Icelandair Stopover magazine - winter 2018 by Icelandair

ICELANDAIR STOPOVER MAGAZINE & SAGA SHOP COLLECTION ISSUE 1 2018

Welcome Aboard I Winter 2018

ICELANDAIRSTOPOVER #MyStopover

Whiteout ICELANDAIR STOPOVER MAGAZINE & SAGA SHOP COLLECTION ISSUE 1 2018

Enjoy a Winter Stopover in Iceland

SNOWED IN

TAKE YOUR TIME

CARVE IT UP

Tollfrjรกls verslun Tax & Duty-free Vetur / Winter 2018

E A R LY B I R D C AT C H E S After her time in Iceland, Naomi arrives early at the airport so she can enjoy her last hours there before continuing her journey.

GIVE YOUR SELF MORE TIME TO SHOP

W W W. K E FA I R P O R T. I S

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Arrive early at Keflavík Airport and we will greet you with open arms. Check in up to 2 ½ hours before your flight so you can enjoy your last moments in Iceland. We offer unlimited free Wi-Fi, many charging stations and a range of shops and restaurants, so you can embrace the last drops of Icelandic taste and feel — and of course Tax and Duty Free.

MORE TIME FOR SHOPPING To remember her time in Iceland, she brings back home unique souvenirs that she bought at the airport.

Icelandair Stopover / 1

LOOK INSIDE From our CEO

Iceland 101

What to Do this Winter

Safe and Sensible Travel – in Poetry

Environmental Icelandair

Children’s Treasure Chest

The Icelandair Route Network

Our Fleet

Icelandair Travel Experience

In-Flight Entertainment

Services On Board

Saga Shop Kitchen

Devices and Wi-Fi

Safety First

Customs Forms

WINTER 2018 I PUBLISHED BY ICELANDAIR

Angelic Vision

Stories of the Season

Exhilarating Airwaves

Of Desire and Defeat

Iceland by Sea

World Cup, Here We Come!

Iceland’s Lifeline in Pictures

Cultural Gems in the East

My Town: Locked in by Lava

#MyStopover: Jessica Biel on Iceland

Icelandair@work: Travel Dreams Come True

Fabulous Festivals Coming Up

Stopover Travel Tips

Historical Icelandair

Icelandair on Instagram

EDITOR: Eygló Svala Arnarsdóttir (editor@icelandair.is) COVER IMAGE: Hverfisgata in Reykjavík. Photo by Benjamin Hardman COPY EDITOR: Sarah Dearne CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: Mica Allan, Siggi Anton, Eygló Svala Arnarsdóttir, Sigríður Ásta Árnadóttir, Guðbergur Bergsson, Tina Jøhnk Christensen, Sarah Dearne, Jenna Gottlieb, Diane Gorch, Vala Hafstað, Björn Halldórsson, Rachel Mercer, Jonas Moody, Karin MurrayBergquist, Lisa Gail Shannen, Eric S. Singer

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS: Siggi Anton, Ólafur Björnsson, Pepe Brix, Roman Gerasymenko, Eygló Gísladóttir, Diane Gorch, Nikolas Grabar, Lilja Jónsdóttir, Karin Murray-Berquist, OZZO Photography, Hildur Ýr Ómarsdóttir, Arnar Sigurbjörnsson, Maria von Hausswolff CONTRIBUTING ILLUSTRATOR: Heidi Warner ADVERTISING: icelandair.us/advertise-en DESIGN: Ágústa S. Þórðardóttir / Icelandic Ad Agency PRINTING: Oddi

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Visit our stores: Skólavörðustígur 7 & 16 and Kringlan, Reykjavík. Hafnarstræti, Akureyri. Haukadalur. Geysir.com

FROM OUR CEO

TRAVEL DREAMS Dear Passenger, Happy New Year! Another new and exciting year has begun, bringing with it new travel adventures and endless opportunities. Icelandair is starting its 81st year of operation. In 2018, we will expand our route network even further, fly passengers to new destinations, start operating new aircraft and—in an effort to meet the demands of the modern traveler—offer new classes. For example, in Economy Light, you can choose to travel only with hand luggage at a lower airfare, yet receive the same quality service. Last year, Iceland’s national men’s football team made history, once again, when Iceland became the smallest nation ever to qualify for the

Björgólfur Jóhannsson Icelandair President and CEO

Last year, Iceland’s national men’s football team made history, once again, when Iceland became the smallest nation ever to qualify for the World Cup in football.

World Cup in football. We are all bursting with pride and brimming over with excitement for the World Cup in Russia, starting in June. Icelandair will back “our boys” every step of the way and fly fans directly to the cities in Russia where they will play. Read more about our amazing footballers on pages 26–30 and 60. Meanwhile, the national women’s football team has bounced back from last year’s Euros and now has a good shot at qualifying for the 2019 World Cup. Iceland—the country, its people, past and present—is an endless source of inspiration. For example, Portuguese photographer Pepe Brix features Icelandic fishermen in his new book Lifeline (see page 32). On page 52, American powerhouse

couple, actress Jessica Biel and singer Justin Timberlake discuss how inspirational their stopover in Iceland was, including heli-boarding from summit to the shore. In other travel stories, Diane Gorch shares with us her sailing adventures (see page 22), while Karin Murray-Bergquist drives to the East Fjords via the South, discovering cultural gems along the way (see page 38). If you’re looking for something to see and do during your stopover in Iceland, browse via this magazine and and you’ll be sure to have plenty of ideas by the time you touch down. May you enjoy your flight with us today and may all your travel dreams come true. Góða ferð! I Have a nice trip.

THE WORLD’S FIRST FLYING GLACIER In May 2017, Icelandair unveiled Vatnajökull: The airline’s second exquisitely repainted airplane after Hekla Aurora. The idea was to celebrate Icelandair’s 80th anniversary last year by bringing the best of Iceland to the rest of the world… literally.

A tribute to Europe’s largest glacier—an icecap that covers 8 percent of Iceland’s entire land area—presenting Vatnajökull in Boeing-757 form was no small task. It took a team of four airbrush artists and 21 assistants, with 52 gallons of paint and 2,500 work hours to complete their masterpiece.

And the Vatnajökull experience doesn’t stop at the boarding gate: On board the plane, careful design features—from the LED lighting, to the seatbacks, food packaging, and bathroom decor—all nod towards the mighty Vatnajökull glacier.

ABOUT ICELANDIC LETTERS

The articles in this magazine use Icelandic letters and accents. In Icelandic, you can use accents on all the vowels: á, é, í, ó, ö, ú, ý. Each accent makes the pronunciation of the

vowel different. We also have an additional three letters: Æ (sometimes written as “ae”) is pronounced like the “i” in tide. Ð (sometimes written as “d”) is pronounced like the “th” in

4 / CEO

Read more online: icelandair.us/vatnajokull

there. Þ (sometimes written as “th”) is pronounced like the “th” in think. Thank you for reading! I Kærar þakkir fyrir að lesa blaðið!

dress code iceland

s n a p c h a t /c i n t a m a n i . i s

f a c e b o o k /c i n t a m a n i . i c e l a n d

i n s t a g r a m /c i n t a m a n i _ i c e l a n d

b a n ka s t rĂŚt i + k r i n g l a n + s m ĂĄ ra l i n d + a u s t u r h ra u n + a k u rey r i + w w w.c i nt a m a n i . i s

ICELAND 101 Welcome to Iceland! Looking for the basics on Iceland before your Icelandair stopover? Here are a few essentials about our North Atlantic paradise. GRÍMSEY

SUÐUREYRI ÍSAFJÖRÐUR DALVÍK

FLATEY

REYÐARFJÖRÐUR

THIS IS HIGHWAY 1

ARNARSTAPI

We call it the Ring Road because, as you can see, it is shaped like a ring around the whole island. Many people like to follow this route when they want to see a lot of the country, but don’t forget to venture off on other roads so you can explore areas like the Westfjords, Snæfellsnes Peninsula and Reykjanes.

The national language is Icelandic, and while you’ll have no problem getting by using English, we’re grateful anytime a visitor tries to use góðan daginn (good day) or takk (thank you). You are going to land at Keflavík Airport. When you first step outside, take a deep breath and inhale our wonderful clean air. Welcome to the North Atlantic. Thanks to the Gulf Stream, winter temperatures are milder here than you’ll find in New York or Toronto. When the thermometer creeps above 68°F (20°C) in summer, Icelanders bask in the sun at cafés and beaches. You probably already know that Iceland is a volcanic land. We also have many glaciers and countless other natural wonders. Remember to stay safe on your travels and check out safetravel.is before you go. There’s no need to buy bottled water when you’re here. What comes out of the tap is pure, clean, tasty—and free. You may notice the hot water has a slightly sulfurous smell, 6 / Icelandair Stopover

HOFSJÖKULL LANGJÖKULL

VATNAJÖKULL

AKRANES

REYKJAVÍK REYKJANESBÆR

HEKLA

but it’s plentiful; we even use it to heat our homes! It does not get as cold in winter as you might think, but nevertheless our weather can be quite unpredictable. Bring lots of clothes to wear in layers—even in summer— and a good quality windproof jacket. Most importantly, don’t forget your bathing suit! Visiting our thermal pools is a highlight of most trips (though you can always rent a suit if you forgot yours). There aren’t a lot of trees in Iceland. It can be windy here. Remember to hold your car door when you open it. Trust us; your rental company will thank you. Electricity in Iceland is 220 volts, the same as in Europe. If you bring electronics from the US or Canada, you’ll need an adapter for both plugs and current. Iceland is a wired society, and you’ll find Internet hotspots almost everywhere. Many of you will be visiting our country to enjoy our unique nature, of which we are very proud. Please remember, though, that

Iceland’s delicate landscapes can take decades, or even centuries, to recover from misuse. Please don’t collect stones, tread on or pick up sensitive moss, or drive off road— even in what may appear to be barren, sandy territory. Speaking of our landscapes, you’ll notice that there aren’t many signs, fences or other barriers around our natural wonders. We trust your common sense. So when you see or hear a warning, please heed it: Do not step over ropes that are blocking an area. Hot springs can be dangerously hot. Rocks near waterfalls can be slippery. And the sea can be deceptively calm. Follow local advice. The name of Iceland’s capital, Reykjavík, means “smoky bay”. About two-thirds of our population of 330,000 live in the Capital Region. Photographers love Iceland for its incredible, ever-changing light. It never gets fully dark between about mid-May and early August, while in December a muted light shines over the island for a few short hours each day.

Spend the night at a snow-powered hotel In Iceland, all electricity is generated from renewable sources; falling water, the heat of the earth and the force of the wind. Welcome to the land of renewable energy. landsvirkjun.com/visitus

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ANGEL TAKING A NAP Southeast Iceland is my favorite region. Maybe because it feels like a timeless place. A classic that isn’t affected too much by modernity. Just black sand, glaciers and the magical south shore facing the low-angled winter sun. I was on a Stopover Buddy trip, a program where travelers were paired with an Icelandair employee, serving as their guide in Iceland. I was paired with Dutch instagrammer @wesinthewild. We had been exploring the ice caves in Breiðamerkurjökull and the sunset at Vestrahorn beach. It was 6:30 pm in late November and it was dark already. On our way back to Reykjavík, we decide to stop at Jökulsárlón, the glacier lagoon we had explored previously that day in broad daylight. We went on a little hike along

the lake, looking at ice sculptures under the northern lights and put down our tripods. The weather was completely calm and you could hear a faint cracking sound here and there, coming from the icebergs. What would the camera reveal this time? I reached for a small LED flashlight and lit up the foreground with it for a couple of seconds and then left the camera open for 15 seconds to catch the sky and the distant glacier. The star-filled sky was purple and green. A new sculpture emerged, floating on the tranquil lake. It seemed like the perfect place to take a nap—for someone out of this world. TEXT AND PHOTO BY SIGGI ANTON INSTAGRAM.COM/SIGGIANTON @SIGGIANTON

COMPILED BY SARAH DEARNE. n

HERE

Ísafjörður

Akureyri n

THERE

Seyðisfjörður n

Here’s what’s happening on the hippest island in the North Atlantic this winter.

Reykjavík n

ICELAND January 19 to February 24

SEYÐISFJÖRÐUR February 16–17

Þorrablót (Winter Festival) Þorrablót is a medieval pagan feast that coincides with the Norse month of Þorri. There was no New Nordic Cuisine in the Viking Age, and so the festival centers around un-deconstructed traditional fare such as roast sheep’s face, pickled ram’s testicles and putrefied Greenland shark. Wash it all down with a shot of Brennivín and you’ll just about qualify for Icelandic citizenship. You can find Þorrablót buffets in various restaurants around the country.

List í ljósi (Art in the Light) For all the coziness of winter, after four long months, Icelanders have had their fill. Thus, the List í ljósi festival celebrates the returning daylight, hastening the process with a welcome boost of brightness. This enchanting festival lights up the town with colorful projections and installations, and there’s also a concurrent program of family-friendly performances and workshops. listiljosi.com

REYKJAVÍK

January 25–27

Dark Music Days Dark Music Days is a contemporary music festival that spotlights pioneering new pieces at an otherwise quiet time of year. This year’s highlights include Nordic Affect, a classical group from Iceland, and Riot Ensemble, a shape-shifting collective of UK talent. Performances take place at the magnificent Harpa Concert Hall and other intriguing venues around the city. darkmusicdays.is

February 22–24

The Annual Icelandic Beer Festival The years 1915 to 1989 were a dark time in Icelandic history. Beer was banned, and desperate locals resorted to drinking bjórlíki (“beer substitute”), a wretched cocktail of weak pilsner spiked with spirits. Thankfully, the burgeoning Icelandic craft brew scene has been making up for lost time. The Annual Icelandic Beer Festival celebrates this new chapter with three days of beer tasting from the most exciting breweries from Iceland and abroad. The event takes place at the hip KEX Hostel and pairs delicious new brews with food and live music. kexland.is

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REYKJAVÍK

March 16–17

Sónar Sónar electronic music festival features Iceland’s most exciting electronic artists alongside popular acts from abroad. There’s also a major audiovisual component, a synesthetic celebration of digital culture and technology. Concerts take place in Harpa Concert Hall, and if that sounds too slick then head downstairs to the car park, which will be doing double duty as a (literally) underground nightclub. Tickets sold out last year, so book swiftly to avoid disappointment. sonarreykjavik.com

Photo: Nikolas Grabar

AKUREYRI

REYKJAVÍK

Photo: Arnar Sigurbjörnsson

March 23–25

Icelandic Winter Games The Icelandic Winter Games started as a one-off event five years ago and has since grown into one of Iceland’s most exhilarating winter festivals. In addition to free-skiing and snowboarding competitions, snow-themed events include Arctic horseback riding, snowmobiling, dog sledding, heli-skiing, and peak-to-shore tours, where you can ski all the way down to the black-sand shores of the Atlantic. Events take place in and around Hlíðarfjall ski resort in the picturesque town Akureyri. icelandwintergames.com

ÍSAFJÖRÐUR

March 30 to April 1

Aldrei fór ég suður Aldrei fór ég suður (“I never went south”) is a free music festival that runs on love, not money. It was created in 2004 by musician Mugison and his father, Papamug, and hosts an egalitarian mix of big names and newcomers over Easter weekend. Bands donate their time and share equipment, and soundchecks and egos are kept to a minimum. The festival also ties in with Ísafjörður Ski Week, which runs from March 25 to 29, making for a perfect excuse to spend a week in the beautiful Westfjords. aldrei.is

BREYTTUR TOLLKVÓTI OG MEIRI SVEIGJANLEIKI

DUTY FREE ALLOWANCES IN ARRIVAL STORE

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einingar og þú raðar þeim saman eins og þú vilt. units of alcohol, any way you like it. eining = 25 cl af sterku áfengi eða 75 cl af léttvíni og léttum líkjörum eða 3 l af bjór, síder eða gosblöndum. unit = 25 cl strong spirits or 75 cl wine and aperitif or 3 l beer, cider and alcopop.

FYLLA TOLLKVÓTANN MEÐ EINUM VÖRUFLOKKI? ALL YOUR DUTY FREE ALLOWANCES FROM ONE CATEGORY? STERKT ÁFENGI SPIRITS 22—55%

LÉTTVÍN OG LÍKJÖRAR WINE AND APERITIF <22%

BJÓR, SÍDER OG GOSBLÖNDUR BEER, CIDER AND ALCOPOP

6 einingar/units – 1,5 l

6 einingar/units — 4,5 l (6 flöskur/bottles 75 cl)

6 einingar/units — 18 l (36 dósir/cans 50 cl)

TILLÖGUR AÐ SAMSETNINGUM MIX & MATCH SUGGESTIONS STERKT ÁFENGI

BJÓR, SÍDER OG GOSBLÖNDUR

SPIRITS 22—55% 1 FLASKA 1 BOTTLE

4 einingar/units — 1 l

BEER, CIDER AND ALCOPOP

STERKT ÁFENGI

4 einingar/units — 1 l

WINE AND APERITIF <22%

LÉTTVÍN OG LÉTTIR LÍKJÖRAR WINE AND APERITIF <22% T.D. 3 FLÖSKUR E.G. 3 BOTTLES

3 einingar/units — 75 cl

2 einingar/units — 50 cl

LÉTTVÍN OG LÉTTIR LÍKJÖRAR

SPIRITS 22—55% 1 FLASKA 1 BOTTLE

12 DÓSIR 12 CANS

T.D. 2 FLÖSKUR E.G. 2 BOTTLES

2 einingar/units — 75 cl

BJÓR, SÍDER OG GOSBLÖNDUR BEER, CIDER AND ALCOPOP

18 DÓSIR 18 CANS

3 einingar/units — 50 cl

DON’T LET THE DARK GET TO YOU!

