TheThe Reykjavík Reykjavík Grapevine Grapevine 2 IssueIssue 3 — 32016 — 2016 In this issue: 2 EDITORIAL An Editorial Editorials. I don't like them. NEW EDITOR Please read our magazine. WANTED The Reykjavík Grapevine is seeking a new Managing Editor for its print and online publications. Responsibili- DESIGNMARCH PULLOUT ties include managing the publication’s Grapevine Design Awards, Interviews with Johnathan Section Editors, editing and re-writing Barnbrook, Assemble and more.. articles, ensuring high standards and that deadlines are met. The job is open for non-graduates, although university degrees or related qualifications are preferred. Previous experience in journalism is required. Knowledge of Iceland, its geography, its culture and its politics is required. A familiarity with this publication is absolutely required. So is a superhuman grasp of the English language. Interested parties should send their CV and cover letter (no longer than JENNIFER LEWIS one A4 page each) to work@grape- An essential piece on workplace sexism in Iceland - Jón Trausti Sigurðarson vine.is no later than the 10th of March. and what you can do about it. Managing Editor (temp.) THE HOT The Hot Button column looks at an single issue BUTTON that's had Icelanders' chins wagging recently. Tourism Safety The hot button issue that Icelanders Lóa Hjálmtýsdóttir have been going on about this issue is tourism safety. It used to be some- what funny to point out the reckless shenanigans of tourists. The laughter stopped, however, when someone once TRAVEL: WESTMAN ISLANDS again drowned at the notorious Reyn- + Two articles on safety. It's good for you.. isfjara beach. Since then, it has been pointed out that not all of these acci- dents are the result of foolhardy tour- ists—many places around Iceland in fact lack hazard signs and safety ropes that could help reduce the risk. It also didn’t help that that “Inspired By Ice- land” video includes someone dancing on a chunk of ice at Jökulsárlón, which is highly inadvisable. The government currently has a plan of action in the works to amend this. In the meantime, just assume that any place you visit in the Icelandic countryside is a deathtrap wait- ÁSTÞÓR MAGNÚSSON ing to embrace you in its icy maw. - PF Perrenial presidential hopeful shows new sides. news editor: sales director: The Reykjavík Grapevine is Paul Fontaine contributing Writers: Aðalsteinn Jörundsson published 18 times a year by [email protected] Bergur Ebbi Benediktsson [email protected] Fröken ltd. Monthly from listings editor Davíð Roach Helgi Þór Harðarson November through April, and Get the FREE Grapevine Hafnarstræti 15, 101 Reykjavík Gabríel Benjamin Eli Petzold [email protected] fortnightly from May til Octo- www.grapevine.is [email protected] Gabrielle Motola ber. Nothing in this magazine apps Appy Hour, Craving, [email protected] Grayson Del Faro distribution manager: may be reproduced in whole Published by Fröken ehf. travel editor: Jennifer Lewis [email protected] or in part without the written Member of the Icelandic John Rogers Mary Frances Davidson permission of the publishers. and Appening. Available Travel Industry Association [email protected] Mette Mjöberg Tegnander press releases: The Reykjavík Grapevine is [email protected] www.saf.is photo editor: Óli Dóri distributed around Reykjavík, on the App Store and the Printed by Landsprent ehf. in Art Bicnick Ragna Ó. Guðmundsdóttir submission inquiries: Akureyri, Egilsstaðir, Seyðis- 25,000 copies. Rebecca Conway [email protected] fjörður, Borgarnes, Keflavík, Google Play Store. food editor: York Underwood Ísafjörður and at key locations Cover Design By: publisher: Ragnar Egilsson subscription inquiries: along road #1, and all major Björn Loki & Elsa Jónsdóttir Hilmar Steinn Grétarsson [email protected] editorial intern: +354 540 3605 tourist attractions and tourist [email protected] Hrefna B. Gylfadóttir [email protected] copy editor: information centres in the +354 540 3601 [email protected] country. Special thanks to: [email protected] Mark Asch general inquiries: Thanks to Katerina Kochkina, typeface designer, for art director: [email protected] editorial: You may not like it, but at least allowing us to use her unpublilshed typeface Samsa managing editor: Sveinbjörn Pálsson Jón Trausti Sigurðarson +354 540 3600 founders: it's not sponsored (no articles for the headline in the main feature on page 14 [email protected] [email protected] contributing Hilmar Steinn Grétarsson, in the Reykjavík Grapevine are photographers: Hörður Kristbjörnsson, pay-for articles. The opinions advertising: Gunnlaugur A. Sigurðsson Jón Trausti Sigurðarson, expressed are the writers’ guest editor: +354 540 3605 Andy Battaglia