Reykjavík Grapevine - 15.06.2007, Qupperneq 18

B14_RVK_GV_INFO_ISSUE 08_007_ULTIMATE SURVIVAL GUIDE
Services
Useful Numbers
Emergency number: 112
Police: 569 9000
Medical help: 1770
Dental emergency: 575 0505
AA: 551 2010
Information: 118
Telegrams: 146
Tax Free Refund
Iceland Refund,
Aðalstræti 2, Tel: 564 6400
www.icelandrefund.com
Laundry Service
HI Hostel, Sundlaugarvegur 34,
Tel: 553 8110, www.hostel.is
Úðafoss, Vitastígur 13,
Tel: 551 2301, www.udafoss.is
Post Office
Post offices are located around the
city as well as in the countryside.
The downtown post office is at
Pósthússtræti 3-5. For a full list and
info on opening hours visit www.
posturinn.is.
Stamps are also sold in bookstores,
gas stations, some grocery stores and
tourist shops.
Embassies and Consulates
in Iceland
United States, Laufásvegur 21,
Tel: 562 9100
United Kingdom, Laufásvegur 31,
Tel: 550 5100
Russia, Garðastræti 33,
Tel: 551 5156
China, Víðimelur 29,
Tel: 552 6751
For a full list visit Ministry for Foreign
Affairs: www.mfa.is/diplomatic-mis-
sions/icelandic-missions/
Internet Access
Most coffeehouses have wireless
Internet access.
Computers with Internet connections
are available at:
Ráðhúskaffi City Hall, Tjarnargata 11
BSÍ Bus Terminal,
Vatnsmýrarvegur 10
Ground Zero, Vallarstræti 10
The Reykjavík City Library,
Tryggvagata 15
The National and University Li-
brary, Arngrímsgata 3
Tourist Information Centre,
Aðalstræti 2
Icelandic Travel Market: Bankastræti 2
Opening hours
Bars and clubs: According to regula-
tions bars may be open until 01:00 on
weekdays and 05:30 on weekends.
Shops: Mon-Fri 10-18, Sat 10-16, Sun
closed. The shopping centres Kringlan
and Smáralind as well as most super-
markets and tourist shops have longer
opening hours.
Swimming pools: weekdays
06:30-22:30, weekends 08:00-20:30
although some may be open an hour
longer.
The State owned ÁTVR liquor
stores: Mon-Thu 11-18, Fri 11-19, Sat
11-18.
Banks in the centre are open Mon-Fri
09-16.
Getting Around
Public transport
The only public transport system in
Reykjavík is the bus. Most busses run
every 20 minutes and price per fare is
250 ISK for adults and 75 ISK for chil-
dren. Complete route map at: www.
bus.is. Tel: 540 2700
Busses run from 07:00-24:00 on
weekdays and 10:00-24:00 on week-
ends
Rent a bike
Borgarhjól, Hverfisgata 50,
Tel: 551 5653, www.borgarhjol.net
HI Hostel, Sundlaugarvegur 34,
Tel: 553 8110, www.hostel.is
Tourist Information Centre,
Aðalstræti 2, Tel: 590 1550,
www.visitreykjavik.is
Taxi
Hreyfill-Bæjarleiðir,
Tel: 553 3500 or 588 5522
BSR, Tel: 561 0000
For disabled travellers
Reykjavík Group Travel Service,
Brunastaðir 3, Tel: 587 8030, www.
randburg.com/is/reykjavik_group_trav-
el_service/
A useful brochure, Accessible Reykja-
vík, can be found at tourist offices.
Car rentals
Átak Car Rental, Smiðjuvegur 1,
Tel: 554 6040
ALP, Dugguvogur 10, Tel: 562 6060
Avis, Knarravogi 2, Tel: 591 4000
Eurocar, Hjallahraun 9, Tel: 565 3800
A.G Car Rental, Tangarhöfði 8-12.
Tel: 587 5544
Atlas Car Rental, Dalshraun 9,
Tel: 565 3800
Berg Car Rental, Tangarhöfða 8,
Tel: 577 6050
Hertz, Flugvallavegur, Tel: 505 0600
Airlines
Air Iceland, Reykjavíkurflugvöllur,
Tel: 570 3030, www.flugfelag.is
Air Vestmannaeyjar, Tel: 481 3255,
www.eyjaflug.is
Bus Terminal
BSÍ, Vatnsmýrarvegur 10,
Tel: 562 1011, www.bsi.is
Samferda.net
A reasonable choice for the budget
traveller. You log on to the website
www.samferda.net, choose your
destination and hopefully find a travel
buddy to share the cost.
