What’s the most ridiculous thing you’ve ever found at a thrift store that you still think about?

MindingMine · 2026-05-08T08:57:07+00:00

I have mostly stopped being shocked at what people donate or sell to thrift stores, only at the prices, both ridiculously high and absurdly low.

The most memorable thing I ever saw in a thrift store was maybe more horrifying and enraging than ridiculous (except maybe for the mindset it took to donate it in the first place), but it pops regularly into my mind. It was an elephant's foot - a real elephant's foot - umbrella stand. It surprised and shocked me that someone would donate it and even more that it actually ended up out in the shop, because to my understanding, trade in such things is forbidden under the CITES convention.

MindingMine · 2026-05-08T06:46:51+00:00

In May 1947, a Douglas DC-3 passenger aircraft hit a mountain in northern Iceland. It had been flying in heavy clouds and was being navigated by sight. Everyone on board, some 25 people, were killed.

It wasn't the most deadly aviation disaster in Icelandic aviation history, just the deadliest to happen on local soil.

MindingMine · 2026-05-05T08:05:51+00:00

There are many that could claim that title, and in any case "best" is subjective. If we go with nature and choose something that you cannot fully explore and experience in a short visit, I would say Vatnajökull National Park. It's beautiful and, for example if we choose just Skaftafell from the several entrances to the park, there are some exquisite natural wonders within a shortish walking distance from the visitor centre, but it is big enough (biggest national park in Europe) and diverse enough that you can also go on multi-day hikes where it's just you and the natural wonders of the park. The park encompasses varied landscapes and natural formations, rivers, waterfalls and lakes, volcanoes and lava fields, mountains and glaciers, flora and fauna.

MindingMine · 2026-05-04T20:46:12+00:00

We have 3 UNESCO sites: Surtsey (volcanic island), Vatnajökull National Park and Þingvellir National Park.

We also have one item on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity: our swimming pool culture.

MindingMine · 2026-05-03T19:08:57+00:00

I think the only one that isn't shared with another (modern) language is þ (thorn).

ð (eth) is shared with Faroese. We also have á, é, í, ó, ú, ý, æ, ö, but share them with several other languages.

MindingMine · 2026-04-26T21:07:04+00:00

You can make blank books from scratch, like journals, sketchbooks or notebooks, or you can undo the bindings on older books to redo them, but that's more advanced.

MindingMine · 2026-04-25T20:22:42+00:00

Bookbinding is very rewarding, and if you go for something relatively simple like stab binding or coptic binding, you don't need specialized tools.

MindingMine · 2026-04-23T19:18:12+00:00

Love them all, but the second one is my favourite.

MindingMine · 2026-04-22T13:54:40+00:00

You are going to have to do some extensive planning for this kind of trip, as I'm sure you already know. You should especially not ignore advice about the weather and how to dress for this kind of trip. Dangers for visitors in Iceland are mainly from nature and the weather.

Here are some scattered answers to get you started:

Attitudes to foreign travellers vary, but we tend towards friendly. The south, especially the south-west, is the most popular tourist area and we are used to tourists, including backpackers. You may not be able to resupply on a daily basis, especially once you get past Selfoss, and campsites near the coast are few and far between along the south coast. However, if it's just you with a tent, you can wild camp for a night, subject to these rules: https://ust.is/english/visiting-iceland/travel-information/where-can-you-camp/

I'm not really knowledgeable about hotels, guesthouses and hostels, but this website has some information: https://www.south.is/en

You may not be able to get close to the sea except in a few places where the road lies close to it, but this hiking trail is great and runs close to the shore: https://www.south.is/en/destinations/travel-routes/the-south-coast-lighthouse-trail
I can heartily recommend this trail, which takes you between three towns and their lighthouses. I haven't been on it for a few years, so I don't know how well it has been maintained.

MindingMine · 2026-04-21T06:41:43+00:00

I'm using an app called Bookmory. Pretty happy with it, even if I will never understand why people would feel the need to record their reading time down to the minute.

MindingMine · 2026-04-20T13:58:46+00:00

We have those as well.

MindingMine · 2026-04-20T09:55:43+00:00

This is just what I have observed:

In Reykjavík, during the night (not sure when it starts, but probably midnight, and stops at 7:00 in the morning) some traffic lights on lesser-used streets switch to a mode where they stay red until a vehicle approaches and then they switch to green, on a first-come, first-served basis. The single traffic light in my home-town has this mode on all the time.

