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A User’s Guide to Icelandic Seasons, Part One: Summer

It’s summer, but not as you know it.

'Tis the seasonTo fully grasp the concept of the “Icelandic summer” it’s important to realize that it’s all about alluring pixies frolicking naked through fields of wild flowers under the midnight sun, listening to Sigur Rós.

Just kidding.

But it is true that the most unique selling proposition of the Icelandic summer is the midnight sun.

In case you haven’t heard of it, it’s the mostly 24-hours of daylight in the period from the end of May until the end of July. For our goth and vampire passengers this may be a total, um, nightmare, but for everyone else it’s rather welcome.

You see, summer in Iceland changes everything. For example, you can eat an ice cream in the middle of the night without feeling guilty. Also: drinking a beer in the park at all hours is completely socially acceptable, no matter what your mother-in-law says.

With the shackles of winter gone, you can forage for actual berries, or go to an actual beach. So, as you can see, Iceland in the summer is a whole world of fun, even with your clothes on.

And that strange feeling you get when you stagger out of the bar to be greeted by daylight? Why, that’s why Corey Hart invented wearing sunglasses at night.

28 August 2012 – 14:56 | By Hafsteinn | Posted in iceland | Comments (0)

A special offer for people who like wearing sunglasses at night

solgleraugu_165h.jpg

Starting at noon tomorrow today: Book a flight into the Icelandic midnight sun for £75, €89 or DKK 679.

To Iceland from where?
To Reykjavík from Edinburgh, Cologne, London, Copenhagen and Berlin. And if you’re in Copenhagen you can also fly direct to Akureyri and Egilsstaðir.

How much?
From £75, €89, DKK679, one-way including taxes and fees.

Fly:
From London: 2 May to 30 August
From Berlin: 4 May to 30 August
From Cologne: 5 June to 30 August
From Edinburgh: 21 Jun to 30 August
From Copenhagen: 1 June to 30 August to Reykjavík, 1 July to 7 August to Akureyri and 13 to 27 August to Egilstaðir

Buy:
On sale for only 24 hours, until at 12 o’clock GMT on Wednesday 2 May. By the way, that’s 1pm in London and 14:00 CET.

The small print?
Limited seats available. First come, first served. And remember to bring sunscreen (just kidding). Sunglasses not included.

Book now!

30 April 2012 – 18:48 | By valgeir | Posted in iceland | Comments (0)

Iceland is really, really special. And so is this offer.

Bye bye, birdieFlights to Iceland from London, Copenhagen, Berlin, Alicante and Warsaw for all sorts of ridiculously low prices.

What's all the fuss about?
A really, really special offer on flights to Iceland from London, Copenhagen, Berlin, Alicante and Warsaw. Really.

How much did you say?
Starting at DKK 679 from Copenhagen, €119 from Berlin, £79 from London, €149 from Warsaw and €159 from Alicante, one-way including taxes and fees.

Fly:
From 14 April to 10 June 2012.

Buy:
For 24 hours only, starting at noon on Friday and ending at noon on Saturday. (That's 1pm in the UK and 14:00 CET.)

The small print?
Limited seats available. First come, first served. And do remember to ask the neighbours to water your plants.

Book now?

12 April 2012 – 21:47 | By valgeir | Posted in cheap flights to iceland, iceland | Comments (0)

A special offer on flights to Iceland for people who like kittens (and puppies)

kitten-174x125.jpgWhat’s the big deal?
Lots of cheap return flights to Reykjavík from London, Copenhagen, Berlin and Edinburgh.

That’s a return flight to Reykjavík from how much?

  • £186 departing from London,
  • £170 from Edinburgh,
  • €186 from Berlin, and
  • DKK 1628 from Copenhagen
  • including taxes and fees.

When to fly?
From 14 April to 31 August (except for Copenhagen which starts on 2 March, and Edinburgh which starts on 21 June).

When to buy?
Open for sale for 24 hours only, from noon (GMT) on Monday 21 February to noon on Tuesday 22 February.

The small print?
Prices include taxes and fees. Limited seats available. Kittens not included.

And if I don’t like kittens? Can I still get this offer?
Yes, the offer also applies to people who prefer puppies.

Click to book
20 February 2012 – 8:22 | By valgeir | Posted in cheap flights to iceland, iceland | Comments (0)

Cool Icelandic bands just don’t have time to wait for you to come to Reykjavík

That’s why we’re sending them to you instead.

We know you’re a really busy person — much too busy to fly with Iceland Express to Reykjavík every weekend to listen to cool local bands.

So we’re just sending them to you instead.

With our friends at Iceland Music Export we’re making it easier for great Icelandic bands and musicians to fly away and introduce themselves in person to nice foreign people like you.

Retro Stefson album cover

So far, Prins Póló has played Denmark, Úlfur Hansson was in Belgium, Lay Low was in the Netherlands, Snorri Helgason was in Poland and London and Retro Stefson (pictured here, looking tired of waiting for you) has been just all over the place.

Coming up soon, the Caterpillarmen playing all over Europe, Myrra Rós plugging her new album in Poland, and Pascal Pinon doing their thing in Japan in March.

So keep your eyes open and your ears peeled. (And if you can’t wait for them to come to you, you know what to do.)

31 January 2012 – 2:27 | By valgeir | Posted in icelandic music | Comments (0)

It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s an Airbus!

Tired of going boing Boeing? Just hop on the Airbus.

111122-airbus.gifJust thought you’d be interested in knowing that we just added two brand new Airbus 320 to our fleet, which now consists of, um, two brand-new* Airbus 320.

What does it all mean? Oh, just that everything’s new and improved — with more seats, more space, and that irresistible new-plane smell. But don’t worry, we still have the same lovely cabin crew.

So, hop on the Iceland Express Airbus, Gus. Don’t need to discuss much.

Make a new plan, Stan? Click here to book.

7 December 2011 – 6:16 | By valgeir | Posted in Interoffice Memo | Comments (0)

A Special Offer on Northern Flights to Northern Lights

Including a free pass to a Reykjavík swimming pool of your choice.

What?
Special limited time only offer on super-cheap flights to Iceland from London, Berlin and Copenhagen.

Prices from?
£69 from London
€79 from Berlin
DKK559 from Copenhagen

Including taxes and fees?
Yes, including taxes and fees.

Anything else included?
Yes! Get a free entrance to any Reykjavík swimming pool by showing your boarding card. It’s the perfect spot to lie on your back and search for the Northern Lights.

When to fly?
Fly until 31 December.

When to buy?
Book now, until noon (CET) on Thursday 24 November.

That’s it?
Well, you know. There are limited seats available, so book early. Free swimming pool entrance only valid until 21 December. And some rather reasonable restrictions apply. Oh, and Northern Lights not included.

Click here to book

22 November 2011 – 7:44 | By valgeir | Posted in cheap flights to iceland, iceland | Comments (0)

Cheap flights to cities bearing the names of 70s rock bands

Rock starThis summer Iceland Express adds the great cities of Boston and Chicago to its network.

You might think our bosses have a thing for cities that have rock bands named after them. After all, they just decided to add Boston and Chicago to our network from next summer. And, we already fly to Friedrichshafen, which is where the, um, Zeppelin was created.

Notice a pattern?

No?

Anyway, this summer we’ll be perfectly happy to fly you to Chicago once a week from London, Copenhagen and Reykjavík.

And to Boston four times a week from Aalborg, Berlin, Billund, Copenhagen, Edinburgh, Frankfurt Hahn, Gothenburg, London, Oslo, Paris, Stockholm, Warsaw — all via Reykjavík.

You can book it all now, on our lovely website, for quite a price that, well, rocks.

Oh, and if you know any other cities bearing the names of 70s rock bands, please email our CEO.

27 February 2011 – 14:53 | By valgeir | Posted in boston, Chicago, Cities bearing the names of 70s rock bands, iceland | Comments (0)

A win-win situation

TrumpetAnswer 3 questions and win a free flight for two plus hotel for the Reykjavík Museum Night in February.

As we don’t tire of telling you on our hipster blog, a lot of things go on in Reykjavík. And on Reykjavík Museum Night in February it all comes together.

Reykjavík!That’s why we’ve teamed up with our friends at Visit Reykjavík for a little competition.

On their site you can win a flight for two to Reykjavík from any of our destinations plus 2-3 nights in a hotel, a day tour of your choice, a trip to the spa, and lots of other little goodies.

Click here to answer 3 easy questions

18 January 2011 – 6:02 | By valgeir | Posted in Reykjavík Museum Night, reykjavik, Win-win situations | Comments (0)

Invite yourself to Iceland

Introducing a special offer on flights to Iceland in the Northern Lights season.

