Author: Larissa Kyzer
It’s Your Book And Your Voice
Writing Is Fun Again At The Iceland Writers Retreat“Iceland is like a disease you can’t get rid of.” This from…
Great Grandma’s Recipe, With a Kick
Farmer’s Soup Food TruckSceptics of Jungian psychology take note: the collective unconscious is most certainly A Thing here in Iceland….
Við Erum Best!
But you don’t have to take our word for it…At last count, there were 326,340 people living in Iceland. That’s…
Iceland In Miniature: Snæfellsnes
Best Day Trip From Reykjavík: The Snæfellsness PeninsulaHaving planned to spend much of this summer—my first summer in Iceland, in…
Butterflies In November
by Auður Ava Ólafsdóttir Translated by Brian FitzGibbonIf it’s possible to claim a ‘trend’ based on what is as yet…
Corpse Cats And Criminals
A different side of Reykjavík on the dark deeds walking tourSummer visitors are spoiled for choice when it comes to…
“More Icelandic Than The Flag”
Gunnars Mayonnaise and the Icelandic ImaginationIn late June, Gunnars Majones, an Icelandic company known for its sauces—and more particularly for…
101 Rats!
Reykjavík’s rodents make headlinesAs a general rule, city-dwellers tend to nurse an active suspicion of, if not downright animosity, against…
May Your Urine Burn, You Cowardly Goat!
by Larissa Kyzer and Gabríel Benjamin
The art of swearing in IcelandicThere are a lot of progress barometers when you are learning a new language, but…
Iceland Is For Lovers
David and AnnieIn early February, we here at the Grapevine—a notoriously amorous publication, as our readers well know—received an unexpected…
National Registry Denies Ten-Year-Old Girl Passport
Harriet Cardew, a ten-year-old Icelandic girl from Kópavogur, was denied a passport because the National Registry will not recognize her…
A Taste Of The Ocean, Streetside
Street food, as you might expect, has not traditionally been a big thing in Iceland. In a country without an…
Street Food, Family-Style
Less than two weeks old, Súpuvagninn (“The Soup Wagon”) is Reykjavík’s newest food truck, focusing (almost) exclusively on kjötsúpa (“meat…
The Great ConSkyracy That Wasn’t
Real sugar, new recipes, and how Finns are the real gourmandsIceland’s MS Dairies began exporting skyr to the US’s high-end…
Pylsuspjall: Iceland’s Bar Scene
1. Hot Dog Chat 2. A Brief Conversation Held With Strangers Holding Sausages What’s your name? Dean Where are you…
The Truth Is Out There
The Truth Committee reviews proof of Iceland’s legendary Lake WormAmidst municipal election projections, heated whaling debates, and a run of…
News in Brief Late May
With the municipal elections on June 1, many politicians scrambled at the end of May to tilt public approval in…
Pylsuspjall: Downtown Hotels
Pylsuspjall: Noun: 1. hot dog chat 2. a brief conversation held with strangers holding sausagesWelcome to our second edition of…
News in Brief Early May 2014
So, summer has officially begun here in Iceland, which means it’s whaling season again. Whaling is currently permitted in Reykjavík’s Faxaflói Bay—the…
Meet The Parties
by Anna Andersen, Larissa Kyzer and Gabríel Benjamin
An American politician once famously said “All politics is local,” and that’s as true in Iceland as anywhere else. Four…
By Immigrants, For Immigrants
Reykjavík’s Human Rights Office offers counselling and adviceBarbara Jean Kristvinsson, a counsellor with the city’s Human Rights Office, knows from…
The Chief Of Reykjavík
A Ride-along on the City BookmobileI clearly remember the day, just over a year ago, when I first saw the…
News In Brief
We’re #1! We’re #1! At what, you ask? Did Iceland finally win Eurovision? No—that hasn’t happened yet (and honestly, our…
Good Coffee, Good Conversation, And A Good Cause
Good Coffee, Good Conversation, And A Good CauseIn a city brim-full with cafés and coffee shops, one local man—psychology student…
“A Gallery Is Nothing More Than The Group Of Artists Represented There”
While art aficionados and those familiar with the Icelandic art scene may have their own ideas about work that is…