WOW magazine issue two 2018

e azin mag ISSUE TWO 2018

ÍSOLD UGGADÓTTIR:

A New Feature in the Landscape of Icelandic Cinema

Plus: Big Apple - Small Budget Discover New York for the price of a train ticket.

Y O U R F R E E C O P Y -TA K E M E W I T H Y O U

Your journey to the Golden Circle starts at þrastalundur BREAKFAST, BRUNCH, LUNCH, DINNER Þrastalundur restaurant is located at the entrance of famous Golden Circle, just few kilometers away from Geysir, Kerið and Gullfoss.

Restaurant is specialised for traditional Icelandic cuisine and offering great choice of wines, cocktails and homemade pastry.

Our staff members are very passionate about providing the best service to make your experience unforgettable.

We are looking forward to welcome you in Þrastalundur restaurant.

Great place to see the northern lights!

Lovely Restaurant with a Stunning View!

We stopped @ Thrastalundur on our way to Geysir (40 min away). Everything about this place was just magical - the food, the coffee, the view and the team. Highly recommend for anyone who wants to rest in a very picturesque scenery and enjoy truly Icelandic hospitality!

Food was so good, we came back twice!

Try our new Three Course Menu Each month we have a different three course menu put together by our chefs. This month we have Trout tartar, Lamb shank and Vanilla chocolate cheesecake.

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We really enjoyed eating at Þrastalundur Restaurant. We tried the lamb soup, fresh brook trout, and leg of lamb. It was a Sunday, and they had a lovely two-piece band playing. The staff really made us feel at home, and gave us some travel suggestions for the Golden Circle. We enjoyed it so much, we came back the next night for pizza, soup, and beer.

More than outstanding pizza Lovely restaurant situated in very seenic spot on a river bank.

In summer one can see people fly fishing. The service was very good. Food was good and the atmosphere good. Will definately go there a.s.a.p. Old but renovated in good taste. Brunch yummie. Thank you. I loved it

GPS 64.0061511, 20.9737104 LOCATION

Where are we?

Gullfoss

Reykjavík

Þingvellir National Park

Hveragerði

Geysir

Þrastalundur

Selfoss

Þrastalundur is conveniently located on the famous Golden Circle route. It takes about 40 minutes to drive from Reykjavik to Þrastalundur and 10 minutes drive from Selfoss.

UNIQUE. TRADITIONAL. ICELANDIC.

OPEN: 09:00 – 22:00 For further information and assistance: Address: Þrastaslundur / Grímsnes / 801 Selfoss info@thrastalundur.is / Tel.: +354 779 6500 www.thrastalundur.is

www.facebook.com/thrastalundur www.instagram.com/thrastalundur_grimsnes/

SINCE 1928 Issue two 3

Directly opposite of the geothermal area of the great Geysir & Strokkur

litli Geysir hotel Experience a wonderful stay with a front row seat to the unique Geysir area.

Geysir Glima restaurant – Coffee house with freshly ground coffee – Sweet ice creams & cakes – Traditional Icelandic meat soup – Fish soup & vegetarian soup – Local food WWW.GEYSIRGLIMA.IS

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Beautiful Nature & Fun activities

Elegant Restaurants • Design Shop • Hotel • Souvenir Shop • Soup Vegan Restaurant • Snack Shop • Camping Area

Welcome to Geysir ONE OF THE GREATEST NATURAL ATTRACTIONS OF ICELAND

GEYSIR THE BEST PLACES TO PHOTOGRAPH ON THE PLANET POPPHOTO.COM

THE GEYSIR CENTER Directly opposite of the geothermal area of the great Geysir & Strokkur

GEYSIR CENTER • HAUKADALUR • WWW.GEYSIRCENTER.IS +354 480 6800 • GEYSIR @ GEYSIRCENTER.IS Issue two 5

Descend 120 meters into a volcano that erupted 4.000 years ago

Book your adventure at

InsideTheVolcano.com

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WOW Power to the people

No words can properly describe the awe in this experience!

- Trip advisor review One of twenty places in the world you must see before you die.

- CNN The world feels a little more remarkable having seen the inside of its machinery.

- Financial Times -

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WOW Power to the people

Pre-booking is required. Book online at bluelagoon.com

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WOW Power to the people

BRYNJA Icelandic Wool Sweater

kr. 19.990

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A letter from the editor

In this issue

Power to the people – Issue two 2018

14 A letter from the CEO 16 Experience is everything Check out these three recommended tours in Iceland.

20 Rhyolite mountains For the most colorful natural wonders head to Iceland’s rhyolite mountains. We have several such areas but all are off the beaten track.

24 Exotic golfing Golfing adventures don’t come more exotic than in Iceland where you’ll find golf, geysers, volcanoes and waterfalls, all in one trip.

28 Snæfellsjökull National Park Snæfellsnes Peninsula in West Iceland is home to a picturesque glacier-covered stratovolcano and other natural phenomena. A day trip will simply not be enough.