Icelandic stamp showing flagWhat?
Fly to Reykjavík from Copenhagen, Berlin, London, New York and Warsaw.

How much?
A whole bunch of seats from only £69/€79/$99, including taxes and fees.

When to fly?
15 January to 31 March.

When to buy?
Right now, dears.

The small print?
Oh, just the usual. We have a limited number of seats at these prices, so hurry up.

Click here to book

Oops, we almost forgot. We’ll fly you to New York from London and Copenhagen as well, from £149/$239/DKK1290.

15 January 2011 – 10:33 | By valgeir | Posted in cheap flights to iceland, Interoffice Memo | Comments (0)

Big Ben, meet Lady Liberty

bigben-liberty-230x200.jpgIntroducing what is quite possibly the cheapest way to cross the Atlantic, unless you’re a really ridiculously good swimmer.

What?
Fly from London to New York, or the other way around, via Iceland.

How much?
A thousand seats for only £299 or $469 return, including taxes and fees.

Really?
Yes, really.

When to fly?
7 January to 28 March.

When to buy?
Well now, actually.

Click here to book

P.S. Although we’ll gladly fly you across the Atlantic, you can also just fly with us to Reykjavík. (It’s a pretty nice place.)

3 December 2010 – 6:40 | By valgeir | Posted in iceland, london, New York, transatlantic | Comments (0)

Take the iPad Express across the Atlantic

Iceland Express puts the, um, “fly,” in “iPad”.*

Yes, it's an actual iPadIn case you don’t have something better to do on our flights, we’re now offering a shiny new gadget for your fondling pleasure.

It’s called an “iPad.” (You may have heard of it.) And apparently we’re the first European airline to offer it as in-flight entertainment. Fancy that.

On it, you’ll be able to watch movies and television shows, listen to music, read magazines and play games. Also, waving it around is a really good way to get the immediate attention of our cabin crew.

We’ll start by offering it on all our transatlantic flights, but we’ll be rolling it out to the rest of our fleet over the next few months.

To everyone’s great surprise, our Ecommerce Manager (who has been meticulously testing every facet of our iPads in the last few months) is terribly excited about all of this. Stewardess with iPad“We have been offering a mobile entertainment unit to our passenger for the past two years onboard our European flights, but now that Iceland Express is going transatlantic, it makes sense for us to invest in a device that is more geared towards long-haul.”

“But mostly it’s just really, really cool,” he added.

Oh, and in case you were wondering, we now fly twice a week (daily in summer) between London and New York, via Reykjavik. Prices start from £298 return including taxes.

Want to use our iPads? Renting them costs 1500 ISK / $13 / £9. Also, you’ll actually have to book a flight. But don’t worry, we fly to some pretty good places.

* Yes, we know that pun doesn’t really work.

24 November 2010 – 11:12 | By valgeir | Posted in iceland, iPad, shiny onboard gadgets | Comments (5)

We like to be in America

iex-usa-badge-150x.jpgIceland Express starts flying to Orlando in October, and we’re also extending our New York schedule.

We’ve got some good news for Icelanders who like it hot, and for Floridians who wouldn’t mind a bit of fresh air: This October, Iceland Express starts flying to Florida from Reykjavík. (And back.)

This first run is going to be a short one, with the maiden flight on 2 October and the last scheduled flight 23 October. One flight a week, on Saturdays, with possibilities of connecting with Copenhagen and London via Iceland.

Oh, and in other America-related news — our New York flights have been pretty successful so far, and we’ve decided to extend that route an extra two months, until the end of October.

So, Tony and Mickey — you know where to book your flight to Iceland.

15 July 2010 – 5:50 | By valgeir | Posted in iceland, New York, Orlando | Comments (2)

Icelandic Music 101: For A Minor Reflection

The kids are all rightThey are introspective, skinny, young, talented. Why, they must be For A Minor Reflection, the latest band lazy journalists like to compare to Sigur Rós!

The boys from For A Minor Reflection have recently toured the UK, and supported a well-known band of folk musicians across Europe and America. Not bad if you’re barely out of high-school.

But their talent belies their age, and the general opinion of the Very Important Music Press is that they’re very good indeed, and should be high on your list of bands to tell other pale and interesting people about in dingy indie clubs this weekend.

According to our resident specialist, their sound falls into the category of “post-rock” which apparently means they don’t use vocals and their tracks are very long and progressive. (But, he adds, “thankfully not in that annoying Emerson, Lake & Palmer kind of way!”)

For A Minor Reflection release that difficult second album soon, and will probably play in a town near you this year. (Note that the accuracy of this prediction may wary depending on your physical location.) If not, you’ll probably be able to catch them at Iceland Airwaves 2010. (They were a resounding hit in 2009.)

Previously on Icelandic Music 101: Sprengjuhöllin, FM Belfast, Ghostigital, Gus Gus, Jeff Who?, Amiina and Múm.

More Reflection! Myspace | Wikipedia | YouTube | Flickr | Facebook

26 May 2010 – 14:15 | By Ben | Posted in iceland, icelandic music, music | Comments (0)

Have volcano, will travel

Have volcano, will travelWe’ve extended our Volcano Special Offer until 13 April. Who would have thought?

To Reykjavík:
from London Gatwick, Copenhagen, Berlin or Warsaw

Prices from: €89, £79, DKK 690, one-way including taxes and fees

Fly: From today until 31 May 2010

Buy: Open for sale now until 13 April 2010

The small print: Limited availability, first come, first served.

Click here to book

8 April 2010 – 6:39 | By valgeir | Posted in cheap flights to iceland, iceland, volcanoes | Comments (0)

Smoke on the glacier, fire in the sky

Iceland’s latest volcanic eruption is getting glowing reviews.

HeklaThe typically quiet hiking grounds between two Icelandic glaciers began throwing a bit of a hissy-fit around midnight on 20 March 2010. One that involves lava.

The late night eruption was originally thought to be centred beneath something called “Eyjafjallajökull,” a glacier harder to spell than to climb.

The idea of a flood from the melting glacier made scientists and rebuilding contractors very excited, more so than the inhabitants.

However, as soon as they had been whisked away it was discovered that the eruption is actually in Fimmvörðuháls, alleviating at least some cause for concern.

We say “some” because when this is written, the ground is actually still spewing molten lava and fire and poisonous ash is still raining from the heavens.

Some folks find this disconcerting.

Others (including some of our friends in the travel industry) find it very interesting. Reports are uploaded to the Internets in real time, and webcams are poised so that would-be volcanologists and run-of-the-mill volcanic voyeurs can get their fix without leaving the comfortable, searing-hot-lava-free surroundings of their own home.

25 March 2010 – 9:37 | By Catharine | Posted in eruption, geology, iceland, volcanoes | Comments (0)

17 January 2010 – 16:56 | By valgeir | Posted in iceland | Comments (0)

A Series of Unfortunate Icelandic Animals, Part Two: The Atlantic Halibut

In the second part of this gripping series, we look at a fish that’s bigger than a banker’s Range Rover and even less attractive. Examples of both can be found at the bottom of the Atlantic around the coast of Iceland.

A really, really big fishSaying the Atlantic Halibut is a “large fish” is like saying Lady Gaga occasionally likes dressing up. Even its latin name (Hippoglossus hippoglossus) is unusually descriptive.

But that’s basically what it is — an overgrown, obese and somewhat mottled-finned creature with a mouth like a bucket and the combined appetites of Johns Candy and Belushi.

Found throughout Iceland’s seas, this king-sized flatfish grows to over 400kg and can measure over 15-feet long. Being that big, it takes considerable skill and time to land but once on shore you’ll have enough sushi to open your very own chain of edgy fusion restaurants in 101 Reykjavik.

Being the biggest fish in town does have its disadvantages, in that everyone wants to catch you. Both commercial and sport fishermen value the fish highly and Icelandic singer-slash-songwriter Hafdis Huld even wrote a song about getting your picture in the local paper by catching a giant fish. So it’s safe to conclude that landing one of these leviathans is a popular thing to do, even if you have to overcome some obstacles.

The Atlantic Halibut’s numbers have been suffering in recent years due to over-fishing so many are now returned from whence they came, rather than being served up with a plate of chips for dinner. This is good news for Iceland’s biggest native fish but bad news for just about everything else in the sea — the halibut isn’t a fussy or selective diner.

So hopefully those edgy fusion restaurants won’t start springing up just yet. Oh, hang on …

Earlier in this exciting series: The Wolf Fish!

More Atlantic Halibut: Wikipedia | Flickr | YouTube | Google Image Search

17 January 2010 – 3:56 | By Ben | Posted in animals, fish, iceland | Comments (0)

Why break the bank when you can break the ice?