Dark winter days can be trying if you’re not used to them, but they do provide some quality reading time. Björn Halldórsson picks some perfect reads to keep you up during the dark season.

Audio book

TÓMAS JÓNSSON, BESTSELLER

SNARE

WHITEOUT

SEASON OF THE WITCH

BY LILJA SIGURÐARDÓTTIR

RAGNAR JÓNASSON

ÁRNI ÞÓRARINSSON

BY GUÐBERGUR BERGSSON

Desperate to find the legal funds to regain custody of her son, Sonja takes to smuggling cocaine through Keflavík Airport, applying her glamorous aura of respectability to evade suspicion. It’s meant to be a one-time thing but she soon discovers that once you’ve crossed the line going back is not an option, not while you’re making money for the wrong people. To complicate matters, she has caught the attention of aging customs officer Bragi, who has little left to live for outside of his job. Meanwhile, her lover, Agla, is facing prosecutions for her part in the financial shenanigans that caused Iceland’s current dire economic situation, and under the earth’s crust there are other rumblings. Soon the ash clouds will darken all their meagre hopes and dreams. Set against the backdrop of the most cataclysmic time in recent Icelandic history, Lilja Sigurðardóttir’s debut work on the international stage is a refreshing thriller that ramps up the tension through the plights of her haunted yet human characters.

Two days before Christmas a body is found on the basalt columns below the lighthouse in Kálfhamarsvík, a nearly deserted settlement on the northern tip of Iceland. It’s the daughter of the former lighthouse keeper who has just recently returned to the area, having been whisked away 25 years before after the unsettling demise of her mother and sister on the very same rocks. Haunted by the memory of the former incident, the local magistrate calls Ari Thor (the Siglufjörður detective familiar to readers of Ragnar’s previous books) for help. With his own history of childhood tragedies, Ari relates to the woman’s story and sets out to unveil the secrets of the few remaining residents of the area. In his work, Ragnar Jónasson has taken the classic Agatha Christie locked room murder mystery and applied it to an entirely new setting: The isolation of Iceland’s desolate yet beautiful northern coast.

Recovering alcoholic and fulltime cynic Einar has relocated to Akureyri to do his part as a journalist for the newlyestablished northern branch of The Afternoon News. Used to walking the crime beat in the nation’s capital, he is thwarted by higher-ups when he tries to pursue stories regarding the area’s hidden blemishes—drug trafficking and violence against migrant workers—and told to confine himself to fluffy human interest stories. When a young woman drowns during a rafting expedition, Einar halfheartedly promises her care-home bound mother that he’ll look into the accident. But when a high school student involved in a theater production of an Icelandic folktale of sorcery and murder goes missing, Einar starts to think that something may be amiss in the sleepy town. The charm of this novel is Árni Þórarinsson’s flair for providing humor-laced social commentary through the weary yet compassionate voice of Einar, as he pursues his story, driven on by his journalist’s instincts as well as a desire to do right by those who society would sooner forget.

Sometimes referred to as “the Icelandic Ulysses,” Tómas Jónsson, Bestseller caused quite a stir when it was first published in 1966, and it is heralded as having ushered in a new era of modernism in Icelandic literature. In a decrepit basement apartment, a cantankerous bank clerk named Tómas Jónsson sits down to write his memoirs. What follows is a list of grievances and social commentaries delivered through the querulous voice of a ubiquitous average man. With intricate wordplay and delightful scorn, Guðbergur Bergsson captures the anti-establishment zeitgeist of the time in an expertly manipulated satirical critique of the vanguards of the old. With renewed global concern for tyranny and imperialism, this really is the perfect time for Tómas to be released to the English-speaking world. In his translation, poet Lytton Smith not only manages to let Tómas loose in a new language but also captures the original text’s wrathful exuberance. Guðbergur writes about his hometown on page 44.

Check out which audio books are available on page 74 and on our in-flight entertainment system.

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YOU CAN BUY A TOUR ON THIS FLIGHT!

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Our brochure is located in the seatpocket in front of you!

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The Flybus operates in connection with all arriving & departing flights at Keflavík International Airport. For our flexible Flybus schedule, please visit www.flybus.is

Why not buy a tour with us on board this flight? – Just ask the cabin crew.

BSÍ Bus Terminal • 101 Reykjavík •

+354 580 5400 • main@re.is • www.re.is

Icelandair Stopover / 13

Úlfur Úlfur at Hafnarborg.

RAVES OF ICELAND AIRWAVES After almost 20 years on the music scene, Iceland Airwaves has rightfully secured its superlative spot on the annual calendar of events and continues to attract thousands of visitors every year. Although it’s certainly matured, the passion for the event reigns supreme and when those five fantastic festival days come around once more, the whole city vibrates with musical energy. Apart from the various official venues, which now include a number of locations in Akureyri— the northern “capital” of Iceland—

music sounds from the most unlikely of places, with cafés, book shops and even clothing stores taking part. Highlights of last year’s event (November 1–5) included performances by the lovely Norwegian chanteuse Sigrid, the award-winning punk band Hórmónar, whose stand-out show left us with that special feeling you get when you know you’ve seen something extraordinary, and the mighty FM Belfast, whose onstage intensity excited the audience into a bouncing mass of wild exhilaration.

The next Iceland Airwaves festival will be on from November 7 to 11, 2018. Early-bird tickets are on sale now! icelandairwaves.is Icelandair is a founding sponsor of Iceland Airwaves. Icelandair also sponsors Músíktilraunir, the Icelandic Music Experiments, a competition for young musicians held in March. The winner always performs at the following Airwaves. BY LISA GAIL SHANNEN. PHOTO BY ROMAN GERASYMENKO.

Special Promotion

THE SIGN MANTRA Sign is more than jewelry. Each piece is engraved with good karma.

SIGN.IS

Flip over this magazine and you’ll discover our exclusive Saga Shop Collection of on-board duty-free products.

16 / Special Promotion

At the peaceful Hafnarfjörður marina— inside a beautifully renovated fishing gear storage—are the headquarters of Sign, one of Iceland’s leading design jewelry brands. Sign was founded in 2004 by goldsmith Sigurður Ingi Bjarnason, called Ingi, and he now runs it with his partner and fellow jewelry designer Katla Guðmundsdóttir. Items available in Saga Shop include a ring from Ingi’s Fire and Ice collection and a bracelet he designed for Icelandair’s Special Children charity, Tree of Life from the Mystic collection. To him, his collections are more than just pieces of jewelry. “When I create something, I create it with good karma,” he says. “I want each object to carry positive values and emit these to the person who receives it.” Some of the pieces from the Katla by Sign collection—designed by Katla—can also be bought in Saga Shop. The 925-silver rhodium-coated ring and bracelet are characterized by feminine elegance and

simplicity. Staying true to the Sign mantra, they are engraved with the words: “Life, Love, Growth, Mind, Passion, Beauty, Peace, Dawn, Eternity” in Icelandic and English. “They symbolize life from birth to death—and beyond,” Katla explains. “The circle of life.” The mantra is on a loop. The shapes have significance, too. “The spiral is the oldest symbol for eternity,” Ingi adds. “A perfect circle also symbolizes eternity.” A new Katla by Sign necklace—a circular pendant engraved with the mantra, worn on a silver chain—is in production and will be available as of January 2018. Various retailers carry Sign designs and the pieces can be ordered online at sign.is. Ingi and Katla also offer custom-made jewelry. They are ambitious about maintaining a high level of service and welcome customers to the Sign store at Fornubúðir 12, the Hafnarfjörður marina— just a 15-minute drive from central Reykjavík.

Luxury Spaces in a Premium Location | www.hafnartorg.is

HARPA CONFERENCE HALL & CONFERENCE CENTER

WATERFRONT

HAFNARTORG

OLD TOWN

OLD SHOPPING STREET

The Harbour Square complex will include 76 luxurious apartments of various sizes: stylish studios and panoramic penthouses. The convenient location close to culture, history, and commerce, mean that property owners will be immersed in the heart of Iceland´s capital, Reykjavík. The Harbour Square area already promises to become one of Iceland’s premium retail areas with a great variety of high class brands and a strong international pull.

1 0 1 R E Y K J AV Í K

Moreover, the office spaces, at 6,400 m2 across two buildings, are an ideal fit for stable and growing Icelandic and international companies, which will be able to set up offices in a secure, interesting and versatile environment in the very heart of Reykjavík.

BY RACHEL MERCER. PORTRAIT OF HLYNUR PÁLMASON BY HILDUR ÝR ÓMARSDÓTTIR. OTHER PHOTOS BY MARIA VON HAUSSWOLFF.

A LACK OF LOVE STORY Director Hlynur Pálmason speaks about his first feature film, Winter Brothers, which explores brotherhood, manhood, desire, and defeat.

Winter Brothers (original title Vinterbrødre)—the first feature by Icelandic director Hlynur Pálmason, made in collaboration with producer Anton Máni Svansson—was the opening film at this year’s Reykjavík International Film Festival. So far it has garnered 13 international awards, including first prize at the CPH:PIX festival in Copenhagen and Best European Feature at the Locarno Film Festival. Set in a limestone mine in Denmark, the film focuses on two brothers, Emil and Johan, whose lives consist of little more than the bleak daily routine of working in the mine. When Emil receives a rifle as payment for the bootleg liquor he makes from stolen chemicals, something inside him is triggered, and the rest of the story unfolds on a knife’s edge of tension between implosion and release. What was the initial inspiration behind this film? My work always comes from the past, present and future—the past being my roots, where I come from; the present being 18 / Film

You can watch Winter Brothers on the in-flight entertainment system.

my temperament, the way I see and hear today; and the future being my dreams, desires, and fears. All of these emotions and ideas come together in a kind of a cinematic language. It’s a mysterious process and I accept that. But the trigger for this film was the lack of love story, or the need and desire to be wanted and loved. How do you go from that first spark of an idea to actually creating the film? For me, cinema is about listening and seeing and when I dive into the process I slowly begin to see images and hear sound. I write and develop my scripts on location, so everything is written for a specific space. I see the process as being very fragile and mysterious, so I try to allow things to happen within the process of digging deeper into the material, script, characters, location, etc. Did it turn out like you envisioned, or were there changes along the way? The preparation for me is crucial; it’s there that you have time to dive deeper into the project with your collaborators and try out things and find the right tone. I do this in order to create more freedom for the shootings. It’s about creating a structure so that I can be just a little bit creative on set. My work always ends up being the experience, the vision and temperament we set out to create, but the process is very organic and full of changes and surprises—thank god. How did you develop the characters, especially the main character of Emil, and how did they evolve throughout the filming? I’ve always liked the idea of portraying a character by expressing the world around him. The protagonist Emil is very much the core of the film. Through him I’m exploring lack of love and the need to be desired and loved. I wrote the film with the actor Elliott Crossett Hove in mind. We had already worked together before

and I knew I wanted him to portray Emil; he was perfect for it. We tried to strip as much from the character as possible, except for his basic instincts—maybe this is why he suffers so much. What was the most challenging aspect of making Winter Brothers? Every film has an internal space or a beating heart and it’s something that has to be looked after and nurtured throughout the whole process. It’s really challenging to stay true to your work and to the core of the film when the process is so long, physical and intense. This is why it’s crucial to have good collaborators, creative individuals that care for the film the same way you do. It’s a very collaborative process and I believe that one evolves through collaboration. How did you cultivate the “feeling” or style of the film? Every film has a way of breathing and a certain temperament. Winter Brothers was very expressive from day one, and wanted to be so. It wanted to work with contrast in sound, image and emotion. The film wanted to be beautiful, but brutal at the same time; dark, but also very bright. It wanted to be loud and very silent; naïve and playful, but also serious and intense. What are you working on now? I’m working on my second feature with my friend and producer Anton Máni Svansson. It’s a mystery drama called A White, White Day. The story is about Ingimundur, a responsible father, widower and small-town sheriff. In the process of building a house for his daughter and granddaughter, he becomes obsessed with finding the man he suspects of being involved with his wife’s death. Over time his obsession gradually accumulates and inevitably begins to affect the ones he loves. It’s a film about deception, grief, sacrifice and unconditional love.

Icelandair Stopover / 19

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22 / Travel

A trio of sailors experience the beauty of Iceland by sea.

The golden sun rested upon the horizon, streaking purple, tangerine and scarlet across the wine-dark ocean... and it was 11 o’clock at night. We motored out of Reykjavík, marveling at the sunset glistening off the Harpa Concert Hall and Conference Hall. It was still bright enough to read. Welcome to summer in Iceland! The Adventure Begins I had flown in to join my friends Jens Pétur Jensen and Siggeir Stefánsson as the third crew member aboard Xena, a fast and nimble 36-ft (11-m) racing sailboat, on a voyage to circle Iceland from June 10 through June 26, 2017. I was welcomed warmly by Jens and his wife María Steindórsdóttir. Over a lovely dinner of grilled salmon, the talk turned to warm clothes. I described the technical base layers and fleece I had brought, and they shook their heads. “What you need is wool.” María lent me her traditional lopapeysa sweater and socks, hand-knitted from Icelandic wool. She also gave me a gift of hand-knitted traditional fishermen’s mittens. Each one has two thumbs; they can be worn on either hand and last for twice as long. I was glad to wear these warm woolies once we were out on the sea. If you don’t like the weather in Iceland, just wait a minute. We departed in calm conditions, with a forecast of light wind. We rounded the Reykanes peninsula and the wind built rapidly to gale force, with choppy waves piling up. The boat heeled over at an alarming angle. We struggled to shorten sail and bashed on. Suddenly the wind dropped to a light breeze and the sun shone again. Exhausted, I curled up on the deck, padded by my wooly layers, and fell fast asleep in the warm sun. We passed Surtsey, Iceland’s youngest island, which was created in an underwater eruption in 1963. Then we entered Heimaey, the only inhabited island of the Vestmannaeyjar archipelago, in brilliant sun, after 27 hours at sea. Towering bird cliffs flank the channel. In 1973, without warning, a volcanic eruption broke out on the island. Lava and ash buried part of the town and the lava flow threatened to seal off the port. One man was killed but the local fleet of fishing boats evacuated all other residents to safety, and ships assisted by hosing the hot lava with icy sea water, preventing the harbor from filling in. Today the town is prospering again, the port is filled with neatly painted fishing boats, and tourist ferries come and go.

A Sunny Harbor We docked at 4 am on June 11. The fishing fleet was in port and festooned with flags. It was Sjómannadagur, Iceland’s national holiday honoring its fishermen. The three of us went swimming at the community pool. These pools, with hot tubs and saunas, are fixtures of Icelandic towns. Even the smallest villages have one, which visitors may use for a small fee. It was a pleasure to shed those bulky layers and loll in the water. Afterwards, I explored the town and the imposing lava flow, now a park ribboned with foot paths. The azure sky accentuated the blue lupines blanketing the lava. A beautiful replica of a 1,000-year-old wooden church sits beside the channel. I browsed the impressive Eldheimar Volcano Museum, and enjoyed a hot cup of coffee and homemade rhubarb cake at a little café. We needed to make the best of this fine weather. After 18 hours, we departed for Eskifjörður on the east coast. Gradually a haze rose, misty clouds gathered and we sailed through pearly light over a silver sea. Glacier-volcano Eyjafjallajökull appeared above its cloudy veil on the distant mainland and we passed another glacier. My gaze flickered over a black shape cutting the sea ahead. An orca, with its tall dorsal fin, swam lazily across our bow to have a look at us. Pewter skies descended with low-hanging rain clouds. We passed Reynisdrangar, the towering sea stacks at Vík, legendary trolls who had been turned to stone by the light of the rising sun. We cruised near the mountainous East Fjords, austere pyramids of black basalt blanketed with snow and ice. At last we turned and raised the blue and white spinnaker for a downwind run into the fjord. Xena danced joyfully into Eskifjörður after 49 hours at sea.

Hólmatindur and Hot Dogs We were welcomed on the dock by Jens’s relatives, who gave us a ride up to the community pool for a luxurious swim and shower after two days underway. Afterwards, the guys went visiting and I explored the town. Tidy houses sided with corrugated metal dotted the shore, and neatly painted fish sheds lined the quay. Delicate waterfalls splashed down the mossy cliffs to join the sea. I admired blooming red tulips, little roadside parks, and the stone break-wall that had been painted by the children. Above the fjord, mighty Hólmatindur, Eskifjörður’s famous mountain, gazed down through a curtain of mist.

TEXT AND PHOTOS BY DIANE GORCH.

A bollard with colorful mooring lines, a glimpse of the working fishing port in Ísafjörður.

I stepped into the gas station café to enjoy one of Iceland’s tasty hot dogs. Made with lamb and served with grainy mustard, ketchup, crunchy fried onions and remoulade sauce, it’s a popular treat. My shipmates introduced me to more Icelandic foods, including harðfiskur, traditionally wind-dried fish fillets of cod and haddock, spread with sweet Icelandic butter. Siggeir declared he could happily live on this for days! Smoked herring and salmon served on delicious smoky flat bread or buttered molasses rye bread made great snacks. Jens found his bliss in ástarpungar, or “love balls,” fried pastries studded with raisins. Sailing on, we rounded the Langanes peninsula in Iceland’s Northeast. After 37 hours at sea we passed the fish processing plant and tied up at Þórshöfn, Siggeir’s hometown. I became a regular at the Báran Café for breakfast and Internet. I strolled the village and surrounding countryside, fragrant with springtime grass and wildflowers. Siggeir’s wife, Hrafngerður Ösp Elíasdóttir, pampered us with a delicious breakfast of pancakes, fresh berries and cream, and a dinner of succulent roast leg of lamb.

A puffin perched on the wild sea cliffs of Grímsey.

Previous page: Yacht Xena sails near the sea stack called “The Lady” as we round the northern tip of Iceland at Horn.

