Sour Grapes & Stuff: Issue 16, 2014

Say your piece, voice your opinion, send your letters to letters@grapevine.is

Most Awesome Letter of the Issue:

Dear grapevine,

I was reading the article ‘Americans Love Iceland’ by Teresa Bergen (Issue 15/2014), and found myself incensed by the account of american travel writers ignoring the requirement to shower before entering the swimming pool. I’ve also noticed, at the Laugardalslaug, that metal barricades appear to have been erected at some point in the last few years, herding everyone in to the communal showers, with unambigous signs reminding us all of the need to shower in the nude, along with precise diagrams of how to wash in a number of languages .

There is little doubt who these initiatives are aimed at. As a frequent traveller to Iceland I don’t have any problem with showering naked, although it took a while to adjust to it, and it still feels a bit awkward. I always make a point of following the rules though.

I wonder if one solution to this issue might be to construct premium changing rooms for tourists, with private individual shower cubicles. You could then pay extra to use the premium changing rooms (say 1000 IKR per go), if you want to shower in private. The cost of the premium changing facillities and the swimming (1000 IKR + 600 IKR) would hardly be prohibitively expensive for someone on holiday in Iceland. If you don’t want to pay extra, you can just shower naked in the regular showers with everyone else. And if you dont want to pay extra AND you don’t want to shower with everyone else, then you can get lost.

Basically, I think that the important principle here is that the rules about hygiene in swimming pools are always followed, and not that tourists and icelanders are forced to shower naked together.

Best wishes,

Neil Holdsworth

Hey Neil,

You know, your suggestion is all good, but if we did that our pool attendants couldn’t force people to wash their genitals with soap. Here’s an example of one such abuse of power.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5Neecup0og

Hygienically yours,

The Grapevine

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Happy Thursday Reykjavik Grapevine Team!

I hope this finds you well and super excited for the weekend ahead!  I am going to heading up to the volcano on a heli for a bridal photoshoot next Thursday, October 9th.  However, as I am sure you are aware Norðurflug Heli will not allow me to land near the volcano without a press pass.  I was wondering if your team would be able to provide me with a press pass in return of my sharing the images I photograph once I return?

Please let me know your thoughts!  Thanks for your time!

With a smile,

Ann Peters

Hey Ann,

We are super sorry to be the ones to tell you, but unless you are a millionaire willing to incur a hefty fine, you aren’t going to get to go anywhere near that volcano while its still spewing poisonous fumes, not even with a Grapevine press pass.

Believe us, we tried.

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Does it really rain all October?

-Marilyn Ferdinand

Yeah, sorry Marilyn, you can read more about that on page 12.

The Grapevine