Reykjavík Grapevine - 15.07.2011, Blaðsíða 4

WELCOME CARD
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when visiting Reykjavík.
Free admissions and discounts
off tours, shopping and services
for 24, 48 or 72 hours.
Great value for money.
The Welcome Card can
be purchased at:
The Centre, major hotels, museums,
tourist information centres and
Hlemmur and BSÍ bus stations.
WELCOME CARD2009 - 2010
48
INCLUDING CITY BUS TRANSPORT, FREE ADMISSIONS, DISCOUNTS OFF TOURS, SHOPPING, AND SERVICES
AVAILABLE FOR 24, 48 AND 72 HOURS.
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www.visitreykjavik.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

Say your piece, voice
your opinion, send your
letters to:
letters@grapevine.is
4
Letters
Sour grapes
and stuff
MOST AWESOME LETTER
FREE ICELANDIC GOURMET FEAST
There's prize for all your MOST AWESOME LETTERS. And
it’s a scorcher! No, really! It's a goddamn scorcher is what
it is! Whoever sends us THE MOST AWESOME LETTER
this issue will receive A FRIGGIN GOURMET FEAST FOR
TWO at Tapas Barinn.
Did you hear that? Write in and complain about
something (in an admirable way), win a gourmet feast at one of Reykjavík's finest? THIS IS
THE DEAL OF THE CENTURY IS WHAT IT IS!
What's in a 'lobster feast'? Well, one has to assume that it has lobster-a-plenty. Is there
more? Probably, but still... Gourmet feast? Wow! DON’T PANIC if your letter wasn’t picked
AWESOME LETTER. There's always next month!
Now, if you're in the market for free goodies next month, write us some sort of letter.
Give us your worst: letters@grapevine.is
MOST AWESOME LETTER:
Hello osom grapevine
I am admirably broke and i like lobster.
Can i have it?
-Sindri
Dear Sindri,
Sure, since you ask so nicely. Enjoy your lob-
ster! And then consider it! And if you got that
little joke, you’ve also earned a complimen-
tary beer, courtesy of our editor.
hi,
while browsing the tattoo pictures of tattoo-
stofan selfossi I stumble on that picture
http://on.fb.me/p69OwW - a Nazi 14 barely
hidden : 14, from the Fourteen Words coined
by David Lane: "We must secure the exis-
tence of our people and a future for White
children." (see wikipedia page on neo-nazis)
15 likes for that tattoo!!!
I find it unbearable that in Iceland people
can express these hatred ideas clear and
high and not be in trouble.
Not sure if you can or will do anything about
this.
In any case, all the best.
Morgane
Dear Morgane,
wow. That’s nasty, huh. Why were you brows-
ing the photos for Tattoo-stofan Selfossi
again? That doesn’t seem like something one
would get up for fun. Unless you’re, like, su-
per-interested in hnakki-culture and tramp-
stamps. Or really, really high. Who knows?
It’s not our place to judge your hobbies.
Anyway. Yeah. Fuck Nazis. They fucking
suck. Fucking fuck them and the fuckers
that think it’s cool to glorify them. And yeah,
people that think they’re cool also suck. Fuck
them too. But mainly they’re probably dumb.
We probably shouldn’t do anything about that
guy with that stupid fucking tattoo, though.
He will have ‘ASSHOLE’ branded on his skin
in capital letters for the rest of his life.
That seems punishment in and of itself.
But thanks for staying alert Morgane, do let
us know if you find more Nazi-scum lurking
about.
Dear editor, Grapevine.

I have just recently returned from my second
trip in Iceland and I thought I might share
with you some of my experiences and tips for
other travellers...

Firstly, Reykjavik is a small city. There are
nice places to dine and some interesting
exhibits definately, but it is small so plan to
get out and spend at least some time else-
where. Having said that, the best way to
enjoy Reykjavik is to be less of a spectator
and more of a participant in its offerings. On
my first trip in midwinter I was frustrated
that the bar I looked up online no longer
existed and another place I was interested
in was booked for a private party. In Reyk-
javik a lot of things happen by invitation so
the best way to meet locals is to stop looking
for something to happen and do something
for yourself. Play some music in the park or
buy some wool and ask someone to teach you
how to knit. Add some graffiti to a wall. Plant
a tree around the city. Do things and you will
meet people.
Secondly, go twice! Iceland is a place of strik-
ing contrasts and astonishing change, and
each moment can seem deceivingly stuck in
time and then be wiped off the map in an
instant. I have seen Jokulsarlon in January
while it was blue and glassy - and I hear it
is black with ash now; and where we parked
our super-jeep in Thorsmork - we were
parked in what had previously been a la-
goon. I have seen the endless midsummer
days and the long midwinter nights and i
would highly suggest to anyone travelling
that a second trip back is well worth it. Youll
be amazed at how welcoming the city feels
when you know your way around the streets
(even if you still cant pronounce them yet)
and how different it is from season to season.
If you came in winter, come back for the hik-
ing and boating you couldnt do then; if you
came in summer, you simply have to return
for the New Years fires and fireworks, it is
not to be missed!
P.S. Thanks for the great read on the plane-
ride home : )

Mathew Phillips, Tofino, Canada.
Dear Matthew,
thank you for your most excellent letter;
your kind words and your advice to your fel-
low travellers (those of us that live here are
already super-jaded and never venture out-
doors at all, so your advice falls flat on us).
But dude! You were spraying our walls with
your graffiti! WTF, man! Do you want us to
travel all the way to ‘Tofino’ (whatever that is)
and spray shit on your walls? DUDE! That
shit ain’t right! You’ve been here twice—this
is us telling you to COME BACK RIGHT
NOW AND CLEAN THAT SHIT UP!
Nei, djók. But anyway, yeah, thanks for your
letter. And enjoy your days in ‘Tofino’.
Hi there! First, i would like to say how much
i like the newspaper, and how thankful i am
for being able to have uptated news about
iceland in english, i also find most of the
articles very bold, with solid arguments and
somehow inspiring.
Second, i dont intend this to be any awe-
some letter, i just didnt know for sure what
adress to write :). So, I just want to ask, if it
is possible, for an article or guide on what to
do with recycling materials or where to take
them. Paper, plastic, metal and glass, but
also wood, batteries, used cooking oil and
everything possible. I would greatly appreci-
ate it. Back home, on my beautiful Brazil, I
used to separate materials for recycling, but
since I moved to Iceland, not sure what to do
with them. Would be nice to have a little help
on this, as the people i know from here do
not know any better so, maybe people would
recycle more if they knew how possible it is.
Thank you very much!
Liliane E. Santo
Dear Liliane,
thank you for your nice letter. Regardless
of your intentions, it’s still pretty awesome
(it still won’t win the ‘AWESOME LETTER’
lobster though, as it has already been granted
to poor ol’ Sindri). However, YOU ARE AB-
SOLUTELY RIGHT,! We do need to print
something on recycling and separating and
where to put all that stuff. We love mother
nature and we are pretty certain it should be
conserved. And we should do our part.
So we’ll do it in a future issue. Promise.
LOVE
Please Read this Letter to Heterosexual Men.
http://infiniteexistence.wordpress.com/
Thanks,
Ralph Gillies
Dear Ralph Gillies,
thank you for your nice letter. You’re crazy.