Icelandair Stopover / 23

above the horizon on the summer solstice, which was today! We were dive-bombed by Arctic terns nesting in the meadows. Ewes with twin lambs nestled among grassy tussocks, near bird cliffs where we spied upon puffins, petrels, skuas, and guillemots. The GPS confirmed that we had crossed the Arctic Circle, 66° N 33.46’. It was wild and lovely, with emerald pastures crowning austere black crags, and the eternal sea.

After a swim at Grímsey’s community pool, we set sail for Siglufjörður in North Iceland by the light of the midnight sun, arriving after eight hours. Siglufjörður was once the world capital of herring production, and the large fish houses lining the waterfront are now an impressive museum of the fishing industry. The pretty church perched on a flowery hillside overlooks the town. Here were more cafés and shops. Girls played competitive beach volleyball in 10°C (50°F) drizzle. Jens and Siggeir checked the weather; we should be able to reach Ísafjörður in the Westfjords before the gale. We decided to make the run for Horn, the northernmost tip of the mainland. We had to go in favorable conditions, as swells can build to great size there as they reflect off the cliffs.

3 1 The colorful old fish houses in Siglufjörður have been restored and converted to a museum highlighting the heritage of fishing in Iceland. 2 We were greeted at the quay in Eskifjörður by Jens’s uncle Jónas and family. 3 An old fishing boat preserved in Siglufjörður.

24 / Travel

Siggeir’s daughter, Svanhildur Björt Siggeirsdóttir, and I walked to the edge of town to see their horses, and she explained how people collect bird eggs and eiderdown from the nests along the shore. North to the Arctic Circle Around mid-afternoon on June 20, we departed for Grímsey, Iceland’s northernmost inhabited island, with following wind and seas, which built during our 17 hours at sea. Xena surfed nimbly over the big rollers. Fishermen sauntered over to chat when we tied up at the village quay. It was late afternoon and we set off to hike above the Arctic Circle, the latitude at which the sun sets

As we left the dock, an engine belt broke, but it was quickly replaced. The wind rose and we set our sails. A steady rain began. A humpback whale waved us on with a dignified flip of its tale. It rained for 18 hours; we just hunkered down and steered. We were all on deck as we passed Horn, black and forbidding. Thousands of seabirds swirled around the cliffs and dove into the sea. Yellowgreen moss garlanded the crags. Waterfalls trickled over the precipice to be swallowed by waves. A rock called the Lady silently watched us pass. At Straumnes, long swells from the Greenland Sea rebounded off the cliffs, creating alarmingly big waves as they merged with

incoming rollers. We were soon past the rocky cape, in normal seas and turning south at last. A Repair and a Night on the Town On to Ísafjörður in the Westfjords, a base for hiking, bird and whale-watching excursions, where we sheltered from the gale. I swam at the pool, enjoyed Icelandic bacalao for lunch, chatted with local people, and went shopping for gifts. The wind was predicted to ease, so we prepared to depart around 6 pm. The engine started with an awful grinding sound; the alternator had failed. Jens ordered a new one, to arrive by plane the day after. Forced to stay in port, the best thing to do was to enjoy a cold beer and live music at Húsið Restaurant. After only a 12-hour delay, we cast off on a beautiful afternoon on June 24. We all enjoyed sitting in the warm sunshine as we glided past the splendid Westfjords mountains striped with snow. On through the twilit night we sailed. In the opal dawn, we passed the Bjargtangar light, where a strong current pushed us south at over 9.3 knots. Powerful eddies swirled around us; fish jumped, pilot whales hunted, and birds dove into the living sea. On to Snæfellsnes peninsula in West Iceland, where gray clouds closed in from the west, but the wind held steady as we turned at last toward Reykjavík. After 34 hours at sea, we ghosted into the capital’s old harbor on June 26 to the cheers of friends and family on the dock. We had sailed nearly a 1,000 mi (1,600 km) in 15 days. Our circumnavigation of Iceland was complete.

Diane Gorch is a retired epidemiologist, freelance writer and an avid traveler and sailor. She has sailed over 10,000 mi (16,000 km) and has a USCG Captain’s license. She lives in Cocoa Beach, Florida, USA.

Icelandair Stopover / 25

WORLD CUP:

HERE WE COME!

The men’s national football team punches its ticket for the World Cup, making history in the process. BY JENNA GOTTLIEB. PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION OF ICELAND.

Head coach Heimir Hallgrímsson (left) with team assistant Þorgrímur Þráinsson.

Icelandic fans.

26 / Football

Iceland is yet again rocked by football fever. The men’s national football team has secured a spot at the 2018 World Cup in Russia, the smallest country ever to qualify for the tournament. The previous smallest nation to reach the World Cup was Trinidad and Tobago in 2006 with a population of 1.3 million. Iceland’s exciting qualifying season ended with a thrilling 2-0 victory against Kosovo on October 9, with jubilation and pride surging through the stadium. There were many highlights during the qualifying games, including a 3-0 victory over Turkey, but a couple stand out for head coach Heimir Hallgrímsson. “The obvious highlight would be the final whistle after our last match, against Kosovo in our national stadium, when we finally clinched qualification,” says Heimir. “But I think the loss against Finland and the

subsequent way we bounced back in contention after that also deserves a mention. I think the way the team responded was fantastic and just goes to show the mental strength and team spirit within this group of players we have.”

The Icelandic national team.

then and take it with us into this preparation phase with the aim to prepare even better for the World Cup,” he states.

While the tournament is several months away, preparation for Russia has begun. “We will prepare as well as we can within the grid given to us. There are specific match dates set by FIFA in the coming months, where we will play friendlies against various nations,” informs Heimir. “In the weeks leading up to the final tournament, we will get together for a camp and begin our final preparation.”

With expectations and previous success in France, there comes pressure. “With sporting success, there are expectations. That is inevitable,” he acknowledges. “We take the pressure and soak it up to motivate us. No one puts more pressure on us than ourselves and we have absolute faith in our abilities as a team. We always play for a win and the World Cup matches will be no different. One match at a time, we will go as far as we can in the tournament. We must be careful, though, because we could play a fantastic game, and still lose.”

It’s hard to forget Iceland’s impressive run during the Euros in 2016, and that experience is crucial to preparing for the World Cup. “The main points are the same as when we prepared for France 2016, but we will take what we learned

The 2018 FIFA World Cup will be held in 11 cities in Russia June 14 to July 15.

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The famous Viking clap.

TÓLFAN SETS THE BEAT Iceland’s loudest sports fan club is along for the ride.

It’s hard to imagine an Icelandic football match without the signature Viking clap followed by a thundering “HUH!” You can thank the members of Tólfan (“the 12th”) for that, a small group of dedicated fans who follow the Icelandic national sports teams to matches at home and abroad. Tólfan caught the world’s attention at the 2016 Euros. That year, UEFA named the club best fans in Europe—along with the supporters of Wales—and Tólfan was also nominated as fans of the year by FIFA.

BY JENNA GOTTLIEB. PHOTO COURTESY OF THE FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION OF ICELAND.

28 / Football

Their support means the world to Iceland’s teams. “I think a lot of people underestimate the effect of noisy, well organized, vocal and powerful support from the stands and what it can do for the players on the pitch,” says Heimir Hallgrímsson,

head coach of Iceland’s men’s national football team. “To us as a team, the support is crucial, and it’s a big part of where we are today.” Members of Tólfan are unsurprisingly overjoyed by the team’s success. “It’s been a fantastic adventure,” declares Kristinn Hallur Jónsson, a member of Tólfan since 2008. “Making it to the World Cup has been something we’ve been hoping for for many years, but it seemed out of reach. But from 2012, the team has had a transformation and we are so excited for this.” What Tólfan has done for the national teams in terms of support isn’t easy to put into words. “There’s a special relationship, a special bond between the national team and its supporters,” remarks

Heimir. “It’s a bond that we must continue to nurture. We’re all in this together.” An example of that special bond is that a couple of hours before each home game, Heimir personally announces the team, explains the selection and talk tactics with Tólfan at the bar they frequent. This information never leaks to the media. As Tólfan has become a crucial presence at matches, expect to see members in Russia for the World Cup next year. “I’m planning to go,” stresses Kristinn. “We’ll be organizing events like we did in France [for the 2016 Euro Cup]. There will be supporter parties that will make the experience that much better. Everyone is welcome to support the team. Just wear something blue and show up to support Iceland.”

Completing the Golden Circle

Geothermal baths - Natural steam baths Local kitchen - Geothermal bakery Open daily 11:00 - 22:00

Icelandair Stopover / 29

BY JENNA GOTTLIEB.

WORLD CUP 2018:

RUSSIA’S CALLING Expect a sizable Icelandic presence in the stadiums.

After Iceland qualified for the World Cup, you can be sure that searches for flights to Russia spiked online. Icelandair will help hundreds of Icelanders make their way east. “We’re getting a lot of questions about the World Cup and it’s clear that Icelanders will travel to the tournament. There’s no doubt that many people will use scheduled flights to Europe’s cities, and Icelandair is now planning to fly straight to all three games that Iceland will play,” Guðjón Arngrímsson, Icelandair’s information officer announced before details for the tournament schedule went public on December 1. The World Cup will mark the second major tournament for the men’s team as they had an impressive run in EURO 2016 in France. Iceland made it to the quarterfinals, knocking England out of the competition before losing to France. In the first round, Iceland will play Argentina in Moscow on June 16, Nigeria in Volgograd 30 / Football

The Kremlin in Moscow.

on June 22 and Croatia in Rostov on June 26. Icelandair will offer flights to the three cities in Russia, each flight departing the day before the match and returning to Iceland the day after. In spite of having landed in a tough group in the World Cup qualifiers and playing powerhouse team Argentina

in their first game, hopes are high for Iceland’s performance in Russia. “When you think about the World Cup, you think about Argentina and Brazil, so it’s a little bit of a romantic feeling to play Argentina in the first game,” Iceland’s head coach Heimir Hallgrímsson told reporters after the draw. “Hopefully, we show our best side, both the players and the

fans in the opening game.” For the tournament as a whole, there will be a total of 64 matches that will be played in 12 stadiums in 11 cities. The final will take place on July 15 in Moscow at the Luzhniki Stadium, which holds about 80,000 seats. This marks the first time the World Cup will be held in Europe since 2006.

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IN COD WE TRUST

From its beginning, Iceland’s survival as a nation was not rooted in geothermal energy or ecotourism or music festivals, but rather in fishing. Portuguese photographer Pepe Brix’s most recent project takes him to Iceland to photograph the nation’s fishermen.

BY JONAS MOODY. PHOTOS FROM PEPE BRIX’S LIFELINE.

32 / Culture

Vast areas of Iceland are ill-suited for traditional farming, but the fishing grounds surrounding Iceland are the bounty of the North Atlantic. The nation has guarded those fishing grounds fiercely, pitting it against erstwhile friendly nations like the UK in the Cod Wars of the 1950s, ’60s and ’70s. Treaties are rejected, boats are rammed, and nostrils flare all over how close to Iceland one may put down one’s fishing nets. Iceland’s reticence to join the EU can to a large extent be traced back to misgivings about having to open up its territorial waters. Questions of fishing ethics, control and ecology are hotly debated topics within Icelandic society as well. After Icelandic fishermen come home from fishing for several hard days at sea they like to relax by gathering around the kitchen table… and arguing about the politics of fishing: How to fix

the quota system, when the shrimp stock will recover, the best way to curb carbon emissions in the fleet, the pleasures and terrors of seine fishing.

the way so many are anxious about the impacts of climate change on the fish stock, on the viability of their harbors and on their livelihoods and its legacy.

If you managed to drill down to the very core of the Icelandic national spirit, there you’d likely find a cod fish. You see it in the way Icelanders hold their fishermen in such high regard. They’re veritable national heroes. Every year on the first Sunday of June, the country actually celebrates Sjómannadagurinn (Seamen’s Day), a national holiday dedicated to the love of fishermen. You see it in the way the fishing industry weighs heavily in any policy decision. You see it in the way every person involved in fishing—from ministers and CEOs to the fishermen at sea—take sustainability measures and environmental stewardship dead seriously. You see it in

Fishing alone accounts for a fifth of the nation’s foreign earnings for exported goods and services. It’s a huge slice of the pie, and one that Iceland holds near and dear to its national identity. Just look at its coins. While some adorn their currency with kings, queens, great statesmen and leaders, what do you find jingling in the pockets and purses of the Icelanders? Cod, capelin, crab and lumpfish. Icelanders say that the smell of fish is the smell of wealth, of prosperity. But it’s more than money. It’s more than pride. There’s a deep-seated compulsion in the people to get out on the water, dangerous and freezing cold, to bring back supper.

Even in very rough waters I always felt safe. And being a fisherman in Iceland is respected. They are honored in their community.

Icelandair Stopover / 33

LIFELINE Portuguese photographer Pepe Brix has made it his life’s work to document the world’s fishermen in a project he calls For Cod’s Sake. His most recent project has taken him to Iceland to photograph the nation’s fishermen in their grueling natural habitat: The frigid waters of the North Atlantic. His images, focusing on a single fishing outfit in Höfn, southeast Iceland, have been collected in the photo book Lifeline, released in late 2017. Jonas Moody sits down with Brix to speak about his harrowing experiences aboard Icelandic boats, anxiety about glacial melt and what drives the nation’s propensity to fish.

34 / Culture

So how did this fascination with fishermen start? It’s the place where I grew up. The island of Santa Maria in the Azores islands is only 96 km2 [27 sq mi] of land and the rest is water. We have a huge amount of sea around us. So it’s a big part of life. I think Icelanders are the same way: When you live so close to the sea it’s always on your mind. Did you ever work as a fisherman? My first real trip out was aboard a Portuguese boat that went all the way to Newfoundland in Canada to fish cod. I was officially working as a fisheries observer, but it was a way for me get into that world and

photograph. It was very intense. These boats travel 2,000 mi [3,219 km] away from home and stay three to five months at high sea. So how did the Icelandic fishermen stack up? Really it’s so different here. [In my experience,] people don’t go out for months at a time, but instead a very intense five or six days. And conditions on board the Icelandic boats are completely different. Even in very rough waters I always felt safe. And being a fisherman in Iceland is respected. They are honored in their community.

The images from your book Lifeline are quite striking. They don’t paint a romantic vision, but are rather stark and serious. There’s lots of mechanization, factory floors, immigrant workers. But among all this equipment and machinery, the pictures are surprisingly human and intimate. So many of the pictures are a person alone in their environment. There’s an unsettled feeling. A sense of great anticipation. Having someone alone in the picture, there’s a cold feeling. It’s not comfortable; they’re working hard. Their body language is introspective. They are dealing with something

large and dangerous. They’re dealing with the sea. The collection as a whole gives the impression that there is something larger at play here. Not just dedicated fishermen and dangerous waters, but a mindset. There’s a feeling in Iceland, and it’s a part of my larger project For Cod’s Sake. From the beginning in Iceland, fishing was life. […] And the people have developed an internal consciousness, a respect for nature. Resources won’t last without respect. It’s deep inside the Icelandic personality and social behavior. It even influences most the actions in the fisheries. From the CEOs down to the people in

the front line of the industry. Everyone is responsible. Everyone is highly knowledgeable about what’s at stake. For example, no one throws not even a single cigarette into the sea. It’s telling how they treat their garbage. I like that about the Icelanders. How they are connected to their nature. And it’s not just fishermen being connected to the sea. Where else did you see it? The fishing outfit in the book is in Höfn in southeast Iceland, so I drove out there with some locals. On that drive we pass a lot of glaciers, and the whole drive the only thing the people in the car wanted to talk about was what’s happening to the glaciers.

They’re concerned with how climate change is impacting their environment? Yes, and how it’s going to impact their lives as fishermen. If the harbor at Höfn fills up with glacial sediment [current rates have the channel harbor rising at 0.4 in (1 cm) per year], the whole operation is threatened and everyone who works for them. And I was on a boat in the harbor when it hit the seafloor. It was troubling. It became real for me at that moment. There’s a lot at stake. There’s an image from the book that stuck with me. It’s just a hand reaching out from the dark holding tight onto a beat-up metal ring. You can’t

even see the person’s face, but there’s something vulnerable and human about that moment that speaks volumes. I remember. We were aboard the big trawler Steinunn and the boat was taking on lots of water. It was a rough day and they were taking a moment to get a cup of coffee. But even during this bit of rest you don’t get to rest. He still had to hold on tight. Even with the highest standards and the best equipment, you’re still working at sea. You still have to hold on tight. For more on Brix and his photography, see pepebrix.com. Icelandair Stopover / 35

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Djúpivogur. Photo by Ólafur Björnsson.

BY KARIN MURRAY-BERGQUIST.

TAKE YOUR TIME The road to the remote eastern coast of Iceland leads to a change of pace, a peek into the past, and towns with surprising stories to tell. The Furthest Reaches of Land The trip from Reykjavík to the East Fjords takes travelers through a sweeping range of landscapes, leading to Iceland’s easternmost edge. With its rugged, rain-washed beauty, and its gems of history, culture, and lore, the region makes an incredible journey for the nature lover, adventure seeker or history buff. The south shore is filled with tantalizing sights and some of Iceland’s most iconic scenery. Vík í Mýrdal’s black beaches and stone pillars, said to be a trio of trolls, make an excellent stop before facing long stretches of windswept desert. Near Kirkjubæjarklaustur, watch for the cairns of Laufskálavarða, where according to custom, travelers stop to add a stone for luck on their journey. (The building of cairns is strongly discouraged elsewhere, however.) Further east, towns are fewer and farther between, and Vatnajökull, the country’s—and Europe’s—largest glacier, looms on the horizon. At Jökulsárlón, glacial ice drifts in a peaceful 38 / Travel

lagoon, gleaming like fallen stars. Nearby, Vatnajökull National Park invites hikers to explore its trails, which range from brief, easy walks to all-day adventures. Hot pools are essential to any journey in Iceland, and on a long road trip, they can relieve the ache of driving. At Hoffell, just west of the town of Höfn, a series of outdoor hot pools not far from the road offer incredible views of the nearby mountains. Especially on a chilly day, these make an ideal break, and a good way to warm up before heading for the fjords. The tunnel Almannaskarðsgöng marks the passage between the south and the east of the country. The road emerges to face jagged mountains, skirting the slopes along the cliffs of the fjords, where tumbled rockislands house colonies of seabirds. The distance from Reykjavík, and from many popular destinations, makes the region effortlessly remote, rich with history and beauty. Here, the land’s sharp edges are frequently softened by sea-fogs, and the air bears a constant tang of salt.

