Welcoming Winter
You move away. You’re elsewhere. You may move away repeatedly, you may stay away for long, your elsewhere becomes a here, your former here a onceuponatime. Yet. However. That
Year In Sports
2012 was a great year for Icelandic sports. It might even have been the best one yet, although such a comparison is difficult for many reasons. But lets take a […]
No Place For H&M
An hour before ATMO’s grand opening on November 15, CEO Ásta Kristjánsdóttir was far from ready in a flowing white top, grey jeans and pink and grey Nike sneakers. She [&helli
How We Could Use A Pinch Of Idealism
In recent weeks, we have seen a storm of protests against the political elite in Slovenia, a former Yugoslav republic that is now a member of both the EU and […]
Year In News
January Tension was in the air at the start of the year, as President Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson insinuated in his New Year’s Address that he would not be running for […
Year In Weather
One of the greatest paradoxes of Icelandic discourse is the generalised aversion to any form of small talk, but an all-encompassing passion for the subject of weather. All clichéd
So What’s This New Year’s Eve Sketch Comedy Show I Keep Hearing About?
There is a long answer to that question, but the short answer is that every New Year’s Eve, the Icelandic state broadcaster RÚV puts on a half-hour to forty-five minute [&he
All The Polluted Air
Dear Icelanders. Isn’t it appropriate to start a New Year’s address with those two words—words which were never meant to build bridges other than those between fabric
Tourist Of The Year
Every new year, publications reflect on the past, bundling up the last twelve months into various year-end lists. Some, like Time Magazine, which put Barack Obama on its cover this
The Grapevine’s First Ever Music Awards, Ever
We at The Reykjavík Grapevine really like music despite what you might have surmised from reading our magazine. It’s just that we care so much about it that some of […]
Sour Grapes & Stuff
Most Awesome Letter of the Issue Dear Jón Gnarr, Thank you for working so hard to make our city a great place to live in, while being a cool guy! […]
A True Icelandic Christmas Story
As I thought about what to write in this space, the typical things came to mind—reflections on 2012, hopes and plans for 2013, a glorified table of contents… But in […]
Seeing The Light
You’ve bathed in the murky waters of the Blue Lagoon, you’ve circled the Golden Circle and now you’d like to see the sky come alive with dancing green and red […]
Why Is Learning Icelandic So Damn Tough?
You’re either angling for better work here, studying at the university, or have been wooed by the thick, thick skull and sodas of Egill Skallagrímsson. In any case, you’re a [
Crowdfunding Credibility
The year is 1945. After suffering defeat at the hands of the Allied powers, a secret fleet of Nazi Germans flee to the dark side of the moon, with plans […]
Sounds From The Kitchen
It’s been said that a person’s home is their castle, but that may not be entirely true. In the words of Italian-American chef Mario Batali, “The kitchen really is the [&helli
Mouldy Potatoes To You, Too!
A year and a half since I first picked up a copy of ‘Teach Yourself Icelandic.’ A year since I realised I’d be moving here and started taking it seriously. […]
Christmas In A Can
As the story goes, it was the first Friday in November. The year was 1981 and Danes were about to see their first batch of Christmas beer. The beer was […]
No Licking Your Knife!
“No licking your knife, or using the fork to retrieve the meat from your teeth. I’ve seen everything, I’m sure you can imagine,” says Margrét Sigfúsdóttir, principal of
Are Icelanders Racist?
I never intended to actually write this piece. It started off as a joke, in a bar, after a bizarre incident with an extremely drunk Icelander. My group—a Brit, an […]
Meet Iceland’s Father Christmas: Brian Pilkington
After 36 years of living in Iceland, Brian Pilkington laments that he is beginning to turn into the lively bearded characters he illustrates. He points to his moustache, an unruly