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Well, You Asked: Beautification Only A Thrall Would Love
The Grapevine’s finest answer your most pressing questions Why do all the city beautification projects end up looking like a prison yard? Not a fan of the concrete collection of “cell chic” or “bespoke block beauty”? Well, to each their own. But…
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Ask An Expert: Why do Icelanders Honour The Dead on Christmas?
We turned to a historian and a cemetery curator for answers If you’ve ever spent the holiday season in Iceland and have walked around the urban areas, you’ve probably noticed how bright and colourful not just the homes of the living are,…
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Well, You Asked: Something To Look Forward To
Your most pressing questions, answered by the smartest person at GV HQ Why is it so tricky for me to get to Northern Iceland from England? There’s the matter of the rocky roads, highlands, sometimes icy planes and treacherous seas around the…
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Love at First Flight
Taking Flight on Iceland’s Mega Zipline Staring down a canyon and the valley beyond, strapped into a harness and hanging by a steel cable, I can’t help but wonder how I got here. The easy answer is a scheduling conflict, allowing me…
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Ask An Expert: What Makes An Icelandic Ghost?
We asked a folklorist for all the spooky details The autumn air is crisp and the darkness is creeping back in. What better way to embrace the coming long night than to delve into Icelandic ghost stories? We have a bunch of…
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Well, You Asked: Come Home To Roost
The Grapevine’s finest answers your most pressing questions Do you ever get bored of living in such a gorgeous place? I was going to be cynical and snarky – and there is something to be said about just getting used to your…
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Ask An Expert: What Is Traditional Icelandic Music?
We asked a folk musician for answers With Iceland Airwaves just behind us, it is nice to take a moment to contemplate and appreciate the role music has long played on this island. But what do Iceland’s musical roots look like? Or…
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Well, You Asked: Bumpy Roads, Take Me Home
If I go to Airwaves in November and sleep in a van, will I die? Depends. What do you think will kill you first? The cold? Most rentable campervans are equipped to handle that – human popsicles don’t give good reviews. Sleep…
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What’s The Deal With Icelandic Poetry?
We turned to a literature professor for answers Icelandic poetry is alive and well – as a quick glance at the current cultural scene will tell you – and frankly, it is rather impressive how it has remained so vibrant and culturally…
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Well You Asked: Out Of This World
How is Icelandic Pizza Hut so much better than American Pizza Hut? I’ve been asking myself that one for almost two years. Elven magic, troll spit and, of course, baking it over lava flows. Gives it that extra smokiness. We want to…
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Well, You Asked: This Town Ain’t Big Enough
The Grapevine’s Best and Brightest Answer Your Most Pressing Questions Why is some public water in Reykjavik so full of a sulphuric smell & taste? While literally water just across the street is delicious? Obviously it has to do with your proximity…
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Well, You Asked: This Town Ain’t Big Enough
The Grapevine’s Best and Brightest Answer Your Most Pressing Questions Why is some public water in Reykjavik so full of a sulphuric smell & taste? While literally water just across the street is delicious? Obviously it has to do with your proximity…
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How Will (Or Won’t) Climate Change Affect The Weather In Iceland?
What’s the easiest way to distinguish an Icelander from a tourist downtown? Easy. Icelanders have long given up dressing for the weather. What’s the point? It keeps changing over the day anyway, so you might as well feel cool in a jean…
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What Was The Purpose Of Witchcraft In Iceland?
You can summon money using a stolen coin, an ancient symbol drawn upon the skin of a black wildcat, a sea mouse and the menstrual blood of a virgin. Yes, all these things together will make you rich. So says an old…
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What’s Nibbling On Iceland’s Forests?
Tree growth in Iceland has risen almost exponentially in the last few decades. In part due rather unfortunately to rising temperatures, but also because of proactive reforestation efforts. Taller trees and thicker forests are good for the environment and create new living…
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Rock, Rust And Road Trip Dust
Taking a long awaited trip up West “We’ll have to drive around a lot of fjords.” “Yup.” “That’s going to take a lot of time.” “I can download more music before we go.” “…can you get Bubbi?” “Of course I can.” One…
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How Did Reykjavík Pride Begin?
Iceland enjoys one of the queer friendliest reputations in the world and it just so happens that another Pride festival is happening as this issue goes to print. But how did such a small nation in the middle of the North Atlantic…
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It’s A Disinfectant, I Swear!
The Grapevine answers your most pressing questions The first time that I visited Iceland more than 40 years ago beer was illegal, but Brennivín was readily available, as was vodka and whiskey. What’s up with that? We know what we’re about buddy.…
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Ask An Expert: What Happened To The Trains In Iceland?
We turned to Árbær Open Air Museum for answers Public transport certainly is…a thing in Iceland if the nice yellow buses are any indication – although most people seem to prefer getting stuck downtown in the comfort of their own car. We…
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Ask An Expert: Why Are There More Conspiracies Than Murders?
One of the joys of researching birds is the group names one comes across. So, while we are able to observe many conspiracies of ravens in Iceland, murders of crows are comparatively few despite the feathered fiends nesting in the same corvid…
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Ask An Expert: How Did Vikings Fight?
We found out from a real life Jarl Vikings are cool. They are rough and tough, the epitome of badass-itude and fearlessness, banging their shields and screaming at their enemies. And that’s not even to mention those fabulously big, bushy beards many…
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What’s up with the Icelandic Punk Museum?
We went to the curator for answers It’s a staple on Bankastræti — and pretty hard to miss with its signs, posters, graffiti and speakers blaring symphonies of dissatisfied rage rockers. The Icelandic Punk Museum (Pönksafn Íslands) is both a curiosity and…
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Inflation and Safewords
The Grapevine answers your most pressing questions How are the average citizens dealing with inflation and the high price of food? Usually a mixture of: “Sigh.” “Jésus minn.” “How much for a paprika??” “Ugh.” “What the fokk.” “Unbelievable .” “Yikes.” What can…
