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Well, You Asked: Say Ha?
Stuck in a sticky situation? Don’t worry, Grapevine’s advice column is here to help you. I’ve been living in the Icelandic countryside for the last five years, but my partner and I are planning to move back to Reykjavík this summer. Any…
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Game Of Thrones: Goodbye, And Thanks For The White Walkers
It’s safe to say that season eight of the epic cultural phenomenon Game of Thrones was controversial. Around one million fans of the show have signed a petition for the season to be reshot, and they’re literally crying over their keyboards. Few…
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Grapevine Playlist: Icelandic Music From Kira Kira, GusGus, Dadykewl & More
It’s Grapevine Playlist time once more. Like seven sea eagles shooting out of an erupting volcano, here are the latest squawking expulsions from the Icelandic music scene. GusGus – Fireworks “Fireworks” is one of the better cuts from GusGus’s latest LP, ‘Lies…
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Food Of Iceland: Shark and Brennivín
Scared of sharks? Well, Icelanders eat them for breakfast, and what’s more, we drink Brennivín to cleanse the palette afterwards. Ok, to be fair, most of us don’t eat shark for breakfast—that’s a delicacy traditionally reserved for feasts during the month of…
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Snorri Ásmundsson: The Greatest Artist In The World
Snorri Ásmundsson is perhaps Iceland’s most notorious artist. He gained notoriety when he announced twice that he was running for president against Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson. He has also been very politically vocal against establishments like the church and politics. Here is what…
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Editorial: Exposing Hate
Here is an unpopular opinion, at least among Icelanders: I have a lot of sympathy with the Israeli nation when it comes to the conflict with Hamas. The history is complicated, but at the end of the day, Israelis are trying to…
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Grapevine’s Ultimate Iceland Road Trip Summer Playlist
Summer is here, and with it comes road trip season. Here’s our essential Icelandic playlist. Roll down the windows, turn up the volume, and off you go. Buddies and beats There’s nothing like cruisin’ in the sun with your buddies and some…
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Farewell! You Black Winter Emperor
It’s official. Summer is here. Of course, the Icelandic summer is always some kind of a mix of grey skies, rain, strong wind and high expectations. But it’s also a time to revisit your favourite mountain, some local summer festival or to…
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Just Sayings: “Úti Að Aka”
So, you’re out driving? That doesn’t sound so bad. Does it? Well, if you are in Iceland, and someone says to you that you are out driving (úti að aka) they mean that you have absolutely no goddamn idea what you are…
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How To Be Hugleikur? A Diet Of Sick Cartoons And The Moomins
Hugleikur Dagsson is one of Iceland’s most loved and, perhaps in some ways, notorious artists. His comics are brutal and hilarious in their simplicity. His books have been translated for global audiences and have impacted the comic scene in Iceland in a…
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Smite The Throne: The Grapevine Guide To The Throne-Game
The Game of Thrones can be a little confusing. But fear not, friends. We up here beyond the wall have special knowledge and insight into the northlife. We’ve chilled in the red tree with the Forestbabies, and been into the Wildlands. We…
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Video: Food Of Iceland: Sheep Head
Ever wonder how it would be to eat someone’s face? Of course you have. Icelanders have found a way to experience this feeling without hurting anyone. Well, except for sheep, of course.Icelanders takes pride in eating sviðakjammi—a singed sheep’s head—every year in…
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Just Sayings: “Það Liggur Í Augum Uppi”
“Það liggur í augum uppi” (approx. pronounced “thath liggur ee œjum uppy”) is an old and fairly common saying in Iceland. It literally translates to: It lays in the eyes upstairs. Confused? Well, it actually means “obvious.” But there is nothing obvious…
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Editorial: Enough Of The Overconfident CEO
The Icelandic tourism has been almost unbelievable. Iceland has gone from a couple of hundred thousand tourists to 2.1 million travellers within a decade. This development is one of the key factors in iceland’s quick recovery from the total collapse of its…
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Video: Five Culture Shocks When You Come To Iceland – And How To Deal With Them
Have you been to Iceland and been stared down, not knowing what to think about it? Well, the Culture Department of the Reykjavík Grapevine have some tips and tricks for you. Icelanders have a few odd customs that often freak tourists out…
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Video: Spring Is Here: No, This Is Not An April Fool’s Day Joke
Spring is here, and no, this is not an April Fool’s Day thing. It’s snowing. When Icelanders woke up this morning, we had five centimetres of snow outside in the city of Reykjavík, to our surprise. The traffic was heavy but the…
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WOW Air – The Spectacular Crash Of The Purple Airline
WOW Air has ceased to operate after a long and tiring battle with its debt collectors for almost 12 months. Incredibly, the shareholder took over the operation yesterday, Wednesday, and it appeared that the company was out of the woods. But this…
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Word of the Issue: Jæja
This four letter word is probably the most complicated word in the Icelandic language. Not because of the word itself, but because of the different tones of it that can change the meaning of it entirely. Jæja literally translates to ‘well’, but…
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War of the Nerds: The shadow war on Laugavegur
There is trouble brewing, trouble that hides under the dust of Laugavegur, under the ever-flowing groups of tourists, behind the Viking-street-singer who only (poorly) sings Neil Young and Bob Dylan. You would think that Iceland’s main shopping street would be a peaceful…
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Fastsplaining The Judges Scandal
Fastsplaining is a fairly irresponsible way to explain complicated things in an oversimplified terms. So please check out our links in the article if you want to know more.) So, there are a few facts we need to get out of the…
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Hatari, GDRN and Víkingur Heiðar Amongst Winners In The Icelandic Music Awards
GDRN was the winner of last night’s Icelandic Music Awards (IMA), netting four awards in total. Readers of the Grapevine should know this artist, as she was on our cover in the beginning of the year when she won Reykjavík Grapevine’s awards…
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Making Of An Artist: Parental Advised CD And O.G. Mom
Elli Egilsson is one of Iceland’s most interesting landscape artist these days. He is based in Los Angeles, where he lives with his wife and actress, María Birta Bjarnadóttir. You can look him up on elliegilsson.com. Bonding With Nature Besides being inspired…
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War Of The Nerds: Iceland Solves the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
If there is something holier than Christmas in Iceland, it would probably be Eurovision. Our readers know this. Icelanders go completely berserk over the annual song contest. The whole nation literally convinces themselves—like some otherworldly collective delusion—that this year, we will conquer…
