ICELANDISTAN 5.0
Five years ago, The Grapevine published its first post-collapse issue. The cover featured the image of a single króna coin, its fish reduced to a mere skeleton. “Welcome to Icel
Remembering 2009
Hooray! We turned ten this year. For a humble street rag like Grapevine, turning ten is a pretty big deal—we barely expected to make it to ten issues (and, indeed, […]
Betrayed By The Jet Stream
The weather. It’s a source for endless conversations by the water cooler, in taxis, in the elevator, at your doctor’s office. Yet, there’s really only so much to say: it’s
At The Edge Of The Future?
Last month, a new weekly magazine called Kjarninn (“The Core”) was launched. This weekly magazine may feature fewer articles than you’d expect to find in your typical news pu
Cemetery Erections
Beatrix Potter could not find the courage to draw one. Charles Darwin’s daughter Etty destroyed all the specimens she could find, “lest they corrupt the morals of
Lemúrinn: Clumsy Bodies And Cold, Expressionless Eyes
The following passage appears in ‘The Living Races of Mankind: A popular illustrated Account of the Customs, Habits, Pursuits, Feasts & Ceremonies of the Races of Mankind thr
International Students 101
Summer, if it ever really arrived in Iceland this year, is drawing to a close. As the air gets crisper and the days get shorter, school is starting once again. […]
When There Will Be No Seagull…
“The seagulls claim the site, the pigeons vanished from the city, no one knows where to or if they were murdered, if they even escaped, but the seagulls get better […]
Yr Ass is Mine, Freshman!
At the start of each school year, seniors at upper secondary schools get a chance to welcome new freshmen in a hazing ceremony called ‘busun,’ or ‘tollering.’ Although this
The Man Behind The Camera
We meet at Café Babalú, one of Reykjavík’s cosier coffee shops. Full of old furniture and cluttered with books and kitsch ornaments, it seems like the perfect place to meet [&
So What’s This Overpriced Rental Market I Keep Hearing About?
As Jimmy McMillan, founder of New York’s The Rent Is Too Damn High Party, who released the album ‘The Rent Is Too Damn High (vol. 1),’ often points out: the […]
Sour Grapes & Stuff: Issue 14
MOST AWESOME LETTER Dear Editor, Iceland is a beautiful place. There is no doubt in my mind that this wild landscape is one of the most unique amongst those that […]
WHEN RAX TOOK MY PHOTO
“Oh, it’s rough being famous in Iceland. Can’t even escape into the mountains without being followed by the paparazzi and appearing on the front page of the newspaper,”
Students: 1—Government: 0
For University of Iceland student council representatives, María Rút Kristinsdóttir and Jórunn Pála Jónasdóttir, the start of the fall semester has been spent largely outsid
Lemúrinn: The Graf Zeppelin Visits Reykjavík
“On Thursday, July 17, at around 11:00 AM, the citizens of Reykjavík looked up at the sky in astonishment as the magnificent German airship Graf Zeppelin sailed towards the city
The Most Political Waterfall Appreciation Page On Facebook
Facebook is overflowing with pages devoted to the beauty of Icelandic nature. There’s “Icelandic Nature,” “Icelandic Nature Travels,” “Icelandic
The Mark Kennedy Saga Chapter Iceland
Each time a free-floating rumour gets confirmed, and past political behaviour becomes a scandalous spectacle, one cannot resist wondering if such conduct might be going on today. T
Gimme Some Whale
I remember the first time I tried whale meat. It was the early ‘90s, and I was a ten-year-old living in the small fishing village of Sandgerði, near Keflavík airport. […
Hot Dads
As a female whose uterus has rarely conceived of producing a child, I was surprised to find my ovaries becoming hysterical in Reykjavík. No, it wasn’t the sight of small [&helli
News In Brief: Late August
As summer nears its expiration, it’s time to start turning inward. Put the kettle on the stove and light up that fire, home is about to become a lot more […]