Chocolate and Family Values
What is it with Johnny Depp’s fascination for chocolate? First he dates a woman who owns a chocolate store (Juliette Binoche in Chocolat), now he’s into making it himself in [&
Bezt i Heimi: Krua Thai
A Chinese friend of mine once told me that the quality of a Chinese restaurant is directly proportionate to the number of Chinese people dining there on any given evening. [&hellip
Tíu Dropar (ten drops) on Iceland’s Favourite Beverage
Beer was illegal in Iceland until 1987. A very cheap bottle of wine costs 800 ISK ($12). It is no surprise that no tradition of casual drinking has developed here. […]
Changing Nature into a Movie Set… Permanently, with Lots of Explosives
THE WARZONE: The two locations of shooting are the Sandvík beach on the west coast of the peninsula and an area around Krýsuvík south of the lake Kleifarvatn. Both areas [&helli
Art Festival for the Young People, Made by the Young People
For a week in July LungA pulled together a group of young and talented to the easternmost part of the country, the little village of Seyðisfjörður. The LungA Art Festival [&hell
Sjávarkjallarinn
If you splurge on one meal out this year, make it at the Seafood Cellar. This dining experience is so enjoyable that everyone should know about it. That’s actually how […]
Talarðu íslensku?
COURSES: Taking a class is the most popular way of getting an introduction to the language (it’s also a great way to meet people if you’re new to the country) […]
Driving to the East Fjords… and the Ring Road, Once Again
We decided to approach our destination along the south coast. We also decided to skip most of the traditional tourist attractions and be original and alternative (meaning endless h
Iceland Immigration, with an Eye on London and Amsterdam
The Netherlands has been a country that has welcomed many immigrants over the last 30 or so years. By the end of the sixties, we were in desperate need of […]
A Letter from the Real Iceland: the East Fjörds
For many visitors, and indeed Icelandic citizens, Reykjavík and the surrounding area is Iceland. And very nice it is too. I, however, moved to Neskaupstaður, (population 1500), &
A Chick Who Checked Out Porn
How did you get the job of being a porn movie critic? (laughing) Actually, it was purely accidental. I was hanging out one day with a friend of mine who […]
Austurlanda hraðlestin
Let’s first get one thing straight – Indian food in Iceland is not like in the UK; it is less spicy, more difficult to find, and inevitably more expensive. Of […]
Rent Your Art, Buy It If You Like It: Artótek at Borgarbókasafnið
Borgarbókasafnið (The City Library) on Tryggvagata is home to a unique phenomenon in Iceland’s culture scene: on the ground floor, you can find Artótek, an art rental area for
A Few Brave Extras: The Dirt on Eastwood’s Flags of Our Fathers
However, a few brave extras have given the Grapevine a unique insight into what it has been like to be a part of the Hollywood dream machine. One young man, […]
Irish Blood, Icelandic Heart: Two Irish Pubs in Reykjavík
According to Oscar Wilde, “illusion is the first of all pleasures,” a cynical but true remark that Irish pubs around the world have to live up to: creating an illusion [&hellip
Buy Fruit
Shopping On the low end of vegetarian shopping, there’s always our favourite standby, Bónus. At the time of this writing, whole wheat flour is going for 68 ISK/kg, loose potatoe
GRAPEVINE’S PURCHASES THAT JUSTIFY EXISTENCE
1 Jonagold Apples from Bónus, still 14 ISK/kg. A bargain, and, according to our own Paul Nikolov, nature’s own toothbrush. 2 Ten ticket pass for the ITR Reykjavík swimming pool
Cheap Way to Work or a Big Damn Hassle?
The sun is already high in the sky as I board the number S2 bus at Hlemmur, just after 8am. The S2 is one of the new “Express” bus routes […]
Cabaret at the Icelandic Opera
The famous musical comes to life with all necessary glamour and decay. Based on the Berlin tales of Christopher Isherwood it tells a story of an American writer who arrives [&helli
Come On, People. How Deep Do Your Cartoons Have to Be?
Okay, Madagascar came to Iceland late, so we had already heard earfuls of “it’s too superficial” and “just a bunch of CGI” before the movie got here. This is how [&hellip
Shelved Books Worth a Second Look
Páll Ásgeir Ásgeirsson. Adventure in Iceland. (2005) The curiously dated front cover looking like something from a 1980s bowling alley, and an odd title are misnomers. Look at t