Author: Valur Grettisson
RVK Newscast #83: 3,000 Earthquake in One Day & Stranded Humpback Whale in Garður
Around 3,000 earthquakes bothered Icelanders yesterday—the most powerful one was 5.4 in magnitude. Geologists think that the longer this unrest…
Top Five Volcanoes Someone Should Write A Book About: A Symposium By Valur & Hannah Jane
by Hannah Jane Cohen and Valur Grettisson
You would think that a nation that is both as obsessed with literature and as seismically active as Iceland would…
Just Sayings: Rúsínan í Pylsuendanum
Ever had a hot dog filled with raisins? Doesn’t sound good, does it? Still, Icelanders have the saying “Rúsínan í…
RVK Newscast #82: Volcano Could Go Off Without A Warning & COVID On The Rise
Over the last 48 hours, we’ve had well over 2,000 earthquakes, with the strongest one being 5.1 in magnitude. Currently,…
RVK Newscast #81: Earthquakes Up To 20,000 & The Comeback Nobody Asked For
We are now at close to 20,000 earthquakes—or even more—but there are still no volcanic eruptions. Scientists are pretty sure…
How to Pronounce Icelandic Volcano: Þráinsskjaldarhraun
If there is something you can rely on in Iceland, it’s that there will eventually be a volcano eruption somewhere—and…
RVK Newscast #80: Interview with Earthquake Hazard Coordinator & Civil Guard
Things got serious yesterday. The Met Office picked up a harmonic tremor pulse midday Wednesday that indicated strongly that there…
Iceland’s Possible Volcano Titled Þráinsskjaldarhraun: A News Anchor’s Nightmare
So you thought Eyjafjallajökull was a hard word to pronounce? Well, if this new eruption does go off—which seems pretty…
RVK Newscast #79: We’re Next To The Volcano Just Hours Before The Possible Eruption
Today, we went as close as we could to the volcano at Fagradalsfjall, just an hour before the news broke…
RVK Newscast #78: More Than 10,000 Earthquakes Over The Last Days
Iceland—or its capital area to be more precise—is currently being hit by large earthquakes several times a day. Scientists fear…
RVK Newscast #77: Big Earthquakes In Grindavík, The Happiest Town In Iceland
Today, the Reykjavík Grapevine Newscast visited the happiest town in Iceland, Grindavík. This morning, there was an unusual amount of…
RVK Newscast #76: Two COVID Cases In One Week
Iceland is still doing remarkably well in the good fight against COVID-19. The borders are still quite strict though, but…
RVK Newscast #75: Five COVID-Free Days & Ash Wednesday Downtown
Today is the fifth day that Iceland has been COVID-19 free, so things are looking good. That said, borders have…
RVK Newscast #74: COVID-Free For 3 Days & A Callous Murder In Reykjavík
Yesterday was the third day in a row that Iceland was COVID-19 free. In the past weeks, Iceland has only…
Just Saying: Spá í
Have you ever predicted that you’d fall in love with someone? Icelanders do it all the time, (to mixed results)….
Students At Landakotsskóli Tell All: It’s Time To Hear What The Children Have To Say
We at the Grapevine have often covered the difficulties of immigrating to Iceland, but we have never asked the children…
Autocannibalism For Beginners: Helen Cova Deals With Her Dark Past
Here’s the odd thing: eating oneself, literally, is not technically illegal in Iceland. Nor is it anywhere else—if you insist…
RVK Newscast #73: Pfizer Rumours & Oscar Nominations
The rumoured Pfizer trial did not happened, but what did happen is that stocks in Icelandair plummeted nonetheless because of…
RVK Newscast #72: Icelandic Man Lost At K2 & Women Murdered In Denmark
COVID-19 numbers are still low in Iceland, and government restrictions have subsequently been eased for companies. In short, we can…
RVK Newscast #71: Former Police Officer Suspected Of Car Shooting & An Icelandic Disney Drama
A man has been arrested on suspicion of shooting at Reykjavík’s mayor’s car last week. The man is a former…
RVK Newscast #70: Shooting At The Mayor’s Car & No New Covid Cases For 2 Days
There have been no new domestic Covid-19 cases for two days now, although we are picking up cases at the…
RVK Newscast #69: 90 Avalanches In 10 Days & Young Man Drowns
Only four people tested positive for COVID-19 yesterday, so we are still keeping the virus at bay. That said, there…
2020 In Icelandic Cinema: A Historic Time For International Recognition
One could easily argue that 2020 was the best year in the history of Icelandic cinema. C’mon, an Icelandic artist…
RVK Newscast #68: Almost All MPs Will Get Vaccinated & Shots Fired At Political Party’s HQ
Icelanders have managed to contain the COVID-19 pandemic although Iceland’s top epidemiologist still says it’s not yet time to ease…
Just Saying: The Prophecy Of Going To The Store
Ever predicted to date someone? No? Well, Icelanders do this all the time. The saying ‘spá í’ is a very…