Reykjavík Grapevine - 19.05.2017, Síða 55

Island Life
News From The Countryside: West Iceland Edition
Words: Paul Fontaine
Things To Do Outside Reykjavík
As temperatures warm and the sun shows its face more often now, it’s that time of year again: time for spon-
taneous grass fires. Farmers conduct controlled grass fires on their property at times, but they can also
happen out of the blue, as was the case in the shires of Eyja and Miklaholt recently.
There, grass fires sprouted and quickly spread over the course of an afternoon, get-
ting dangerously close to human habitation. Firefighters and farmers alike were
quick to respond, though, and the fire was contained in a matter of hours.
55The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 08 — 2017
Theatre:
The Freezer
There’s not an awful lot to do in the
tiny seaside hamlet of Rif, located on
the northern side of the Snæfellsnes
peninsula. But the Freezer Hostel is
looking to change that. As well as
a cosy bar and some hostel rooms,
the Freezer holds a theatre space
that holds regular events, includ-
ing live music and plays. They re-
cently staged an adaptation of Jules
Verne’s classic ‘Journey To Centre of
the Earth’—a story that begins just
up the road at Snæfellsjökull. JR
Activity:
Elf Spotting
Take a jaunt down to Iceland’s
“elf capital,” the seaside town of
Hafnarfjörður, and join the “hid-
den worlds” walking tour. While
roaming through pict uresqu
Hellisgerði Park, pause to smell
the white-tipped flowers and lis-
ten carefully to the breeze near
the basa lt bou lder. Run your
hands over moss as the guide
shares old tales. What was that
there? Did you see something
move t h roug h t he g ra ss? GD
Museum:
Rock 'n' Roll Keflavík
If you’re a fan of any Icelandic mu-
sic, you have to make a pit stop at
Keflavík’s Museum of Rock ‘n’ Roll.
With everything from a collection
of Páll Óskar’s outfits to a karaoke
booth, the museum is the place to
go for an afternoon of groovin-but-
still-informative fun. Learn about
the progression of Icelandic music
and then gawk at Sigur rós mem-
orabilia—we know they’re the
reason you came here. Note: they
do not have the swan dress. HJC
Photo: Art BicnickPhoto: Art BicnickPhoto: Timothée Lambrecq
Residents of Borgarbyggð will finally get to vote on a possible out-
door shooting range in the area. Opinions are divided on the subject,
with forestry services and horse riding companies opposed, but a
good number of locals supporting it. There is already an indoor shoot-
ing range in the area, which you can read about on page 20.
In the latest issue of the West Iceland newspaper Íbúinn featured its own
editor on the cover. Not because of anything related to the paper itself, though;
rather, Olgeir Helgi Ragnarsson appeared on the cover because he is a tenor who will be
singing at a music concert hosted by a local school. Oh, and the director of the school
is his wife. When questioned on the possible journalistic ethics violations of this
decision by a Reykjavík-based reporter, Olgeir dismissed these concerns, saying
that the concert was “indisputably the biggest event happening [in the area] this
week,” and that the decision to put him on the cover came not from him, but the
school. The school his wife runs.
I C E L A N D I C R E S T A U R A N T & B A R
Tasty tapas and dr inks by the o ld harbour
T a b l e r e s e r v a t i o n s : + 3 5 4 5 1 7 1 8 0 0 - w w w . f o r r e t t a b a r i n n . i s
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