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Click on the picture to watch an audio slideshow of a hike to Hraunsvatn lake in Öxnadalur valley in north Iceland, which lies at a height of 490 meters, interlocked between two steep mountains and a small glacier with a view of the majestic Hraundrangar peaks.
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Fjallabyggd (“Mountain Settlement”) is a skier’s dream. Its slopes are perfect for slaloming and there are also tracks for telemark skiing. Winter sporting enthusiasts can also go ice skating or rent snowmobiles. In summer, Fjallabyggd turns into a paradise for hikers. Read this special promotion about one of Iceland’s best hidden gems.
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The Icelandic Travel Industry Association (SAF) released a statement yesterday condemning the decision of outgoing Minister of Fisheries Einar K. Gudfinnsson for issuing a new quota on whaling.
SAF finds it unbelievable that such a decision was made by a minister who is about to leave his post and obviously did not discuss it with the outgoing cabinet first and definitely not with the prospective government.
Whale watching in Iceland. Copyright: Icelandic Photo Agency.
SAF states that the prospective coalition between the Social Democratic Alliance and the Left-Green Movement is strongly opposed to whaling and finds it highly likely that once that coalition will be in power it will annul the minister’s decision.
“Coverage of Iceland abroad has been very negative ever since the collapse of the country’s banking system [in October 2008] and recently exaggerated descriptions of riots in Iceland have been added to the global coverage, without Icelanders being able to defend their image,” the statement reads. “It will take much effort to rebuild Iceland’s image and extensive whaling will only make it more difficult.”
“Whaling, especially hunting of the great whales, raises considerable criticism in the countries we most often trade with and over the past years it has happened over and over again that consumers boycott Icelandic products and services because of the whaling that has taken place in Iceland in recent years,” the statement continues.
SAF claims that minke whaling has already damaged the whale watching industry to a significant extant and fewer and that fewer minke whales can be spotted in the areas reserved for whale watching boats.
Whale watching is the segment of tourism that has grown the most rapidly in the past years, creating jobs and generating profits for the national economy, SAF argues, and it is therefore absolutely clear that this decision will harm the development of this industry further and that the interests of a few is being prioritized above the interests of the many.
SAF urges the next government to revoke the whaling quota.
Click here to read more about the quota issued.
The average temperature of the three summer months, June, July and August, in Reykjavík this year was 12.2°C (54°F), which makes this the warmest summer in the capital since temperatures were first recorded in 1871, according to meteorologist Trausti Jónsson.
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The comedy sketch show Spaugstofan, which has been shown more or less continuously for 21 years on the Icelandic national broadcaster RÚV, has now been relocated to the private television channel Stöd 2.
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The crew of the sailboat Santa Maria from Hamburg, Germany, called for assistance when they ran out of fuel 140 nautical miles west of Reykjavík last week. The guard post of the Icelandic Maritime Administration contacted ships that were nearby and as it turned out the whaling ship Hvalur 9 was located closest to Santa Maria.
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The theater festival Lókal begins in Reykjavík today and will run until September 5. The program includes the show “The Great Group of Eight” held by the Kviss búmm bang trio where spectators have the opportunity to be national leaders for three to four hours.
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The second issue of the print edition of Iceland Review 2010 has just been published. Entitled “Under the Volcano” the magazine dedicates 20 pages, words and pictures, to the volcanic eruption in Eyjafjallajökull glacier which made headlines all over the word. New subscribers will receive the book 2010 Eruptions as a gift and all subscribers are part of a draw to win a trip to Iceland. Click here to subscribe to the magazine.
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REVIEWS
Dadi Gudbjörnsson's art with its smiley faces, Aladdin's lamps, gleaming hearts, blue mountains and psychedelic flora of unearthly origin reminds me of the cheesy R.E.M. song “Shiny Happy People”. The sugar-sweet naivety fails to amuse me but I must admit it infects my mood with delirious joy.
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Former President of Iceland Vigdís Finnbogadóttir turned 80 on 15 April this year and Mayor Hanna Birna Kristjánsdóttir—in making her an Honorary Citizen of Reykjavík to mark the occasion—observed that Finnbogadóttir’s life was interwoven with that of Reykjavík. In June 1980 Finnbogadóttir made history when she became the world’s first democratically elected female head of state.
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Today, August 30, and tomorrow is your last chance to visit the exhibition “Eau De Parfum” by Andrea Maack at the Spark Design Space in Reykjavík. In the exhibition space, Maack introduces three perfumes that are the result of her collaboration with French perfumery apf aromes & parfums.
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