YOUR FREE COPY www.grapevine.is REYKJAVÍK HAS TO OFFER TO HAS REYKJAVÍK THE TO THE VERY BEST BEST VERY THE TO THE ESSENTIAL GUIDE ESSENTIAL THE BEST OF REYKJAVÍK 2010 Issue No 9 – July 2 - July 15– 2010 www.grapevine.is YOUR FREE COPY FREE YOUR YOUR FREE COPY www.grapevine.is REYKJAVÍK HAS TO OFFER TO HAS REYKJAVÍK THE TO THE VERY BEST BEST VERY THE TO THE ESSENTIAL GUIDE ESSENTIAL THE BEST OF REYKJAVÍK 2010 Issue No 9 – July 2 - July 15– 2010 www.grapevine.is YOUR FREE COPY FREE YOUR The Reykjavík Grapevine Issue 09 — 2010 2 Editorial | Haukur S Magnússon The Reykjavík Grapevine Hafnarstræti 15, 101 Reykjavík YOUR FREE COPY YOUR FREE COPY www.grapevine.is www.grapevine.is www.grapevine.is [email protected] THE THE REYKJAVÍK HAS TO OFFER TO HAS REYKJAVÍK REYKJAVÍK HAS TO OFFER TO HAS REYKJAVÍK Published by Fröken ehf. TO THE VERY BEST BEST VERY THE TO TO THE VERY BEST BEST VERY THE TO BEST OF BEST OF THE ESSENTIAL GUIDE ESSENTIAL THE THE ESSENTIAL GUIDE ESSENTIAL THE REYKJAVÍK REYKJAVÍK www.froken.is 2010 2010 Shit From An Old Notebook (mostly) – 2010 – 2010 July 2 - July 15 July 2 - July 15 Member of the Icelandic Travel Industry Association o o Issue N 9 – Issue N 9 – www.saf.is www.grapevine.is www.grapevine.is YOUR FREE COPY FREE YOUR Haukur’s 27th Editorial COPY FREE YOUR Printed by Landsprent ehf. in 25.000 copies. Editorial: +354 540 3600 / [email protected] Advertising: Cover Illustrations by: +354 540 3605 / [email protected] Þorbjörn Ingason Publisher: www.tingason.com +354 540 3601 / [email protected] Publisher: Hilmar Steinn Grétarsson / [email protected] MUSIC Editor: & Haukur S Magnússon / [email protected] NIGHT Journalist: LIFE Rebecca Louder / [email protected] Contributing Writers: Ben Frost TRACK OF THE ISSUE Dr. Gunni Ian Watson Jim Rice It is sometimes said about Akureyri that it is pivotal in rendering life here bearable. The most Download your Stephanie Orford the most delightful place in Iceland – until its important thing in Reykjavík, the BEST OF THE free copy at Magnús Sveinn Helgason grapevine.is inhabitants wake up. I am not sure exactly how to BEST OF REYKJAVÍK. Marc Vincenz Eiríkur Örn Norðdahl interpret that, but I guess it’s supposed to mean And this is its people. Bob Cluness that the good people of Akureyri greatly draw Don’t get me wrong. I have nothing against Íris Erlingsdóttir Alexander Roberts from the town’s appeal. commerce. Or restaurants. Or swimming pools or This isn’t true of course. The people of bars. Those are all great. I’m just sorta thinking Editorial Interns: Akureyri are alright, as anyone who’s been there that it’s kinda skunkly to suggest that most of our Alexandra Young / [email protected] can attest. The joke is still sorta funny. Ha. BEST OF REYKJAVÍK has to be bought and paid Allison Savage / [email protected] Emily Burton / [email protected] Anyway. The issue you are now reading is our for. TRACK OF THE ISSUE second annual BEST OF REYKJAVÍK edition, All of the best, most life affirming moments On-line News Editor Paul Nikolov / [email protected] wherein we try to highlight and big-up some of I’ve experienced in this town have come for free, Seabear Food Editor: the things that make living here (or visiting here, or at least I didn’t need to pay for them with any Catharine Fulton for that matter) a bit more awesome. It is our officially recognised form of currency. They have Wolfboy Art Director: attempt to celebrate and draw attention to all sorts come through interacting with the people, paying Hörður Kristbjörnsson / [email protected] seabear Design: of stuff that we feel enriches our lives and adds visits to friends and family, chance encounters on Download at www.grapevine.is Páll Hilmarsson / [email protected] flavour to them. the street, heavy debates, smiling faces and lost Senior Design Consultant: Jóhannes Kjartansson / www.joi.is We spent a lot of time working on it. Shitloads arguments. What a lovely band Seabear is. They are always such a Photographer: of time. And so did you guys, actually. Most of Yes. My favourite thing about the city of nice little pick-me-up when the skies are grey and the Julia Staples / juliastaples.com what’s in there is based on your suggestions and/ Reykjavík is all the excellent people that have heart is heavy. Their gentle, twinkly folk-pop has been making us smile and snap our fingers since they put Sales Director: or comments. We are sorta proud of it all, and we made it their home, and/or like to pay it a visit Aðalsteinn Jörundsson / [email protected] out their first album; the runaway hit ‘The Ghost That Guðmundur Rúnar Svansson / [email protected] hope you can draw some enjoyment from it, too. from time to time. Carried Us Away.’ After a three-year wait, they finally Distribution: Now. I’m writing this as we are minutes away released a new album, ‘We Built A Fire’, for us to tap our [email protected] from sending this issue off to the printers, and I You are my personal BEST OF. Thank you. toes to and boy do we love it! Proofreader: Jim Rice have been pondering some of its contents. And We are super-happy to offer you this track off that new album. It’s called ‘Wolfboy’ and it is totally Press releases: I’ve come to realise that something about this all infectious and adorable! It’s full of bounce and snappy [email protected] sorta bugs me. rhythm countered by sleepy lead vocals and lilting Submissions inquiries: [email protected] Bear with me. strings, but also plenty of ooh-wah-ooh-ability. It really Subscription inquiries: While I think that it is cool that we get to make just makes you want to throw your hands over your head +354 540 3605 / [email protected] an issue celebrating our town and some of the carelessly and howl like a happy little wolf! Ah-oooooo! General inquiries: [email protected] Also, check out their interview somewhere in this things that go on in it, I can’t help but think that Founders: issue. If you like them, you should probably go to their Hilmar Steinn Grétarsson, we are missing an important aspect, one that is release show, too. Hörður Kristbjörnsson, Jón Trausti Sigurðarson, Oddur Óskar Kjartansson, Comic | Lóa Hjálmtýsdóttir Valur Gunnarsson The Reykjavík Grapevine is published 18 times a year by Fröken ltd. Monthly from November through April, and fortnightly from May 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, Seyðis- fjörður, 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’). Check out www.inspiredbyiceland.com - it's pretty inspiring World peace: Soon Lamburger: Now The Icelandic Hamburger and Michail Gorbachev first Icelandic Lamburger. Factory is a new restaurant almost ended the Cold War. Great prices on food, beer overlooking the famous But that's history. Try our and wine. Come and feel the Höfði, where Ronald Reagan unique Hamburgers and the Factory buzz. It's worth it. Turninn Höfðatorgi Opening hours: 105 Reykjavik [email protected] Sun-Wed. 11.00–22.00 Tel: 575 7575 www.fabrikkan.is Thu-Sat. 11.00–24.00 Rafting Ice Climbing Snorkeling Diving Glacier Hike Canoeing Hiking Kayaking Cycling Climbing Super-Jeep Caving Horse Riding Sightseeing Snowmobile Whale Watch ATV Incentive MOST AWESOME LETTER Sour grapes A buncha POLAR BEER for your thoughts We're not gonna lie to you: we really love us some beers. Some folks would call it a problem, but beer never gave us any problems. In fact, over the years, and stuff it's solved most of 'em. A frosty glass of cold, frothy, bubblicious, golden- tinted beer has consistently failed to let us down. In the immortal words of the Say your piece, voice your opinion, once-reputable Homer J. Simpson: "Mmm... Beer..." send your letters to: [email protected] Now, since we're real pleasant and giving folks here at the Grapevine, we thought we'd share some wonderful POLAR BEER with you, our readers. Not only that, you're also getting the gift of social life with it. So here's the deal: our most awesome letter of each issue (henceforth, or until the good people of POLAR BEER decide they don't want to play along anymore), we will be providing our MOST AWESOME LETTER scribe with twelve frothy POLAR BEERS, to be imbibed at a Reykjavík bar of their choice (so long as 4 that bar is either Bakkus or Venue). If y'all's letter is the one, drop us a line to collect. Give us your worst: [email protected] Letters (Light) Hello Haukur! We wanted to wish you a Happy National MOST AWESOME LETTER: Day! It has been quite the year for Iceland. I have designed another graphic celebrating Hi! Iceland’s National Day. It depicts the Eyjafjal- lajökul eruption with all of its energy: I saw an interview with Vooral Gerard in The Reykjavik Grapevine. I am sorry these people lost their money, but it is not the Icelandic taxpayers to blame or their responsibility.