Reykjavík Grapevine - 11.09.2009, Page 44

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The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 14 — 2009
ReBeCCa lOuDeR
JóI KJaRTanS
Travel | Destinations
The equinox is almost upon us, and a big ol’ nine-month night will soon overtake
our days. Temperatures are rapidly dropping and the snow will soon fall. Alas, all-
night adventures, hiking through the mountains and impromptu 4 AM road trips,
will soon be off the menu.
But don’t let the ice scare you! This country is a marvel all year round, and
there is still fun to be had in the wilderness. Pull on some long-johns, layer up
your shirts, put on a pair of sheep’s wool mittens and go frolic about in the crisp,
magical darkness. Here are a few nice ways to spend the upcoming days and
nights of darkness.
Out and About
ICe-walKInG On
SólHJeIMaJöKull GlaCIeR
Since hiking isn’t an option, clamp
on some crampons and climb up a
gigantic mound of thousand-year
old ice. On this tour, offered by the
good people at Icelandic Mountain
Guides, you will be taken up onto
the Sólheimajökull tongue of the
Mýrdalsjökull glacier and crunch
your way across stunning blue ice
surrounded by black lava fields. The
skilled guides provide equipment and
teach you how to properly use it, so
nobody needs to be a pro. Remember
to wear clothing for all conditions
because this tour only gets called off
in the worst possible weather. The tour
costs 17.900ISK (less if you bring your
own car).
JeeP TOuRS
These tours offered by Iceland Rovers
are pretty deluxe. Not only will
you experience about five different
landscapes and natural wonders,
but you will do so in the rugged
comfort of a swanky four-by-four.
The tour I recommend takes you to
Þingvellir National Park, the enormous
Langjökull glacier, down in a lava cave,
and with all sorts of waterfalls and one
of the biggest natural hot springs in
the world. Additionally, at 26.900ISK,
the exchange rate with most countries
makes this the most bang for your
buck right now. If you’re gonna treat
yourself, treat yourself right.
HunTInG THe auRORa BORealIS
On a clear, cold winter night, crane
your neck up to the sky and see sheets
of f lowing colour rippling through
the darkness. This can happen in the
city if you are lucky enough, but you
have a much better shot at catching
them out in the wilderness, away from
all the street-lights. From September
to April, Reykjavík Excursions goes
on nightly adventures to catch these
elusive wonders for just 4.700 ISK. The
destination varies each night because
they drive to where the conditions are
most suitable. Even if you don’t find
your cosmic prey, the dark Icelandic
countryside is breathtaking and oh-so-
romantic. Bring snacks!
A City Winter
IMaGIne PeaCe TOweR On VIðey
If you don’t have much time and don’t
feel like straying too far, a close and
powerful experience awaits you only
seven minutes away on the island of
Viðey off the coast of Reykjavík. The
endless tower of light is a memorial
to John Lennon conceived by Yoko
Ono and is lit every year from October
9th to December 8th, over the winter
solstice and in the first week of March.
The ferry goes on weekends and costs
only 1.000 ISK for adults and 500 for
children.
HOT TuBBInG In a SnOwSTORM
Honestly, the absolute best time to
hit the pools in Iceland is in the dark
winter when snow is coming down. It’s
totally hilarious, surreal and soothing.
The warm water on your body and
crisp clean air around your head will
balance out your heart rate and relax
your muscles. Not to mention the
bragging rights you’ll earn back home.
All pools in Reykjavík are 360 ISK
a pop, but the Vestubær pool comes
especially recommended for this
purpose.
SKaTInG anD SnOwMan
BuIlDInG On TJöRnIn
When the big pond next to City Hall
freezes over, grab your family, grab
your friends, call the subject of your
desires and release your inner child on
the ice. Have an epic snowball fight.
Make snowmen effigies of the Central
Bankers and smash ‘em down. Buy a
cheap pair of skates at Kolaportið and
learn to do a triple Lutz. Have your
first kiss under the moonlight! Winter
is just wonderful!
Winter Wonderland
Fun things to do in Iceland this winter
Tel +354 577 60 50
www.sixt.is
Licensing and
registration of travel-
related services
The Icelandic Tourist Board issues licences to tour operators and travel agents,
as well as issuing registration to booking services and information centres.
Tour operators and travel agents are required to use a special logo approved
by the Icelandic Tourist Board on all their advertisements and on their Internet
website.
Booking services and information centres are entitled to use a Tourist
Board logo on all their material. The logos below are recognised by the
Icelandic Tourist Board.
List of licenced Tour
Operators and Travel
Agencies on:
visiticeland.com
#91 - Issue 4 - 2009
#93 - Issue 6 - 2009
#92 - Issue 5 - 2009
#94 - Issue 7 - 2009
Grapevine 101
This issue features one of my favourite Grapevine features, Haukur
Már Helgason’s ‘The End of Neo-Liberal Neverland.’ Among other
things, the story reveals how most Icelanders are basically shackled
in dept at an early age. This is doubly true post-collapse. To de-
pict this on the cover, we covered our friend’s baby, Dalí, in older
generations’ IOU notes. Lovely Dalí will have to work pretty hard to
escape the quicksand of debt he’ll inherit. HSM
David Lynch announced he was coming to Iceland to usher in an
era of great prosperity, via Transcendental Meditation. He agreed
to give us an interview, and shoot a self-portrait for our cover. Our
designer Jói held the camera for him as he snapped the image (the
whole shoot took two minutes), and his answers to our interview
questions arrived after we went to print. It’s still pretty awesome.
C’mon, ‘Cover directed by David Lynch’? That is so cool. HSM
Artist Ragnar Kjartansson was headed to represent Iceland at the
Venice Biennale, and gave us a pretty awesome interview as he was
packing. This made him an ideal candidate for our cover. So we put
him there, and it looked pretty fine. We also made a limited, 500-
copy version of the issue, which featured wall-ready artwork by the
man Kjartansson. We probably still have some around – email us if
you’re interested. HSM
Our then intern/soon to be journalist Catharine Fulton wrote an
impressive feature on Reykjavík’s new breed of activist anarchists.
As everyone knows, activists don’t take to being photographed, so
to represent them on the cover, we mangled up a picture of Eurovi-
sion star Jóhanna Guðrún in the style of the Sex Pistols’ cover for
their God Save The Queen single. No one gave us permission to
use Yohanna’s picture, so don’t tell anyone it’s her on the cover. It’s
a secret. Shhhh... HSM