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Island Life: Wizz Air Woes, E. Coli Scare, Priest Wanted
A Wizz Air flight bound for Keflavík that was grounded in Egilsstaðir due to bad weather offered three options to stranded passengers: a flight back to Poland, a bus to Keflavík, or to leave the plane and fend for themselves. The catch…
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Island Life: Cranes, Flooding, A Possible New Species Of Trout
The cranes have arrived in East Iceland. And by that we don’t mean the band; we mean the actual birds. They’re not native to Iceland, but for some reason they’re arriving in increasing numbers. Conservationists are more fascinated by the trend than…
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Island Life: Landslides, Combustible Chicken Poop, Humpback Whales
The best little town in Iceland, Seyðisfjörður, is going to have to personally address the climate crisis, as it has come to light that portions of the town are in danger of being hit by landslides. This will hopefully only involve setting…
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Island Life: F-16 Fighters, A Gas Canister Bandit & A Lottery Win
Residents of Egilsstaðir are in for a treat, as five F-16 fighter jets will be conducting NATO exercises in the area in the coming weeks. This involves some 110 US airmen, as well as a number of workers from the NATO base…
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Iceland Life: Animal News Edition Ft. Blue Whales! Dogs! Seals!
Good news for seal enthusiasts: the harbour seal population in East Iceland is on the rise. The largest colony can be found around Jökulsá, with their numbers increasing from 249 in 2011 to 303 today. Scientists are excited about these new figures,…
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Island Life: Coastguard Drone, Snæfellsnes Awarded, New Selfoss Bridge
Residents of the northeast town of Egilsstaðir have had a few reservations about the new Coast Guard surveillance drone which was recently put into operation; amongst them, that the drone would be spying on people just trying to live their lives in…
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Island Life: Explosives Wash Up, Ferry Crash, Wheelbarrow Travel
There’s a lot going on out there in the sleepy Icelandic countryside. To keep you up to date with the rural news, here’s another episode of Island Life. A mysterious steel box marked EXPLOSIVES washed up on the shores of Berufjörður, east…
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News From Iceland’s Countryside: Summertime Snow, Cat Poetry & More
We write a lot about Reykjavík, but what burning hot news is tearing up the seaside villages and farming communities out in the wilds? Here’s the latest news from Iceland’s countryside. Summer in Iceland typically means a cloudy and cool Reykjavík area…
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Island Life: The Tropical North, Arctic Tern Invasion, Returning Street Cash
From arctic terns to heartening old ladies, here’s a selection of news from the den of intrigue that is the Icelandic countryside. Northeast Iceland will literally never stop bragging about their warm spring weather. Here we are in an almost-bearable Reykjavík May,…
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Island Life: Chess > Smartphones, Wet Paths, Northeast To Be Cut Off
In the latest Iceland news from rural areas, the people of Vopnafjörður, in northeast Iceland, are beside themselves with worry as flights to Vopnafjörður, Höfn and Þórshöfn are expected to cease next year. Representatives from Vopnafjörður point out that the sole connections…
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Island Life: Italian Fighter Jets, Akranes Smoke Stack, Happy People Of Grindavík
What’s happening in the Icelandic countryside right now? All sorts. Welcome to another episode of Island Life. It would be a bad idea to invade the northeast town of Egilsstaðir, at least until mid-April. Until that time, Italian fighter jets will be…
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Island Life: Planes Grounded, Phone Ban, Closed Canyons
News from the people of Vopnafjörður, in northeast Iceland. They are beside themselves with worry as flights to Vopnafjörður, Höfn and Þórshöfn are expected to cease next year. Representatives from Vopnafjörður point out that the sole connections to the town are three…
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Island Life: New Speed Limits, Falling Through Ice & Rare Birds In The Countryside
The Icelandic Road Administration recently took the decision to lower the speed limit for single-lane bridges to 50kph, in hopes of making them safer to traverse. As the lion’s share of these bridges can be found in southern Iceland, the move is…
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Island Life: Rural Depopulation, Black Ice Wipeouts, Spontaneous Combustion
The common refrain is that while Reykjavík is experiencing a housing crisis, the countryside is emptying out. That’s certainly not the case in East Iceland, where there is growing demand for new apartments to be built. Most of these apartment buildings are…
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Island Life: Mysterious Fire, Honest Dutchman, Horse Crash
An old fashioned timber house in Seyðisfjörður dating back to 1900 went up in flames late last month. Fortunately, no one was inside, but high winds that whooshed over East Iceland that night contributed to the destruction of the house. The cause…
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Island Life: Strange Froth Emerges From Storm Drain In Egilsstaðir—And More!
Residents of Egilsstaðir were alarmed earlier this month to see an unknown foam rising up from a storm drain. Health and utilities services to be called out to inspect the substance. Mysteriously, all traces of the white foam disappeared within an hour…
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Island Life: Borgarfjörður Road Fixed! Salmon! Scrapie Outbreak!
At long last, the people of Borgarfjörður eystri will finally get the road to their village fixed. The Icelandic Road Administration will begin the task of paving and repairing the road this autumn. Residents there got considerable attention earlier this year by…
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Island Life: Unexploded Mortars, Hi-Tech Sheep & Ice Cream For Everyone
The Coast Guard blew up an unexploded mortar found in Seyðisfjörður by four young boys late last month, East Iceland news service Austurfrétt reports. Amazingly, the round was still live when it was found, despite being decades old. Consider yourself forewarned to…
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Island Life: Exporting Hay, Glacial Floods, And Happy Campers (Or Lack Of)
Farmers in northeast Iceland were delighted to learn that they can export hay to Norway. The northeast has had a very good summer, resulting in a bumper crop of hay; more than Iceland can use. Will this be the new industry to…
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Island Life: News From The Icelandic Countryside
People in northeast Iceland simply cannot shut up about their warm and sunny weather. Campers in Atlavík and Höfðavík for the month of June numbered 4,430 in June, compared to just 1,300 during the same month last year. A large portion of…
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Island Life: Heat Waves, Landslides, And Hitting Sheep With Cars
We’ve done a lot of whining about the cold, rainy weather here in Reykjavík, which had its worst June in 100 years. Meanwhile, the hottest place in the country last June was Hallormsstaður, in northeast Iceland. Temperatures there often exceeded 20°, with…
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Island Life: Fox Hunting, A New Winery, And Tourist Rescue
If you’re a fan of the Arctic fox (and honestly, who isn’t?), you may be pleased to learn that the East Iceland Nature Research Centre has concluded that fox hunting makes no sense in the area around Neskaupstaður. Foxes in the area…
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Island Life: Eastern Heatwave, Ambulance Teddy Bears, Police Swoop On Tern Eggs
The warmest, sunniest summers in Iceland take place in Egilsstaðir, and locals literally cannot shut up about it. East Iceland news service Austurfrétt reports that last May was amongst the best on record, with the average temperature in Egilsstaðir sitting just under…