Sour Grapes & Stuff
Most Awesome Letter of the Issue Dear Grapevine I would like to respond to a complaint letter in your 12th edition regarding our Icelandic Puffin Eggs – Milk chocolate treats
Waiting For Bobby Fischer
Bobby Fischer was late as usual. Apart from playing chess rather well and not liking Jews very much, it was probably the trait he was best known for. He arrived […]
Lost And Found
After an incredible summer with record hours of sunshine, autumn arrived quite abruptly last week with markedly colder temperatures and rain—lots and lots of rain. While I typic
Do Icelanders Need More Ayn Rand In Their Lives?
As Iceland struggles to emerge from an economic depression brought on in part by lax government regulation, Professor Hannes Hólmsteinn Gissurason says Icelanders need more Ayn Ra
What! The Police Are On FB, Twitter And Instagram, Too?
It’s 11:30 PM on a Sunday night and the police have just replied to a question posted on their wall one hour earlier. “My girlfriend and I are in France […]
Love In The Time Of War
Aside from the bombing of the oil tanker El Grillo, whose hulk can still be found lying at the bottom of Seyðisfjörður, Iceland largely escaped the ravages of World War [&hellip
So What’s This Sunny Weather I Keep Hearing About?
All summer long, the weather has been absurdly good, almost ominously so. According to the Icelandic Meteorological Office, Reykjavík has had 836.6 hours of sunshine in May, June
Hail To Thee, Great Leader!
Those who have been arrested and interrogated for partaking in political protest, in Iceland and abroad alike, know that the search for leaders plays a huge role in the authorities
With Foreign Unemployment Ballooning, Some Smell Discrimination
When Shanice Rogers moved from Jamaica to Iceland in 2001, she got hooked on studying law. She’s now 29 years old with a fresh bachelor’s degree in law from the […]
You Have It All Wrong!
Over the last several weeks, there has been a deluge of discussion about the Icelandic Pirate Party. Most has been downright silly, much quite misinformed, and yet some strangely r
Run, Fatboy, Run!
One night last November in a 101 Reykjavík bar, I was enjoying several drinks with some friends. Everything was normal when, out of the blue, one of our party (a […]
My Offer To Buy Every Woman In Iceland A Drink
I’m one of the world’s perennial singles. There are good reasons why. I’m an only child, and have always enjoyed my own company. I see people as individuals; I don’t [&hell
Northern Lights
RVK Homegrown, a group seeking to decriminalise and eventually legalise marijuana in Iceland, first made headlines last April with a “smoke-out” held in front of parliament. Si
There Are Pink Elephants In My Parade
Reykjavík Pride 2012 (a.k.a. Queer Days) was celebrated in a rather wet and windy Reykjavík on Saturday August 11. On the surface, everything seemed to be running by the book, [&
Pussy For Everyone!
Jerking their limbs, wearing offensive clothing and conspiring to play a guitar. These are just a few of the charges brought against three members of punk band, Pussy Riot. The [&h
Sour Grapes & Stuff
Most Awesome Letter of the Issue Bjork 1. Bjork, you are protecting the «Pussy Riot» ? OK. Then you will haveto jump and shout at the altar of St Paul’s […]
Enemies Of Iceland
For as long as anyone can remember, any major or minor celebrity who set foot in Iceland has been given the honorary sobriquet “Íslandsvinur (“Friend of Iceland”), to be use
Dharma In The North-Atlantic
In his shades and North Face jacket, you probably wouldn’t recognise Jakusho Kwong-Roshi as a highly influential spiritual leader. But that’s sort of the point—Roshi
A Local’s Guide For Tourists On How To Befriend The Locals
So you’ve seen it all. You’re on your third Golden Circle and you probably know more about Icelandic geography than any local high school student. You’ve spent all your money