Piggy BankUntil midnight tomorrow: Iceland from €69, £55, DKK 530.

To Reykjavík:
from Berlin, Copenhagen, London (Gatwick + Stansted) and Warsaw

Prices from: €69, £55, DKK 530, one-way including taxes and fees

Fly: From today until 15 December 2009

Buy: Open for sale now until midnight tomorrow (or, if you prefer, 23.59 on Friday 20 November)

The small print: Limited availability, first come, first served. And remember to send your mother a post card

Click here to book

19 November 2009 – 6:12 | By valgeir | Posted in iceland | Comments (6)

Hipsters of the world start packing their Wayfarers for Iceland Airwaves, and this time we may give them the wristbands

HipsterIceland Express will give you and your BFF two magic wristbands for this year’s Iceland Airwaves, plus fly you in and put you up. You just have to give us a really good reason.

You remember Iceland Airwaves, right? The music festival where everyone stopped wearing trucker caps way before they became unfashionable? It’s been happening in Reykjavík in October for years now and everyone is awfully excited about it. To quote a close source, “aside from the great music, the whole city behaves like its Christmas, New Years, and your best friend’s wedding all rolled into one.”

This year there will be all sorts of really cool, alphabetically ordered Icelandic bands like Agent Fresco, Berndsen, Cliff Clavin, Dikta, Esja, FM Belfast, Gus Gus — you get it. (And by the way, we didn’t make up any of those names.)

There are probably also some really good foreign bands but we seem to have completely forgotten their names.

(A loveable Icelandic–music nerd friend of ours has a good preview of the whole thing here and here. And if you promise to cover the parts of the screen where they have the Icelandair ads, we’ll let you read all about the festival on the Airwaves Website.)

Anyway, they say it’s all sold out but our heroic marketing department actually got hold of two of those magic wristbands that will get you in anywhere.

So here’s the deal: We are going to give away those two Iceland Airwaves passes (valid for all concerts), along with return flights for two from London, Copenhagen or Berlin. And should you choose to sleep or take the occasional shower, we will Wayfarersprovide you with a place to do that too.

What you need to do is simply tell us why you want to come.

We’ll try to pick the one who has the cutest Facebook profile photo best reason and seems like he or she who would enjoy it the most.

Some hints: There are no hints. Just be, you know, like, honest. You can do that, right?

Got it? Okay, good. Now go to our Facebook page and tell us tell us all about it.

* The small print: If you’re in London or Copenhagen you can fly in on 14, 15 or 16 October, and back on 19 or 20 October. If you’re in Berlin you can fly in on 16 October and back on 19 October. You’ll be staying at one of the three very nice Center Hotels the whole time, but please, no flirting with the staff, okay? We’ll announce who wins on Monday 12 October, so you’ll have some time to pack, but no trucker caps, please.

8 October 2009 – 7:02 | By valgeir | Posted in Free flights to Iceland, hipsters, iceland, iceland airwaves, icelandic music | Comments (5)

Iceland Express goes to New York

blys-87-261.jpgOn this episode of IEX in the City, we offer some awfully cheap transatlantic flights to New York from London, Berlin, Copenhagen and 7 other European cities, all via Reykjavík.

Okay, listen to this: Starting next summer you can fly with Iceland Express without actually planning to spend time in Iceland.

(Not that we’d mind of course — you’re always welcome to stop by for a sip of Brennvín.)

But you see, that’s when we add New York to our list of destinations.

And that means you’ll be able to fly with Iceland Express to New York from Berlin, Copenhagen, London, Oslo, Aalborg, Gothenburg, Billund, Warsaw, Cracow and Luxembourg (and back) — with an optional quick stop in Reykjavík for a dip in the Blue Lagoon with your new best Icelandic friends.

iex-usa-badge-150x.jpgThe price of these transatlantic flights varies a bit depending on the airports, but the cheapest flights are all in the range of £163–250, €185–267, $261–390 and DKK 1384–2040. (Just remember that the earlier you book, the better price you get.

As we think we mentioned earlier, all of this just went on sale, so you really should book your next flight to New York now.

5 October 2009 – 11:04 | By valgeir | Posted in iceland | Comments (19)

Don’t worry, it’s just another Facebook quiz

In which we tell you all about the Fancy Iceland Express Quiz on Facebook. And yes, that’s the official name.

Quiz FacebookRemember the Fancy Iceland Express Quiz Thingy on Facebook that you probably didn’t participate in a while ago?

Well, we just selected a winner for the first round, and we’ve got some good news and some bad news.

The bad news is that it’s not you this time, but actually a really cool Danish guy called Rex. (Yes, seriously.)

But the good news is that you have until 5 October to answer the next round of questions and be in running for the next draw.

Also, you should know that 9 out of 10 dentists recommend that you also (pardon the expression) “fan us” on Facebook. That way you’ll be the first to know about special offers and changes in the marital statuses of our Revenue Management staff. (Plus we’ve been known to occasionally give free flights and stuff.)

Oh, and we almost forgot — if you’re interested in preparing for next months round of questions, you could do worse than read some of the (mostly accurate) stuff about Iceland we’ve written on this blog. Like this:

Now stop this nonsense and go to the Fancy Iceland Express Quiz Thingy on Facebook

P.S. That thing about the 9 out of 10 dentists? It isn’t actually true. It’s only 8 out of 10.

30 September 2009 – 4:36 | By valgeir | Posted in Facebook | Comments (1)

Special price for you my friend

HourglassWe interrupt this blog to tell you about the Highly-Unusual-and-Special-Limited-Time-Only Offer: Iceland from €69/£55, only today.

To Reykjavík from: Berlin, Copenhagen, London Gatwick, London Stansted and Warsaw.

Prices from: €69, £55, DKK 530, SEK 599, one-way including taxes and fees.

When to buy: Open for sale from 14 CET (that’s 1pm in the UK) until midnight tonight, Monday 21 September.

When to fly: From 1 October to 10 December 2009.

The small print: Limited availability; first come, first served; look into our eyes, look into our eyes …

First you click, then you book

21 September 2009 – 5:30 | By valgeir | Posted in cheap flights to iceland | Comments (9)

Come out, come out, wherever you are, to the Reykjavík International Film Festival

Are you in Reykjavík between 17 and 27 September? Internationally inclined? Like movies? And sort of festive? Well, then the Reykjavík International Film Festival is just the thing.

In this exciting and informative segment about the Reykjavík International Film Festival, we’d like you to meet Jón Agnar Ólason, their Marketing Guy, pictured here, looking a bit like an old-time movie star. Here’s Johnny!

Jón Agnar ÓlasonWe: So, the “Reykjavík International Film Festival” Um, Why?

Jón Agnar: Because it is Iceland’s biggest film festival and one of the more significant cultural events in Reykjavík’s annual calendar. With around 120 titles, numerous special events and unique screenings, this year’s festival promises to be the grandest yet.

Wow, that sounds like it came directly from your brochure. Do you get to meet any famous directors or film people this year?

Is two-time Academy Award winner for Best Director Milos Forman famous enough?

Can anyone ever be famous enough? Who is the most famous person to come to Iceland for the RIFF?

Again, Milos Forman comes to mind …

Merki KvikmyndahátíðarOkay we get it, you really like Milos Forman. Moving on, the festival logo is a puffin. What is the deep, metaphysical meaning of that?

We could say the puffin is essentially an Icelandic icon yet with international recognition, which is how we’d like the Festival to be seen. Or we could also say it’s just a cool looking bird, really.

Any Icelandic films being shown this year?

Plenty. Six feature length films and over 20 shorts, and not all of them are gloomy Scandinavian dramas with references to Bergman!

What is your favourite Icelandic movie of all time?

That would probably be the hilarious “Með allt á hreinu” (“On Top Of Everything”) from 1982 which is the Drive-In Movie of this year’s festival. You can see it on Tuesday 22 September on the campus of the University of Iceland.

What about the short film “Mamma veit hvað hún syngur” by our very own flight attendant slash auteur Barði Guðmundsson?

You mean the film about the dominating, daughter-in-law scaring mother and her timid boy in his twenties who harbours a life-altering secret? Ready for take-off towards the bright lights, I’d say!

Do you have time to see any of the movies? Or are you just running to get coffee for Milos Forman the whole time?

We aim to balance our movie-going with mandatory coffee-fetching!

Iceland Express is an official sponsor of Reykjavík International Film Festival, taking place in various warm and cozy Reykjavík cinemas from 17 to 27 September this year. So if you’ve always dreamt of meeting Milos Forman you know what to do.