From top: The headland south of Fáskrúðsfjörður; Jökulsárlón glacial lagoon; The fells on the south side of Fáskrúðsfjörður. Photos by Karin Murray-Bergquist.

FÁSKRÚÐSFJÖRÐUR

DJÚPIVOGUR

HOFFELL

HÖFN

JÖKULSÁRLÓN

KIRKJUBÆJARKLAUSTUR LAUFSKÁLAVARÐA

VÍK Í MÝRDAL

ALMANNASKARÐ (TUNNEL)

when students from Djúpivogur traveled to Orvieto, Italy, headquarters of Cittaslow. In the spring, they will host their exchange partners, a process that allows them to consider which aspects of their culture they hope to share. The guests will arrive in time for Seamen’s Day (June 3), an important holiday throughout the country. “We want to have them experience that with us,” says Halldóra.

The Snail’s Pace The drive from Reykjavík to the East Fjords takes around eight hours, and a round trip can be completed in four days or less, though to allow for flexibility, especially if the weather doesn’t play along; a little longer is often best. With so much to see, it’s worth taking your time—a principle vividly illustrated in the town at the tip of Búlandsnes. Djúpivogur became Iceland’s first slow town in 2013, when it received certification from Cittaslow, an organization originating in Italy and promoting local craftsmanship and slow food. The distinctive orange snail logo, which charmingly resembles those often seen on Icelandic beaches, reminds visitors and residents to take their time, enjoy where they are, and appreciate good food and local handiwork.

From top: Rocky outcrops make a perfect spot to relax and enjoy the view in Djúpivogur; On a calm day, Djúpivogur’s harbor reflects the mountains across the water; Boats of various shapes and sizes fill the harbor yearround, in the shadow of the mountain Búlandstindur; The Gleðivík eggs, sculptures by Sigurður Guðmundsson. Each represents a different species of Icelandic bird. Photos by Ólafur Björnsson.

The Cittaslow concept is international, with over 200 slow cities in 30 countries, but its principles play out at the local level, with community members ultimately shaping their town to ensure that it suits the needs of residents. Mayor Gauti Jóhannesson remarks that the certification has allowed Djúpivogur residents to look at their surroundings with fresh eyes, and appreciate the natural beauty all around. “We’ve become more aware of our surroundings,” he remarks. “It’s made us more comfortable in our own skin.” Halldóra Dröfn Hafþórsdóttir, director of the local school, has seen this effect through the exchange program which begun last year,

Thoughtful planning is a hallmark of local establishments. Ugnius Hervar, the manager of Hótel Framtíð, describes the care that goes into the hotel restaurant. “We get fish locally; the lamb, the vegetables, we try to get from somebody close to us,” he explains, in accordance with Cittaslow’s focus on local food. This has proven a treat for visitors: “People are not expecting it,” says Ugnius, as Djúpivogur’s isolation makes a highquality restaurant a pleasant surprise. But although Djúpivogur is currently Iceland’s only slow municipality, its international programs, including the academic exchange and an annual art exhibition, keeps the concept fresh and dynamic. Asking “Is this a Cittaslow thing to do?” has become part of the municipal decision-making process, Gauti says. “I don’t think this concept is finished,” Ugnius adds; Halldóra notes, “This takes time.” But at its core, the Cittaslow concept is an invitation to make towns, first and foremost, about the people who live in them. “I do believe it should be a good feeling when you come to town,” says Ugnius, and this spirit comes through on entering Djúpivogur. It’s a place that feels lived in, and a stop there, however brief, is a chance to share in that change of pace.

Icelandair Stopover / 39

Fáskrúðsfjörður’s main road winds along the harbor, with street signs in Icelandic and French.

The French graveyard, where memorial services take place every year. All photos on this page except the hospital and portrait are by Fjóla Þorsteinsdóttir.

A historic view of the French hospital.

Left: Museum supervisor Fjóla Þorsteinsdóttir in period costume. Right: The lower floor of the French hospital is now L’Abri, the French-Icelandic restaurant.

Fiskur or Poisson? An hour and a half’s drive from Djúpivogur lies a town with a unique history. Most street signs in Fáskrúðsfjörður are bilingual—especially unusual as the second language is French. Throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries, fishermen from Bretagne and Normandy lived, worked, and died in the village, leaving a lasting mark on its character. Today, the fishermen are commemorated through annual holidays, memorials, and a fascinating museum. The museum is housed in two historic buildings: The district doctor’s house, and the French hospital. The buildings are also home to Fosshótel Austfirðir, and on the ground floor of the doctor’s house, the hotel reception shares space with artifacts and displays. According to Fjóla Þorsteinsdóttir, the museum supervisor, the hospital had stood empty for 40 / Travel

decades before being restored six years ago. The buildings are connected by a tunnel, cleverly crafted to resemble the interior of a boat. The dim lantern-light and close walls convey tight quarters, the reality of life at sea. A pair of mannequins lounge in a corner, perhaps catching a few moments’ relief from the bitter wind. Snug enclosed bunks, and a cramped galley, complete the picture of a working vessel. At the end of the tunnel, daylight streams in through the fjord-facing windows. While ropes and belaying pins evoke the ship’s deck, a wall map presents the routes from western France to the coasts of Iceland. Black-and-white photographs, and names of ships and men, ground the story in reality. Fáskrúðsfjörður has seen its share of shipwrecks, and the nearby French graveyard is a reminder of the

rigors of the fishery. A memorial stands to those who were lost at sea, alongside the graves of those who died ashore. The museum illustrates the wealth of story that can be held in one small place, displayed in a unique fashion. Guests to the hotel can explore at their leisure, sipping their morning coffee while looking out over the harbor. L’Abri, the restaurant on the ground floor of the former hospital, serves French and Icelandic cuisine. The link between the two coasts is still strong. “Lots of people from France are coming to see the museum,” says Fjóla. “From Paimpol, Gravelines, all over France. They are so happy with it.” The town celebrates French Days each July, a three-day festival filled with music, memorials, and games of pétanque, an outdoor ball game similar to bocce. Representatives from Gravelines, France, join

The doctor’s house now hosts the hotel reception and part of the French museum.

residents to recall their shared past, and so history lives on. A journey to the East Fjords is filled with surprises. Time doesn’t stand still here—it slows, skips backward, or dances away, all the while inviting the traveler to savor each moment.

Icelandair Stopover / 41

TRENDY TOUCHES

VEGGIE WONDERLAND

CLASSIC CUISINE

Pair creative, award-winning chefs with fresh, seasonal and local produce and you can’t go wrong. Add exquisite interior design and you’ve got Geiri Smart: a feast for all senses.

Vegetarians, vegans, and healthfood aficionados should visit Gló, a local chain of restaurants that pride themselves on using fresh, healthy and local ingredients in their flavour explosions.

If you want to do the tried and tested, Ostabúðin is your spot. This modestlooking restaurant serves excellently cooked fresh fish and meat. They also offer a fine selection of cheeses and cured and marinated delicacies.

RESTAURANT REYKJAVÍK STEIKHÚSIÐ OSTABÚÐIN SLIPPURINN BJÓRGARÐURINN KITCHEN & WINE ARGENTÍNA KRYDDLEGIN HJÖRTU TORFAN ESSENSIA HAUST VOX OSUSHI THE TRAIN GLÓ TORFANSATT GEIRI SMART

Over the past few years, Iceland’s culinary scene has taken huge leaps forward. With more selection than ever before, it should be easy to find a restaurant somewhere in the country that tickles your fancy.

16 OF OUR FAVOURITE RESTAURANTS IN REYKJAVÍK To help you with your search for the perfect fare in Iceland, we’ve compiled a short description of some noteworthy places in the Dining Advisor brochure in the seat pocket in front of you.

You can also dive into a culinary episode on the in-flight entertainment system and Wi-Fi portal on board.

DINING

MY TOWN:

GRINDAVÍK BY THE GOLDEN SEA Author Guðbergur Bergsson writes about the history of his hometown Grindavík in southwest Iceland. PHOTOS COURTESY OF VISIT REYKJANES.

The low south coast of Iceland was for centuries considered to be of little interest as it had no natural harbor for fishing. Only here and there insecure shelters could be found among reefs where small open boats could go fishing during daytime. The dangerous coastline is characterized by extensions of black sand and lava fields, gray in summer, green in winter. It is flat and can seem rather unhospitable. But further inland, majestic white glaciers tower above it. The coast is exposed to the open sea and when it storms, waves grow tall as houses, then crash against the shore; a spectacle to observe. On this coast you find Grindavík, a town that for centuries was nothing but an isolated fishing village with no road to connect it to other parts of the country. 44 / My Town

Remote and therefore proud it survived in its geographical solitude due to the endless lava surrounding it on all sides. Pushed without mercy almost into the sea, only a strip of land was left with enough grass to feed a few cows and sheep and some soil to grow potatoes. Because of the isolation, villagers were in many ways different to their countrymen. They were brought up by the frequent heavy storms and the rough edges of ruthless lava. An official town only since 1974, Grindavík has always been divided into three parts, or rather separated neighborhoods: The east, middle and far west. Curiously few people live in the most fertile eastern part of town. In the middle is the town center with an excellent manmade harbor and now booming fish industry. In

Guðbergur Bergsson.

Because of the isolation, villagers were in many ways different to their countrymen. They were brought up by the frequent heavy storms and the rough edges of ruthless lava. The dangerous coastline is characterized by extensions of black sand and lava fields.

That is really how it was and still it is. Hopefully, Grindavík will remain true to itself in spite of modern time, the invasion of progress and the flourishing fishing industry, bringing wealth to the town, thanks to a good harbor and the road which is no more than 100 years old. Grindavík is still there, protected by mountains.

View of Grindavík. @OZZO

the western part, facing the sunset, sadly no living soul resides anymore. There is a graveyard, the end station where all inhabitants can rest in peace. The cemetery is there because in other parts of town the soil isn’t deep enough for graves. This strange graveyard is like a symbol of life close to the sunset for those who have stopped heading out to stormy seas and finally returning to the peaceful sandy earth. Isolation has given the inhabitants a special character, a mixture of sweet loneliness and strong individualism. Togetherness is vital to a

Steam rising from the Blue Lagoon.

community surviving on hard work and fighting against the elements: The sea, storms and lots of stones. It could be said that these conditions have forged both a pensive and active mentality, as well as a feeling of not being like others. Being indifferent to the fact of being different creates a special attitude: Different is considered to be normal as basic matter of existence. In Grindavík, from the beginning, simplicity and external poverty dominated daily life, people hardly ate anything but fish and potatoes. Therefore, they became biblically old and active like berserkers; unusually busy with their hands, bodies and minds. To strangers they could seem poor, dirty-minded and of little culture. But although Grindavík was just a tiny village, many artists liked to stay there. Among them was Iceland’s foremost lyric composer, Sigvaldi Kaldalóns (1881–1946), painter Gunnlaugur Scheving (1904–1972) and poets and writers, such as Nobel Prize laureate Halldór Laxness (1902–1998). Most of them discovered this forgotten place around 1930. Before and during the Second World War, they considered it to be picturesque with unspoiled people, somehow like uncommon wild flowers in a stony desert.

If you look north and sweep your sight over a mountain, you find the most remarkable thing you could imagine. Only half a century ago nothing was expected to be there, in the middle of a lava field. But every so often, people had seen strange grayish-white vapor coming from the lava, floating in the air and dancing like nymphs do on lovely lakes in warm countries. But here, in the cold, usually the ghosts are hiding in caves in the lava. Now it seemed that in its search for freedom, some spirit had moved towards the light and been tempted to dance. Because of old superstition, people had always believed that under the lava in this most unfriendly place was a hidden treasure. They turned out to be right. Looking for truth, machines were brought, digging into the ghosts’ hiding place. The secret was out. They found a treasure called Bláa lónið in Icelandic, and in English: The Blue Lagoon. Icelandair Stopover / 45

MESSAGE FOR YOU TRAVEL ADVICE FROM A POET BY VALA HAFSTAÐ. PHOTO BY BENJAMIN HARDMAN.

Flip over to page 80 or visit safetravel.is for further guidelines on safe and sensible travel in Iceland.

46 / Poetry

Welcome to Iceland, dear reader, Penelope, Paul, John or Peter. I’ve written these guidelines for you, Veronica, Laura or Sue.

When life appears trying or taxing The pool is the place for relaxing, And here, you have got to be nude (I mean when you’re showering), dude.

I trust you will thoroughly read them, Remember them, learn them and heed them And prove there is power in rhyme. It will not take much of your time.

Do not be shy; you’ll survive it. The parts must be washed that are private, For that’s where the germs go to rest, So, cleaning with soap is the best.

Of course, you’ll be active and agile; Remember that Nature is fragile, So, don’t ever step on the moss, For that would make all of us cross.

I hope that my guidelines will aid you, Convince you, prepare you, persuade you To do what is smart and correct, For then you will earn our respect.

And don’t make us angry and bitter By covering landscape with litter. Don’t spoil any picnic or view With what I will call “number two.”

Thank you for reading my poem. The rules only work if you know’em. Bartholomew, Martin or May, I wish you an excellent stay!

Now, driving off road is a no-no, Some highways are good, others so-so, And buckling up is a must— It saves you from biting the dust.

Vala Hafstað is the author of News Muse: Humorous Poems Inspired by Strange News.

BY EYGLÓ SVALA ARNARSDÓTTIR. PHOTO BY BENJAMIN HARDMAN.

ENVIRONMENTAL CERTIFICATION FOR ICELANDAIR Iceland’s largest resource is its pure and unspoiled nature. Icelandair is ambitious about keeping it that way. Last year, Icelandair became the world’s fourth airline to receive second-stage environmental certification from the International Air Transport Association (IATA). This is consistent with aims to take the lead in environmental affairs; reduce the airline’s carbon footprint, reduce waste through increased recycling and increase the use of environmentally sound products and services. “The certification is based on a long and arduous process that our staff have been working hard on, in co-operation with leading experts in the fields of environmental and aviation,” says CEO of Icelandair Group Björgólfur Jóhannsson. Icelandair received IATA’s environmental certification based the ISO 14001—the most widespread standard used for the integration of environmental responsibility with corporate

operations—and completed the first stage of certification in early 2015. Since then, Icelandair has been working on implementation of the second stage of certification, which has now been completed with the issue of formal certification by IATA. All of Icelandair Group’s companies have completed a detailed environmental certification process in accordance with ISO 14001 and received international certification on Icelandair’s 80-year anniversary in 2017. “Icelandair Group’s environmental assessment was conducted by external parties and experts, and we are now reaping the rewards of the extensive work carried out within the company on environmental management and improvements of our processes. To give an example, we focus strongly on our employees’ awareness of the means by which they can personally contribute to this important issue, and at Icelandair Group we ensure that employees are provided with all the training and advice that they need,” explains Icelandair Group Environmental Manager Sigurður M. Harðarson.

Icelandair Group’s Green Steps Icelandair’s fuel consumption dropped from 3.79 l to 3.70 l in 2016, measured on the basis of passengers flown per 62 mi (100 km). In Natura, one of the Icelandair Hotels, the use of electricity in five years. per night of occupancy was reduced by

21%

At Icelandair Hotels, the average waste per night of in 2014 to occupancy was reduced from in 2016.

1.4 kg

50%

1.2 kg

of Icelandair Cargo’s freight is now carried in passenger aircraft holds, as compared to in 2008. Shareability in the fleet results in extensive economy of fuel consumption per ton of freight.

16%

The number of substances used in the Icelandair Ground Services equipment center that are subject to hazard labeling since 2014. obligations has been reduced by

40%

lower in Air Iceland Connect’s use of electricity was the first quarter of 2017 than in the corresponding quarter of the preceding year.

150,000

Instead of wasting paper cups per year, employees at Icelandair’s headquarters received reusable cups and bottles for coffee and water in 2017.

The Strandir region in the Westfjords.

Icelandair Stopover / 47

WE MAKE A POINT OF REWARDING CUSTOMERS FOR LOYALTY Did you know that members of Icelandair Saga Club earn Saga Points for all Icelandair flights, for their purchases on board and with our partners around the world? These little points pack a lot of punch.

Joining is easyâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;you can sign up online on your mobile device or computer right now. Go to Icelandair.com or find the application form in the Saga Shop Collection section of the magazine.

+ icelandair.com

By joining Icelandair Saga Club you can: Book flights with your Saga Points

Buy products and refreshments on board with your Points

Acquire Saga Silver or Saga Gold status with increased benefits by flying regularly with Icelandair

Earn Saga Points through Booking.com and Rentalcars.com

Donate your Saga Points to Icelandairâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Special Children Travel Fund

Use your Saga Points at Hotels.com

BY ERIC S. SINGER. PHOTOS FROM THE ICELANDAIR ARCHIVES.