The Intercultural Centre
The Intercultural Centre throws oc-
casional cultural events and confer-
ences but its main purpose is to be an
information and counselling centre
and serve as an advocate for the rights
of immigrants in Iceland.
Hverfisgata 18, Tel: 530 9300
www.ahus.is
Icelandic Travel Market
Bankastræti 2, Tel: 510 5700,
www.kleif.is
Information on day tours, accommo-
dations, car rental and everything else
you need to know when travelling in
Iceland.
Iceland Visitor
Lækjargata 2, Tel: 511 2442,
www.icelandvisitor.com
A travel agency offering travelling
package trips and custom-made tours
as well as car rental, day tours and
accommodations for visitors.
Tourist Information Centre
Aðalstræti 2, Tel: 590 1550,
www.visitreykjavik.is
Offers information for tourists as well
as providing internet access, booking
service, a phone centre, money ex-
change service, tax refund and selling
the Reykjavík Tourist Card. The Reykja-
vík Tourist Card gives admission to city
busses, various museums, Reykjavík
swimming pools, The Family Park and
Reykjavík Zoo, The Culture House and
the National and University Library.
The Icelandic Tourist Board
Lækjargata 3, Tel: 535 5500,
www.visiticeland.com
All information needed before travel-
ling in Iceland.
Goethe Institute
Túngata 14, Tel: 561 5921,
www.goethe.de/island
A cultural institute that offers movie
screenings, lectures and German
language courses.
Nordic House
Sturlugata 5, Tel: 551 7030,
www.nordice.is
The Nordic cultural centre organises
various cultural events, conferences
and exhibitions.
All major tourist spots in Reykjavík also
offer brochures, maps and information
for travellers.
Useful Information
Where to learn Icelandic as a
foreign language
Icelandic on the Internet,
www.vefskoli.is
Mímir Continuing Education,
Skeifán 8, Tel: 580 1800, www.mimir.is
Námsflokkar Reykjavíkur,
Fríkirkjuvegur 1, Tel: 551 2992
Fjölmenning, Laugavegur 59,
Tel: 511 1319, www.fjolmenning.is
The Icelandic College of Engineer-
ing and Technology, Höfðabakki 9,
Tel: 577 1400, www.thi.is
Iðnskólinn í Reykjavík,
Skólavörðuholti, Tel: 552 6240,
www.ir.is
The University of Iceland – Depart-
ment of Continuing Education,
Dunhagi 7, Tel: 525 4924,
www.endurmenntun.is
Religious movements
The national church in Iceland is the
Evangelical Lutheran Church. Masses
are generally held on Sundays at 11:00
in churches all around the capital.
Service in English is at Hallgrímskirkja
every last Saturday each month, start-
ing at 14:00. The Roman Catholic
Church also has masses in English and
Polish.
Other religious movements in Reykja-
vík are for example:
The Muslim Association of Iceland,
Ármúli 38
Ásatrú Association, Grandagarði 8
Bahá’í, Álfabakka 12
The Church of Evangelism,
Hlíðasmári 9
The Icelandic Buddhist Movement,
Víghólastígur 21
Reykjavík Free Lutheran Church,
Fríkirkjuvegur 5
Pentecostal Assembly, Hátún 2
Roman Catholic Church,
Hávallagata 14
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-
Day Saints, Ásabraut 2
Jehovah’s Witnesses, Sogavegur 71
Seventh-Day Adventists,
Suðurhlíð 36

Zen Buddhism in Iceland,
Reykjavíkurvegur 31
Independent Church,
Háteigsvegur 101
The Russian Orthodox Church in
Iceland, Sólvallagata 10
The Cross, Hlíðasmári 5-7
Trade Unions
The Icelandic Federation of Labour,
Sætún 1, Tel: 535 5600, www.asi.is
The Federation of State and Mu-
nicipal employees, Grettisgata 89,
Tel: 525 8300, www.bsrb.is
The Association of Academics, Bor-
gartún 6, Tel: 581 2090, www.bhm.is
Efling, Sætún 1, Tel: 510 7500,
www.efling.is
The Commercial Workers’ Union,
Kringlan 7, Tel: 510 1700, www.vr.is
Union of Public Servants, Grettis-
gata 89, Tel: 525 8340, www.sfr.is
Useful Websites
www.visitreykjavik.is (The official
tourist website of Reykjavík)
www.gayice.is (Information about
the gay scene in Iceland)
www.fjolmenningarsetur.is
(The Multicultural Centre)
www.hostel.is
(Hostel International in Iceland)
www.vinnumalastofnun.is
(Public employment services)
www.gulalinan.is (The yellow pages)
www.leigulistinn.is (Rent a flat)
www.simaskra.is
(Icelandic telephone directory)
Where to get Work and residence permit: The
Directorate of Immigration, Skógarhlíð
6, Tel: 510 5400, www.utl.is.