15 September 2009 – 7:20 | By valgeir | Posted in Festivals, iceland, Icelandic movies, Reykjavík International Film Festival | Comments (1)

A funny thing happened on the way from London Stansted

Plan BRemember when we said we were leaving London Stansted for Gatwick? Well, guess what.

We interrupt this blog for a short message that is mostly of interest to people with clear preferences about their London airports. If this does not apply to you we suggest you avert your eyes and maybe read this instead.

A few months ago, we announced that we were moving airports in London, from Stansted to Gatwick.

Well, a few lot of people had what you might call “strong feelings” about that. (We certainly got more comments on that particular blog post than on any of the semi-funny and clever stuff we break our backs writing.)

Turns out — who would have guessed? — that there are a lot of people north of London who also like to go to Iceland.

So, to quote an old Icelandic saying that nobody quite understands anymore: “What do farmers do then?”

Well, our Dear Leaders listened and they felt your pain.

So first we decided to open a route from Birmingham to Iceland next summer. People seemed to like that.

And now we’ve decided to go back to flying to and from London Stansted, twice a week, starting on 2 November 2009.

Note that we’ll still fly to Iceland from London Gatwick every day, so this just comes as an extra.

Thank you for reading and remember: nobody loves you, or your money, more than Iceland Express.

15 September 2009 – 6:41 | By valgeir | Posted in cheap flights to iceland, london gatwick, london stansted | Comments (7)

Cultural Learnings of Iceland, Part 6: Brennivín

Brennvín labelThe official Icelandic national schnapps is not unlike Hobbes’ natural state of mankind: nasty, brutish and short.

Having a national beverage seems to be de rigeur for small countries who want to sell stuff to tourists maintain their cultural identity. Iceland is no exception.

The local tipple is called “Brennivín”, an ancient Icelandic word that translates as “we see a really bad headache in your future”.

The way the bottle’s label manages to clearly convey this exact prediction can either be attributed to a triumph of graphic design or the fact that the contents of the bottle used to be produced by those wacky and fun-loving guys over at the National Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.

Brennivín í peysuBut should your lifestyle happen to be less morbid, depressive and/or unwholesome, just relax — you can now get the new and improved “cute version” with the bottle wearing an actual Icelandic sweater. (According to rumour, a Hello Kitty version is in the works.)

So what kind of person drinks Brennivín? Well, according to some guy who really likes freeze-framing Quentin Tarantino movies, Brennivín is what Kill Bill’s Budd uses to ease the pain. Apparently there also exists an outtake where Michael Madsen explains the subtleties of the drink to Darryl Hannah. (Time for the Icelandic Tourist Board to organize a break-in at QT’s editing room, we think.)

BrennivínIceland’s signature beverage may have fallen out of favour with the local drinking classes, but fear not. Our research shows that tourists seem to enjoy documenting its consumption.

Our recommendation: Some people like to pretend you have to be some kind of reality TV show contestant to drink Brennivín. It’s really not that bad. Just keep it as close to zero degrees Celsius as you can, and you’ll be fine. Drunk yes, but otherwise fine.

Read all about the other Cultural Learnings of Iceland to Make Benefit the World: Skyr, Kókómjólk, Lýsi, Appelsín and the mysterious case of the Blue Ópal.

19 August 2009 – 11:11 | By valgeir | Posted in brennivin, drinking, iceland, icelandic sweaters, products | Comments (3)

We interrupt this blog for an important message to the good people of Birmingham

GjallarhornIn which Iceland Express announces that it starts operating direct flights between Iceland and Birmingham in the summer of 2010.

A few people (okay, a lot of people) weren’t too happy when we moved our London base from Stansted to Gatwick.

So we decided to do something about that, and called up the nice people at Birmingham Airport. They were happy to hear from us and after a little chit-chat we decided to start direct flights between Birmingham and Reykjavík once a week in the summer of 2010.

So look around you — quick — and if you see anyone who looks like they’re from Birmingham or somewhere north of London, let them know.

Okay? Thanks.

19 August 2009 – 11:10 | By valgeir | Posted in cheap flights to iceland, iceland, london gatwick, london stansted | Comments (28)

Carry on Camping at Reykjavík Gay Pride

gaybird-300.jpgReykjavík turns into Gaykjavík as Gay Pride comes to town on the second Saturday of August.

Iceland is famously liberal when it comes to driving on the other side of the street. (Nudge, nudge, know what we mean?) Gay marriage is simply so last year — we’ve already moved to gay couples arguing about how to fold the napkins at their adopted children’s wedding dinner.

The annual Gay Pride festival — proudly sponsored by Iceland Express — usually takes place on the second weekend of August, and everyone agrees that it’s much more fun than the country’s actual National Day, celebrated a few weeks earlier. Clearly, the reason is that the Iceland Drag Queen is infinitely more attractive than the Mountain Lady.

The official festivities start with a very merry parade through town and end with a big outdoor concert. Last year, about 100,000 people showed up, and we hear that not all of them were actually gay!

If you miss the Gay Pride weekend you can always come for the annual Bears on Ice weekend in September. And no, it’s not about ice hockey.

More Gay Pride: Official Site

Iceland Express in an official sponsor of Samtökin 78, the National Queer Organization and the Main Sponsor of the Reykjavík Gay Pride.

7 August 2009 – 8:22 | By valgeir | Posted in gay and lesbian, gay pride, reykjavik gay pride | Comments (0)

Don’t fight them on the beaches

At least not on the Thermal Beach in Reykjavík.

BeachOf course we realise that people don’t come to Iceland for the beaches. The Blue Lagoon, maybe, but the beach? Hardly.

But should you find yourself on a warm summer’s day in Reykjavík with nothing better to do (and remember that the words “warm,” “summer” and “day” are all relative here), you could do worse than head to the totally pronounceable “Nauthólsvík Ylströnd,” a small thermal beach more or less in the city centre (see map).

As the Icelandic tourist board doesn’t get tired of telling you, Iceland has more geothermal energy than Donald Trump has bad hair days. It’s, like, all over the place. And back in the days, close to where the thermal beach is now, there used to be a little stream with geothermal water running towards the Atlantic ocean. Great for families during the day and skinny–dipping students at night.

Next thing you know, in 2000 somebody decides to set up a little man–made bay, buy some proper beach sand somewhere, and pump a lot of nice warm geothermal water into the freezing Atlantic seawater. And voilà, we have ourselves a beach.

The whole thing is quite popular with locals, and The Guardian has even called it Europe’s Best Exotic Beach. (Just remember: exotic doesn’t always mean you can take off your clothes.)

Related posts on this blog:
It came from the Blue Lagoon
Slimy Little Secret
Reykjavík Swimming Pools: The Naked Truth

2 July 2009 – 19:16 | By valgeir | Posted in reykjavik, wellness | Comments (3)

We think this might be the beginning of a beautiful friendship

fac-250x.jpgBecome our friend on Facebook and we might just fly you to Iceland for free.

Like everyone and their grandmother we’ve been on Facebook for ages — our Icelandic page now has about 9,000 fans. (Yeah okay, it doesn’t sound like much but given the population of Iceland it’s the equivalent of JetBlue having 9 million fans. We’re just saying.)

The only problem is — gee whiz — that there are only so many people in the world that understand Icelandic. And we really wouldn’t want to leave out all you people who only speak útlenska.

So this is the deal. If we get over 5,000 útlendingar (i.e. someone like you) as fans on our new English Facebook page before the end of this June, we’ll send one of them two return tickets to Iceland from any of our European airports. Plus they get at least two nights in a really rather fine hotel in the city centre for free. And a timid kiss from our marketing director (or another staff member of their their choice.)

Who says you can’t buy friends?

Click here to go to our Facebook page in English

18 June 2009 – 13:21 | By valgeir | Posted in Competition, Facebook, Free flights to Iceland | Comments (9)

Cultural Learnings of Iceland, Part 5: The Blue Ópal

Rarer than a disco remix by Sigur Rós, the Blue Ópal is an Icelandic candy that is no more. It has ceased to be. It has expired and gone to meet its maker.

Blár Ópal FinalAlong with its Red and Green cousins, the Blue Ópal was born in 1950, when its producer, Nói Sirius, got some fancy new machines to play with.

They also commissioned some uncommonly nice op–art inspired packaging which had Icelanders happily munching on the tasty liquorice tablets for more than 50 years.

But a while ago, shortly after the European Union, for some unfathomable reason, banned the use of an innocent–sounding substance called chloroform in food (erm yes, that chloroform), Nói Sirius mysteriously stopped producing the Blue Ópal. Hmm. Anyway, almost 10,000 people on Facebook are now demanding its return, consequences be damned. Join them at your own risk.

