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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A young man armed with a knife threatened the clerk of Sunnubúd, a small family-run store in the Hlídar neighborhood in Reykjavík, on Sunday, demanding money from the cash register. The thief got away with the money and police are looking for him.
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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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Hiking tours in Iceland’s highlands are becoming more popular every year and the most popular tour is Laugavegur, the route that leads from Landmannalaugar to Thórsmörk in the southern highlands and takes three to four days to cross.
Páll Gudmundsson, managing director of the Icelandic Touring Association (FÍ), told Morgunbladid that people are increasingly booking hiking tours organized by FÍ.
Many tours are fully booked, Gudmundsson said, and all available beds in the cabins along Laugavegur have been reserved throughout July. A new cabin is being constructed to cope with increased demand.
Other popular hiking tours include Fimmvörduháls in south Iceland, which also ends in Thórsmörk, Sprengisandur and Kjölur in the northwestern highlands (which are especially popular among foreign tourists) and Hornstrandir in the West Fjords (which Icelanders seem to prefer).
Skúli H. Skúlason, managing director of Útivist travel association, said that he had also received many bookings this summer.
The most popular hiking tours organized by Útivist are Strútsstígur, which leads from Eldgjá volcanic canyon to Hvannagil canyon in the southern highlands, and the Sveinstindur – Skaelingar route which leads past Langisjór lake near Vatnajökull glacier.
Skúlason added that Laugavegur is as popular as ever.
There is also a Laugavegur in Reykjavík, which is the capital’s main shopping street. “Laug” means pool or hot spring and “vegur” means road.
The Reykjavík Laugavegur leads to Laugardalur valley where women used to do their laundry in the hot springs and the highland Laugavegur also leads to hot springs where hikers like to bathe.
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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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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