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As a kid I thought airports were the most romantic places in the world. Now, while other airports destroy my jet-setting romanticism, Keflavík aptly revives it.
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Click on the picture to observe how to prepare a traditional Icelandic meal of roe and liver (hrogn og lifur). At this time of year, egg pouches are harvested from female fish, mainly cod and haddock, and sold in fish stores around the country along with the liver. The egg pouches may not look appetizing; just remember that caviar is fish eggs too.
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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 state-run bank Íslandsbanki acquired 42 percent of share capital in Icelandair Group yesterday, increasing its total holdings in the company from five to 47 percent. Most of the share capital in question, almost 38 percent, was formally held by investment companies Máttur and Naust.
The stocks taken over by Íslandsbanki had been put up as collateral for loans taken to purchase stocks in Icelandair Group. The Financial Supervisory Authority (FME) granted Íslandsbanki an exemption from a mandatory bid, visir.is reports.
“These changes among the group of owners were not surprising in light of the economic situation. They won’t have any impact on the daily operations of Icelandair Group nor its individual subsidiaries,” CEO of Icelandair Group Björgólfur Jóhannsson wrote in an email to his employees yesterday morning, mbl.is reports.
“The bank said in a statement that our operations have been more successful than expected this year, that the company will continued to be listed on the stock exchange and that the stake will be resold as quickly as possible,” Jóhannesson wrote.
The CEO encouraged his employees to continue “the good work that our companies are already doing during these unusual times,” pointing out that the busiest time of the year in aviation and tourism lies ahead and that by focusing on the projects at hand the company’s interests will remain intact.
Einar Sveinsson, the outgoing vice-chairman of the board of Icelandair Group, who held the majority of shares in Naust with his brother Benedikt Sveinsson and also a large share in Máttur, told Morgunbladid that the state of Icelandic companies is tragic.
“One after another they seem to end up in the state’s ownership. It is as if full-scale state socialism has taken over. Many of these companies, including these two that I have connections with, are the victims of this course of events—not the perpetrators,” Sveinsson claimed.
It looks as if Íslandsbanki and Landsbanki, another state-owned bank, might end up with a combined share of 70 percent in Icelandair Group. Sveinsson stated that these measures are only the tip of the iceberg and that there is the risk of an extensive domino effect.
Norwegian lawyer Morten Furuholmen is preparing a lawsuit against Icelandic authorities for what he calls an unfounded arrest of Leif Ivar Kristiansen, the leader of the Hells Angels motorcycle club in Norway, at Keflavík International Airport yesterday.
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The government of Iceland and the opposition in Iceland’s parliament reached an agreement yesterday on a discussion point to use in renegotiations with British and Dutch authorities on the Icesave obligations.
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Icelandair has submitted a request to the Ministries of Justice and Industry that operating casinos be legalized in Iceland. The company is interested in opening a casino at the Hilton Hotel Nordica on Sudurlandsbraut in Reykjavík.
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Icelandic stamp collector Magni R. Magnússon recently found a rare stamp sheet from Liberia portraying President of Iceland Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson in a collector’s store in Belgium. Liberian post authorities issued stamps with almost 200 world leaders in 2000.
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New subscribers to the quarterly Iceland Review magazine will receive the photography book Puffins, which contains a wealth of information about this colorful bird, as a gift. Additionally, all subscribers will enter a draw to win a trip to Iceland. Click here to subscribe to Iceland Review. The new issue will be out next week!
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REVIEWS
When I first heard of the photographic book Legend by Fiann Paul, portraying people dressed in Viking-style in Icelandic landscapes, I imagined it would depict scenes from Norse mythology. However, the idea with the book is to tell a story of how “The Seeker” finds “The Legend” and it feels like a wishy-washy self-help book.
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Fresh back from Brazil, where she was one of 28 international judges at the ‘Cup of Excellence’ awards, Kaffitár founder and owner Adalheidur Hédinsdóttir sat down with Atlantica’s Mica Allan in Kaffitár’s Bankastraeti cafe to talk about her passion and delight: coffee.
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“Lucy” is a video and music installation by Dodda Maggý (1981), the 15th artist to exhibit in Reykjavík Art Museum’s D-gallery project in the Hafnarhús exhibition hall. In “Lucy” the artist explores the idea of the “acousmetre,” a film character portrayed only by voice, never in body, omniscient and ubiquitous.
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