A spring in our step

N

othing makes an Icelander happier than the first evidence of spring and it is coming at us full force these days. The days are getting brighter and longer, the first green stems of the spring flowers are poking through the earth and the weather is warmer and nicer. Our waterfalls are in full force, the Northern Lights can still be seen and the sounds of the first migrant birds are starting to fill the air. We are filled with high hopes for a beautiful season.

32 How your change could make a big change Phenomenal nature is the top reason for visiting Iceland, but the Icelandic nature is fragile and could use a little help.

36 Ísold Uggadóttir – A new feature in the landscape of Icelandic Cinema The Icelandic filmmaker’s new debut feature Andið eðlilega (And Breathe Normally), a socio-realist drama set in the bleak Reykjanes peninsula on the western edge of Iceland, has won plaudits for its portrait of characters on the fringes of society.

Our favorite migrant bird, the Golden Plover, is highly esteemed in Iceland. Its song is easily recognizable and we associate it with the coming of spring. Its nickname is “The sweet harbinger of spring” and its arrival in Iceland is always a news item in every major media. Fewer people know that the real harbinger of spring in Iceland is actually the Arctic Tern whose remarkable migration pattern is the longest of any bird in the world.

42 … the rest is drag Three fabulous Icelandic drag queens will be going to DragCon in Los Angeles next May. They represent a lot of the diversity found in the Icelandic drag scene.

The Golden Plover arrives early from Southern Europe and often finds itself here before the last of the winter/spring storms have terrorized the island. The Arctic Tern, however, waits a little before finishing its journey all the way from Antarctica. Those who study these things have noted that after the Arctic Tern’s arrival there’s rarely a spring storm.

48 Sisters on bikes If you love cycling and unique adventures, WOW Cyclothon might be just the thing for you.

Take a look at the winners of last year’s female B-category to get you into the mood.

So don’t be fooled by the sweet song of the Golden Plover. Wait for the shrill shrieks of the fierce Arctic Tern before putting your trust in the Icelandic spring.

WOW MAGAZINE – ÍSOLD UGGADÓTTIR: A NEW FEATURE IN THE LANDSCAPE OF ICELANDIC CINEM

maga

zine

Happy travels, Guðrún Vaka Helgadóttir WOW magazine editor-in-chief

ISSUE TWO 2018

ÍSOLD UGGADÓTTIR:

A New Feature in the Landscape of Icelandic Cinema

On the cover

POWER TO THE PEOPLE – Issue two 2018

Plus: Big Apple - Small Budget Discover New York for the price of a train ticket.

Y O U R F R E E C O P Y -TA K E M E W I T H Y O U

Ísold Uggadóttir recently finished her feature film And Breathe Normally which won her the Best Director award in the World Cinema Dramatic Competition at Sundance. Photographer Kristinn Magnusson went with Ísold to Ásbrú on the Reykjanes Peninsula where the movie was shot to take photos for the cover.

WOW magazine staff Editor in chief: Guðrún Vaka Helgadóttir Design and layout: Ivan Burkni - ivanburkni@gmail.com Proofreading: Paul Michael Herman Contributing writers: Einar Páll Svavarsson, Andrew Marshall, Christopher Canal, Gerður Harðardóttir, Cindy-Lou Dale, Caron R. Luteran, Krista Connor, Oli Lynch, Alexandra Pereira, Kimberly JY and Svava Jónsdóttir

Attention advertisers!

Will your company be in our next issue?

Contact our advertising representative and he’ll make it happen.

He’s just that good! halli@wow.is

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44 The flying WOW family Learn all about our aircraft and their unusual registration names.

52 The WOW word of advice Behold! We have the ultimate safety checklist for you so you can be safe while traveling in Iceland.

72 Vatnajokull National Park Vatnajökull National Park is a magnificent area that boasts incredible ice caves, magical lagoons of floating ice, and crawling outlet glaciers, some within easy reach.

76 WOW Designs The award-winning character lifestyle brand Tulipop appeals to both kids and grownups worldwide.

80 Top 10 tips for a travel veteran Just because flying has become cheaper and faster doesn’t mean you need to resign yourself to merely enduring it.

82 WOW fares Four easy ways to get more WOW for your money 84 The U.S. Customs Declaration Form What is this? Why do I need to fill it out?

WOW DESTINATIONS 88 Ireland’s Northern Links From some of the world’s best links courses and legendary Irish hospitality, Ireland’s north is a great destination for a golf trip.

90 From Boston to Chicago: A road trip guide There’s nothing more American than a road trip. Here are five places you can’t miss on your journey between two great WOW destinations: Boston and Chicago.

92 France wine country A train ride from Paris will take you to Beaune, the epicenter of wine in the medi­­eval region of Burgundy.

96 Big Apple – Small budget Purchasing a seven-day, unlimited ride, $32 MetroCard on New York’s subway system, opens up a world of free experiences.

