Grrrrl on the Icelandic 5000 Krona Note

The conversion rate for US Dollars-to-Icelandic Krona is far more simple now that the Icelandic economy has crashed and the US Dollar is worth more than it was just a few months ago. Today, $1 buys me about 110-115 ISK (Icelandic Krona). About a year ago, $1 would have bought be 65-70 ISK. The value of my currency is almost double what it would have been at this time last year.

As a result, I'm staying in a good hotel for about $100 per night total for the two of us. A beer, considered "very expensive" for Icelanders, is about $6-$7 for me including tip (as tipping is not customary here), so no big change to what I'm used to paying. That same beer last year was about $11.

Dinners are a bit on the high side, but were once incredibly expensive. It's the perfect time to have come to Iceland, and given the state of their economy, Iceland can use as much tourism as possible.
I am highly amused at the image on the largest denomination Icelandic bill - a lady named Ragnheiður Jónsdóttir. According to Wikipedia, Ragnheiður Jónsdóttir "was considered one of the finest marriagable women of her time and was an active seamstress." In the U.S., we have esteemed American Presidents and noteworthy statesmen on our currency. In Iceland, they have a kinda chunky lady with a huge hat on theirs.