One last thing about Algeria. If you ever find yourself choosing between Algeria and Iceland for your next trip, this story might help you decide.

As soon as North Africa became Muslim, pirates showed up here, dealing in the slave trade of Europeans. Over time, their influence and activity grew. In the 15th century, the head of Algeria was the notorious Hayreddin Barbarossa. And by the late 18th century, 20% of the US federal budget went to the Algerian Regency just to leave American ships alone.

In the summer of 1627, pirates led by a Dutchmanreached Iceland. The raid was successful—they captured almost 400 Icelanders into slavery (that's about 1% of the population at the time, by the way).

For over 9 years, people on the island collected money to ransom their countrymen. Twice, when they'd successfully saved up enough, the trusted representatives used the money for trading instead, and they had to start all over. In the end, they managed to free about 50 people, but some of them decided not to leave. So make of that what you will :)

Jokes aside, the captives probably converted to Islam to make life easier, and after 10+ years, they saw no point in coming back. Plus, not everyone who did dare to return home actually made it.