Author: Jón Trausti Sigurðarson
Now And Then: Diving Into A Piece Of History
Deciphering the subtle transformation of Sundhöll Reykjavíkur Having opened to the public in 1937, Sundhöll Reykjavíkur is Reykjavík’s oldest swimming…
It’s Always Fun On Arnarhóll
This is Arnarhóll. You know, the hill in the centre of Reykjavík. According to some of the oldest written records…
Now And Then: Hey, Remember When Those Whaling Ships Were Sunk?
Revisiting Iceland’s other core memory from 1986 There were two things that happened in Iceland in 1986 that have been…
Now And Then: Is A Church More Than Just A Building?
The evolution of Reykjavík’s most prominent structure If you drop that question to a devout Catholic or anybody serious about…
Now And Then: A Tale of Two Bankruptcies
Storage Units become Housing Units Few locations in downtown Reykjavík have shapeshifted as massively in the past two decades as…
Iceland Is Reputed To Be Happy And Safe. So Why Is Violent Crime On The Rise?
According to the UN’s 2024 World Happiness Report Iceland is the third happiest country in the world. It has maintained…
Now And Then: A Bizarre Episode Of History
What you are looking at here is Pósthustræti 2 — one of the relatively few buildings in Reykjavík that has simply…
The Survivors: Never-Changing Institutions In The Ever-Changing Downtown
by John Rogers and Jón Trausti Sigurðarson
They say that you’re a New Yorker once you lived there long enough to remember what was in that spot…
Don’t Go To The Volcano, Because You Might Die
It has escaped no one’s attention that yet another eruption is taking place on the Reykjanes peninsula. Just like the…
Anybody Can Run For President… And That’s Exactly Who’s Running
The office of President of Iceland is a peculiar one. When Iceland won independence in 1944 the constitution the Dane’s…
Is Iceland Airwaves Past Its Prime?
The best festival we have. The only festival we have. Strictly speaking, the Iceland Airwaves festival, which will turn 25…
A Smooth Rendition Of Taking Responsibility
A reflection on the resignation of Bjarni Benediktsson On the morning of October 10, Minister of Finance Bjarni Benediktsson held…
Reaching The Sky
by Jóhannes Bjarkason and Jón Trausti Sigurðarson
A how-to guide to hikes around Reykjavík A hike is nothing more than a walk on a mountain. Sure, you’ll…
How Not To Sell A Bank
Explaining the storm swirling around the sale of Íslandsbanki The saga of Icelanders and banking is a tale that feels…
On Why One Founds The Reykjavík Grapevine
Sometime over the past 20 years, the reason became clear Remember boredom? That thing that could happen to you before…
Ask A Lawyer: Was There Ever The Death Penalty In Iceland?
Was there ever the death penalty in Iceland? We asked lawyer and Grapevine founding member Jón Trausti Sigurðarson for the…
Reykjavík of Yore: Hallgrímskirkja
Pictured here is probably the best-known landmark in Reykjavík, and perhaps the most Instagrammed one, too. The church Hallgrímskirkja is…
Reykjavík Of Yore: Landspítallin
Pictured here is the oldest building of Landspítalinn, The National University Hospital of Iceland, located by Hringbraut in 101 Reykjavík….
Gimme Some Whale
I remember the first time I tried whale meat. It was the early ‘90s, and I was a ten-year-old living…
Grapevine Milestones
by Jón Trausti Sigurðarson, Oddur Óskar Kjartansson, Valur Gunnarsson and Haukur S. Magnússon
FIRST SUMMER The first issue was published on June 13, 2003. As the reader should know by now, we publish…
The Game Of Risk
“Congratulations!” This word was frequently shouted this past Monday. Why? Did Iceland’s national handball team win the European Championship? Or…
That First Year Of Grapevines
by Jón Trausti Sigurðarson and Oddur Óskar Kjartansson
Issue 01 2003 – “Jackboots on Ice” Notable: The fist issue, the only issue at the time. The only issue…
Reflecting on The Grapevine’s First 100 Issues
by Jón Trausti Sigurðarson and Haukur S. Magnússon
The Reykjavík Grapevine has for some reason managed to stay in business for over six years and a hundred issues…
What can I vote for?
You can vote for parties not individuals. Here is a list of the current Icelandic political parties with a…
The Republic of Iceland FAQ
The Icelandic government, led by the Independence Party and Social Democrat Alliance, imploded last month after a year and a…