Reykjavík Grapevine - 02.08.2019, Page 4
What Are Icelanders
Talking About?
Reasons for weeping and
gnashing of teeth
Words: Andie Fontaine/Valur Grettisson Photo: Creative Commons
Many Icelanders are
preoccupied with the
latest parliamentar y pol ls
suggesting that the Centre Party
is ascendent, to the point where
they are now tied for second place
with the Pirate Party. Meanwhile,
support for the Independence
Party is at a record low, indicat-
ing that some Independence Party
voters have shifted to the decidedly
populist Centre Party. Many have
speculated that their protracted
filibuster campaign over the Third
Energy Package last spring may
have helped their popularity. If so,
they’re going to need to think up
more stunts to pull to keep boost-
ing those numbers.
A mass stranding of over 50
pilot whales in Snæfellsnes has
been great cause for concern, not
least of all because no one knows
exactly why so many whales
beached themselves. Róbert Arnar
Stefánsson, a biologist and direc-
tor of the West Iceland Nature
Research Centre, told report-
ers that it is “worrying that we’re
seeing more and more of this in
the last years.” The tragedy may be
in part due to human influence,
whether from submarine sonar
attracting the whales or human-
driven climate change pushing
mackerel—a favourite of pilot
whales—into shallower waters. Of
course, it could also be a fluke of
nature, such as a sick whale leading
the rest of the pod inadvertently
onto Iceland’s shores. Whatever
the cause, it’s a pretty sad affair.
Read a detailed account on page 16.
Last June, the picturesque
Helgafell mountain became
festooned with giant dicks that
were crudely scratched into the
mountain surface by local teens.
Amazingly, they also carved their
names into the mountain, as if
they were proud of their work.
These creative efforts would all be
to naught as a group of volunteers
scrubbed the cocks and related
graffiti off of the mountains, with
the help of park rangers, restoring
Helgafell to its original wang-free
glory.
A road accident nearly led to a
natural disaster in July, as a tanker
truck crashed on North Iceland’s
Öxnadalsheiði mountain pass,
dumping 13,000 litres of fuel
into the surrounding environs.
Thankfully, road workers were
fast to respond, containing the oil
and pumping most of it up. While
ongoing clean-up operations may
continue in the weeks to come,
there is currently no sign of lasting
environmental damage from the
spill, thankfully enough.
4The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 13— 2019First
Published by Fröken
ehf.
Hafnarstræti 15,
101 Reykjavík
www.grapevine.is
grapevine@
grapevine.is
Member of the
Icelandic
Travel Industry
Association
www.saf.is
Printed by
Landsprent ehf. in
25,000 copies.
PUBLISHER
Hilmar Steinn
Grétarsson
hilmar@grapevine.is
+354 540 3601
publisher@
grapevine.is
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Valur Grettisson
valur@grapevine.is
MANAGING EDITOR
John Rogers
john@grapevine.is
ART DIRECTOR
Sveinbjörn Pálsson
sveinbjorn@
grapevine.is
NEWS EDITOR
Andie Fontaine
andie@grapevine.is
CULTURE & TRAVEL
EDITOR
John Rogers
john@grapevine.is
PHOTO EDITOR
Art Bicnick
art@grapevine.is
WEB EDITOR
Andie Fontaine
andie@grapevine.is
LISTINGS DIRECTOR
Hannah Jane Cohen
listings@listings.is
LAYOUT
Þorsteinn Davíðsson
COPY EDITOR
Catharine Fulton
ILLUSTRATIONS
Elín Elísabet
Lóa Hlín
Hjálmtýsdóttir
Þorsteinn Davíðsson
INTERNS
Josie Gaitens
josie@grapevine.is
Felix Robertson
felix@grapevine.is
CONTRIBUTING
WRITERS
a rawlings
Alexander Jean Le
Sage de Fontenay
Bára Halldórs
Catherine Fulton
Grayson del Faro
Kolbeinn Arnaldur
Dalrymple
Lóa Hlín
Hjálmtýsdóttir
Phil Uwe Widiger
Shruthi Basappa
PHOTOGRAPHERS
Anna Maggý
Art Bicnick
Berglind Jóna
Hlýnsdóttir
Dominika Milek
Kollin Schafer
Sharon Kilgannon
OIII Europe
SALES DIRECTORS
Aðalsteinn
Jörundsson
adalsteinn@
grapevine.is
Helgi Þór Harðarson
helgi@grapevine.is
EDITORIAL
+354 540 3600
editor@grapevine.is
ADVERTISING
+354 540 3605
ads@grapevine.is
DISTRIBUTION &
SUBSCRIPTIONS
+354 540 3604
distribution@
grapevine.is
PRESS RELEASES
listings@grapevine.is
GENERAL INQUIRIES
grapevine@grapevine.is
FOUNDERS
Hilmar Steinn
Grétarsson,
Hörður
Kristbjörnsson,
Jón Trausti
Sigurðarson,
Oddur Óskar
Kjartansson,
Valur Gunnarsson
The Reykjavík Grapevine is
published 21 times a year
by Fröken ltd. Monthly
from December through
February, and fortnightly
from March til October.
Nothing in this magazine
may be reproduced in
whole or in part without
the written permission
of the publishers. The
Reykjavík Grapevine
is distributed around
Reykjavík, Akureyri,
Egilsstaðir, Seyðisfjörður,
Borgarnes, Keflavík,
Ísafjörður and at key
locations along road
#1, and all major tourist
attractions and tourist
information centres in
the country. You may not
like it, but at least it's not
sponsored (no articles in
the Reykjavík Grapevine
are pay-for articles. The
opinions expressed are
the writers’ own, not the
advertisers’).
NEWS
CARTOON
Peens promptly peeled off prominent peak
THE HOME
OF ICELANDIC
SEAFOOD
AND LAMB
APOTEK Kitchen+Bar is a casual-smart
restaurant located in one of Reykjavíks
most historical buildings.
We specialize in fresh seafood
and local ingredients
prepared with a modern twist.
APOTEK KITCHEN+BAR Austurstræti 16 101 Reykjavík apotek.is