Meanwhile, you can still get Red and Green Ópal in Icelandic stores. At least until the EU says otherwise.

Read all about the other Cultural Learnings of Iceland to Make Benefit the World: Skyr, Kókómjólk, Lýsi and Appelsín

16 June 2009 – 7:47 | By valgeir | Posted in food, iceland, products | Comments (3)

Cheap and Chic Reykjavík Restaurants: Segurmo at Boston

Introducing a nice restaurant in Reykjavík where you can eat without actually breaking the bank.

SegurmoBoston (Laugavegur 28, first floor, tel +354 517 7816) is what happened when Sirkus finally died. Owned by the same fiftysomething blondes and frequented by pretty much the same crowd (and now, occasionally, their children), it sort of looks and feels like a slightly raunchier version of that Gucci advert by David Lynch with the Blondie song.

After running a serious drinking establishment for many years, they finally figured out that people also need to eat. So they installed a proper kitchen upstairs, and what’s more, Björk’s old private chef (and, somewhat worryingly, an occasional drummer for the band Singapore Sling) made himself welcome there. (Which might actually be the big story here. What is she eating now?)

Anyway, the restaurant itself is called Segurmo, the meaning of which neither we nor they are entirely clear about, but we can all agree that it sounds kind of cool. The menu is short, the prices are low and the food is pure comfort. Every week they offer three or four very reasonably priced courses (meat, fish, vegetarian, vulcan) and if you’re lucky their plokkfiskur with rúgbrauð and smjör will be on duty. Try it.

Oh, and by the way, if you know any other cheap and chic restaurants in Reykjavík you know where the comments are.

Previously on our User’s Guide to Reykjavík Restaurants: The Vegetarian Edition and The Heavy Breakfast Edition

Liked this post? Try these:
Kaffibarinn: Less coffee, more bar
Mývatn: Lake of Midges

19 May 2009 – 12:47 | By valgeir | Posted in boston, drinking, eating, food, iceland, restaurants, segurmo | Comments (3)

Icelandic Music 101: Sprengjuhöllin

Need more Icelandic indiepop for the masses? Read on and get a lovely free mp3 download from Sprengjuhöllin.

SprengjuhöllinSprengjuhöllin is Iceland’s answer to [insert the name of your favourite arty and melancholy but strangely fun folk rock band here].

They’ve already played in Texas, New York and some place called “Canada,” and when this is written they are in fact sitting in one of our planes, on their way to Berlin where they’re starting their German mini-tour.

According to our resident expert in eligible young men, the guys from Sprengjuhöllin are “extremely good looking and funny, plus some of them were debate–team nerds, and one has even grown up to be a decent stand–up comic.”

They also have an “ö” in their name, which always helps.

Download Worry Till Spring by Sprengjuhöllin (mp3, 7MB)
(Just right-click and “Save as…”)

The song is Worry Till Spring, which they say is a “heartbreaking folk song about obsessive love.” In the original Icelandic version it was one of the most popular songs locally back in 2007. One lovable Icelandic–music nerd says this new version “proves that Sprengjuhöllin’s catchy, melodic pop songs translate into English more easily than their name.”

If you like it, you can buy the whole album on Amazon.

More Sprengjuhöllin: Official Website | Myspace | Facebook | Twitter

Previously on Icelandic Music 101: FM Belfast, Ghostigital, Gus Gus, Jeff Who?, Amiina and Múm.

12 May 2009 – 8:02 | By valgeir | Posted in iceland, Icelandic bands, icelandic music, Sprengjuhöllin | Comments (1)

It came from the Blue Lagoon

Indigenous creatures with white stuff on their faces, sloshing around in hot sulphuric water filled with minerals, silica and algae? No, it’s not the plot of an old horror movie. It’s just the Blue Lagoon.

shecamefromthebluelagoon1.jpgThe Blue Lagoon is a rather large amorphous body of water in an Icelandic lava field in the middle of nowhere, usually full of pretty hot geothermal water and people like you.

But it hasn’t always been so. Like a lot of interesting things, the Blue Lagoon happened by accident in the seventies.

Around the time ABBA were reversing the second B in their logo, a gleaming new geothermal plant right out of a Ridley Scott movie began pumping surplus water all over the place, creating a steaming pool of bluish liquid in the middle of a lava field in the southern peninsula of Iceland.

Later, in the early 80s, people started bathing in the lagoon and doing silly things like shooting music videos. The official story is that it (the bathing, not the music videos) helped with psoriasis but we think it was mostly it a cool place to go skinny dipping after hours. Also, the chemicals in the water did things to your hair that people liked back then.

Fast-forward to 2009 and what started as the unintended by-product of a geothermal electricity plant is now one of the most visited tourist attractions in Iceland. The New York Times’ calls it “the mother of all baths” and it’s even on the paper’s top 44 list of places to visit in 2009.

It even has its own line of cosmetics! Just like Britney Spears!

The Blue Lagoon is open daily all year and it’s actually rather conveniently located between the airport where you land and Reykjavík. (It takes about 30 minutes to get there from the city — just follow the smoke.) If you don’t have a car, there are plenty of people willing so separate you from your money by getting you there via bus. Try these for example. Oh, and if you figure out how the locker system works, please drop us a line.

More Blue Lagoon: Official Site | Wikipedia | Google Maps | YouTube | New York Times

Related posts on this blog:
Geysir: What goes up must come down
Mývatn: Lake of Midges
Glymur: Falling for you
Reykjavík Swimming Pools: The Naked Truth

28 April 2009 – 15:36 | By valgeir | Posted in Blue Lagoon, iceland | Comments (5)

Really nice foreign people who like Iceland: Mark Ollard

Meet Mark Ollard, a busy and important Londoner who really, really, really likes Icelandic music (except maybe Páll Óskar). He also thinks Mugison isn’t cute.

In the first of our series of interviews with Really Nice Foreign People Who Really Like Iceland, we talk to the lovely Mark Ollard. Mark writes a rather good “music blog that thinks it’s Icelandic” called Iceblah. He claims he’s been coming to Iceland Airwaves since 2004 but he still doesn’t know who Kitty von Sometime is. We investigated.

Mark OllardWe: Hey Mark. Why are you so obsessed with Icelandic music? Are you weird or something?

Mark: Well, I realise this is slightly ridiculous. I went to Iceland for the first time on holiday with my father in 1988 when I was 13 or 14, because I loved the Sugarcubes. We stayed there for a week, did the Golden Circle and all the usual things and I just loved it. I thought it was so clean and beautiful. When I got back to the UK I wrote to an Icelandic newspaper, asking for pen pals, and about 50 people wrote back.

Wow, this must have been before we had TV on Thurdays.

Without doubt! I ended up writing to this Icelandic girl — who I’m still friends with, by the way — who started sending me lots of cassettes with Icelandic music. Stuff like Nýdönsk and Síðan skein sól and something called Reptile, I think.

Yikes.

Yes. Anyway, I’d been amassing Icelandic CDs for years until I finally decided to go back with my best friend on my 30th birthday in June 2004 and then back again in October for Iceland Airwaves. After that I knew I’d be going back every year.

And you still don’t know who Kitty von Sometime is?

Nope, sorry. Is she famous?

Sigh. So what is it about Icelandic music that you like so much?

I’m not sure. I mean there isn’t really an Iceland sound, I think. Just take people like Mugison, Reykjavík!, My Summer as a Salvation Soldier and Retro Stefson. All incredibly different. And the highlight of the final night of last Airwaves, Fjallabræður — 30 guys, a proper karlakór from the West Fjords, performing with a real rock guitar — so unusual and suprising and amazing. They made this incredible noise.

And I’ve never understood how this tiny country can produce 10 or 15 really good bands at any one time. How does it happen? I mean, the Icelandic musical output is better than Germany’s. In England, people could name at least two Icelandic bands, but probably no German ones. I’m from Sutton, which has the same population as Iceland and there’s nothing…

We get it. You really don’t like German bands. But what are your favourite Icelandic bands at the moment?

Well, I like most Icelandic bands, except maybe Páll Óskar, I’m not so into that pure pop sound. The last CD I bought was by Sin Fang Bous which is actually the solo project of the lead singer of Seabear.

Let’s talk about Airwaves. You’re a veteran, share some points for the newbies.

Airwaves is hard work but I’m getting better at it. The first time I was there, I went home at midnight, just about the time when everyone was getting ready for the night. The busiest time on Laugavegur is 4 in the morning. Coming from London, where everything closes at 11 or 12, that’s really strange.