INTREPID FOUNDERS, BE-SANDLED HIPPIES, AND VOYAGING YOUTH Founded in 1937, Icelandair has a rich history. Though the airline’s past has been well chronicled, there are always more fascinating stories to discover. Below are three such examples that depict the unique, adventurous and unconventional nature of Iceland’s flag carrier, its founders and its passengers. Loftleiðir, one of Icelandair’s predecessors, received its first major cash windfall from the sale of a stranded former United States Air Force plane. In 1944, after serving in the Canadian Air Force during World War II, Alfreð Elíasson and two other Icelandic pilots, Kristinn Olsen and Sigurður Ólafsson, returned home and founded Loftleiðir with a mere USD 2,800. Initially, the airline serviced domestic routes, then expanded to shipping cargo to Europe. In September 1950, an unfortunate accident set the stage for the airline’s future. A Loftleiðir plane was forced to ditch on Vatnajökull glacier. The plane was badly damaged but, fortunately, all onboard survived. Members of the United States Air Force (USAF) landed on the ice, boarded the Loftleiðir crew, and prepared to evacuate. But the bitter cold rendered the USAF DC-3’s engines inoperable. The entire 50 / Icelandair History

group had to leave the crippled plane behind and depart on foot. The United States abandoned all efforts to recover it. His business in bad shape, Alfreð had to be creative to avoid bankruptcy. He purchased the salvage rights of the DC-3 for USD 600, then led a Loftleiðir team back to Vatnajökull to excavate it. After a brutal winter, only the plane’s rudder penetrated from the snow. For a month, the team worked furiously to dig the plane out. They were eventually able to tow it 60 mi (96.5 km) to the closest airfield. Amazingly, the DC-3’s batteries and engines still functioned, so they flew it back to Reykjavík. Loftleiðir sent the plane to England to be refurbished. There, the airline received an unanticipated proposal: The Spanish carrier Iberia offered to buy the plane for USD 75,000, a 12,500% profit! The sale enabled Loftleiðir to finance its expansion. Shortly thereafter, the airline began trans-Atlantic service between New York, Iceland and Europe. Icelandair was known as the “Hippie Mover” during the 1960s. During the 1960s and 1970s, Icelandic Airlines (Loftleiðir’s international name) was known for selling the cheapest tickets between the United States and Europe. According to the Wall

Three things you may not know about Icelandair’s history.

Street Journal, “Every summer, hordes of American youths religiously boarded Icelandic jetliners for treks to Europe, like pilgrims heading for Mecca.” A University of Michigan professor recalled, “Icelandair was a legend. Parents and brothers and sisters passed the word to each other.” Executives of other airlines derisively characterized the airline as a “tramp operation that carried mostly secretaries, teachers, students and be-sandled hippies across the Atlantic.” But Icelandic served good food, free wine and brandy. And when the be-sandled hippies disembarked in foreign lands, they had more cash in their pockets to spend on dashikis and psychedelic art. One 19-year-old passenger remarked, “I could go by Icelandic and have $150 left over.”

O. Douglas from a phone booth near the Washington Monument. Douglas’s wife Mercedes answered. Ted told her that he and his friends were stranded and needed to find a cheap way to get to Europe. Could she help them? Accepting their challenge, Mercedes booked the boys four tickets on an Icelandic Airlines flight through Reykjavík to Glasgow, to depart New York in three days. But the boys had one more problem. Where would they stay until then? Mercedes took pity and sent a car to pick them up. When they arrived at the Douglas’s home, the Supreme Court justice and his wife directed them to an old oak tree in the yard. The boys could camp there until it was time to fly, all expenses paid.

The wife of an American Supreme Court Justice once bought Icelandic tickets for four intrepid backpackers. In 1960, four bright-eyed 17-year-old backpackers found themselves stranded in Washington D.C. They had just graduated high school and were on their way from Portland, Oregon to Europe, but couldn’t afford onward tickets across the Atlantic. One of the boys, Ted Lloyd, had an idea. He called the home of US Supreme Court Justice William

Eric S. Singer is an American historian and educator, currently adapting The Untold History of the United States Young Readers’ Edition, Volume 2, to be released by Simon & Schuster in 2018. His work has also appeared in The Nation, The San Francisco Chronicle and Teen Vogue.

Icelandair Stopover / 51

#MYSTOPOVER

JESSICA BIEL: EXUBERATING ICELAND Jessica Biel wanted to travel to Iceland for her 35th birthday. Her husband, Justin Timberlake, complied with her wish and they had an adventurous trip.

American power couple, musician Justin Timberlake and actress Jessica Biel, had always dreamt of going to Iceland together. So, when Jessica turned 35 in March, she knew exactly what she wanted for her birthday: An adventure trip to the island in the north. And Justin did not hesitate to comply with his wife’s wish. He played Iceland on his last tour in August 2014 and absolutely loved it. “I think it’s one of the coolest places I’ve ever been,” Justin tells me one late afternoon in his hometown of New York. “It worked out we were able to do a show in Reykjavík on my last tour. It’s just a place that we’ve always wanted to go together. And the timing worked out. And that’s what mamma wanted for her birthday.” Exceeding Expectations It was Jessica’s first time in Iceland and she was not disappointed. “It was more beautiful when I saw it [with my own eyes] and it was more expansive—and we had more fun. It was just wild activities 52 / #MyStopover

Relaxing in a natural hot spring in the Icelandic Highlands. From Jessica Biel’s private collection.

Heli-boarding in Iceland. Courtesy of Viking Heliskiing. The photo is not directly related to the story.

BY TINA JØHNK CHRISTENSEN.

after wild activities, and delicious food and friendly people and really pretty amazing weather. It just exceeded all my expectations.” The Nordic region is one of Jessica’s favorite parts of the world. She also loved the time she spent in Copenhagen, Stockholm and Oslo and the beautiful quaint villages and vibrant modern cities of Scandinavia. She feels a real connection to all of those places. Also politically. So, when Iceland made a proposal to make sure that women are being paid fairly, she was all for it. “I think it’s just absolutely what every country should be doing. There’s nothing else to say besides that Iceland has it going on in that department and they have it going on in many departments. I have talked about before that Scandinavia and that part of the world is very advanced in many areas, which I admire and look up to. I wish our country could take some tips from that part of the world. It shouldn’t matter who you are if you do a job and if you do it well, then you should be paid as equally as anyone else would be paid for a job well done.” Jessica describes Iceland as a dream. She had always dreamt of visiting and it was an overwhelming experience. “It was truly spectacular. I have never seen topography like that before and at times you feel like you are on the moon and at other times you feel like you are in a magical rainforest and you cannot believe how diverse and exciting and rugged the

Jessica Biel as Cora Bender in The Sinner.

Icelandair Stopover / 53

Heli-boarding in Iceland. Courtesy of Viking Heliskiing. The photo is not directly related to the story.

in Hollywood for being in really good shape. “Iceland was amazing,” says Jessica. “I wanted to take the trek. I wanted to have an adventure and I wanted to be put in a place where I was my own mentor and was physically challenging myself. When I challenge myself physically I get a similar kind of feeling of adrenaline and the questions that I am asking myself when I am doing something like that is: “How far can I push my body physically? Where do I think my limit is? How can I go past it, and can I go past it?” It feels empowering and it just gives me a lot of strength. Also, inner strength. Not just physical. So, pushing your body past its limit is much more of an internal thing than actually is for me a physical thing.”

landscape is. I mean it’s so rugged and it was just phenomenal. I just had the best, most amazing time and did so many activities.” Adrenaline Rush Jessica has had an extremely busy year, challenging herself by becoming a producer of the TV series The Sinner. She also plays the leading role as Cora Bender, a wife and mother who kills a random stranger on a family picnic by the lake. It’s obvious that she did it. The question is, why? On her reasons for taking the role, Jessica says, “I want to continue to challenge myself,” adding that she immediately felt engaged by Derek Simonds’ adaptation of Petra Hammesfahr’s novel. “I feel like I am having to do something that I am not comfortable with, which I find exciting and exuberating. I think I have an adrenaline rush from fear. And it feels like, why would I do something that feels easy and comfortable? It doesn’t seem to give me the same effect. It’s like a drug effect. It’s almost like being addicted to something and you want to feel that burst of excitement. You want that rush, that obsession for the fear of doing something new.” That was partly why Jessica Biel was so attracted to going on an adventure in Iceland. The actress has appeared in several action films, such as Blade: Trinity, Stealth, The A-Team and Total Recall and is known 54 / #MyStopover

Stills from The Sinner.

Jessica has many great memories from Iceland, but she doesn’t remember the names of the places she went because they were just too hard to pronounce. She would embarrass herself simply by trying, she says with a big laugh, so she is not going to go there. “I would probably say one of the best memories was heli-boarding in the North. It was one of the last days of the season and we were getting dropped off at the top of the mountain and looking down and seeing the fjords, which has such very unique topography, and to have water right there at the bottom of the mountain was amazing. I spent a lot of time in the mountains.”

Surprising Landscape Justin is already planning his next trip to Iceland—and he wishes that Björk would consider working with him, so he’s “just putting it out there to see if it works,” he says with a smile. Both he and Jessica think the country is very inspiring creatively. “I think nature there inspires all kinds of creativity,” says Jessica. “You are able to stop the busyness in your mind, stop the busy lifestyle and stop the fastpaced meetings and paying attention to the news and paying attention to the phone. Once you get rid of all that clutter and that noise, I feel I am able to access a different part of my creative self and a different part of my emotional self and my physical self and everything is different, because I am listening to me. I am not having to pay attention to all these other things as we all are having to pay attention to in our very complicated, busy lives.” The couple spent no time in Reykjavík but went straight through the city and into the country. “We went to the North and then we also went to the South,” says Jessica. “What was surprising was the landscape. And as much as everybody can say: ‘Oh, it looks like the moon or another planet and nothing that you have ever seen before.’ It’s so incredibly aesthetically different and it was surprising how beautiful and also how kind of severe the landscape was. That was surprising. And I guess also the weather changing at the moment’s notice and you would just have to change your plans in a day because something was snowed in or something got rained out. It’s a very extreme country, I thought. And I thought it was great, I like that about it.”

RE LA X E N J OY E XP E RIE N C E nature b aths .i s

Reykjavík´s Thermal Pools

A source of health

Therm al swi m m i ng pools

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Thermal pools and ba baths aths in Rey Reykjavik ykjavik a are a sourc source ce of he health, ealth, relaxation an and pureness. city´ss swim swimming poolss have several hott tubs w All of the city´ ming pool with temperatures ranging from The pools keptt att an average ttemperature of 29˚ C (84˚ F) 37˚ tto 42˚C (98˚ ((98˚–111˚F). 111˚F) Th 111 l are k t

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Icelandair Stopover / 55

More than 70 different companies Restaurants • Bars • Cafés • Entertainment • Shopping

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NORTHERN LIGHTS NER BRYGGJAN BRUGGHÚS DINNER && DIN bistro & brewery REY KJ AV ÍK

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„Not only did it save me a lot of money during my visit to your beautiful country, but turned out to be the perfect guide to these very good and popular local restaurants and bars“ Malcolm Beaconsﬁeld, UK

„Me and my family saved approximately $260 during our 3 days stay in Iceland, thanks to Icelandic Coupons“

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„We did some wool sweater Í hjarta Matarhandverkother things shopping among Stykkishólms in ICEWEAR store. By using the 15% discount coupon we saved 128 Euros! Amazing brochure that every visitor should buy since the savings are enormous“

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rr11 ffoo 22 Vodafone SIM card included, ready for use during your stay in Iceland

Flip this brochure and turn to page 9 for page 11 formore moreinformation. information.

EARN SAGA POINTS FOR EVERY STAY

Canopy by Hilton Reykjavik City Centre

Saga Club members earn Saga Points when booking a hotel at hotels.icelandair.com. For every euro you pay for a hotel you earn two Saga Points.

hotels.icelandair.com Icelandair Stopover / 57

DO YOU FLY REGULARLY WITH ICELANDAIR? Our Frequent Flyer Program, Icelandair Saga Club, has multiple benefits for all members as well as special offers and benefits for our most frequent flyers who have acquired Saga Silver and Saga Gold status.

Saga Gold and Saga Silver benefits:

Members can earn from 1,500 to 8,100 Tier Points for each leg with Icelandair and need 40,000 Tier Points to become a Saga Silver member and 80,000 Tier Points to become a Saga Gold member.

SAGA SILVER

SILVER GOLD

One upgrade a year

Upgrade every time you fly*

Business class check-in

Lounge access

Excess baggage

Spouse Card available

Limousine service

Complimentary Spouse Card

Priority on waiting lists

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Limousine service

Priority on waiting lists

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Complimentary Wi-Fi on board n

n Icelandair Golfers membership

* To the next cabin when space available

DO YOU NEED A RENTAL CAR?

Saga Club members earn Saga Points when renting a car at carrental.icelandair.com. For every euro you pay for a car rental you earn two Saga Points.

carrental.icelandair.com

COMPILED BY EYGLÓ SVALA ARNARSDÓTTIR.

ICELANDAIR @WORK

The highlights of the last quarter include advertising awards, celebration of a new destination and, of course, Iceland qualifying for the World Cup. Russia Express On the occasion of the Iceland qualifying for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in men’s football in Russia—making history in the process as the world’s smallest nation ever to have qualified for the World Cup—Icelandair will offer direct flights to the cities in Russia where Iceland will be playing: Moscow, Volgograd and Rostov on June 16, 22 and 26. The Icelandic fan club with their famous “Viking Clap” were a fixed feature at Iceland’s games at the 2016 Euros in France and a game at the World Cup would not be complete without them. Therefore—as a proud sponsor of Iceland’s sporting heroes—Icelandair wants to give all dedicated fans the chance to travel to the World Cup, even if this means making detours from the airline’s regular route map. Read about Iceland’s journey to Russia on pages 26–30.

Icelandic fans. Photo courtesy of the Football Association of Iceland.

Stopover Buddy Wins Euro Effies Icelandair’s Stopover Buddy marketing campaign—pairing visitors to Iceland with Icelandair employees, serving as their guides—received four prizes at the 2017 Euro Effies in October, one of the world’s most respected marketing awards. Stopover Buddy was awarded first prize in the categories Brand Experience, Leisure & Entertainment and Small Budget and was the runner-up in David vs. Goliath. Out of all nominees, Icelandair received the most prizes. Icelandair was up against Booking.com and Sodastream, among others. Stopover Buddy was created in collaboration with the Icelandic Ad Agency and The Brooklyn Brothers.

Dream Vacation for Special Children Twenty-one children and their families received a grant from the Icelandair Special Children Travel Fund in October, enabling them to go on their dream vacation—all expenses paid. In the 14 years since the charity was founded, 591 children who suffer from long-term illnesses or who live under difficult circumstances have been able to go on holidays with their loved ones, have fun and enjoy life, thanks to generous donations by passengers and other well-wishers. Icelandair’s Inaugural Flight to Berlin Icelandair launched year-round service from Berlin-Tegel Airport (TXL) on November 3. Birkir Hólm Guðnason, Icelandair CEO at the time, and Berlin Tegel COO Elmar Kleinert welcomed boarding passengers at the gate and helped celebrate the new route. Icelandair will operate three flights a week (Mondays, Fridays and Sundays) between Keflavík International Airport and Berlin. Icelandair serves 20 destinations in North America and more than 25 destinations in Europe. Passengers can make a stopover in Iceland for up to seven nights at no additional airfare. Other new destinations to open this year are Dublin, Ireland, and Dallas and Cleveland in the US.

60 / News

Sub of the day only 629 ISK Different flavor every day

Organic bistro

Creating a tradition

Tryggvagata 11 - Volcano house Tel:5111118 Mon-Sun 11:30-21:00 www.fishandchips.is

24 locations in Iceland

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A THOUSAND WORDS

One of the million amazing sights you see in Iceland. rsebastyan I Ryan Sebastyan

Thanks to Instagram, Facebook and Twitter, you can share your travel experience with the world. Check out this selection of recent images from our passengers who tagged their pictures with the #MyStopover tag. Pretty great, right? In upcoming issues, we will feature the best pics by users who include the #MyStopover tag. Happy snapping! Please note that by using the #MyStopover hashtag, you are granting us permission to use your image in our magazine or on our social media channels.