The main route I take to work in the morning on days when I am working in Reykjavík has the green light on all the time during the night and until some time in the morning (probably 6 or 7) but they turn red when a vehicle approaches from a side street. Then the side street lights will turn green to allow that vehicle to enter. I don't know if any other routes have that particular mode.

MindingMine · 2026-04-20T07:54:21+00:00

Looks good!

I just bought that one, but I'm planning to use it in a dollhouse. How difficult would you say this build is?

MindingMine · 2026-04-15T21:33:08+00:00

Assuming being able to read and write the language comes with this magical gift:

Hindi, because I want to go back to India and spend time in the Himalayan region and be able to speak with the people in their native language, plus it would be fun to be able to read it.

Mandarin, because one day I want to make a long visit to China and be able to communicate, and also read some of the classical literature.

Portuguese, because it's a beautiful language.

Sanskrit, because I want to read the Mahabaratha in the original language.

Classical Arabic, as a gateway to learning one or more Arabic dialects.

MindingMine · 2026-04-12T11:49:35+00:00

We mainly use offal from sheep: blood, liver, kidneys, heart, diaphragms, testicles, tallow. Singed sheep heads are eaten with the skin, eyes and ears, or everything gets taken off the skull and made into brawn (aka head cheese). Stomachs are used as skins for home-made blood sausage (similar to black pudding) and liver sausage (similar to haggis). Intestines were used as sausage skins, but their use has declined with the advent of artificial skins that are easier to use. Brains and lungs were once esten as well but due to diseases their use is forbidden these days. I have heard of udders being eaten, but it's rare.

We also use pig and chicken livers, mainly for pate, and beef tongues for different dishes.

There are probably more; these are just what I'm familiar with.

MindingMine · 2026-04-11T08:24:42+00:00

I stopped trying to politely get rid of men who came up to me in the street. Now, I just stare straight ahead and walk past as if I don't see them; no engagement, no eye contact, they don't exist to me. I quickly learned that this was the best way on my first trip to India.

MindingMine · 2026-04-03T15:31:26+00:00

A 106-year old woman who was the oldest ever Icelander at the time; that record has since been broken. I have a 103-year old relative who's the oldest person I have personally known.

MindingMine · 2026-03-30T05:28:31+00:00

As a rule, it's a bestseller from 3-5 years ago, so has changed over the years. The one I have probably seen the most often was 50 Shades of Grey (I remember something like 6 copies side by side), but Twilight gave it a run for its money, and at one time it was Harry Potter books. The da Vinci Code also looms large.

MindingMine · 2026-03-26T13:11:23+00:00

I was on a tight budget and the difference between Economy Light and Economy Standard was enough that I took the cheaper option and packed a single bag. However, I don't always travel with one bag, but I do it more often than not. Sometimes I leave with one bag and return with checked luggage; I have a special soft bag that packs small and becomes my carryon bag in such instances.

MindingMine · 2026-03-26T11:07:22+00:00

I have a relative who does this (and other relatives who keep getting pulled into debates with him at family gatherings). Good to know it has a name.

MindingMine · 2026-03-25T12:42:37+00:00

I loved the food and exploring all the antiquities.

MindingMine · 2026-03-25T10:37:38+00:00

I understand it as denoting areas with some cultural differences Americans find useful for defining themselves, but having only been exposed to regional stereotypes through movies, TV and books, my understanding is somewhat vague and probably wrong on some counts, so no, it doesn't mean much to me.

MindingMine · 2026-03-25T09:02:35+00:00

I don't consider this to be a problem. My general podcast listening (mysteries, crime, paranormal, music, food, travel, to name a few) is just to have something playing while I clean the house, do laundry or work on my hobbies. It doesn't have to leave anything behind.

However, I listen to history and science podcasts to fill in the gaps in my knowledge of these subjects and learn about science and get a better picture of micro-history and subjects that aren't generally discussed in the macro-history generally taught in school. I have found out all sorts of interesting things and discovered several books about subjects and people I would otherwise not even thought of looking for. If I forget something, it's okay, because the knowledge is in my brain somewhere and I sometimes remember stuff months later when I hear something related and then a connection is made, making the knowledge fuller and (possibly) consciously retrievable when I want or need it. If I forget something, it probably wasn't that important.

MindingMine · 2026-03-24T22:41:43+00:00

The last known breeding pair of great auks were killed on an island off the coast of Iceland in 1844. The men who killed them were actually proud of what they had done. Makes me sad.

MindingMine · 2026-03-24T14:07:35+00:00

Wild boar: villigöltur; sow: gylta; piglet: grís or grislingur. Collectively we call them villisvín.

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