Maybe it would be best for both Jón Bjarnason and the whole country if he were to move to Grímsey, an uninhabited island in the West Fjords.
more
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.
more
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.
more
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.
more
The Reykjavík City Environment and Transport Council agreed yesterday to establish a task force responsible for increasing the presence of electric cars and charging stations in Iceland’s capital.
The traffick in Reykjavík. Photo by Páll Stefánsson.
“Reykjavík is in a unique position to become a world-leading city in electrifying cars. We have green and renewable energy which gives us many opportunities,” the council’s chairman, Gísli Marteinn Baldursson, told Morgunbladid.
Both the Independence Party-Progressive Party coalition in Reykjavík City Council and the opposition will have representatives on the task force, as will Reykjavík Energy and the city’s transport director. The task force will also cooperate with the Ministry of Transport, car dealerships and universities.
Baldursson said Reykjavík has the flexibility to establish a complete system for charging electric cars and a few charging stations are already available.
The task force’s project will be to work on ideas and create a schedule aimed towards simplifying the charging of electric vehicles and make them a feasible choice for the average citizen.
“The batteries in these cars are always becoming lighter and less expensive. The development is working with us,” Baldursson concluded.
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.
more
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.
more
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.
more
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.
more