I’d definitely recommend the 12 Tónar the record store, Kaffifélagið where my friend Hildur works, and Prikið. They’re really good. And a hot dog at 3 in the morning. And the Airwaves chillout at the Blue Lagoon, if you haven’t been there before. I don’t do it any more, but you should do it at least once.

What is the biggest cliché about Icelandic music?

That it’s so “cute” — okay, some bands are quiet, gentle and quirky — but loads of stuff isn’t. I mean you can hardly call Mugison cute!

The next big thing?

Let’s see. FM Belfast have a great sound and some real momentum after Airwaves 2009. Reykjavík! are a deceptively tuneful band and a lot cleverer than they first appear. Great live band — huge spectacle. Also I don’t understand why Jeff Who? aren’t huge. I mean, they already sound like a successful indie band and have a commercial, popular sound. Maybe they can’t be bothered? Hjaltalín seem to be getting known in Europe now and Sprengjuhöllin in the U.S — they are really nice guys.

What about your blog?

IceblahYes, Iceblah is sort of my hobby, but it got quite a bit of publicity at Airwaves last year. I interviewed about 24 bands before the festival started. It get quite a bit of traffic now and I usually get a few emails every week from people. I love that.

What does your girlfriend think of all this?

She’s getting used to it. She came with me to Iceland last time. We’re getting married this summer and Ára bátur by Sigurrós will be played in the church.

Are you going to cry?

Yes, and my best man will cry as well.

What about your girlfriend?

Oh, she won’t be there.

15 April 2009 – 7:09 | By valgeir | Posted in 12 tónar, iceland airwaves, Icelandic bands, icelandic music, jeff who?, mugison, music, My Summer as a Salvation Soldier, prikið, Retro Stefson, reykjavik | Comments (2)

It’s our birthday again. Guess who gets the presents.

PresentsTo Iceland from 46 pounds, 59 euros or DKK 449.

Where: To Iceland (and back if you must) from Copenhagen, London, Berlin and Warsaw.

Fly: Before the end of March.

Buy: On sale now! Offer must end at noon GMT on Wednesday 4 March.

How much: from £46, €59, DKK 449 one-way including taxes and fees.

The small print: Limited number of seats available at these prices, so be quick. (And we’re six, thanks for asking.)

Quick, click here to book this thing.

2 March 2009 – 11:08 | By valgeir | Posted in cheap flights to iceland | Comments (0)

Iceland Express is going south. South to London Gatwick, that is.

Airport guyOn 1 May 2009, we move our London base from Stansted to Gatwick.

It’s been a great six years at London Stansted. But on 1 May 2009 Iceland Express moves its London operations to Gatwick airport.

The reason is partly operational — our sister company Astraeus is based there — and partly passengerial (and yes, we know that’s not a real word).

Basically, what it means is that our passengers will be a little bit closer to central London. The Gatwick Express takes around 30 minutes to Victoria Station, about 15 minutes less than the Stansted Express takes to Liverpool Street. And if anyone is using London as a stepping stone on the way to or from Iceland there are lots and lots of good connections at Gatwick.

We think it’s a smart move. What about you? Comments are open — tell us what you think.

1 March 2009 – 21:06 | By valgeir | Posted in london gatwick, london stansted | Comments (80)

Architecture in Reykjavík:* That Big Church Edition

To the locals it’s Hallgrímskirkja. To you folks it’s usually “That Big Church”.

Hallgrímskirkja

As Reykjavík’s tallest building, That Big Church (also known as Hallgrímskirkja, but don’t try to pronounce that by yourself) is a convenient landmark for tourists finding their way around Reykjavík.

Looking for Kaffibarinn? Oh, just walk down from That Big Church and turn right. What about the main square? Walk down from That Big Church and turn left. Going to Thingvellir? Walk down from That Big Church, turn right and walk for about 36 hours. (Okay, so it doesn’t work with everything.)

From an architectural standpoint That Big Church is a bit more problematic. With the general hodge-podge of styles, we’d like to call it postmodern but the only problem there is that it was designed in 1930s, several years before some guy in France invented postmodernism. So do comment if you have any better or more amusing theories. (That includes you, Ylva Brännström.)

Hallgrímskirkja in the mistNot content with being a huge signpost and a bit of an architectural oddity, That Big Church is also an actual place of worship. But don’t let that stop you from going there.

The have some nice choirs, and if you appreciate very big and extremely loud things we’re sure you’ll like the church organ, which looks like the assembled tailpipes of about 50 muscle cars, and can sound like someone is trying to wake up the dead. Plus it’s remote controlled.

Don’t forget to go up in the tower. (Yes, there is an elevator.) It’s a good place to look at all those cute brightly coloured roofs. You also get a nice surprise every 15 minutes or so. We’re not giving anything away, but let’s just say that this surprise might even wake you up in the morning if your hotel is close by.

(Psst. Want to see it in person? Get your cheap flight to Reykjavík with Iceland Express)

More Hallgrímskirkja: Wikipedia | Flickr | Google Maps | Choir in action | 43 places

*With apologies to these guys

26 January 2009 – 12:24 | By valgeir | Posted in buildings, churches, hallgrímskirkja, iceland, reykjavik | Comments (3)

A User’s Guide to Reykjavík Restaurants: The Heavy Breakfast Edition

Like the smell of bacon in the morning? Here are three places to go to for a robust breakfast in Reykjavík.

Eggs and bacon for breakfast in ReykjavikGrái kötturinn on Hverfisgata 16a is a small basement place (café would obviously not be the right word here) opposite the Culture House. It’s run by Hulda Hákon and Jón Óskar who like all proper artists used to live in New York, and missed the vigorous American breakfast when they moved back home. You can connect the dots from there: the sumptuous pancakes come with bacon and syrup, and the coffee is guaranteed to wake up the dead — which, given that they open very early on weekends, some of their stay-up-late clients may actually resemble. Pictures on Flickr

Prikið on Bankastræti 12 is also a serious contender in the cholesterol competition, with a menu that the chefs at Grái kötturinn must take as a particularly sincere form of flattery, and warm 50s interior that basically calls for a portion of eggs, bacon and a filter-free cigarette. Open on weekdays from 8 in the morning till 1 after midnight, Prikið doubles (or should that be triples?) as a pretty good bar-slash-club on weekends, staying open until 5.30 in the morning. So do give them a break if they don’t open till 12 on Saturdays and Sundays. Pictures on Flickr | Website

Hamborgarabúllan (literally, “the Hamburger Joint”) at Geirsgata 1 may admittedly not be recommended by nine out of ten doctors as a breakfast establishment, but we can verify that under certain circumstances their offerings can be most beneficial. Trust us on this. Pictures on Flickr | Website

Previously on our User’s Guide to Reykjavík Restaurants: The Vegetarian Edition

15 January 2009 – 14:33 | By valgeir | Posted in breakfast, eating, gráikötturinn, hamborgarabúllan, iceland, prikið, restaurants, reykjavik | Comments (5)

Jól: It’s Christmas, but not as you know it

Bad SantaSeven things that make Christmas in Iceland a little different.

1. The Jólasveinn is the Icelandic version of Father Christmas. But not really. First of all, there are thirteen of them (we guess you could call them Brothers Christmas). And they come to town one by one on the days before Christmas to do things the other guy would never do — like lick your cutlery, peek through windows, harass your sheep, eat your skyr, steal your candles and smoked sausages, and probably fondle your wife.

Known in English as “Yule Lads” (possibly the lamest gang name in history), the jólasveinar have mellowed out a bit over the years — they even seem to have signed some sort of sponsorship contract with the Coca-Cola Company. But it’s still pretty disturbing when you think about it. More on our Bad Santas.

2. “The Shoe.” Starting 13 days before Christmas, children put a shoe in their window at night. If they have misbehaved that day, they get a potato, but if they’ve been good, they get something that requires batteries. Think of it as a jólasveinar-managed performance-related rewards system.

3. Jólakötturinn, the Christmas cat, apparently makes bad things happen to you (i.e. eats you) if you don’t buy yourself some new clothes for Christmas. Sounds to us like the fashion industry’s marketing ploys are getting increasingly desperate.

4. Skötuveisla usually happens on Þorláksmessa, the 23rd of December. It involves a surprising number of seemingly normal people eating what is known as “kæst Skata”, which tastes about as good as it sounds. More about putrid fish for beginners.

5. Christmas Eve is the really big day. No putrid fish, just nice stuff to eat and then the presents. Oh, and we drink this stuff.

6. Jólaboð are the parties that pretty much fill up the period from Christmas Day to New Year’s Eve, where you get to meet the members of your family that you’ve managed to avoid the rest of the year.

