The Media
Did you ever hear the one about the politician, the actress and the White House dog? Well, the year was 1992, the location Washington. Casper, the politician, was being indicted [&
THE RETURN OF THE PAGANS
These days, it seems, no one outside of North America and the Middle East takes religion seriously. So perhaps it was inevitable that these areas would come into conflict. Icelande
Reykjavík Outdoors
Grasagarður Reykjavíkur The Reykjavik Botanical Garden In the heart of Reykjavik in a valley called Laugardalur is a glorious botanical garden called Grasagarður Reykjavíkur wh
IDENTITY
However, the film soon snaps out of this, and we seem to enter familiar horror film territory. It’s all here, a rain soaked motel, a serial killer on the loose, […]
LOBSTER OF LOVE
“World domination or death” was the Bad Taste motto. Björk opted for the former; for the others, the result was somewhere in between. Still, it must be said that Bad […
ÞEYRMJÖTVIÐUR TIL FÓTA
Founded in 1980 Þeyr, or Theyr for those who don’t like Icelandic letters, released a number of records, EP’s and LP’s over their short lifespan of 3 years. Members were [&h
ICELAND: THE SOAP OPERA
The darkness is smothering the last rays of the sun, and the air is still grey and damp after the day’s rain. The scent of food from the neighbour’s house […]
SPORÐURINN (THE FISHTAIL)
HAPPINESS IS A CHEF CALLED JOHANN! When it comes to a restaurant for a quick lunch, good quality and moderate prices, one can say that SPORÐURINN (The Fishtail) is still […
NÝHIL ON TOUR
On a sunny Friday afternoon I sat down at Austurvöllur waiting for one of the founding members of the group Nýhil (pronounced nee-hil). I noticed the group last September on [&he
COMIC BOOKS IN ICELAND
The Icelandic comic scene up until recently has been as legless as a drunken worm. Mostly, the comic book culture here has consisted of importing series aimed at children. During [
Is Woman Still The Nigger Of The World?
“How much more respectable is the woman who earns her own bread by fulfilling any duty than the most accomplished beauty!” When an early British feminist, Mary Wollstonecraft,
ONLY SWEDES AND HORSES
In Iceland, the people are big and the horses are small. Sometimes, it feels as if someone is mocking us. We were just getting the paper into print when an […]
Letters
Dear Grapevine, Where are all the foreign cars in Iceland? A week ago I brought my car to Iceland for the summer on the ferry from Shetland. Since arrival in […]
Vote P For Promise
Last may 10th, the Icelandic national elections took place with an impressive turnout of almost 90% higher than in most countries (in the last American presidential elections only
THE SUPERLEAGUE
Sports tend to get dull, let’s make them interesting!!! In the world of sport, you constantly hear of drug abuse and performance enhancing methods that are forbidden. Athletes go
The Name Game
Þóra and Gunni were just your average carefree shopaholic Icelandic couple. Theirs was a tender love story that had now produced a child. After much discussion and many wild sugg
JACKBOOTS ON ICE
“Nato base, restricted access,” said the sign. As we had secured an invitation beforehand, we felt bold enough to drive on regardless. A soldier came running towards us, double
MORE MUSIC, LESS FISH
An old fish factory in Reykjavík gets a second chance as a music developing center. Icelandic music and Icelandic musicians have made quite an impression in the rest of the [&hell
17. JÚNÍ
On the 17th of June 1944 at Þingvellir, amid pouring rain and beating wind, Iceland was declared a Republic. The decision had been a hurried one. A symbol for the […]
GOLLUM´S SINGER
Emiliana Torrini is sneaking up on you. Did you know that? It is sheer coincidence that an Icelander sang on the soundtrack to “The Two Towers” when that nation came […]
NIGHTLIFE
…Get smashed! The inhabitants, of what used to be a very isolated island until 50 years ago, always drank in order to get drunk. This is what the Norse gods […]