Luckily most nations were named before the existence of nation-branding. If people would have been as business-minded in medieval times as now we would never have heard of Iceland. Our glorious semi-arctic island of midnight sun and hip nightlife would have been…

When I was packing my bags to come to Iceland, one criterion stood out in particular: “Don’t look like an American tourist. Don’t look like an American tourist,” I told myself, weeding out hiking boots and flip-flops in favour of nondescript sneakers and sandals. There…

I grew up in a small village on the east coast of Iceland. In many ways it was an ideal place to be a young kid; the freedom was a lot more than in the larger village Reykjavík. There were endless opportunities…

Living in an environment as hostile and unpredictable as Iceland can have severe effects on one’s mental stability. When a society goes through environmental hardship, long periods of darkness and centuries of seclusion it’s bound to lead to some kind of eccentricity.…

June 17, 1944, the greatest minds in Iceland convened on the banks of Lake Þingvallavatn to declare independence. From this day on, this nation should be a sovereign state, free from the tyranny of its Danish masters. June 13, 2008, mere days…

Since 2006, Menntaskólinn í Kópavogi (MK) has been offering a course in Office Skills for students over the age of 20 who don’t speak fluent Icelandic.     The course consists of subjects in Book-keeping, Computer Studies and Icelandic taught in the first…

The highlight of the summer is going to be the UEFA’s European Football Championship. Either that or the Olympics. It’s a toss up really. Either way, it looks like everybody is going to be glued to the TV this summer. Like the…

Since the last issue of Reykjavik Grapevine, both the men’s and women’s national soccer teams have played matches. The men met up with the boys of Wales in a friendly match, with no special significance attached. In short the match was dull,…

Summer is on – again, which means the streets of Reykjavík are crowded with tourists – again. Like an invading army, they more or less take over the city, making it difficult for us ordinary folks to find a seat at a…

“If these bands sounded more obviously alike, it would probably be a lot easier for them to break internationally. If you had a couple of mini Sigur Róses coming from here, they would probably see great success. Obviously labels are stupid… You…

Many years ago upon having just finished Art School in my home town of Melbourne I spent 2 months travelling around Vietnam. At one very memorable point on that trip I made a trek to the far north-western corner of the country…

It was almost 3am and the festival was coming to an end. The youngest in the audience had gone home to rest but excited party people had taken their places. The oldest in the crowd, a couple in their eighties, wiggled hand…

Vatnsmýri – An Introduction Vatnsmýri is a 150 hectare area which is currently occupied by the Reykjavík domestic Airport. Located a few minutes walk from the commotion of the city centre, the airport was initially built as a military air base by…

All of us who are concerned for peace and triumph of reason and justice must be keenly aware how small an influence reason and honest good will exert upon events in the political field. – Albert Einstein Since the May 2006 municipal…

Dog Cheats Death, Photographer Escapes Angry Mob The most peculiar news story of 2007 is the adventurous tale of Lúkas the Chinese Crested dog wonder who was reported to have met his fate last June in a most gruesome manner. The dog…

Following the release of their fourth album last spring, rock outfit Mínus came close to breaking up as the band chemistry turned sour. After much speculation about the band’s future, Camp Mínus announced that two members, bass player Þröstur and guitarist Frosti,…

It should be no surprise that when up to fifteen thousand people gather in the same spot and drink alcohol, violence is likely to follow. And in Reykjavík, it routinely does. Every weekend, police officers interfere with fights, assaults, domestic violence, disturbances…