DRINK IS GOOD FOR YOU!
If you are a visitor reading this piece there’s not much that you would consider out of the ordinary about my actions. But if you are from Iceland, the image […]
“I´m an Icelandic viking and I´m making a noise!”
It´s never been hard to stop drinking. Getting ready for the first beer; that´s the hard part. It took me a few years. Thinking about whether to start or not. […]
THE IDIOSYNCRACIES OF LEARNING ICELANDIC
The idiosyncracies of learning Icelandic are not restricted to the grammar – the curious habit you may have noticed of inhaling words or even whole sentences to indicate some
SISTER RUTH SEARCHES FOR POVERTY
I first spoke with Sister Ruth over the phone one Friday. I explained that I wrote for a local newspaper and asked if it would be alright if I accompanied […]
Why Iceland is Inhabitable
Opening the door one morning, considering the idea of going on a little walk, I stared out at the mountains through the snow that tore through the sky sideways and […]
THE CARS THAT SHAPED THE GENERATIONS
Land Rover Originally created in the aftermath of World War II as a bulletproof all terrain vehicle for the army, it soon found popularity among farmers, and nowhere more so [&hell
VIKINGS AND ODIN WORSHIPPERS
Icelanders rarely go to church outside of weddings and funerals. For the last three decades, however, there has been something of a revival in the worship of the Old Norse [&hellip
THE 2ND WORST THING YOU CAN SAY TO A GUY ON A 2ND DATE
This wasn’t just my imagination running wild. She really did taste like whiskey. It was her New Year’s resolution. To acquire the taste. And she was doing just fine. She [&hell
WHOSE INDEPENDENCE?
This will be the version we´ll be hearing on the 17th of June, when Iceland celebrates its 60th anniversary as a republic. This, by and large, is also the version […]
THE PETER PAN GENERATION
In the meantime, leaving the readership in the hands of the perpetually feuding giants of media, members of Grapevine have done as follows: Publisher Hilmar Steinn Grétarsson star
LETTERS
The League of extraordinary gentelmen I read somewere you never spend it badly with Sean Connery, true? A board of seven agains a conspirator, supported by special powres: a vampir
HALLGRÍMUR HELGASON
Two years ago and newly arrived in Iceland, 101 Reykjavik failed to give me the fuel for my romanticised notions of the country. I put the book to one side […]
THE MEDIA CONTROLS OUR MINDS
Picture it: Out of a population of two hundred and eighty odd thousand souls, living in approximately one hundred and ten thousand households – 98% of which have televisions
IT WAS TIME TO GET A JOB
The Union On a beautiful Monday morning I was ushered into the office of Lára, the grandmotherly Efling representative whose mission it would be to get me gainfully employed. I [&
LICENSE APPROVED?
The walk to Bogi’s office is along wide corridors, covered with black and white photographs. I remark upon these images when we reach Bogis’ office in the heart of the [&hellip
Enter the Dragon
Believe me, I’ve been there. Living as a college student in Reykjavík, I have come to understand the true meaning of the word “budget.” To me, everything is counted in [&hel
LONDON
The Greater London Metropolis spreads out below as far as the eye can see as the plane descends from the clouds. During the Blitz just over half a century ago, […]
JUST ONE BIG MISUNDERSTANDING?
Crowded into a small room in the basement of Kaffi Kúltúr, Mr. Halldórsson was surrounded by Icelanders and a few foreigners who all share one thing in common – none [&hel
SOUND OFF LIKE YOU’VE GOT A PAIR
Ask anyone who’s seen the movie “Full Metal Jacket”, and they will agree: The first half, in “boot camp”, is by far better than the second half. I, for one, […]
LITTLE ORCAN ANNIE
THE WEIRDISH WORLD OF KEIKO, POP ICON By the time of his first public appearance at Marineland, Ontario, Canada in 1982, he was billed as Kago. Why Siggi wasn’t good […]
PLAYING THE GREEN CARD
Both the product and the puppet of seismic activity, Iceland’s resulting terrain is as unique as it is spectacular. For centuries ecological and economic evolution progressed alo