Island Life: Weird & Wonderful News From Around Iceland

1. A man in Reyðarfjörður was cleaning his house, originally built in 1925 (although he himself moved in in 2010), and found numerous artefacts from the early 20th century. These included an empty package of cigarettes, some empty pill bottles and—most exciting of all—a love letter from 1941. A photograph of the first page of this letter was published, revealingly a very heartfelt and deeply personal apology. Out of respect for the (likely) departed, we will not translate the letter’s contents here.

2. The South Iceland secondary school Fjölbrautaskóli Suðurlands announced the purchase of ten new couches. The school believes this procurement will lead to “joy and comfort” for the students, while ominously warning that if the students do not treat the couches well, they will be removed at once. The couches, that is. The students will be allowed to continue classes.

3. The old Housewives’ School in Borgarfjörður, which had fallen into disrepair in recent years due to a lack of popularity, will be converted into—you guessed it!—a hotel. Once renovated, the hotel will have 60 rooms, and is situated within a wooded area of Varmaland. No date has yet been set for hotel opening.

4. It has finally been announced that the European championship competition in “mudball,” i.e. football played in deliberately very muddy conditions, will be held in Bolungarvík this year, and will take place during the Merchant’s Holiday this August. Classic Icelandic rock band SSSól and rapper Emmsjé Gauti will add to the entertainment. Which other European teams will be competing has not yet been revealed.