I had a 2 week visit earlier this year and absolutely loved the place just like so many others. I've long been interested in seeing the unique terrain and features, as well exploring the language, culture, and people. It was even better than I had hoped, and there's a part of me that's toyed with the idea of moving there.

For context, I'm from Ireland - another country that is also intensely romanticized, and we certainly milk that perception for lucrative tourist money no different to how you guys do. That's not to say people aren't getting bang for their buck; both countries are incredibly beautiful and attract a lot of attention for good reason.

Something that's often joked about (if not causing eyes to roll) on our island is the sometimes overly rosy picture that tourists express. I actually live in Canada and encounter this regularly, where people recount lovingly of how Ireland was this magical, perfect little society they had such a great time visiting, that the people are an intriguing mystery (like elves in a fantasy book), and so on.

I've come across a lot of similar rhetoric about Iceland, and sure enough I definitely bought into some of it myself as it's so different (yet weirdly similar in some ways) to Ireland.

How do you guys feel about this sensationalization about Iceland? Do you find it cringey and unrealistic or is it a positive?