GPN Iceland: Sour-faced descendants of the vikings?

When tourists come to Iceland for the first time they sometimes complain about our bus drivers´ lack of smiling. It therefore comes as a pleasant surprise when they learn that these – most of the time – solemn and grave looking individuals are usually soft spoken and highly service minded. Being serious is for them being normal, not a statement of being grumpy or sour. An old Icelandic idiom states that a fool laughs at own joke and in Iceland nobody wants to be considered a fool. Living on the outskirts of Europe is a serious matter and quite different from the frivolous rest of the world. Being descendants of the Vikings also counts in being serious, the said probably didn´t smile a lot when they raided Lindisfarne in the eighth century. Winters in Iceland are long and dark, in Mid-December the daylight lasts less than 4 hours. Thanks to the Gulf Stream Icelandic winters are not as cold as one might think. All in all the Icelanders are a serious people, bus drivers no exception. The grave appearance is only skin deep though – once you start communicating, the barriers are easily broken and the real Icelander appears: Helpful, caring, warm-hearted and proud. Proud of being an Icelander and proud to work for a company that cares. Visit our web site www.re.is