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Russian Military Planes Buzz Icelandic Airspace
Despite requests from the Icelandic government that they be notified ahead of time, Russian military aircraft have again flown through Icelandic airpsace without warning. RÚV reports that Russian fighter jets flew through Icelandic airspace last week; the second time this year. While…
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Director Of Petrol Station Chain Excited About Oil Discovery
The director of the N1 chain of petrol stations told reporters that the recent discovery of signs of oil in Icelandic waters could mean the country becomes “the richest in the world within 12 years”. As reported, British and Norwegian prospectors studied…
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Signs Of Oil In Icelandic Territory Found
There is very strong evidence that there is indeed oil beneath the seabed in the Dragon Area, the northeast corner of Iceland’s territorial waters, Norwegian and British prospectors have found. The Dragon Area has long been suspected to be rich in oil…
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Police Silent On Zombie Preparedness
In light of a possible zombie sighting in Reykjavík last night, Grapevine has learned that capital police are possibly not prepared at all for a potential zombie attack. An expert on the subject believes the answer may lie with a civilian militia.…
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Doug Stanhope Is Going To Prison
Doug Stanhope is well-known for his irreverent and socially critical style of comedy. He is also visiting Iceland soon, specifically to perform at the Litla-Hraun prison on September 25. We got in touch with him to learn more about the man and…
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Is Vopnafjörður Iceland’s Greenest Village?
There is no shortage of places in Iceland that are off the beaten track—some are just more off the track than others. Take Vopnafjörður, for example. A village of about 700 people on the northeast coast of Iceland, travellers on the Ring…
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A Symbol Of Hope
It’s not every morning that an artist wakes up and decides, “You know what would be great? Doing portraits of government appointees.” But artist Nikhil Kirsh did exactly that, predominantly for ideological reasons. “When I found out about the constitutional committee,” he…
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Most Merchants Pleased With Laugavegur Closing
Shop owners on Laugavegur have apparently had a change of heart about the temporary closing of the street, telling RÚV that they are overall pleased with the experiment. Laugavegur was closed to car traffic between Vatnstígur and Skólavörðustígur for the month of…
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Faroese May Bid On Oil License
A Faroese oil and gas exploration company might compete with Norway for rights to oil in Icelandic waters. Drekasvæði, a portion of sea located in the northeast corner of Iceland’s territorial waters, is reputed to be incredibly rich in oil and gas.…
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Iceland’s Underground Sex Scene
A long-standing stereotype about Icelanders is that they do not date. The notion of asking for someone’s number, inviting them out for dinner or movies, taking a potential relationship through a step-by-step process from friends to lovers has been, as many contend,…
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You Cannot Put Rules On Love
Hörður Torfason—troubadour, songwriter, actor, director and human rights activist—is one of Iceland’s living legends. In recent memory, he was the organising force behind the Pots and Pans Revolution of 2008–2009, and has been invited to bring his philosophy on activism to Spain,…
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The Future Belongs To Us
Richard Stallman is not a man known to compromise. This is the case whether you’re talking about software freedom or where to conduct an interview (hint: he really likes Danish open-faced sandwiches). This developer, a man who attended Harvard and MIT before…
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Norwegians Begin Oil Exploration In Icelandic Waters
Norwegian oil exploration has begun in the northeastern point of Icelandic territorial waters, and there are indications that there is oil to be found there. As Grapevine reported last fall, Russian prime minister Vladimir Putin expressed an interest to then-visiting president Ólafur…
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ELFGATE: Elves Still Not Happy, Town Redoubles Efforts To Appease Them
Apparently the mountain-dwelling elves of Bolungarvík are still unsatisfied with construction in the area they supposedly live, and townspeople are reaching for new ways to please them. As Grapevine reported, construction of avalanche barriers near the town have been met with numerous…
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Iceland’s Past Lives On In Siglufjörður
Akureyri may be the capital of the north, but that doesn’t mean it’s the only thing to see in north-central Iceland. On the contrary, if you drive up the west coast of Eyjafjörður, you’ll encounter quite a lot of natural beauty, culminating…
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Hörgshlíðarlaug Is A Pearl Of The Westfjords
As we began heading south and east from the Westfjords to the “mainland”, intrepid assistant photographer Katharina Volgger told us there was a natural hot spring for bathing on a farm nearby. Now, hot bathing springs are all over the country, and…
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Sauðárkrókur Might Be The “Real” Iceland
Something that commonly comes up in conversation with tourists is the desire to see “the real [place name here]”. This invariably means wanting to see a town, village or location that typifies the entire country, devoid of any tourist trappings or, hopefully,…
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Fearing Elves Have Been Angered, Town Meets With Priest
Many residents of the town of Bolungarvík suspect that construction of a tunnel has displeased the nearby mountain elves, and that they are responsible for machinery breaking down. A common stereotype about Icelanders is that most of them believe in elves, trolls,…
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You Will Believe In Bíldudalur: Visiting The Sea Monster Museum
Bíldudalur is like many small towns and villages in the Westfjords—nestled deep in a fjord against some intimidating mountains, comprised of what appears to be two or three streets and a handful of small houses. But Bíldudalur is special for two reasons.…
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Getting To Akureyri, And Enjoying It
Billed as “the capital of the north” more times than I could count in a lifetime, Akureyri is, to many tourists, the place you stay when you’re up north. And not without reason—its geographical and topographical location keep the weather relatively mild…
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Selárdalur: The Cute Kind Of Scary
As if learning all about local sea monsters in Bíldudalur wasn’t spooky enough, we were advised to drive west from there, along the south shore of Arnarfjörður, until we reached the very tip of the peninsula, where we would find a place…
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Snæfellsnes’ South Coast: At The Foot Of The Power Centre
The southern coast of Snæfellsnes is all-too-often ignored, in favour of the more popular Stykkishólmur or even Ólafsvík, both on the north shore. But Snæfellsnes’ south coast is absolutely breathtaking, and it seems more and more people are discovering just that. Take,…
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Breiðavík: When You Really, Really Need To Get Away From It All
The next time you hear someone say that they “really want to get away from it all”, you can now recommend to them the ideal location: Hótel Breiðavík at Látrabjarg. Located on the westernmost point of Europe (although technically on the North…
