Letters
Regarding the latest issue of Grapevine, I want to thank you for printing the thought-provoking article on the decline of the Icelandic art community. Even though I probably fit in
HUMARHÚSIÐ
“I saw your turnover, going to Cuba in the autumn?” “Well, you don’t jump around just anywhere, if Icelandair doesn’t fly there.” “The owners have changed …”
PRIKIÐ
Prikið used to be a similar place to Café Mokka, in Skólavörðustígur, where elderly stoics drank their coffee in the morning, beer in the evening, leaving the outside world t
Nauthólsvík
Reason we like it: One of the more absurd beaches in the world, Nauthólsvík features imported yellow sand, hot water pumped into the ocean, and various seldom-used volleyball cou
Sunday Times Shocked that Blue Lagoon Doesn’t Cure Cancer
The May 22 travel section of London’s Sunday Times openly mocked an Icelandic national treasure with a full-page photo and the tag line “This place stinks.” The body of the [
Giving a F%$& Less
Whether I turn on the television, the radio, open up the newspapers or travel online, the same questions keep forcing themselves on me. These questions have one thing in common: [&
Next Winter’s Food, Today
A total of 19 sharks were being taken off of three ships and loaded onto an open trailer, and they were enormous – about three metres long – which we […]
Getting To Know Them
Tell me how the two of you met. Jana: I was living in Uzbekistan, and Ramin’s sister was staying with me. Ramin: My family had a company in Uzbekistan, and […]
Svanhildur on Oprah
Here’s the transcript: Winfrey: Wonderful. Thank you, Thorunn. Mm. I think it’s fascinating. Svanhildur is an anchorwoman on IBC Channel 2 in Reykjavik (pronounced Rock-a-vit
Never Poke Your Partner
Sword Fights to Slapstick Although stage fighting sounds like a form of martial arts, it actually has nothing to do with self-defence. Stage fighting is the art of physical conflic
Rauðhetta og Úlfurinn
I’ve been telling foreigners that the real thing to purchase during a visit, the ultimate souvenir, is the Icelandic haircut, the North Atlantic hipster do. The fact is that Icel
24-Hour Sunlight? Time for a Movie
You’d think after a winter of perpetual darkness and cold, you couldn’t keep an Icelander indoors for another second come summertime. This is not the case: in the summer, Icela
Four newspapers, twelve magazines, no press
We made a difficult editorial decision here. Our planned feature on the repercussions of an oil scandal, in which the local population was fleeced of billions of krónur, which cos
How We Get Our Drink On
Icelandic Beer—Thule Icelandic beer has a heavy, extremely hoppy taste, similar to Carlsberg. Locals prefer Viking Gullfoss over Egill’s two to one, but many Americans prefer T
The End of Black-and-White
I’ve received some interesting feedback from the co-editorial I wrote in the last issue, “What the Hell is Going On with The Progressive Party?” Conservatives I know were hap
GRAPEVINE’S PURCHASES THAT JUSTIFY EXISTENCE
1: Fröken Reykjavík lighters Even if you’re not a smoker or an arsonist, these disposable lighters emblazoned with the words “Fröken Reykjavík” (after the name of the hot
ELDSMIÐJAN
Eldsmiðjan was one of the country’s first pizzerias, a sensation when it opened 18 years ago in the city centre. They seem to have established a whole generation of old [&hellip
Pride or Prejudice?
What led you to study this part of Iceland’s history? When I was doing my doctorate in England, I interviewed a senior Icelandic diplomat named Helgi P. Briem, who told […
Human Rights of Paedophiles
Child molesters undoubtedly commit one of the most loathed and brutal crimes known to humanity. Their photographs are front-page material for local newspapers, so worried parents c
Dirty Secrets Made Public
It is true that Oprah Winfrey has an estimated 30 million viewers and is one of the most influential people in today’s entertainment. It is also true that when it […]