Insurance and benefits: The State
Social Security Institute, Laugavegur
114-116, Tel: 560 4400, www.tr.is
Icelandic citizenship: Unless you
come from a Nordic country, foreign
citizens have to have had an unre-
stricted residence permit in Iceland for
at least seven years in order to get an
Icelandic citizenship although some
exceptions exist to that general rule.
Applications are at the Ministry of
Justice and Ecclesiastical Affairs,
Skuggasund, Tel: 545 9000,
www.domsmalaraduneyti.is
Unemployment benefits: Director-
ate of Labour, Public Employment
Service, Tryggvagata 17, Tel: 515 4800,
www.vinnumalastofnun.is
Icelandic social security number
(kennitala): National Register, Bor-
gartún 30, Tel: 560 9800,
www.hagstofa.is
Driver’s license: Those who have a
foreign license don’t need an Icelandic
one for the first six months. After that
time you have one month to apply for
an Icelandic driver’s license. Applica-
tions are at police stations.
Tax card: Tax office, Laugavegur 166,
Tel: 563 1100, www.rsk.is
Rent subsidies: Social Service Office,
Tryggvagata 17, Tel: 411 9000 www.
felagsthjonustan.is
Facts on Iceland
Iceland is a constitutional repub-
lic with slightly more than 300,000
inhabitants. Reykjavík has been the
country’s capital since 1786 and today
almost two-thirds of the population
live in the greater capital area.
The 17th of June 1944 Iceland
became an independent republic.
That day is the national holiday and is
celebrated all around the country.
Alþingi, the national parliament,
is the oldest assembly in the world,
established at Þingvellir in 930 but
restored in Reykjavík in 1844. The par-
liament is comprised of 63 members,
who are elected by popular vote every
four years. Icelandic citizens over 18
years of age have the legal right to
vote.
Parliamentary elections were last
held in 2003 with 33.7 percent of
votes going to the Independence
Party. The Social Democratic Alliance
got 31 percent, the Progressive Party
17.7 percent, the Leftist-Greens 8.8
percent and the Liberal Party 7.4 per-
cent. The Independence Party and the
Progressive Party formed a coalition
and together lead the government.
Iceland has 12 ministers with the
prime minister and head of govern-
ment being Geir H. Haarde, who is
also chairman of the Independence
Party. The President of Iceland is Ólafur
Ragnar Grímsson, who has been in
office since 1996. He is the Chief of
State although his duties are mostly
ceremonial.
Time Zone: GMT 0
Currency: Íslensk króna (ISK).
International Dialling Code: +354
Cultural Centres and
Tourist Offices
RVK_GV_INFO_ISSUE 08_007_MUSIC/FESTIVAL_B15
What´s on? www.getrvk.com
1. June – 9. September 2007
Olaf Otto Becker · Páll Stefánsson · RAX
automatos
Live Icelandic music in the UK has long been
a slightly ramshackle affair with occasional
bursts of gig activity organised around fes-
tival appearances or low-key tours, such as
the recent series of gigs undertaken by Benni
Hemm Hemm. However, now British-based
music fans and expat Icelandic folk will be
able to get their regular fix of live Icelandic
music with a new bi-monthly London-based
event called Reykjavik Nights – a band night
featuring the best new Iceland music that’s
been set up by an enterprising group of friends
and colleagues.
Now in the final stages of three months of
planning, Reykjavik Nights debut evening will
feature two of Iceland’s best live bands, Trabant
and Æla, and is being held at an award-winning
venue in North London called The Luminaire
on Sunday June 17.
Renowned for featuring an eclectic line-
up of bands with an international leaning,
The Luminaire is a highly sought-after venue
to stage events such as this and, with such a
strong line-up for the debut night, organiser
Kolla Karlsdóttir explains a bit more about the
event and why she thinks it’ll be a massive
success: “Trabant and Æla are such good party
bands so we were really lucky to get them for
the first show. For each gig we will also pick
a special honorary ‘Icelander’ artist and for
this show we’ve got the fabulous Tim Ten Yen
– he’s become a cult figure in the UK with his
entertaining performances and he’s very good
at making people dance and putting them in
a good mood, just like Trabant and Æla!”