7. New Year’s Eve is when we shoot up fireworks. A lot of them.

So, do you feel up for it? Click here to book a flight to Iceland for Christmas.

More Christmas in Iceland: Something for December | The Yule Page | Reykjavík | The Food Museum | Icelandic Embassy in Washinton | Louder than Swahili

17 December 2008 – 11:06 | By valgeir | Posted in Christmas in Iceland, iceland | Comments (1)

A User’s Guide to Reykjavík Restaurants: The Vegetarian Edition

reykjavik-vegetarian-restaurantsIn this first instalment of our guide to Reykjavík eating we explain how being a vegetarian in Iceland is not so much a lifestyle as a constant struggle.

Abandon hope all ye vegetarians who enter here isn’t actually a sign in the arrivals hall, but until a few years ago it would have been a pretty accurate description of the state of veggie eating in Reykjavík.

Asking for a vegetarian dish in a regular restaurant is still more than likely to result in a well, we have a salad, and if you tell people you’re a vegan they’ll probably tell you that they don’t really watch Star Trek.

(This might seem terribly unsophisticated, but once you’ve spent a few days here, you’ll admit that given the weather conditions it’s maybe not surprising that local farmers who wished remain employed focused on meat and weird dairy products rather than spinach and radicchio.)

But things are looking up (not least thanks to the rapidly increasing number of indigenous tree-huggers) and here is our list of the only best vegetarian restaurants in town.

  • Á næstu grösum is the oldest veggie place in Reykjavík. (The name means literally “On the next grasses,” which has nothing to do with anything illegal.) There is a friendly kind of Scandinavian feeling here on the first floor at the corner of Laugavegur and Trendy Wendy Klapparstígur (close to Gallery Gel, Rósenberg bar and where Sirkus Bar used to be). They have different themes throughout the week, with Tuesdays dedicated to the oh–so–fashionable raw food movement, and Indian Fridays with freshly baked naan to die for. And the staff obviously cares: not only do they know what vegan means, but there’s a wider selection of desserts at this place than at the other ones — and what’s better than a guilt–free chocolate cake? Laugavegur 20b, 101 Reykjavík | Link
  • Garðurinn is another hidden gem on Klapparstígur, just a bit farther up the street (right between Á næstu grösum and that church you all like so much). The name means The Garden, although their official English name is “Ecstasy’s Heart-Garden”. Right–ho. While it’s maybe not as busy or as designed as the other three, it has a younger and what seems like a more earnest crowd. Maybe it’s the ecstasy part that attracts them. Klapparstígur 37, 101 Reykjavík
  • Grænn kostur is the place you go to be seen when you’ve told people you’re on a diet. Celebrities also like to go there when they’ve been giving interviews about their healthy new lifestyles. Basically a fast food place, this somewhat hard–to–find outfit offers various lovely pies and pizzas, as well as soup of the day. (Bonus feature due to some of the owner’s allergy issues: no sugar, yeast, or white wheat.) With few dishes to choose from, the service is quick and efficient. They have a two–for–one special on Sundays and the portions are biiiiiiig. Skólavörðustígur 8b (on the parking lot park side) | Link
  • Maður lifandi, man alive. Yup, that’s what the name means. Not only a restaurant, this is a serious life–improvement establishment where you find people who don’t just come for the excellent food, but for a hard–core lifestyle change. Dishes here are free of lactose, gluten, yeast and humour (just kidding). And in addition to the most extravagant salad bar in town they offer lectures and courses on how to improve your life, listen to your body, laugh while doing yoga, and be generally healthier and happier. Remember to say hi from us. Borgartún 24, 105 Reykjavík | Link

Know more than we do about vegetarian places in Reykjavík? Add your insight to the comments.

Stop the press! Our new best friend, renowned Pringles-eating vegetarian Laura Valentino wrote this on our Facebook page: “Those places are great for vegetarians…but you might also mention restaurants that aren’t strictly vegetarian but have decent vegetarian options, for travelers who are with their non-vegetarian friends. Some examples are Eldhrimnir, Saffran, Santa Maria, Shalimar, , Kebab Húsið and even the “sjoppa” Drekinn [1,638 Facebook fans, and counting. -Ed] has a veggie burger that I have not sampled myself but have heard good things about.”

6 December 2008 – 15:10 | By Margrét | Posted in eating, iceland, restaurants, reykjavik, vegetarian | Comments (2)

Iceland stays in the picture

Iceland is looking pretty good at the moment. At least in these photos.

Our old friend Helga Kvam still makes Iceland look like a million krónas dollars. For a sample of some of her nicest Iceland pictures, just click on the slideshow below or see the fullscreen version here.

And hey — if seeing this makes you want to see more of Iceland, you know how to get there. Just saying.

More Iceland photos: Iceland by Rebekka | Helga Kvam was here | New York Times: Iceland’s Ring Road

Update: If you’re in Germany should check out the film Island 63° 66° N by Stefan Erdmann: "Eine phantastische Reise durch ein phantastisches Land."

30 October 2008 – 10:02 | By valgeir | Posted in Helga Kvam, iceland, nature, photography | Comments (7)

In Iceland, we’re suddenly feeling so cheap

The Icelandic krona’s loss is your gain as coming to Iceland has never been less expensive than now.

Icelandic KronaIn the past few weeks the Icelandic króna (a.k.a. “funny money”) has been going through a Keith Richards-scale hangover and looking increasingly like the love child of Amy Winehouse and Pete Doherty.

But every cloud has a silver lining and what all this means for you is that Reykjavík has never been cheaper to visit.

The price of a day tour of the Golden Circle is down to around £45/€57, entry to the Blue Lagoon is £12/€16, and (entirely unrelated) a pack of Durex PleasureMax Warming condoms is down to £7/€9.

Even the price of beer in a Reykjavík bar has reached the level where you could potentially afford to buy us one. (Just kidding.)

In short, now would be a good time to spread the wealth and book a cheap flight, an Icelandic day-tour or even an old-fashioned (not really) package tour.

More on how cheap we are here: Seven Things to Do in Iceland (Why You Should Go Right Now!)

23 October 2008 – 10:03 | By valgeir | Posted in cheap flights to iceland, iceland, Icelandic Krona | Comments (3)

Icelandic Music 101:
FM Belfast

Imagine a Teenage Ninja Turtle having an affair with 2 Unlimited while MC Hammer and Scooter watch from the wardrobe.

One of Reykjavík’s most popular electo bands, FM Belfast throws together samples from all manner of 80s and 90s hits to form a fast-paced barrage of unexpectedly introspective dance music. The boy-girl-boy trio is also famous for an interesting line in cover versions and nerds experts may spot tracks from Rage Against The Machine and Technotronic creeping into their set.

All of which we fear will be included on their new as yet untitled album — out soon! — making us want to pump up some jam and wear neon leggings again. Blast!

More FM Belfast: Myspace | Dancenova | Last.fm | Flickr | YouTube

Previously on Icelandic Music 101: Ghostigital, GusGus, Jeff Who?, Amiina, and múm.

5 August 2008 – 10:22 | By Ben | Posted in iceland, Icelandic bands, icelandic music | Comments (1)

Something for August: The Party Time, Excellent Edition

Colourful people jumping aroundA round-up of things to do in Iceland this August, as prepared by your festively inclined editors.

1-4 August: Verslunarmannahelgi. The wildest and most unpronounceable party in the universe Iceland is Þjóðhátíð, in the Westman Islands. Thousands flock to the tiny island of Heimaey to drink, dance, sing, and “get to know each other.”  It’s no coincidence that most Icelanders have their birthdays in April. Naked Twister anyone?

7-10 August: Reykjavik Gay Pride.  It’s the time to frock up, put on some red lippy and flutter those fake eyelashes.  Oh, and ladies are also welcome of course. It’ll be like Eurovision all over again!

23 August: Reykjavik Marathon and Culture Night. Men and women panting, sweating and wearing tight clothing? Yep, we’re talking about the internationally renowned Reykjavík Marathon of course.  All that running should get the blood pumping for Culture Night, a smorgasbord of pick-and-mix amusements that include art, music, dance, theatre, et cetera. And the best bit? It’s free!

26-30 August: Reykjavik Jazz Festival. The best of the burgeoning Nordic jazz scene, where there’ll be lots of trumpets, saxophones and other instruments that make lots of noise.

28-31 August: Tango Festival. Sexy, sassy and seductive. Oh and we hear there’ll be dancing too.  If the Funky Chicken Dance doesn’t score any dates on a Saturday night out, then maybe a little tango will help spice things up.