Join us

Hafnarfjall mountain in a winter coat this cold, C O L D, morning. This is taken a little before 9AM and the sun is nowhere close. Winter has definitely arrived. I gunniebunny I Gunnhildur Lind Hansdottir Visiting Scotland has been a dream of ours for many years, thanks in no small part to @frabbits and good whisky, but we never thought we would end up moving here. Now after three days in Iceland thanks to #MyStopover we are touching down in Glasgow with the nine bags that hold most of what we hold dear ready to start the newest chapter to our lives. fifty6north I Erik & Sarah Eklund

This Icelandic Sheep had attitude like what are you doing in my country? Why are you taking photos of me? Hmm maybe that’s why he charged at us haha. I jayc0nn0r I Jay Connor

Good morning! Going to take any photos this weekend? #MyStopover kaspergaram I Kasper Garam

Jón Agnar loves planes and was very excited to fly on a big blue-and-white one! #icelandair elinjonsd I Elín Jónsdóttir

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Happy Saturday everyone!! Hope your weekend is filled with exploration and adventure. haileyplayfair I Hailey Playfair

Dis puggy moment is brought to you by my comfyÂ @icelandairÂ blanket.Â #pugÂ #pugsofinstagramÂ #puppyÂ #travel#icelandÂ #dogÂ #dogsofinstagramÂ #icelandair buffalo_trace I Rudy Nazitto

Found this awesome cabin on my way to GrundarfjĂśrdur. The street was covered a lot with snow already and driving was really challenging there. The cabin was nestled in a winterwonderland We passed so many of these beauties on our travels. Every and the sun just went down on the other side of the street. I could Icelandic Horse is unique and built to survive the harsh weather climate, I can see why they are so beloved by the Icelandic people. have watched this scenery for ages, supergrateful for this trip. the_same_sky I Conny Hepting I johnmhayward I John Hayward

Dreaming of black sand beaches and tall peaks. I never thought Iceland would make such an impact on me, but I can honestly say it's changed me in many ways. I can't decide which season to go back inđ&#x;¤&#x201D; winter or summer. damonberryman I Damon Berryman

@icelandairÂ has direct flights from Vancouver to Reykjavik in 7 hrs (and I've never met a friendlier crew) Just sayin! #youshouldgo chelsea.maier I Chelsea Maier

On the way to Landmannalaugar you have to stop to this crater lake called BlĂĄhylur. The dark sand, and the green mountains create a magical game of colors. I jeremdsgn I JĂŠrĂŠmy Barbet Zoe, the Arctic Fox in the West Fjords. rezzzzzzz_photo I RĂŠza Kalfane

The aerial shot of Icelandic glacial river was taken from a small plane. What would be your caption for this shot? stasbart I Stas Bartnikas

More photos of the magical northern lights incoming, to get you (and me) through the rest of the week â&#x20AC;Ś sammieteng I Sammie Teng

Happy to have found this little lighthouse today on the way to Godafoss! One of my favourites so far!Â #svalbardhseyri #northeasticeland #iceland.71 I etceteravintage I Shelly Fraser

Icelandair Stopover / 63

With its stunning nature, Iceland is a creative sanctuary in which to find inspiration. One event that should be firmly on the calendar of art lovers, artists and innovative souls is DesignMarch, March 15–18, 2018. The four-day festival celebrates its 10th anniversary in 2018 with a series of events bringing together those in the creative industries. It encourages international co-operation and offers a fertile place for thinking and sharing on the world of design. The festival provides a platform to explore nine different areas of design: fashion, jewelry, ceramics, architecture, interior design, industrial design, textile, graphics and landscaping. Visitors can choose from over 100 events and exhibitions throughout the capital area.

DAFT ON DESIGN Celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, DesignMarch 2018 will run from March 15 to 18. Exhibition by Stúdíó Kleina. Photo by Eygló Gísladóttir.

BY MICA ALLAN.

For a window into the world of design check out the following three events: n

DesignTalks is a conference featuring a selection of talks by leading international design thinkers. Set in the glass cathedral of Harpa by Reykjavík Harbor, DesignTalks takes place on the first day of the festival and is followed by the opening ceremony.

DesignMatch encourages collaboration between local designers and international design producers, retailers and curators. This provides Icelandic designers with the opportunity of developing and pitching their ideas to prestigious international figures on the design scene.

Design Diplomacy is a new concept fostering intercultural co-operation between host embassies and Icelandic designers. Set in elegant embassies in Reykjavík, a local designer meets a designer from the host embassy. Open to the public, guests can look on as the two designers interview each other using a specially devised card game.

In addition, the Museum of Design and Applied Art will be holding an exhibition on the history of KronKron shoes and the stylish Nordic House will host an exhibition on Finnish architect Alvar Aalto. Aurum Jewelry. Photo by Lilja Jónsdóttir.

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Icelandair is a proud sponsor of DesignMarch. Visit their website at designmarch.is.

TASTE Iceland prepares for another delicious Food and Fun Festival, February 28 to March 4, 2018.

Lamb, lobster, salmon, skyr, blueberries and licorice. Just some of the tastes you might be enjoying whilst in Iceland, so get ready to give your palate a treat as the Reykjavík restaurant scene is thriving. If you’re looking to treat your taste buds and experience the freshest of Icelandic ingredients, you’ll want to savor every morsel of the Food and Fun Festival, running from February 28 to March 4.

BY MICA ALLAN. PHOTOS COURTESY OF FOOD AND FUN.

The festival was started in 2002 to encourage the then-flagging tourism industry and to help fill empty seats. Icelandair was one of the first sponsors and still is a main sponsor of an event that has been called a “culinary circus.” Indeed, for a limited time, those on Icelandair’s Saga Class can enjoy a special Food and Fun menu featuring Icelandic favorites such as scallops, trout and lamb. During the week-long festival, visiting chefs and new emerging talents of the international food industry are teamed with Reykjavík restaurants to carefully curate menus that focus on showcasing Icelandic ingredients.

Creativity is the name of the game and menus aim to be exquisite to look at, enticing to taste and (because it’s important to the festival to welcome everyone who loves fine food) easy on your wallet. Guests can choose to enjoy the festival’s fare at hip hostels, sleek grills and grand hotels. To make things even more exciting, there’s also a competition. Three chefs reach the finals with one chef winning the accolade of Food and Fun Chef of the Year. And it’s clear that the standard and ambition amongst chefs is high. For Food and Fun 2017, the participating 15 chefs had 10 Michelin stars between them. Icelandair is a proud sponsor of Food and Fun. Visit their website at foodandfun.is. Share your experience at Food and Fun and other festivals in Iceland, tag your favorite photos with #mystopover and they might end up on our Instagram spread.

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BY SIGRÍÐUR ÁSTA ÁRNADÓTTIR. ILLUSTRATIONS BY HEIDI WARNER.

CHILDREN’S CORNER:

THE ANIMALS OF ICELAND

Iceland has a number of special animals, some of which you’ll find nowhere else. Freyja, Flóki and their friends from Treasure Iceland are all Icelandic animals. Would you like to know more about them?

The Icelandic horse Freyja is an Icelandic horse. Icelandic horses are smaller than many other horses, but be warned: They will get offended if you mistake them for ponies! Don’t let their size fool you; they are a bunch of tough nuts. Super strong and hardy, Icelandic horses even grow long hair in winter to stay warm. Icelandic horses make the best friends. Like Freyja, they are sweet-tempered and loyal—although sometimes they can be a bit stubborn and naughty, even. The Icelandic horses sailed with the Viking Age settlers to Iceland 1,100 years ago and have been there ever since. The raven Ravens live all over the world. However, Icelanders see them as very Icelandic birds and Icelandic myths and folk tales are full of them. The Viking explorer Hrafna-Flóki (Raven-Flóki) used three ravens to help him find land when he was lost out at sea over 1,100 years ago. The land the ravens led him to was Iceland. As our friend Flóki is probably willing to tell you, ravens are super smart birds. They are also notoriously mischievous— Flóki being no exception. He loves playing pranks on his friends. If you do meet a raven while in Iceland (they like sitting on lampposts), try making a funny sound over and over again. Ravens are funny copycats and will often answer you back.

The puffin Now, you can find puffins in other places, but for some reason most of them prefer to live in Iceland—10 million puffins in all. Puffins don’t make nests, instead the males dig rather large underground holes with their feet and beak for the female to lay their egg in. Which makes about 5 million holes in all. Better watch your step if you visit a puffin colony. Katla is a typical puffin, with her lovely colorful beak and black-and-white coat. Because of their looks, puffins have been called the “clowns of the sea”— a nickname Katla likes a lot. She is certainly the clown in her group of friends.

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The Icelandic sheepdog If there’s someone you need to keep busy, it’s the Icelandic sheepdog. It has lots and lots of energy and is also quite loud. Skotta drives her friends mad if she gets bored! But she is also always the one to invent fun games and get everyone playing. An energetic, yapping dog is of course exactly what you need if you own a flock of stubborn sheep. And Icelandic sheep are. (It’s the result of letting them freely roam the Highlands all summer. The start getting their own ideas.) Just send a noisy and enthusiastic dog out to get them—they’ll be home like magic. The Viking Age settlers knew this and brought Icelandic sheepdogs with them on their boats to Iceland.

If you want to play with the characters from Treasure Iceland, check out the kids’ material we have on board. Just ask the flight attendant if you didn’t receive one after take-off. The Icelandic sheep Mosi is not too pleased that we said Icelandic sheep are stubborn. In fact, he insists (in a most pigheaded way!) that he isn’t the headstrong type at all. Well, perhaps it might be a good idea to change the subject to his unique wool. It rains a lot in Iceland. The clever sheep have adapted to this because they like staying out but hate being wet. Their wool has special long and slippery hairs that make the water slide right off, and the sheep remain dry and cozy. Another thing the Icelandic sheep are quite good at is climbing steep mountainsides. You’ll see them in the most ridiculous places—and scratch your head about however they got there.

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STOPOVER ICELAND:

OUR TOP PICKS With so much you can pack into an Icelandair stopover, the options can feel overwhelming. So, we keep it simple: Four new themes and four fresh suggestions every issue. Take your pick.

68 / Stopover Iceland

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láf The largest is Bláfjöll on the jö l lS ki R outskirts of Reykjavík, which esor t. has a good range of slopes and offpiste tracks in addition to 16 lifts. While it offers plenty of variety for the average skier or snowboarder, thrill-seekers will find more to sink their teeth into up North, where resorts such as Hlíðarfjall and Dalvík offer steeper inclines and longer seasons.

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Other great ski areas include Tungudalur in Ísafjörður, which has exquisite scenery and one of the longest runs in Iceland; and Oddsskarð on the other side of the country, which is sometimes known as the “Alps of the East Fjords.” Didn’t bring your equipment? No worries; you can rent it at most of the larger resorts. Just be sure to dress well!

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Adventurous types might also be interested to know that some smaller waterfalls actually freeze solid enough to climb. If this sounds like your cup of adrenalin, book with an official tour company such as Eskimos, Bergmenn Mountain Guides, or Icelandic Mountain Guides, whose staff can provide expert instruction and all the necessary gear.

If you’re driving the Ring Road in the North, take the short turn-off to Goðafoss (“waterfall of the gods”), which is particularly spectacular in winter, collecting dramatic icy talons along its embankments. And if you’re traveling around Borgarnes in West Iceland, make a small detour to Barnafoss and the nearby Hraunfossar, whose turquoise waters contrast beautifully with the milky-white snow.

SNOW Carve it Up Skiing and snowboarding culture are thriving in Iceland, and there are a number of ski resorts around the country.

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NATURE Chasing Waterfalls While Iceland’s countless waterfalls are postcard pretty in summer, the frost brings a more gnarled beauty, forming thick curls of snow and beards of icicles. Many travelers head South to see the classics: Gullfoss, Skógafoss and Seljalandsfoss, though it’s worth exploring some of the lesser-visited falls elsewhere in the country.

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GEOTHERMAL ENERGY Let Off Steam Most visitors to Iceland know about the Blue Lagoon and Geysir, but there are a number lesser-known geothermal attractions that are well worth some time. The newest of these is the Krauma geothermal spa near Reykholt, West Iceland, where you can soak in luxurious baths and also see the mighty Deildartunguhver hot spring. It’s the most powerful of its kind in Europe, and has been put to good use piping hot water to homes in the region. In their infinite ingenuity, Icelanders also use geothermal water to heat greenhouses, allowing farmers to grow crops of tomatoes, cucumbers and bell peppers even in the depths of winter. You can explore the greenhouses at Friðheimar in South Iceland, which also has a restaurant with a clever tomato-themed menu (tomato ice-cream, anyone?).

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Outside the capital, the best town for live bands is Akureyri in the North, where Græni hatturinn hosts shows several nights per week. Surprisingly, the tiny town of Rif (pop. 535) in Snæfellsnes, West Iceland, also has its own little scene centered around the hip Freezer Hostel, which hosts regular live gigs in addition to theater and standup.

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MUSIC Live and Kicking Iceland is famous for its music scene, which is far more vibrant than one might expect for a nation of just 340,000 inhabitants. The mecca is of course the capital, Reykjavík, where you can stumble into bar concerts any night of the week. One of the best spots is Húrra, which lures a youthful hipster crowd with its brimming schedule and superb sound system. And if that’s not quite your speed, step outside, turn left, and make your way upstairs into Gaukurinn next door, a welcoming dive bar with a rock-music bent.

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And if you’re curious about how Iceland produces its renewable energy, head to the ON Power Geothermal Exhibition at Hellisheiði Power Plant, roughly 20 minutes from Reykjavík. The exhibition features innovative multimedia installations, and it's also interesting to see the plant itself, which looks straight out of a sci-fi movie.

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Iceland’s uniquely central location THE ICELANDAIR between Europe and North America the key to Icelandair’s hub-andROUTE NETWORK isspoke network, which our efficient, fleet of Boeing 757 and AND AIRCRAFT FLEET economical 767 aircraft is perfectly suited to serve.

ANCHORAGE

HELSINKI VANCOUVER SEATTLE

EDMONTON

PORTLAND

ICELAND

STOCKHOLM TRONDHEIM OSLO GOTHENBURG BERGEN COPENHAGEN STAVANGER BILLUND BERLIN HAMBURG FRANKFURT MUNICH ABERDEEN AMSTERDAM GLASGOW BRUSSELS ZURICH MANCHESTER MILAN BELFAST DUBLIN LONDON PARIS GENEVA HEATHROW & GATWICK ORLY & CDG

DENVER MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL

MADRID CHICAGO DALLAS

TORONTO CLEVELAND

MONTREAL

BOSTON WASHINGTON D.C. PHILADELPHIA NEW YORK JFK & NEWARK

TAMPA BAY

70 / Route Map and Fleet

ORLANDO

HALIFAX

THE NAMES OF OUR AIRCRAFT

Each of our aircraft is named after an Icelandic volcano or glacier. Passengers boarding the plane can see a sign with an illustration of the volcano or glacier in question, explaining its name and giving some basic information about it. BLÁFJALL | TF-FIK | BLAU-fyatl | A table mountain in North Iceland. From its flat top it offers climbers an astounding view over one of the most beautiful creations of Mother Nature, Lake Mývatn. BÚRFELL* | TF-FIW | BOOR-fetl | Name of a table volcano located close to the scenic Þjórsárdalur valley. One of the biggest hydroelectric power stations of Iceland was built at the foot of this mountain. DYNGJUFJÖLL | TF-ISS | DEENG-iu-fiudl | Volcanic highland massif in North Iceland. The famous Askja caldera, a popular tourist destination, is situated in Dyngjufjöll. EIRÍKSJÖKULL | TF-ISZ | AY-reeks-yuh-kutl | According to legend, an outlaw named Eiríkur escaped from his pursuers by cartwheeling to the top of the highest mountain in West Iceland. This volcano, formed by subglacial activity, was later named in his honor. ELDBORG | TF-FIN | ELD-borg | The name of an extinct volcanic crater in the west of Iceland, one of the country’s most beautifully formed. ELDFELL | TF-ISK | ELD-fetl | On Heimaey, one of the Westman I slands, is a volcanic cone formed during a surprise 1973 eruption not far from the centre of one of the most important fishing villages in Iceland. No one was hurt. ELDGJÁ | TF-ISP | ELD-giau | The largest volcanic fissure in the world, 25 mi (40 km) long. Into it plunges the spectacular Ófærufoss waterfall, which until 1993 had a natural stone bridge extending over it. The bridge broke in a glacial flood. EYJAFJALLAJÖKULL | TF-FII | AY-ya-fyat-la-yuh-kutl (good luck!) | A relatively small ice cap in South Iceland, just west of the much larger Mýrdalsjökull glacier. Eyjafjallajökull covers the caldera of a volcano with a summit elevation of 5,466 ft (1,666 m). The most recent eruption in Eyjafjallajökull was in April 2010. GRÁBRÓK | TF-ISV | GRAU-broke | A crater that was formed in a fissure eruption in West Iceland less than 3,000 years ago. Children love running up to the top of this friendly volcano, which stands just a few metres from the road. GRÍMSVÖTN | TF-FIS | GREEMZ-vutn | A volcano and a series of subglacial lakes in South East Iceland on the Vatnajökull glacier. Grímsvötn has one of the highest eruption frequencies in Iceland; the last was in May 2011. GULLBORG | TF-ISW | GUTL-borg | Means the Golden Fortress and refers to the beautiful regular round shape of this extinct crater in western Iceland. HEKLA AURORA | TF-FIU | HEK-la au-RO-ra | Iceland’s most famous volcano, which last erupted in 2000. The aircraft was renamed Hekla Aurora in 2014 and repainted in northern lights livery for our #MyStopover campaign. HELGAFELL | TF-FIT | HEL-gah-fetl | A dormant cone volcano on the outskirts of an important fishing town in the Westman Islands. Its neighbour, Eldfell, was formed in an eruption in 1973. HENGILL | TF-FIX | HEN-gitl | Volcanic system not far from Reykjavík. The most recent eruption has been radiocarbon dated to about 1,900 years ago. Hellisheiði Geothermal Plant is situated at Hengill. The estimated production capacity for the completed Hellisheiði plant is 300 MW of electricity and 400 MW of thermal energy. HERÐUBREIÐ | TF-FIA | HARE-theu-braith | An extinct volcano in the Highlands of North Iceland. It is a “tuya,” a volcano formed under a glacier. Many Icelanders consider Herðubreið to be the most beautiful mountain in Iceland.

