Abandoned Iceland
You might not be able to visit Iceland based on where you are in the world right now, but that doesn’t mean you can’t experience our beautiful country. We at the Reykjavík Grapevine will visit places that you, dear reader, wish you could experience yourself, and shoot some gorgeous video footage of the location. Everyone will get to enjoy the magic, but High Five Club members will get premiere viewing access, so be sure to sign up and help support quality journalism to boot.
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Ice Flow, Nowhere To Go: Exploring The Ice Caves Of the Vatnajökull Glacier
“Are you underwater!?” my mum’s Whatsapp pings through on the last wisp of 3G available in the Sapphire Ice Cave. I’m not–but she’s right, I could be. Carved into dimples by the wind, the intensely blue ceiling looks more like the ripples…
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Abandoned Iceland #20: Hjörleifshöfði
Jess gives Iona a history lesson as they climb to the top of Hjörleifshöfði. They then visit the Yoda Cave near where Star Wars was filmed, and a fight to the death ensues. Thanks to GoCar Rental for providing a car for…
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Abandoned Iceland #19: Stories Of The North
Catherine Magnúsdóttir takes us troll hunting in Skagafjörður. There, she hears some spooky stories of wives that have disappeared over the years and finds a hobby-sorcerer. She also visits Siglufjörður, where the TV show ‘Trapped’ was filmed and the location for the…
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Abandoned Iceland #18: Nesjavellir
Iona visits Nesjavellir and its geothermal power station – a perfect spot for hiking and retracing Game of Thrones. Located just over the hill from Hengill – where our last Abandoned Iceland video was recorded. Prepare for energy facts and a brief…
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Abandoned Iceland #17: Hengill Trail
Hengill is a unique hiking trail full of hot springs and beautiful view of both the city area as well as Þingvellir. Note: Due to the effect the Coronavirus is having on tourism in Iceland, it’s become increasingly difficult for the Grapevine…
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Abandoned Iceland #16: Glymur, Second-Highest Waterfall In Iceland
For this edition of Abandoned Iceland we sent the Grapevine’s Waterfall Enthusiast Division (aka Poppy Askham and Art Bicnick) to Glymur, a 198m tall waterfall in Iceland. Awe-inspiring views, amazing bird life, and some dicey river crossings – just a standard day…
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Abandoned Iceland #15: Westfjords – Rauðasandur & Látrabjarg
Join Poppy Askham on a “tropical” Westfjords getaway to Rauðasandur, a beautiful copper-toned beach with an intriguing past and Iceland’s westernmost point – Látrabjarg, a 14km sea cliff, home to tens of thousands of seabirds. There’ll be puffins, seals and bucketfuls of…
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Abandoned Iceland #14: The Laugavegur Hike Day 4
The fourth and final day! There’ll be canyons, caves, hot pools and gulp the last glacier river. Will we make it to Þórsmörk in one piece? Tune in to find out. Can’t get enough of all the hiking action? Checkout the Laugavegur…
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Abandoned Iceland #13: The Laugavegur Hike Day 3
Ever wanted to see two Grapevine writers cross a glacier river and make a big ol’ fuss about it? Well you’re in luck. Day three of the Laugavegur trail sees us face two chilly rivers, a concerning coffee shortage and an awful…
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Abandoned Iceland #12: The Laugavegur Hike Day 2
On day 2 we traverse 12km from Hrafntinnnusker in the snowy highlands to the stunning lakeside campsite, Alftavatn. There’ll be jaw-dropping vistas, very windy tents and even some geothermally cooked hotdogs! To read about our full experience and see some fantastic photos…
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Abandoned Iceland #11: The Laugavegur Hike Day 1
Stretching 54 km between the geothermal hot pools of Landmannalaugar and the luscious Þórsmörk valley, the Laugavegur trail is Iceland’s best-loved hikes. So we decided it was high time a group of Grapevine adventurers took on the challenge. Tune in for snow…
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Abandoned Iceland #10: Mount Esja
One mountain, three reporters and a tin of baked beans – what could go wrong? In this episode of Abandoned Iceland, Valur, Poppy and Polly battle the elements to scale the mighty Mount Esja. Who will survive? You’ll have to watch to…
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Abandoned Iceland #9: Skaftafell National Park
Svartifoss, the most gothic waterfalls of them all in Skaftafell, south of Iceland. The waterfall inspired the architect, Guðjón Samúlesson, to use stuðlaberg or columnar basalt for his design of the national theatre as well as Hallgrímskirkja. As you would expect in…
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Abandoned Iceland #8: Golden Circle—Geysir
Sam travels back in time to April 2020 to explore how things were at Geysir Hot Springs area during COVID-19. Sound off in the comments below and tell us where you want us to go next! Thanks to GoCar Rental for providing…
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Abandoned Iceland #7: South Road Trip
Valur Grettisson and his trusty companions, Art Bicnick and Polly, the chief morale officer, travelled from Reykjavík to Jökulsárlón in the middle of COVID-19 and found surprisingly many travellers as well as beautiful nature. We also stopped at the wonderful Fosshotel Glacier…
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Abandoned Iceland #6: Icelandic Forest—Heiðmörk
In this edition of Abandoned Iceland, Hannah Jane Cohen and photography editor Art Bicnick pay a memorable visit to Heiðmörk, a place of incomparable beauty. One of the oldest jokes about Iceland is that “if you get lost in an Icelandic forest,…
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Abandoned Iceland #5: Jökulsárlón—Glacier Lagoon
In this edition of Abandoned Iceland, we visited Jökulsárlón and found a handful of Icelanders, expats and one seal roaming around. No one else. It was truly incredible. Thanks to GoCar Rental for providing the vehicle for our tours in Iceland and…
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Abandoned Iceland #4: The Snæfellsnes Peninsula
In this edition of Abandoned Iceland, news editor Andie Sophia Fontaine and her lovely wife Ada travel with photography editor Art Bicnick to beautiful, mysterious Snæfellsnes. They pay visits to some of the more popular spots on the South Coast, speak to…
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Abandoned Iceland #3: Around The Golden Circle Part I
In this episode, Sam and his wife tour the area around Fluðir, Reykholt and Skálholt. They visit Faxafoss and Sam tries the freshest Bloody Mary ever made at Friðheimar. They also talk to a horse, and visit the loneliest chapel in the…
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Abandoned Iceland #2: Grundarfjörður
We journeyed to Grundarfjörður in the time of COVID-19 and instead of tourists, all we found was a lot of wind, rain and of course, Kirkjufelll, one of West Iceland’s most famous mountains. We had a conversation with a local we met…
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Abandoned Iceland #1: South Coast
In this episode of COVID-Cast, Hannah Jane visits some of the more popular tourist destinations, which are pretty much empty now. She also talks about news surrounding the pandemic, with a focus on the positive side. Note: Due to the effect the…