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All Kinds of Everything
Just take a peek in the windows of Fríða Frænka, the little grey corrugated metal house in downtown Reykjavík, and you’ll be hooked. This antique shop is enough to make even the most selfrespecting antique lover jizz her pantaloons. Antique dolls peer…
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Book Review: 25 Beautiful Walks Walking Trails of the Greater Reykjavik Area
With author Reynir Ingibjartsson’s interest in his subject and sense of humour coming through every entry, 25 Beautiful Walks is a nature-walk-lover’s ode to Reykjavík. Each route is carefully chosen, and painstakingly drawn maps clarify the different types of terrain, distances, and…
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Leather Alchemists
“To see something so unattractive as a raw fish skin turn into nice leather—it’s a beautiful process,” Gunnsteinn Björnsson said as he led me through his factory. Gunnsteinn is the general manager and part owner of Atlantic Leathers, the fish leather maker…
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Your Style Salvation
If you’re still shopping-hungry after Laugavegur and you want a real taste of Reykjavík fashion, head to the wrong side of the tracks, the grisly underbelly of Reykjavík style, the Salvation Army. Well, that’s stretching it. Reykjavík doesn’t really have a wrong…
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Swimming Pools In Iceland: The Formula For Water
Iceland is “all about the water” my mum said when she came to visit. She was referring to the dual influence of the Gulf Stream, making Iceland unusually warm for its latitude, and the country’s ubiquitous hot springs. Without the hot springs,…
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Tourists On The Street
We stopped to interview some lucky tourists on the street to see why they chose to visit Iceland. The following people graciously complied to dish out the details of their trip. Names: Marieke van Buren and Johan de Rooý Country: Netherlands Johan:…
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Westman Islands: More Like ‘Best Man Islands’
Three weeks ago on the Westman Islands there was one day when Eyjafjallajökull’s ash fell so thick that everything outdoors was covered. Everything. But the Grapevine arrived in Heimaey on a sunny morning that belied the long stretch of ash fall the…
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Red Cross Revolution
“I can go crazy over an old coat,” laughs Helga Pálsdóttir. “If they fit and they’re of a nice fabric, I can go nuts,” she says, then pauses. “I will go nuts!” At Red Cross stores, where Helga works, going nuts for…
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Art Love-In
In July, the art world will come to Reykjavík, and some musicians too. Commercial galleries from all over Europe are uprooting their shows and transplanting them around the city. The event, Villa Reykjavík, will be free to the public from July 9…
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Grapevine Takes A Tour On Icelandic Horseback
You’d think from the looks of these dwarfen beasts that they’d be meek and mild, happy to carry a hobbit off on an adventure into Iceland’s fairytale landscape. At least, this is what I had in mind when I stepped into the…
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The Moonshine Salesgirl Next Door
If you’re like me, the stereotype that comes to mind when you think of a moonshine seller is a red-faced hick from the Deep South, hanging out the back of a pick-up truck parked behind a country hoedown, hawking overproof hooch that…
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Góði Hirðirinn: Treasure From Trash
A fluorescent-lit warehouse with an ambiance to match, Góði Hirðirinn is an almost-free-for-all of junk. It’s not that the goods aren’t in decent condition, but there’s definitely a fine selection of crap to sort through. Like any scrap heap, gems reveal themselves…
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Iceland Could Become Safe Haven for Journalists Worldwide
Iceland’s economic crash could have some positive consequences for journalists worldwide. The Icelandic Modern Media Initiative legislation was proposed late 2009 by a committee of 19 of Iceland’s 63 members of Parliament, representing all political parties, and is slated for Parliamentary vote…