HLÖÐUFELL | TF-ISO | HLEU-thu-fetl | This a tuya volcano 6 mi (10 km) southwest of Langjökull glacier. Hlöðufell was formed when lava erupted through a thick ice sheet that covered all of Iceland during the Pleistocene epoch. KATLA | TF-FIV | KAT-la | Volcano beneath the ice sheet of the South Iceland glacier Mýrdalsjökull. The last eruption of Katla was in 1918. KEILIR | TF-ISJ | KAY-leer | Cone-shaped volcano that was created subglacially and is located on the Reykjanes Peninsula to the south of Reykjavík, from where it can be viewed as a well-known landmark. It rises to 1,243 ft (379 m) and consists primarily of hyaloclastite and pillow lavas. KETILDYNGJA | TF-ISR | KETTIL-deengja | This is a shield volcano southeast of the famous Lake Mývatn, formed as a resu lt of an eruption in Ketildyngja about 3,800 years ago. KRAFLA | TF-FIO | KRAB-la | Caldera about 6 mi (10 km) in diameter and is in a 56-mi (90-km) fissure zone, in the north of Iceland in the Mývatn region. Krafla’s highest peak reaches 818 m. There have been 29 reported eruptions in recorded history, the last of which occurred between 1975 and 1984. LAKI | TF-ISF | LAH-kih | Laki is the name of a volcanic fissure and mountain in southern Iceland. The largest lava eruption in recorded history began here on 8 June 1783. MAGNI | TF-FIC | MAG-nih | Name of one of the two craters that were tailor-made for tourists in the first stage of the Eyjafjallajökull eruption in March 2010. SKJALDBREIÐUR | TF-LLX | SKYALD-bray-ther | An extinct shield volcano in the vicinity of Þingvellir, the South Iceland site of the old Icelandic parliament, or Alþing. Skjaldbreiður is estimated to be around 9,000 years old. SNÆFELL | TF-FIP | SNEYE-fetl | Snæfell, an extinct volcano northeast of Vatnajökull glacier. It has been dormant for at least 10,000 years. SNÆFELLSJÖKULL | TF-ISD | SNEYE-fetls-yuh-kutl | Extinct stratovolcano in western Iceland. The entrance to the centre of the Earth is to be found at its top. Some even believe it is a landing site for extraterrestrials. SURTSEY | TF-FIJ | SEURT-say | Off the coast of South Iceland, a young island that grew up from the ocean floor during a volcanic eruption in 1963. SVÖRTUBORGIR | TF-ISN | SWUR-tuh-boregear | A row of volcanic craters west of Námafjall near Lake Myvatn. This cone row was created in an eruption 2000 years ago. TORFAJÖKULL | TF-ISY | TOR-va-yuh-kutl | Is in the Highlands of South Iceland and is named after Torfi, an Icelandic historical figure. During the plague in 1493, he is said to have found shelter there with his family. VATNAJÖKULL | TF-FIR | VAT-na-yuh-kutl | Europe’s largest glacier, covering 8 percent of Iceland’s surface. Six volcanoes lie underneath it, including Bárðarbunga, which caused the Holuhraun eruption in 2014–2015. ÖRÆFAJÖKULL | TF-ISL | EU-rye-va-yuh-kutl | The largest active volcano in Iceland, and on its north-western side is Hvannadalshnjúkur, the highest peak in the country. It has not erupted since the 18th century. * All our airplanes are equipped with a Wi-Fi connection except BÚRFELL.

Icelandair Stopover / 71

WE ARE ADDING TO OUR FLEET IN 2018

These new aircraft will further enhance the travel experience of our passengers. We are especially proud of next year’s addition of our first Boeing 737-MAX 8, a brand-new Boeing design that both features much quieter engines and a completely redesigned cabin space for more comfort. BOEING 737-MAX 8 Number of seats: 160 pax Seating arrangement: 3-3 in Economy Class and Economy Comfort, and 2-2 in Saga Class Length: 138’2" / 42.11 m Wingspan: 117’10" / 35.92 m Cruising speed: 521 mph / 839 km/h Maximum range: 3,515 mi / 6,510 km Maximum take-off weight: 181,200 lb / 82,189 kg Engine: (two) CFM International LEAP-1B

BOEING 757-300 Number of seats: 225 Seating arrangement: 3-3 in Economy Class and Economy Comfort, and 2-2 in Saga Class. Length: 178’5" / 54.4 m Wingspan: 125’ / 38.1 m Cruising speed: 544 mph / 851 km/h Maximum range: 3,200 mi / 5,100 km Maximum take-off weight: 273,000 lb / 123,800 kg Engine: (two) RB211-535E4-B BOEING 757-200 Number of seats: 183 Seating arrangement: 3-3 in Economy Class and Economy Comfort, and 2-2 in Saga Class. Length: 155’2" / 47.3 m Wingspan: 125’ / 38.1 m Cruising speed: 544 mph / 851 km/h Maximum range: 3,900 mi / 6,300 km Maximum take-off weight: 250,000 lb / 113,400 kg Engine: (two) RB211-535E4 Maximum range based on full passenger load. BOEING 767-300 Number of seats: 262 Seating arrangement: 2-3-2 in Economy Class and Economy Comfort, and 2-1-2 in Saga Class Length: 180’3"″ / 54.9 m Wingspan: 156’1" / 47.6 m Cruising speed: 544 mph / 851 km/h Maximum range: 6,890 mi / 11,090 km Maximum take-off weight: 412,000 lb / 186,880 kg Engine: (two) GE CF6-80C2B6F

72 / Our Fleet

DISCOVERING ICELAND IN THE SKY Whether you’re flying with us today en route to or from Iceland, or between Europe and North America with a short airport stopover, we’d like you to feel as if you’ve learned a little bit about our country during the flight. We’re very proud of our Icelandic heritage and culture and hope we’re able to share that enthusiasm with you. Take a look around you now. You should spot several little glimpses of Iceland, but if you want to catch them all, here’s our cheat sheet: The music as you boarded was composed and performed by Icelandic artists. Like it? It’s from our Icelandair Spotify playlist. You can check out the playlist in our in-flight entertainment system. Our menu selection features Icelandic ingredients and snacks like hjónabandssæla (oat-and-jam square) and awardwinning lager.

We are very proud of our ancient language. You’ll see some samples of Icelandic, which is a North Germanic language, throughout the cabin. Some headrests show Icelandic translations of some common phrases in English, while pillow covers show a popular traditional lullaby both in Icelandic and in translation. The paper cups list the different words used in Icelandic for cups, and the napkins tell you about Iceland’s first settlers. Our in-flight entertainment system features numerous Icelandic films, documentaries and television programs, as well as an exclusive documentary called Unique Iceland, which will introduce you to some of the country’s highlights for visitors. We’re so proud of our volcanoes and glaciers, that we’ve even named our aircraft after them. After all, Iceland is the land of fire and ice! Each one bears the moniker of an Icelandic volcano, including

Icelandair’s travel experience introduces you to our special country Katla and the famously unpronounceable Eyjafjallajökull, which actually doubles as a glacier. Vatnajökull is our first aircraft named after a glacier only. At the risk of being immodest, we think our water is the best tasting water in the world. Try it for yourself on this flight. We serve refreshing Icelandic Glacial water throughout the trip. On some lucky aircraft you’ll find mood lighting, like on Vatnajökull: The blue LED lighting in the cabin creates the illusion of being inside an ice cave, while on Hekla Aurora it feels as if you’re watching the northern lights dancing in the Icelandic winter sky. We hope you enjoy your flight with us.

Icelandair Stopover / 73

OUR IN-FLIGHT ENTERTAINMENT Dear Passenger, On this flight you have access to a personal in-flight entertainment system, and these pages offer a sneak peek into our selection. Since we always aim to offer interesting and relevant material on board our flights, we update our selection regularly. Have a browse through the content on the screen in front of you to see everything we offer this time around.

NEW

The selection is quite varied, and we try to offer the latest Hollywood blockbusters of the season. We’ve also dedicated a category to All-Time Classics, where some of the carefully selected films are available for a whole year, allowing you to revisit some of your favorites each time you fly with us.

AUDIO BOOKS

Language: Icelandic and/or English

Hallgerður Non-fiction I 3:28 hr.

Himnaríki og helvíti Fiction I 6:07 hr.

Hobbitinn Fantasy I 12:13 hr.

Lygarinn Fiction I 9:48 hr.

A brother odyssey set in an isolated worker environment. We follow two brothers, their routines, habits, rituals and a violent feud that erupts between them and another family. A lack of love story, focusing on the younger brother Emil and his need for being loved and desired. I 93:06 min.

TV PROGRAMS

Language: English (with Icelandic subtitles)

Vikings s4 e1–10 I R I Drama I 44 min.

Marcella s1 e1–8 I R I Crime I 45 min.

Trust Me s1 e1–4 I R I Drama I 55 min.

Speechless s1 e1–4 I PG I Comedy I 30 min.

Battle of the Sexes PG-13 I Comedy / Drama I 121 min.

Kingsman: The Golden Circle R I Action / Comedy I 141 min.

HOLLYWOOD BLOCKBUSTERS Language: English (with Icelandic subtitles)

Dunkirk PG-13 I Action I 106 min.

74 / In-Flight Entertainment

War for the Planet of the Apes PG-13 I Adventure I 140 min.

SHORTS & DOCS

RECOMMENDED WHEN VISITING ICELAND

Language: Icelandic (with English subtitles) S

'T MIS ON THIS ICELANDIC DOCUMENTARY

SHORTS & DOCS

'T MIS ON THIS ICELANDIC SHORT FILM

Language: Icelandic (with English subtitles)

Iceland Airwaves – A Musical Microcosm Documentary I G I 51:18 min.

Did you forget your headphones? We sell quality headphones that you can use on this flight and anywhere else.

SINE

the tried and tested, r spot. This modestt serves excellently and meat. They also ion of cheeses and ted delicacies.

TORFAN

w years, Iceland’s as taken huge leaps ore selection than ould be easy to somewhere in the es your fancy.

'T MIS ON THIS ICELANDIC DOCUMENTARY

Unique Iceland I A holiday destination of extremes. An entertaining and informative series about Iceland, both city and country, so you can feel prepared for your Stopover.

Ljúfi Vatnsdalur / Sweet Vatnsdalur Documentary I G I 44:31 min.

DINING

GLÓ

ESSENSIA

OSTABÚÐIN

JÓRGARÐURINN

RTU

Retro Stefson / Last Change Documentary I G I 56:24 min.

Þú og ég / You and Me Short Film I PG 13:20 min.

Helga Short Film I G I 12:28 min.

VOURITE S IN REYKJAVÍK

ICELANDIC TV PROGRAMS

ICELANDIC FILMS

Language: Icelandic (with English subtitles)

ICELANDIC MOVIE

Ég man þig / I Remember You R I Thriller I 110 min.

CHILDREN’S PROGRAMS Language: Icelandic/English

Dora the Explorer / Dóra landkönnuður Spongebob Squarepants / Svampur 4 ep. I G I Animation / Kids I 30 min. Sveinsson I G I 4 ep. I Kids I 30 min.

ICELANDIC MUSIC!

ICELANDIC MOVIE 'T M

ON ON

ICELANDIC MOVIE

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DON'T MISS OUT ON T HE

'T M I S ON THIS

ICELANDIC TV SERIES

ICELANDIC MOVIE

Ófærð / Trapped s1 e1–10 I PG-13 I Drama I 60 min.

'T M I S ON THIS

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FOR YOUR ENJOYMENT WE'VE SELECTED THE BEST OF

Vetrarbræður / Winter Brothers R I Drama I 95 min.

I S S OU

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'T M

ICELANDIC MUSIC!

ICELANDIC MOVIE

'T M I S ON THIS

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FOR YOUR ENJOYMENT WE'VE SELECTED THE BEST OF

ICELANDIC MOVIE

Language: Danish/Icelandic (with English subtitles)

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ICELANDIC TV SERIES

Pressa / The Press s1 e1–6 I PG-13 I Drama I 45 min.

CHILDREN’S FILMS

Language: Icelandic/English

How To Train Your Dragon / Að temja drekann sinn I PG I Animation I 98 min.

Mr. Peabody & Sherman PG I Animation I 93 min.

Please note that you have many more audio books, films and TV programs to choose from on the in-flight the entertainment system. The films and TV programs listed here are only a small selection.

Icelandair Stopover / 75

SERVICES ON BOARD

Icelandair offers a range of on-board services available to all passengers. We are the first European airline to offer gate-to-gate Wi-Fi, which means that you can stay online from the moment you board until you leave the aircraft, free from interruptions during boarding, take-off and landing. For our youngest flyers, we have a selection of children’s entertainment and games available on the in-flight entertainment system. Children also receive a box with a meal and juice and are provided with headphones and an activity bag. Passengers can check in quickly and easily with our online check-in service. You can use your smart device to check in even faster. It is possible to check in 36 hours before departure to Europe and Canada and 24 hours before departure to North America.

Icelandair caters to a range of tastes and budgets with a selection of four classes: Economy Light, Economy Class, Economy Comfort and Saga Class. Our Economy Class is for passengers who want quality at an affordable price. Economy Light offers the same quality at a reduced price with a luggage allowance of one handbag only, ideal for short-haul trips. Economy Comfort is an upgrade of our Economy Class service, ideal for passengers who are looking for quality, plus a little extra. For an indulgent experience in an exclusive, quiet cabin at the front of the aircraft, choose Saga Class. With four-abreast wide seating and plenty of legroom, you’ll be able to feel comfortable working or have space to stretch out and rest up for your destination. For detailed information about what each class has to offer, see the table below.

CLASSES OF SERVICE

ECONOMY LIGHT

ECONOMY STANDARD

Priority check-in

No No Yes Yes

ECONOMY FLEX

ECONOMY COMFORT SAGA CLASS

Lounge access

No Yes Yes

Seating 757

3-3

3-3 3-3 3-3, middle seat reserved 2-2

Seating 767

2-3-2

2-1-2

Luggage allowance

No checked luggage

1x50 lb (23 kg)

2x50 lb (23 kg)

2x70 lb (32 kg)

Carry-on luggage

1x22 lb (10 kg)

2x22 lb (10 kg)

Legroom

31–32" / 79–81 cm

33" / 84 cm

40" / 101 cm

In-flight entertainment

Yes

Yes Yes Yes

Yes

Wi-Fi

At a small fee

Included for 2 devices

At a small fee

Headphones

For sale

Provided

Yes, noise-canceling

Blankets and pillows

Upon request

To / from North America

Yes

Universal electric outlet

No No Yes

USB port

Yes

Non-alcoholic beverages

Included

Included Included Included

Alcoholic beverages

For sale

Yes

Yes Yes Yes

For sale

Included

Included Included

Champagne

For sale

Included

Meals

For sale

Included

Specially prepared

Travel kit

No No No

Yes

Hot towels

Yes

Pre-flight drink

On N-American routes

Included

Unlimited

Stopover for up to 7 nights Included

76 / Services on Board

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

SAGA SHOP KITCHEN Our meals are served in environmentally-friendly packaging that features interesting information about Icelandic nature. The children’s box also has some activities printed on it. In our Economy Class, we do our best to serve quick and fresh food for everyone.

Children between 2 and 11 years of age receive a complimentary meal box on all flights.

Economy Comfort and Saga Class passengers enjoy complimentary wine and beer.

Passengers in Economy Comfort and Saga Class enjoy complimentary meals and have a variety to choose from. Economy Comfort passengers choose from the Economy Class menu, free of charge.

All non-alcoholic beverages are complimentary on all classes.

We offer a selection of Icelandic delicacies, including hjónabandssæla, a jamfilled oatmeal cake known as “wedded bliss.”

Skyr – eat like an Icelander A healthy dairy product from Iceland. If a certain spinach-loving cartoon character had know skyr, he’d have been infinitely stronger.

Please see the menu in the seat pocket in front of you for a complete selection of what is available on this flight. We welcome your feedback on the dining experience on board. Please drop us a line at kitchen@icelandair.is with any comments. Verði þér að góðu! Bon appétit! Icelandair Stopover / 77

PASSENGER GUIDE

PORTABLE ELECTRONIC DEVICES WHAT ELECTRONIC DEVICES CAN I USE ON BOARD THE AIRCRAFT?

Always permitted

Hearing Aid

Handheld devices with flight mode Handheld devices, such as tablets, e-readers and mobile phones may be used during all phases of the flight, provided that flight mode is enabled before departure. Devices must be safely secured in the customer’s hand or pocket during taxi, take-off and landing.

Pacemaker

Permitted at gate and above 10,000 feet*

DVD Player

Devices without flight mode Any device that transmits or receives radio signals but does not have flight mode must be switched off for the duration of the flight.

Laptop / Tablet

NOTE: *Larger PEDs (more than 1 kg) such as laptops must be securely stowed in overhead compartments or under the seat before take-off and landing.

Laptops and other larger devices These devices may be used during boarding but not for taxi, takeoff and landing. They may be used in-flight. They shall be stowed away safely during taxi, take-off and landing.

Always permitted*

Tablet

E-reader

Smartphone (in-flight mode)

Camera (digital, film, video)

NoiseCanceling Headphones (power ON)

CD Player

Media Player

Handheld Game

NOTE: *Small lightweight Portable Electronic Devices, or PEDs – 1 kg or less (iPhone, iPad, iPad mini, Samsung Galaxy phones & tablets, Nokia, Microsoft Surface, Kindle e-reader, digital cameras etc.) are permitted as long as they are secured during take-off and landing. Passengers must either hold their PED or securely place it in the seat pocket. Lightweight PEDs may not be unsecured on the seat beside them. PED cords or accessories are not to impede emergency egress. We ask passengers to remove their headphones and pay attention to the safety briefing.

Power outlets are located in all seats on Saga Class and Economy Comfort. USB outlets provide power to charge small personal electronic devices, such as mobile phones, cameras or iPods. Aircraft B75-200 I Aircraft B 757-300 Plug

Rows 1–14

USB

All rows

NOTE: PEDs must be disconnected from any in-seat electrical power supply during taxiing, t akeoff, approach, landing and during abnormal or emergency conditions.

78 / Devices and Wi-Fi

Other devices without connectivity This includes items such as DVD players, electronic games and music players. Only small, handheld devices may be used during taxi, take-off and landing. Larger devices must be switched off and stowed away safely during take-off and landing. Are there times when I can’t use my handheld devices? Flight or cabin crew may ask you at any time to switch off all electronic devices should interference be detected. Can I connect to Wi-Fi (if provided in-flight) even if flight mode is enabled? Yes. Cellular services must be turned off (flight mode) at all times, but other wireless services such as Wi-Fi may be used above 10,000 ft if a connection service is installed in the aircraft. It is possible to re-enable Wi-Fi and connect to a Wi-Fi network while flight mode is enabled.

