Buy Shit: Vegvísir Tattoo, Dagsson Comics, IceView Lit Journal & More

Because souvenirs don’t have to suck.

Vegvísir Tattoo
Objects are temporary. Tattoos are forever. Thus, wouldn’t one be the perfect souvenir? Well luckily for you, there is a plethora of Iceland-themed tattoos for you to take to your death. The most famous is the Vegvísir, which is an Icelandic stave meant to help the bearer find their way in the world. It has become the archetypical tourist tattoo, but it’s still attractive, and a conversation piece. Íslenzka Húðflúrstofan on Ingólfsstræti would be our tattooist pick.

Neftóbak
Quitting smoking is hard, but Icelanders have found a delightful solution in hand-rolled tobacco you can place under your lip, called Neftóbak. Now, before you puke, this is not chewing tobacco, which causes you to spit and contains broken glass; nor is it Swedish-style snus, which still contains weird chemicals. No, Neftóbak is simply air-dried tobacco ingested through the mouth, which is actually the least harmful way to take nicotine.

Hugleikur Dagsson Comic Books
https://dagsson.com/collections/shop-dagssonHugleikur Dagsson is an Icelandic national treasure. He’s a cartoonist who creates eclectic, raunchy and definitely NSFW pictures that’ll make you chuckle and cringe at the same time. For instance, imagine a man standing at a top story window, begging God for a sign—then imagine a speech bubble from the sky: “JUST JUMP!” That’s Hugleikur. Pick up one of his various tomes at any Reykjavík bookstore—just don’t give it to Grandma.

Iceview Literature Magazine vol. 2
Iceview is an independently-produced travel-themed art and literature journal. It’s an intriguing mixture of photography, painting, poetry, fiction and non-fiction, with the occasional interview. The contents are meditative and engaging, and offer a range of entry points into thinking about travel and place. Iceview would be great company on a road trip around Iceland, or to reflect on your trip afterwards.