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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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Prime Minister of Iceland Jóhanna Sigurdardóttir is not going to vote on the Icesave legislation in the referendum tomorrow.
Prime Minister of Iceland Jóhanna Sigurdardóttir. Photo by Geir Ólafsson.
“I think it is pointless and very sad that the first referendum that is held since the republic was founded will be about a legislation that has already become obsolete,” Sigurdardóttir told Fréttabladid.
“No one is talking in favor of this legislation anymore; the situation has changed so much in the past weeks and we already have a more favorable solution worth 70 billion [USD 545 million, EUR 401 million] in debt burden,” the prime minister added.
Yesterday evening Sigurdardóttir said there are no indications that a new agreement on Icesave will be reached between the governments of Iceland, the UK and the Netherlands before the referendum tomorrow.
However, she hopes that negotiations can continue next week, emphasizing that a solution must be reached as soon as possible.
“I fear that the delay will cost us more than what we would benefit from a new agreement. ASÍ [the Confederation of Labor] say that this issue has already delayed the [economic] restoration by six months with the accompanying costs,” the prime minister commented.
She said she has also noticed various misunderstandings regarding the referendum tomorrow.
“Some people seem to think that the issue will disappear if the legislation is rejected but that is a grave misunderstanding. It is also a misunderstanding that the issue will be taken straight to the courts. The three countries must decide that in unison and the British and Dutch have always rejected that way,” Sigurdardóttir said.
The prime minister pointed out that if the Icelandic nation rejects the legislation from December 30, the legislation from August 28 will take effect. However, that legislation won’t last.
“The British and Dutch didn’t agree to that legislation and therefore it is not correct that we will start with a clean table. Then it isn’t even certain that we will maintain the more favorable debt burden of 70 billion,” the prime minister concluded.
Leaders of the opposition parties encourage people to go to the polls and vote against the Icesave legislation tomorrow, Finance Minister Steingrímur J. Sigfússon says people should make up their own minds whether they want to vote or not.
Chairman of the Progressive Party Sigmundur Davíd Gunnlaugsson believes that Iceland will be in a better position to negotiate if the legislation is rejected, reasoning that talks will continue at a clean table.
Click here to read more about Icesave and stay tuned for news about the outcome of the referendum this weekend.
Iceland’s cabinet met at the presidential residence Bessastadir at noon today where new ministers were announced: Gudbjartur Hannesson of the Social Democrats will lead a new Welfare Ministry and Ögmundur Jónasson of the Left-Greens a new Ministry for Internal Affairs.
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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 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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