WIRELESS INTERNET ON BOARD SEE OUR WI-FI PORTAL FOR PRICING INFORMATION How do I connect to the Wi-Fi network? 1. Make sure your mobile device is set to flight mode during all phases of flight. Then activate Wi-Fi on your device. 2. Choose the “Icelandair Internet Access” network. 3. Open your browser of choice and then press “Get Wi-Fi” if using a laptop. On your phone, choose either the “Wi-Fi” or “Complimentary” option. What you can expect The connection speed is similar to 3G. Keep in mind that the on-board Wi-Fi is therefore not as fast as home connections. The number of users can affect the speed of the connection. Wi-Fi is available from the moment you board and until you leave the aircraft.

HELSINKI

SEATTLE

Do I need to set my smartphone or tablet to flight mode? All smartphones and tablets may be switched on at all times, but in flight mode only. You might have to activate Wi-Fi separately when your device is set to flight mode. Your device must be safely secured in your hand or pocket during taxi, take-off and landing. You can stay connected throughout your flight – from the moment you board and until you disembark. What kind of device can I use? You can use a laptop, a tablet or a smartphone to connect. The connection will be activated on the same device you use to purchase or validate Internet access. When can I start using the Wi-Fi access? You will be able to connect as soon as you want, and the connection will be active throughout your flight.

ANCHORAGE

VANCOUVER

What can I do when connected? n You can check your email. n You can browse the web. n You can use social media and other communication platforms.

STOCKHOLM TRONDHEIM

EDMONTON

PORTLAND

ICELAND

OSLO GOTHENBURG COPENHAGEN BERGEN STAVANGER BILLUND HAMBURG FRANKFURT MUNICH ABERDEEN AMSTERDAM GLASGOW BRUSSELS ZURICH MANCHESTER MILAN BELFAST LONDON PARIS GENEVA

If you are having trouble connecting, please send an email to wifi@icelandair.is the next time you are connected to the Internet. More questions can be found in the Wi-Fi portal.

HEATHROW ORLY & CDG & GATWICK

DENVER MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL

MADRID CHICAGO TORONTO MONTREAL BOSTON WASHINGTON D.C. PHILADELPHIA NEW YORK

HALIFAX

JFK & NEWARK

TAMPA

Icelandair Saga Gold members and booked Saga Class passengers get complimentary Wi-Fi access for two devices.

ORLANDO

The pink color indicates network coverage on Icelandair routes.

Icelandair Stopover / 79

KNOW YOUR EMERGENCY NUMBER IN ICELAND / EUROPE �� 112 IN USA AND CANADA �� 911 IN UK �� 999 / 112 icesar.com Emergency calls are free to make from mobile phones. But if you’re on the other side of the Atlantic, or in Iceland from North America, don’t forget to check on arrival if yours is working. Some phones operate on a different bandwidth and will not work in foreign countries.

ICELANDIC SEARCH AND RESCUE:

OUR COUNTRY’S BRAVE VOLUNTEERS If you get lost on a mountain, can’t find your way at sea, or encounter virtually any other difficulty in Iceland’s outdoors, the Icelandic Association for Search and Rescue (ICE-SAR) is there to help. In a country with no military and only a few coast guard vessels and helicopters, ICE-SAR’s 3,000 highly-trained volunteers command deserved respect from both locals and visitors. Their teams deal with thousands of calls annually and are available 24 hours a day, on land or at sea. So while the vast majority of trips to Iceland will be without incident, you can rest easy that, should the need arise, the nation’s most experienced people will be prepared to save lives and prevent accidents under even the harshest conditions. Remember too that rescue operations are expensive to launch: Advanced equipment is used and volunteers take time off from their jobs to take part. ICE-SAR relies entirely on donations to finance itself; you can contribute via their website, icesar.com.

80 / Safety

SAFETY FIRST Iceland’s vast nature is spectacular, unique—and unpredictable. Sunny and calm periods can transform into windstorms, blizzards and plummeting temperatures in a matter of hours. If you are planning to travel to a more isolated area, please leave a copy of your itinerary with the Icelandic Association for Search and Rescue at safetravel.is, and, for all excursions, observe these tips: DRIVING n When driving, keep your full attention on the road, especially on areas where tarmac turns to gravel. Blind hills should be approached with caution. It is illegal to operate a vehicle after consuming alcohol. n

On single-lane bridges, the car closer to the bridge has the right of way, but it is always wise to stop and assess the situation.

Only take Highland roads if you have a 4x4 jeep, and make sure you have the experience necessary to operate these vehicles in tough conditions.

Roads can be quite slippery during winter, especially after frost in the early morning. All Highland roads are closed during winter.

Off-road driving is illegal.

HIKING When you are hiking, be prepared for sudden weather changes, stick to your travel plan, and dress appropriately, with water- and wind-resistant clothing, gloves and hats.

Do not get too close to cliff edges or hot springs. When waves are big, stay far ahead from the sea; be especially vigilant along the south coast, which is open to the Atlantic Ocean.

If you get lost, call 112, the emergency service line. Stay where you are and wait for rescue services to find you.

The search and rescue association also offers a free emergency app, downloadable from their website. Your coordinates will be sent to the emergency response crews should you use the app. There is more information on safe travel in Iceland on our in-flight entertainment system.

Visit safetravel.is for equipment lists, travel plans and the latest traveling conditions.

SAFETY ON BOARD

Please follow all instructions provided in our in-flight video carefully and read the information on the safety card in your seat pocket. Our cabin crew puts your safety above all else, so we kindly recommend that you follow their guidance or suggestions during the flight.

Please see page 84 for information on the use of portable electronic devices. The use of heart pacemakers, hearing aids and other devices required for medical reasons is of course unrestricted. We recommend that you keep your seat belt fastened throughout the flight.

The use of small electronic devices in flight mode is permitted from gate to gate.

Cabin baggage should be stored in the overhead compartments or placed under

the seat in front of you. Please be careful when you open the compartments, as luggage may have shifted during the flight. When space is limited, we might need to store part of the cabin baggage in the luggage compartments. Smoking is prohibited on all Icelandair flights. That includes electronic cigarettes.

Icelandair Stopover / 81

SAMNINGUR UM UNDANÞÁGU FRÁ VEGABRÉFSÁRITUN TIL BANDARÍKJANNA (VISA WAIVER PROGRAM – VWP) Samningur um undanþágu frá vegabréfsáritun til Bandaríkjanna (Visa Waiver Program) gerir ríkisborgurum tiltekinna landa kleift að ferðast til Bandaríkjanna í skemmti- eða viðskiptaferð í allt að 90 sólarhringa án þess að sækja um og fá sérstaka vegabréfsáritun. Ferðamönnum, sem þessi samningur tekur til, er eftir sem áður heimilt að sækja um vegabréfsáritun ef þeir kjósa svo. Aðeins tiltekinn fjöldi ríkja eru aðilar að þessum samningi (VWP) og ekki er öllum ferðamönnum frá ríkjum, sem eru aðilar að samningnum, heimilt að nýta sér undanþáguna. Öllum ferðamönnum frá löndum, sem eru aðilar að VWP, er skylt að sækja um rafræna ferðaheimild á vef bandarískra innflytjendayfirvalda (Electronic

System for Travel Authorization – ESTA). Þegar komið er til Bandaríkjanna verður starfsmaður innflytjendayfirvalda á

flugvellinum að staðfesta að viðkomandi ferðamaður hafi undanþágu skv. VWP og ferðamaðurinn er þá skráður í US-VISIT kerfið.

Lönd sem eru aðilar að samningnum um undanþágu frá vegabréfsáritun til Bandaríkjanna Countries participating in the Visa Waiver Program n

Andorra Australia n Austria n Belgium n Brunei n Czech Republic n Denmark n Estonia n Finland

France Germany n Hungary n Iceland n Ireland n Italy n Japan n Latvia n Liechtenstein

Lithuania Luxembourg n Malta n Monaco n The Netherlands n New Zealand n Norway n Portugal n San Marino

Singapore Slovakia n Slovenia n South Korea n Spain n Sweden n Switzerland n United Kingdom

VISA WAIVER PROGRAM The Visa Waiver Program (VWP) enables nationals of certain countries participate in the VWP, and not all travelers from VWP countries are eligible to use the program. VWP travelers are required to apply for authorization through the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA), are screened at their port of entry into the United States and are enrolled in the US-VISIT program. Visit cbp.gov/esta to learn more.

US CUSTOMS DECLARATION EN

Before arriving in the US, each traveler or head of family is required to fill this form out and present to US Customs.

IS 1. 2. 3. 4.

5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11.

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Hver komufarþegi eða forráðamaður í fjölskyldu skal gefa eftirfarandi upplýsingar (fyrir hverja fjölskyldu dugar EIN yfirlýsing).

Eftirnafn, skírnarnafn, miðnafn Fæðingardagur dagur / mánuður / ár Fjöldi fjölskyldumeðlima sem ferðast saman a) Heimilisfang í Bandaríkjunum (nafn hótels / áfangastaðar) b) Borg c) Fylki Útgáfustaður vegabréfs (land) Númer vegabréfs Land búsetu Lönd sem var farið til í þessari ferð, fyrir lendingu í Bandaríkjunum Flugfélag / Númer flugs eða heiti flugvélar Markmið þessarar ferðar er viðskiptalegs eðlis JÁ / NEI Ég hef (við höfum) meðferðis: a) ávexti, jurtir, mat, skordýr: b) kjöt, dýr, dýraafurðir c) smitefni, frumuræktir, snigla d) mold eða hef/höfum dvalist á bóndabæ / mjólkurbúi / beitilandi JÁ/NEI Ég hef (við höfum) verið í snertingu eða meðhöndlað lifandi dýr JÁ / NEI Ég hef (við höfum) meðferðis peninga / gjaldmiðil eða aðra fjármuni að jafngildi hærri upphæð en USD 10.000. (sjá skilgreiningu á fjármun-um á bakhlið seðilsins) JÁ / NEI Ég hef (við höfum) meðferðis varning (til sölu eða sem ég hef (við höfum) keypt eða fengið erlendis, sem ekki teljast til persónulegra eigna) JÁ / NEI Búsettir í Bandaríkjunum – andvirði varnings sem ég hef (við höfum) keypt eða fengið erlendis (einnig gjafir fyrir aðra) er: Ekki búsettir í Bandaríkjunum – andvirði alls varnings sem verður eftir í Bandaríkjunum:

Vor der Einreise in den U.S.A müssen Sie eine Zollerklärung ausfüllen. Ein Formular pro Familie ist erfordert.

1. Familienname,Vorname, Zweiter Vorname 2. Geburtsdatum / Tag / Monat / Jahr 3. Anzahl der mit Ihnen reisenden Familienmitglieder 4. (a) Adresse/genaue Anschrift in den USA (Name des Hotels / Reiseziel) (b) Stadt (c) Staat 5. Pass ausgestellt von (Land) 6. Passnummer 7. Ständiger Wohnsitz (Land) 8. Auf dieser Reise besuchte Länder vor Ihrer Ankunft in den USA 9. Fluggesellschaft/Flugnummer oder Name des Schiffes 10. Der Hauptanlass dieser Reise ist geschäftlich. Ja/nein 11. Ich (wir) führen folgende Waren ein: (a) Früchte, Pflanzen, Lebensmittel, Insekten. (b) Fleisch, Tiere, Tier- oder Wildprodukte. (c) Krankheitserreger, Zellkulturen, Schnecken. (d) Erde, oder waren Sie auf einem Bauernhof/einer Ranch/Weide. Ja/nein 12. Ich war (wir waren) in unmittelbarer Nähe von Vieh/Nutztieren (z.B. Anfassen oder Umgang damit). Ja/nein 13. Ich führe (wir führen) mehr als $US 10,000 in Bargeld oder Zahlungsmitteln oder den Gegenwert in anderen ausländischen Währungen mit. (Siehe die Definition von Zahlungsmitteln auf der Rückseite). Ja/nein 14. Ich führe (wir führen) kommerzielle Waren mit. (Verkaufsware, Muster zur Werbung von Aufträgen oder Artikel, die nicht als Gegenstände zum persönlichen Gebrauch gelten) Ja/nein 15. Ansässige – der Gesamtwert aller Waren, einschliesslich der kommerziellern Waren, die ich (wir) im Ausland gekauft oder erworben habe(n) - (einschließlich Geschenke an Dritte, jedoch ausschließlich Gegenstände, die per Post in die USA gesendet wurden) und in die USA einführe(n). Besucher – der Gesamtwert aller Waren, die in den USA verbleiben werden, einschließlich der kommerziellen Waren, beträgt.

FR 1. 2. 3. 4.

5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11.

12. 13.

14.

15.

Avant d’arriver aux États-Unis, il vous sera demandé de remplir un formulaire de déclaration en douane. Un formulaire par famille suffit.

Nom, Prénom, Initiale du deuxième prénom. Date de naissance Jour / Mois / Année. Nombre de personnes voyageant avec vous. Adresse aux États-Unis a) Destination ou nom de l’hôtel. b) Ville. c) Etat. Lieu de délivrance du passeport (nom du pays). Numéro de passeport. Pays de résidence. Pays visités pendant ce voyage avant l’arrivée aux Etats-Unis. Ligne aérienne / et numéro du vol / Nom de vaisseau. Vous voyagez pour raison d’affaires. OUI / NON Je suis / nous sommes porteurs de a) fruits, plantes, produits alimentaires, insectes. b) viandes, animaux, produits provenant d’animaux ou d’animaux sauvages c) agents pouvant causer des maladies, cultures cellulaires, escargots d) terre. J’ai / Nous avons visité une exploitation agricole en dehors des Etats-Unis, OUI / NON J’ai / nous avons touché ou traité du bétail. OUI/NON Je suis / nous sommes porteurs d’espèces ou d’instruments monétaires d’une valeur équivalente en monnaie des États Unis ou de tout autre pays (Voir définition d’instruments monétaire au verso) à plus de 10 000$ US. OUI / NON Je suis / nous sommes en possession de marchandises commerciales (articles des tinés à la vente, échantillon de démonstra tion ou tout autre article autresque des effets personnels). OUI/NON Résidents : La valeur totale de tous les arti cles (y compris les marchandises commer ciales) que j’ai / nous avons acheté ou acquis à l’étranger et que j’apporte / nous apportons (y compris cadeaux, mais qui excluent les effets affranchis vers les États-Unis) aux États-Unis. Visiteurs : La valeur totale de tous les articles qui resteront aux États-Unis (y compris les marchan dises commerciales).

“since 1990” www.knifemaker.is 82 / Customs Info

www.kitchenknives.is

CANADA CUSTOMS DECLARATION FORM Before arriving in Canada, each traveler or head of family is required to fill this form out and present to Customs. PART A All travelers (living at the same address) 1. Last name, first name and initials a) Date of birth b) Citizenship 2. Home Address – Number, street, apartment No. a) City/Town b) Prov./State c) Country d) Postal/Zip code 3. Arriving by: a) Air b) Rail c) Marine d) Highway e) Airline/flight no., train no. or vessel name

4. Purpose of trip: a) Study b) Personal c) Business 5. Arriving from: a) U.S. only b) Other country direct c) Other country via U.S. 6. I am/we are bringing into Canada: • Firearms or other weapons (e.g. switchblades, Mace or pepper spray). • Currency/or monetary instruments of a value totaling CAN$10,000 or more per person. I/we have shipped goods that are not accompanying me/us. I/we have visited a farm and will be going to a a farm in Canada.

PART B Visitors to Canada Duration of stay in Canada Do you or any person listed above exceed the duty-free allowances per person? (see instructions on the left)

Complete in the same order as Part A Date left Canada YY-MM-DD Value of goods-CAN$. Purchased or received abroad (including gifts, alcohol & tobacco)

PART C Residents of Canada Do you or any person listed above exceed the exemptions per person? (See instructions on the left)

Part D Signatures (age 16 and older): I certify that my declaration is true and complete

Why passengers coming from non-EEA or Schengen countries require security screening upon arrival in Iceland Aviation security regulations in countries outside the European Economic Area (EEA), including Canada, do not comply with those in EEA

countries, including Iceland. Passengers from non-EEA countries must therefore go through security screening at Keflavík International

Airport before joining other passengers in the terminal. The same rules apply to the quantity of liquids in carry-on baggage.

ICELANDAIR ALLERGY POLICY Icelandair cannot guarantee an allergen-free environment on board its aircraft. Therefore, we strongly encourage passengers with severe allergies that can result in anaphylaxis to bring an epinephrine autoinjector (EpiPen®) and any other medications they may need. The meals offered on Icelandair flights do not contain peanuts or peanut products, such as peanut butter, although trace elements from peanuts may be found in meals. In addition, tree nuts (e.g. almonds) may be found in meals on board, and fish and shellfish are sometimes on offer in Saga Class. Unfortunately, it is not possible to remove tree nuts, fish or shellfish from the cabin.

In the case of severe nut allergy, our cabin crew can make an allergy announcement on board, asking other passengers on the flight not to consume foods that contain nuts. Please contact Icelandair Customer support at +354 50 50 100 at least 48 hours before departure to request an allergy announcement. We do, however, wish to stress that Icelandair can in no way restrict other passengers from bringing or consuming their own food on the aircraft that may contain nuts or other allergens. For that reason, it is possible to find traces of nuts on seat cushions, arm rests, tray tables, or elsewhere in the cabin.

Pick up unlimited Wi-Fi when you arrive! No preorder - Unlimited data for 10 users - Total coverage

Ask for it at

directly on your right after KEF Airport Customs exit Icelandair Stopover / 83