Putting on such a night in London is no
mean feat; the raft of logistical arrangements
that have to be made when working with
bands and venues based in different countries,
alongside the effort required to get press cov-
erage for the event, flyers distributed, posters
made and all the other smaller organisational
aspects, have added up to an almighty effort
in getting this project off the ground.
Kolla, with a little help from some of her
friends, has been the driving force behind the
concept after a friend gave her the idea ear-
lier this year: “I got the idea from my Danish
housemate who was importing Danish acts to
London some months ago. Last November I
started up a PR company, Two Little Dogs, with
the aim of helping Nordic artists to establish
themselves in the UK as I want to make more
opportunities and create a wider audience
for Icelandic music. I have now got so many
nice people involved with the Reykjavik Nights
project, mostly English people who love the
idea, and are helping me out as much they
can. On a corny note, I don’t think I would
have done this without them.”
Plans are already being made for the second
night, but with a “completely different theme”
to the testosterone-fuelled debut evening that
also coincides with Iceland’s National Day and
the eve of Trabant’s UK album release. Viðar
Gíslason, guitar player with Trabant, is par-
ticularly looking forward to celebrating both
of these important events: “Normally gigs
organised to promote a particular country’s
music are a bit cheesy but this one looks totally
different and it’s on our National Day and is
just before our album is release so, for us and
all our Icelandic friends, it’ll be an extra special
party!”
For the evening’s honorary ‘Icelandic’ artist,
London-based Tim Ten Yen, the evening will
be something of a first and an event that he’s
also really excited about playing. Tim also has
a unique inside view on how Icelandic music is
viewed in the UK and how this might begin to
change as more artists are showcased on future
Reykjavik Nights: “If you said to anyone in
London ‘what Icelandic music do you know?’,
currently, there’s still only one answer: she’s
got dark hair, she looks like a beautiful pixie
and she’s sold more solo records here than
Einar. Having a night of Icelandic bands can
go some way to changing that by introducing
more genuinely great music from Iceland into
London. The Luminaire has won many awards
for sound quality and for being an all-round
great place to see a band play. This in itself is
amazing. London has a lot of venues of varying
quality, so the fact that, for it’s size, the bands
are playing at The Luminaire shows that this
is serious – these bands are coming over and
will be seen in as perfect circumstances as
possible. If you’ve heard of Trabant and their
legendary live shows – this will be the place
to see them live!”
On a more serious note, Reykjavik Nights
also has the very worthy aim of furthering
the reach of Icelandic music into London and
beyond. Helping the organisers with this aspect
of the night is Anna Hildur Hildibrandsdóttir of
Icelandic Music Export ( www.icelandicmusic.
is), she explains a bit about their role and how
the partnership has been working: “Icelandic
Music Export (IMX) is a newly-established or-
ganisation set up to support the business and
marketing of Icelandic Music and we’re very
pleased to be involved with Reykjavik Nights,
it’s a really exciting initiative which is drawing
attention to the ever-vibrant Icelandic music
scene. The project is an ambitious one but Kolla
has found a really good and respected partner
in Andy Inglis, who runs The Luminaire, which
has a good reputation and is a really nice club.
Kolla has also the power and spirit to motivate
like-minded people who share her passion for
Icelandic music and has therefore created the
perfect platform for IMX to partner up with
in Reykjavik Nights.” So, with the backing of
IMX, a great venue and a leader with a pas-
sion for Icelandic music, Reykjavik Nights will
be the coolest ticket in town for some time to
come and, if there’s any justice in the world
of music, this will mark the start of a new
era of international recognition for Icelandic
bands. Tim Ten Yen, speaking from a relatively
neutral point of view, certainly agrees that this
could be the beginning of something big: “If
Icelandic music wants to take over the world
then London is a very good place to start.”
Reykjavík Nights
Sunday June 17
The Luminaire, Kilburn, North London
www.myspace.com/reykjaviknightsin-
london
www.theluminaire.com
www.wegottickets.com/event/18470
Reykjavik Nights in London Preview
Text by Ben H. Murray Photo by Skari
“Normally gigs organised
to promote a particular
country’s music are a bit
cheesy but this one looks
totally different and it’s
on our National Day and
is just before our album
is release so, for us and
all our Icelandic friends,
it’ll be an extra special
party!”
Two unique exihbitions:
The Settlement of Iceland
and
Egils saga
Open daily from 10 am to 7 pm
R E S T A U R A N T
Open from 10 am to 9:30 pm
Tel: +354 437 1600
www.landnamssetur.is
A must do
for the visitor...
SetTlement
centre
the
I N B O R G A R N E S