31 July 2008 – 13:58 | By Iris | Posted in drinking, events, Festivals, gay pride, music, Reykjavík Culture Night, Reykjavík Jazz Festival | Comments (1)

A Series of Unfortunate Icelandic Animals, Part One: The Wolf Fish

StonebiterIn the first installment of this important new series, we take a closer look at the piscatorial world’s answer to Keith Richards.

Also known as the Atlantic Catfish, Sea Wolf, Wolf Eel and Anarhichas lupus (which, funnily enough, were all names for lesser known 80s hair metal groups), the Wolf Fish looks its seen a thousand badly-behaved boozy world tours and has the scars and dodgy teeth to prove it.

A larger specimen would happily would eat your hand for dinner before downing a few rocks as an digestif — its Icelandic name Steinbítur translates as ‘stone biter’ — due to some incredibly powerful jaws and a set of fangs that would put Ronaldinho’s vampire double (pictured here) to shame.

But in spite of having looks that only Shane McGowan‘s mum could love, this grey monstrosity is a much sought after sport fish. Caught in the deeper seas a few kilometres from Reykjavik, it apparently provides a worthy battle once hooked and attracts serious deep sea anglers (both of them) to holiday in Iceland on a regular basis.

A variety of lures, attractors, fishy baits (clam meat is a real winner) and bits of dead animal are used to tempt the beast from its cave — we use the same trick on our head of IT — but reports surrounding the use of inflatable life-sized ‘Miss Wolf Fish’ lures are unconfirmed at the time of writing.

More Wolf Fish: Flickr | YouTube | Wikipedia | Google Image Search | Khoi Vinh

Photo kindly provided by Daniel. Thanks Daniel, you’re a star in the face of the sky.

18 July 2008 – 16:27 | By Ben | Posted in animals, fish | Comments (3)

Five things to remember when visiting Iceland

pool.gif
Think you’re ready to take the plunge? Here’s your survival kit.

1. Bring a bathing suit. Iceland’s national sport is swimming. (“Swimming” here loosely defined as sitting in a hot tub talking.) There are about 200 swimming pools in Iceland, and you could say they’re the Icelandic equivalent of the English pub. Oh, and the hot pots are a great place to pick up gossip with the locals.

2. Bring batteries. To keep going and going and going. You’ll need stamina and durability to party like the locals. The bars and clubs in Reykjavik are kind of like Icelandic nature, wild and untamed (unless you hit the town before midnight, when you’ll find it similar in other ways — desolate and frigid). Hot spots include Kaffibarinn and for the “happy” folk, Q-Bar.

3. Learn some Icelandic. Just the most commonly used Icelandic phrases should do it…

  • “Kemur þú oft hingað?” (Translation: “So, do you come here often?”)
  • “Ég myndi kaupa handa þér drykk ef það væri ekki svona dýrt, getum við ekki bara farið beint heim til mín?” (Translation: “I’d like to buy you a drink but it’s so expensive, let’s just skip it and go straight back to my place”).

Click for some more Icelandic lessons.

4. Dress like a local. Why not leave the hiking boots and brightly colored raincoats in the hotel room when walking downtown Reykjavik? (Although it does make “spot the foreigner” so much more fun when you don’t). In order to blend in, you’ll definitely need a Lopapeysa (traditional Icelandic jumper). But like a true local, you’ll need to rip off the lopapeysa and bare those pasty-white arms once the temperature hits 10 degrees and a sun ray peeps out.

5. Bring a paper clip. Iceland is full of extremes. You know, the landscape (fire, ice, et cetera), the people (naughty, nice, et cetera), the weather (rain, shine, et cetera). You’ll need a paper clip to hold it all together. And maybe a flashlight wouldn’t be a bad idea either, especially in winter.

7 July 2008 – 10:24 | By Iris | Posted in Bars in Iceland, clubs, iceland, icelandic sweaters, nightlife, swimming pools | Comments (3)

Hidden People of the World Unite

Troll or elf, who cares?With all these elves, trolls and hidden people mucking about, the question isn’t only whether they exist, but also whether people actually believe they exist.

So do they or don’t they? No, we’re not talking about Santa Claus or The Tooth Fairy — we all know they’re for real — we’re talking about the Hidden People. You know, elves and trolls and things.

What are these things? Well, after some serious investigative journalism (not really) here’s what we’ve come up with:

While elves are usually benevolent creatures that live between heaven and earth, a few mean-spirited elves sometimes try to lure humans into their world by having them accept delicious food or gold bracelets.

Now, trolls on the other hand are hideous, greedy creatures who have been banished to the deep underworld. If they are caught above ground at daylight they turn into stone, which explains some of country’s unusual rock formations.

Spooky. Generally speaking though, a good rule of thumb is that the hidden people won’t harm you unless you disturb theim or interrupt their way of life (sort of like the Americans, actually).

So do Icelanders really belive this, or is it just something that’s good for selling trinkets to tourists? Well it’s not as if the design of new roads or building sites is changed to avoid disturbing the hidden people. Or that several organizations in Iceland have employed folklore researchers to determine the impact of construction projects on the hidden communities.

Um, actually, yes they do.

So forget Big Foot and Loch Ness, come and explore the world of the mystical beings or take courses in “elf studies” from the (somewhat disreputable) Icelandic Elf School. With your diploma in hand, you too can be employed by the government as a “consultant” dedicated to finding a harmonious existence with these mystical beings so that everyone can live happily ever after. The End.

More about The Hidden People: Iceland Tourist Board | Icelandic Wonders | Iceland Mythology | The Travel Rag

27 June 2008 – 13:34 | By Iris | Posted in elves, hidden people, iceland, trolls | Comments (2)

Viking Festival: Come If You Dare

Where's your sword?What’s big, burly and grunts a lot… (apart from your grandmother)? An Icelandic Viking of course! For those of you who missed the original Vikings the first time, the town of Hafnarfjörður has brought them back for a best-of reunion tour.

This year, the International Viking Festival takes over the town from 12-16 June. The festival demonstrates most aspects of Viking life and culture, including ships, “cuisine”, handcraft, storytelling, archery, games, music, and battle reenactments.

Before you get too excited, we’ve heard that they leave out all the best bits… you know, the burning, pillaging, slaughtering and stealing that the Vikings are most renowned for. Oh well, we guess it could still be fun (sigh).

The Festival is all about authenticity and re-creating Viking life in detail. We wonder, however, if their commitment to realism will include the full sensory effect. Given the primitive state of the sewage system, the tendency to keep farmyard animals in their bedrooms, and the number of un-refrigerated dead fish (and human carcasses) hanging around, one would imagine that the olfactory aspect would be an important element of the experience. And it would definitely help to build one’s appetite for that traditional Viking feast! Pass the blood sausage and a nose clip, please.

For all you wannabe maurauders out there, you might even be lucky enough to score a date with a beautiful Icelandic Viking woman! So what are you waiting for? Come along to the festival. Bring your sword, battle axe (no, not your wife) and get into the Viking spirit!

Viking Festival Info | Flickr Set

9 June 2008 – 14:12 | By Iris | Posted in Adventure in Iceland, Festivals, iceland | Comments (2)

Back to Nature for Björk and Sigur Rós

Break the ice, not the bank.Industrial magnates of the world beware. Icelandic elves artists are striking back.

Breaking news! Björk and Sigur Rós are not too thrilled at all about highly pollutant aluminum smelters being built left, right and center in Iceland.

The musical pair are dedicated to environmental issues and feel as if the Icelandic image of, you know, like purity and unspoilt nature and all, is being tarnished by the ever-increasing number of heavy-industry factories being built all around the country.

On 28 June, the divine duo will perform together at a free, open air concert in Reykjavík, in an attempt to raise awareness for the issue, and we want you to be there.

Travel From: London, Copenhagen, Paris, Stockholm, Frankfurt, Eindhoven, Friedrichshafen, Gothenburg, and Basel.

Travel Period:
25 June to 2 July 2008.

Booking Period:
Right Now – 9 June, 23:59 GMT.

Return fares, including taxes and charges, from:

  • ₤148
  • €195
  • DKK 1489
  • SEK 1828
  • ISK 20.170

Legal Stuff: Act fast – limited dates and seats.

UPDATE: SORRY, THE ICEBREAKER SALE IS FINISHED, BUT DO CHECK OUR EXTREMELY MODERATE REGULAR AIRFARES TO ICELAND. AFTER ALL, THE CONCERT IS FREE FOLKS!  

Ready to get your environmental groove on?
You’re missing out – Book Now!

More concert info: Björk | Sigur Rós | I Love Icelandic Music

In case you missed it the first time: Book a Seat!

6 June 2008 – 14:18 | By Erik | Posted in cheap flights to iceland, iceland | Comments (3)