Hörður Sveinsson Oddur Óskar Kjartansson, own, not the advertisers’). [email protected] Gabrielle Motola Valur Gunnarsson +354 40 3610 Say your piece, voice your THIS ISSUE'S opinion, send your letters to: [email protected] ISSUE the timeless SOUR GRAPES These days everything is just facts, facts, facts. You hop on social media and every armchair pundit is just posting statistics, research findings, and rea- soned analysis. We at the Grapevine seek to fill this void, with some much AND STUFF warmth needed reasoning from the left and from the right, those two directions that warmth we all know and love. Our pundits shall remain nameless, as they are, like all pundits, humble people, shy of the spotlight. this issue's of Iceland loveliest letter! Dear Icelanders, I am the oldest son out of three, in a fam- ily of five. We have been living in Iceland for a year. We have gone to the south- west part of Iceland, but we would like to www.arnartr.com explore other parts of this country with even more awesome landmarks! For that, we would like your help! To accomplish this, I have, for Selling Alcohol example, proposed that we could ex- change houses for one or two weeks. My parents have a flat in the north of In Private Shops Spain (Galicia) by the seaside, and my grandfather has an old (and charm- FOR AGAINST ing) country house in a small village (near Pontevedra). Imagine it’s Tuesday night. You’re Have you ever wandered through We could also enjoy exchanging planning on hosting a dinner for downtown Reykjavík on a Friday tricks, suggestions and cool locations some friends at your spacious home night? Have you seen the way we that go further than just tourist pub- in the suburbs. You’ve already behave when we can only get al- licity. That way we could both learn picked up the usual stuff you’d get cohol from any of the hundreds of from each other’s country and, if you for an average dinner with friends: bars, clubs and restaurants all over want to exchange houses, we would lobster, gourmet reindeer steaks, the city? Now imagine if we had ac- both get the better deal. fine cigars, maybe a nice Ayn Rand- cess to alcohol in any given privately If you are as interested, excited and shaped marzipan cake. But you for- owned store. as curious about Spain and its culture got to pick up some champagne! Not Don’t get me wrong. I love my as I am about Iceland, would like to to worry, you say: You can just get country, and believe my fellow Ice- share your experiences/information some from the local supermarket, or landers are a modern and sophisti- with me, or would like to look into the a mom-and-pop liquor store, right? cated people who are part of inter- offers (or make new ones) please email Dead wrong! Only the govern- national society. So I hope I don’t [email protected]. ment is allowed to sell alcohol in sound prejudiced when I say we Thanks in advance for listening to Iceland (well, unless you count bars are far too primitive and savage to me and helping me learn more about and restaurants), so if you want to be able to handle unfettered access your beautiful country, buy champagne after six, too bad. to alcohol. We would literally drink - Yzan and the Saavedra family Your guests will just have to settle all the time. Thousands of drunk for sparkling apple juice or, God for- schoolchildren, wandering the Hey Yzan, bid, bottled water. streets begging for food, which they Wow, that sounds pretty sweet! If we Last time I checked, we don’t live wouldn’t get, because everyone’s in the editorial office had any holiday in a police state. If I own a corner too drunk to work. Green cans lit- time (we don’t) or owned property (we grocery store and want to sell 40s tering every square metre of space. don’t), we’d totally take you up on that of Cobra or fluted bottles of Dom A permanent cloud of beer breath offer! Hopefully our readers are in a Perignon, it should be my consti- hanging over us year round. better position. tutionally protected right to do so. Is that the kind of Iceland you Yours, This issue is so central to basic hu- want to see? I know I don’t, and I The Grapevine man rights, it was the first issue the don’t think anyone would want to Independence Party took up in Par- raise their children in such a coun- liament the Monday after the banks try. But that’s exactly what we’ll get LOVELIEST collapsed. And with good reason. if we legalise alcohol. A failed state. LETTER: We cannot let the government The only people who could pos- FREE ruin another dinner party. We need sibly stand to benefit from legalising GRAPE- to pressure our elected representa- the private sale of alcohol are the tives to focus on the issues that re- people who make it and sell it.