Articles by: Jón Trausti Sigurðarson
Jón grew up in every other small town in Iceland, moved pianos in Michigan for a living in the late 90s and founded this publication in the early noughties. Has since acquired a few degrees, lived abroad, been a stay-at-home-parent, worked as lawyer and run numerous ultras.
Publisher’s Note: Music When The Lights Go Out
I had a conversation with an artist of my generation some years ago. We expected to be shocked by contemporary…
Word Of The Issue: Glowing Fruit
The Grapevine’s guide to sounding Icelandic, one word at a time People often say that the sun is orange. That…
Word Of The Issue: Málþóf
The Grapevine’s guide to sounding Icelandic, one word at a time The Icelandic word málþóf has been on everybody’s lips…
Doing It Right, Getting Wronged: International Students’ Plans Of Studying In Iceland Fall Through
The Grapevine recently reported that applications for student visas in Iceland had increased by 40 percent since last year, and…
Now & Then: Prime Jailhouse, Minister Rock
From prison to PM’s offices Marking the beginning of the school year, we wrote in the last issue about the…
Publisher’s Note: The Second PM On Our Cover
The Grapevine has been published for 22 years, yet only once before have we had the sitting prime minister on…
Now & Then: Schola Reykjavicensis
Educating Iceland’s elite since 1057 Pictured is Lækjargata, home to many of the oldest buildings in Reykjavík, which — perhaps…
Publisher’s Note: On The Duty Of A Neighbour
Three years ago this month I moved back to Iceland after seven years in Sweden. Moving to the Nordics and…
Surge Of Applicants Causing Student Enrolment Difficulties At Icelandic Universities
This year, applications for student visas in Iceland were up by 40% from 2024, according to the Directorate of Immigration…
Word Of The Issue: Ægisif
The Grapevine’s guide to sounding Icelandic, one word at a time For 1,000 years, Iceland has given its own names…
Now & Then: We Read You, Queer And Clear
Pride in Reykjavík for 32 years Iceland’s Annual Pride Parade took place on August 9. It was the 27th such…
Publisher’s Note: Gravitational Pull
I’m stealing the new editor’s metaphor. When I founded this magazine in 2003, I didn’t think we’d make it through…
Now & Then: Goosestepping
History doesn’t repeat; it rhymes History doesn’t repeat; it rhymes, is a quote often attributed to Mark Twain. Perhaps Mr….
Editorial: 100+ Places Of Solitude
Icelandic weekly Heimildin used the phrase “tourism fatigue” in a recent article focusing on the small town of Vík, where…
Now & Then: The Blue Lagoon
From power plant runoff to tourist hotspot With more than a million visitors a year, The Blue Lagoon remains one…
Editorial: Þetta Reddast!
On Wednesday, Iceland woke up to yet another volcanic eruption. It’s notable, sure, but it’s become something we’ve gotten used…
Bridges Over Troubled Waters
The end of the only mice-free area in Iceland On 14 July 1974, the Ring Road formally opened; the picture…
Parking In Paradise At A Hellish Price
by Jóhannes Bjarkason and Jón Trausti Sigurðarson
Highway robbery: The parking meters are running on the Ring Road Like any intrepid tourist knows, Iceland is famed for…
Editorial: The Ring Road, Forging A Nation
July 14, 1974 saw the opening of the then-biggest and most expensive man-made structure in the history of Iceland…
Editorial: Hello, And Welcome To My Podcast
In order to advance themselves, and their causes, politicians in democracies have always had to appeal to voters by all…
The Who’s Who Of The Icelandic Brosphere
by Jóhannes Bjarkason and Jón Trausti Sigurðarson
Our Jordans, Rogans and Shapiros Readers of this publication are more often than not unfamiliar with many aspects of Iceland’s…
Stampede At The Stadium
A bad case of the “þetta reddast” Fifteen people had to seek medical attention after a stampede that took place…
Now And Then: Sculpted Independence Day Heroes
And how they end up as LDS tropes We’re at Austurvöllur, the heart of Reykjavík. The green oasis in front…
Editorial: Squeezing Summer For All It’s Got
Even though the weather in the first week of June has tried its best to make us forget it, summer…
Now And Then: Bums & Barons
The Grapevine office’s drunk past This publication has operated out of the building pictured here, Hafnarstræti 15 in downtown Reykjavík,…