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Don’t Make Your Family Mule Those Sausages: Stock Up at Yndisauki
First of all, you need to know that there is a quota on imported cheeses and meats in Iceland. In fact, you may have found this out if you tried to bring a sausage or cheese back from your visit abroad. With…
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The Cintamani Road Test
We’ve been looking at the ads the last few months, we’ve seen Icelanders walking around in the gear. When Paul and I realized that we had to tour the whole country and visit somewhere around a dozen key sites for upcoming issues…
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GRAPEVINE’S PURCHASES THAT JUSTIFY EXISTENCE
1 Used books Mál og Menning might be the biggest bookstore in the country, but that doesn’t mean that you’ll always pay top dollar. There are frequent clearance sales where you can buy paperbacks from all genres, generally all priced under 1000…
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Guide to Travel Food
Harðfiskur: Lightweight, won’t go bad, chock full of protein. On the downside, your clothes could end up smelling like fish if you don’t double-bag it. Bread: Whole grain breads are best, as they’re not only smaller than a store-brand loaf of white…
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Sick Bags to Icelandic Scrabble,
Would you believe me if I told you that there is a man out there who collects air sickness bags? That he has over 1700 different ones? Yes, it appears that pretty much anything can be the basis for a collection and…
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A Foreigner’s Guide to Drinking in Iceland
The first thing you need to know is, if you just arrived in Iceland, you better have bought some booze at the airport. Especially if you’re visiting someone. No forgiveness on this one. Still, if you’re here, we guess you have to…
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How We Get Our Drink On
Icelandic Beer—Thule Icelandic beer has a heavy, extremely hoppy taste, similar to Carlsberg. Locals prefer Viking Gullfoss over Egill’s two to one, but many Americans prefer Thule, which is the most accessible of the local beers. International Beer—Cobra from India. You can’t…
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GRAPEVINE’S PURCHASES THAT JUSTIFY EXISTENCE
1: Fröken Reykjavík lighters Even if you’re not a smoker or an arsonist, these disposable lighters emblazoned with the words “Fröken Reykjavík” (after the name of the hotdog stand that sells them) and inexplicably, a high-heeled shoe, make for some great souvenirs.…
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Rauðhetta og Úlfurinn
I’ve been telling foreigners that the real thing to purchase during a visit, the ultimate souvenir, is the Icelandic haircut, the North Atlantic hipster do. The fact is that Icelanders take their hair very seriously. A large percentage of the population insists…
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A Foreigner’s Guide to What to Wear Outside:Into the Great Wide Open
It used to be an unfortunate rule of fashion that you simply cannot look good and stay warm at the same time: you can either bundle up and get laughed at by shivering throngs of hipsters, or leave your Michelin-man style coat…
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GK Reykjavík – Power Souvenirs
Viking boat key chains are frightening. Troll t-shirts are spooky. But GK Reykjavík offers young professionals the power souvenir: business and casual wear that will intimidate the competition. If you have the money, you can get an essential part of your wardrobe,…
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GRAPEVINE’S PURCHASES THAT JUSTIFY EXISTENCE
1 Fanny packs. In the UK they’re called “bum bags” (do NOT call them “fanny packs” in the UK) and in Iceland they’re called “pungur” (literally, “testicles”), but whatever name they go by, having a pouch you can tie around your waist…
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Gallerí Gel
“I liked the atmosphere of our old location,” says owner Anna S. Pálsdóttir. “People would come upstairs and do more than get a haircut; they’d be browsing through clothes or listening to music. I really liked that feeling, and it’s something I…
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Bónus
When it comes to your daily staples, Bónus is the cheapest supermarket in the country. You probably won’t be able to find any of the finer imported goods that Hagkaup has to offer, but if all you’re looking for are some basic…
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BUY SHIT
Smekkleysa (Bad Taste) was originally an art collective that came together to produce the works of a group of local artists. They are responsible for helping spread the word on such Icelandic greats as the poet Sjón, the metal band Mínus, Sígur…
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CAPPUCCINO CHANGE-UP: Iceland’s 2005 Barista Competition
But when the sixth annual national barista competition was held from 11-13th of March in Iceland’s biggest mall, Smáralind, I did get a show. On top of that, with continuous samples from the competition, I got enough coffee to keep me buzzing…
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GLAMÚR: Is Fashion the New Punk?
One of the latest and most interesting additions to this wave of new designer shops is Glamúr. Located in the basement of a building on Skólavörðustígur, this shop has managed to cram into its tiny space all a girl (or an adventurous…
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WHY DOES EVERYONE DRESS THE SAME IN ICELAND?
The homogenity of people’s outfits in Reykjavík might not be blamed on a lack of imagination, though. It has more to do with the fact that clothing stores, despite their different names, actually belong to the same company. N.T.C. (Northern Trading Company)…
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GIVE US YOUR DIRTY MONEY AND WE´LL CLEAN IT FOR YOU
“I see the role of the company to perform pieces that are not part of the mainstream repetoire. We are here to compliment the National Opera,” the group´s founder and singer Hrólfur Sæmundsson is keen to make clear. For this year´s production…
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TWENTY MEN AND A MOUSTACHE
The competition has been appropriately named after Tom Selleck who had the title role in TV series “Magnum, P.I” for eight years (a whopping 164 episodes) in addition to having starred in numerous films, including the All-American classic “Three Men and a…
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Mother tongue licks t-shirts into shape
Then the slogans moved on. They took over t-shirts and scarves, shoes and shoestrings, bangles and backpockets of jeans. The t-shirt, which was considered underwear until liberated by James Dean and Marlon Brando, finally had something to say. Since those days of…
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Enter the Dragon
Believe me, I’ve been there. Living as a college student in Reykjavík, I have come to understand the true meaning of the word “budget.” To me, everything is counted in beer. 300 krónur for coffee? That’s half a beer! But whether you…
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TURN ON, TUNE INDRESS UP!
It is said that some things that don’t make sense actually do make sense. Using a design store as a place to hold concerts does in a way not make sense, but in this case it makes a lot of sense. The…