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We’re Here, We’re Skyr
This summer, as we mark the centennial of a war that entangled many of the world’s countries in horrific bloodshed, the world’s most peaceful nation has been dragged into a very different kind of war, an ugly war besmeared with thick, creamy…
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Hekla’s Volcanic Heart Of Darkness
People often set aside the interior of Iceland as “other” from the rest of the country: it’s a barren, uninhabitable desert, accessible only by certain vehicles at certain times of the year. Before going on my jeep tour, the only thing I…
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Stray Teeth
John Steinberg greets me at the Varmahlíð bus stop with a firm handshake. “Welcome to Varm-uh-hlid, welcome to Skagafjorder,” he says, noting the vast open fjord valley. He’s been coming to Iceland every summer for more than twelve years, digging into Icelandic…
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Hare Kría, Hare Rama
Trying to recall specific details of Prince Rama’s performance at Faktorý is a bit like trying to piece together the sequence of events from a dream—or a shroom trip. It’s hard to pinpoint the moments, to string together narrative from the rich,…
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Gimme Gimme Morr
Morr Music have released and distributed so much Icelandic music over the last decade that founder Thomas Morr says people sometimes mistake the label for an Icelandic company. But that’s not so. We met up with him to learn more about the…
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Dharma In The North-Atlantic
In his shades and North Face jacket, you probably wouldn’t recognise Jakusho Kwong-Roshi as a highly influential spiritual leader. But that’s sort of the point—Roshi teaches a layperson’s version of Zen Buddhism, which draws little distinction between the spiritual and the everyday.…
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No Plans, No Stress: Route 1 In 96 Hours
The plan was simple: a road trip around Iceland, sticking mostly to Route 1, but turning off when we wanted. It would be the classic Ring Road trek, a trip that I had yet to make after living here for two months.…
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Iceland’s First Gay Lovers?
Dr. Óttar Guðmundsson’s bookshelf at his office at the Landspítali hospital’s psych ward is neatly divided into two sections. On the left are a variety of colourful books on psychiatry, psychology and gender studies—Michel Foucault’s “History of Sexuality,” for instance. The right…
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Awkward Times at Innipú inn
To be perfectly honest, by day three of Innipúkinn, I was hardly thrilled to be heading to another night of music at Iðnó. It wasn’t the music that was problematic. It was the overall setting: the whole festival felt too tame. People…
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Thumbs Up: Hitchhiking to Þjórshátið
As I walk up to the edge of the road, I’m filled with a feeling I can only identify as stage fright. I extend my arm and put my thumb up—a gesture I had only ever used humorously in the Southern California…
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Home Is Where The Heart Is
The sun is shining, music is playing, toddlers are playing on the seesaw, teenagers are picnicking and tourists are taking pictures of the colourful graffiti on the walls. Hjartagarðurinn (“The Heart Garden”) is one of the most appealing spots in 101 Reykjavík,…
