as Arts Counsils or government funds. The only grants we know about are the following:
· For US citizens:
· The Fulbright grant http://www.cies.org/about_fulb.htm
· The Leifur Eiriksson grant, http://www.leifureirikssonfoundation.org/
· The American Scandinavian foundation, http://www.amscan.org/is
· Thor Thors grant http://www.iceam.is/english/
· For Nordic and Baltic citizens: Mobility grant, http://norden.org/webb/news/news.asp?id=8361&lang=6, and on http://www.kknord.org/?pageID=35
Climate:
The climate in Iceland is not what most people think. We have a costal climate with mostly mild temperatures – sort of like the west coast of Canada and Ireland only a bit colder. Some say Iceland only has two seasons, spring and fall. This is true in some sense as we can have +10°C (50F) both in January and June.
Summers in Iceland start late and it never gets hot, so one pair of shorts is plenty and windbreakers, fleece and lots of layers essential, especially if you want to go walking, hiking or camping. In summer we have the midnight sun and it never really gets dark. In the winter on the other hand we have 3 hours of daylight on the shortest day, so it never really gets light.
http://www.outdoors.is/weather , http://www.hi.is/~oi/climate_in_iceland.htm and http://www.studentsoftheworld.info/pageinfo_pays.php3?Pays=ISL&Opt=climate also an Icelandic meteorological weather link at: http://en.vedur.is/weather/forecasts/areas/northwest/#group=14&station=3317
Miscellanious:
There is a mobile telephone net in Laugarvatn. We are on the European system of mobile phones, so for Americans (of all nations) you may have to check your telephone company before you leave to see if your telephone will work. Those who have “pay as you go” contracts may also have to engage their telephone for foreign countries for them to work. If you plan to use your telephone a lot while you are here, you can of course buy an Icelandic telephone number.
Shipping and mailing:
You can mail things to the residency before you get there and receive personal mail. On packages mailed ahead of time just put your name and arrival date on the packet and:
Gullkistan residency
Ártúni 3
800 Selfoss
Iceland
For custom benefits just write “personal belongings, no commercial value – may be opened by customs.”
Telephone number + 354 699-0700 - Kristveig
or + 354 892-4410 – Alda
For further information e-mail: gullkistan@gullkistan.is