98 Jerusalem, the holy city The fabled city of Jerusalem is only about an hour and a half’s drive from Tel Aviv where you can learn about three different (and yet in many ways similar) religions and walk on the setting of many holy scriptures.

100 Seeking San Fran’s Literati Browse bookstores, attend open mics and cast your imagination to the Beat Generation days at Bay Area landmarks.

104 The Berlin vibe Berlin‘s alternative subculture gives the city a unique feel, a “Berlin vibe”—one that can only be felt and understood by being fully immersed in it.

108 London food markets After years of being held up as the worst example of global cuisine, the UK now lays claim to some of the best street food.

110 Pittsburgh – The Andy Warhol Museum A scenic stroll across the yellow Andy Warhol Bridge in Pittsburgh will take you to the largest collection of Andy Warhol’s artworks and archival materials in the world.

112 You want more?

Where do you want to go?

Check out our other WOW destinations.

116 This and that …mainly this.

121 What’s going on? …quite a lot, actually.

126 WOW horoscope What’s in your future? WOW air’s famed astrologist has the answer.

128 Bored on board?

Solve these Sudokus.

130 The Traveling Inquisition Ari Ólafsson will represent Iceland in this year’s Eurovision Song Contest with the song Our Choice.

P.S. Would you like your very own copy of WOW magazine?

Take this one with you or contact us through magazine@wow.is and we’ll send you a printed copy.

You can also check out WOW magazine online at wowair.com.

WOWAIR.COM © WOW air - Katrínartún 12 - 105 Reykjavík - Iceland Tel: 00 354 590 3020 - E-mail: magazine@wow.is Oddi environmentally certified printing company All rights reserved. Reprinting, direct quoting or recapitulation prohibited except with a written permit from publisher.

Summer is in the air.

Keeping Iceland warm since 1926 Shop at 66north.com

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A letter from the CEO Dear friends, I love the spring in Iceland! It always brings new things and exciting destinations to our network, and this year is no different. We are adding three brand-new Airbus 321 aircraft to our fleet, and five new destinations in North America: St. Louis, Detroit, Cincinnati, Cleveland, and Dallas – Fort Worth. None of these cities have had direct flights to Iceland before so we are super excited to bring our low fares to the Midwest and to that southern belle of the ball. Hopefully, it will let even more people fly across the Atlantic and experience the world as we expand on our mission to enable everybody to fly.

It’s not only WOW air that expands in spring. In Iceland, everything springs to life as the days quickly get longer and you can start enjoying the long, clear and ever brighter mystic nights. My personal favorite is to extend the skiing season by doing some heli-skiing, especially at Tröllaskagi (Troll Peninsula) in the north, where you can find endless new slopes and challenges. Hiking and skiing in the midnight sun with good friends and family is a magical experience. If you’re not heading north, there are plenty of adventures to be found in and around the Reykjanes Peninsula where its hidden gems are waiting to be visited. I highly recommend hiking or mountain biking around the West Fjords or along our beautiful black sand beaches and lava fields.

Iceland is a large country, I encourage you step out of your car and look beyond the obvious. You might just discover another enchanting world.

Enjoy and thank you for choosing WOW air.

Sincerely, Skúli Mogensen Founder and CEO of WOW air

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WOW Power to the people

#1

of things to Do in húsavík 2017

“ONE OF THE MOST INCREDIBLE DAYS OF MY LIFE”

Pick your tour!

HÚSAVÍK ORIGINAL WHALE WATCHING

SILENT WHALE WATCHING

An unforgettable whale watching exploration, recommended by thousands of travellers.

Glide silently alongside the whales on an electric boat. A tranquil whale watching experience.

BEST SELLER

CARBON-NEUTRAL

WHALES AND PUFFINS

WHALES AND SAILS

The perfect combination. A whale watching excursion with a stop by the peaceful Puffin Island.

Get close to the whales on board a traditional Icelandic sailboat and learn the old ways of sailing.

HOME OF THE PUFFINS

TRADITIONAL SAILING

call +354 464 7272 or book your adventure at

www.northsailing.is Issue two 15

tours

Experience is everything When visiting Iceland or any other destination it always helps to be prepared. Most travelers study up on the city or country they’ll be going to, and decide where they want to go, and what they want to do and see once they get there.

Photos: Courtesy of respective tour operators

B

ooking your tours and activities in advance is a great way to ensure that you’ll get the best price and not miss out on popular tours.

Through WOW air’s booking engine and websites, or directly through tours.wowair.com, you can now find some of the best tours in Iceland all at one place as well as multiple choices for other WOW destinations on both sides of the Atlantic. Here are three tours and activities in Iceland you should get excited about this season.

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Booking your tours and activities in advance is a great way to ensure that you’ll get the best price and not miss out on popu­­lar tours.

1. DOGSLEDDING Cute, cuddly and ready to take you on an adventure! Take a short trip out of the capital and get to know the power, excitement and energy of the amazing sled dogs of Dogsledding Iceland.

The sled dogs are great athletes and, along with a human guide, they will take you on a riveting journey through the open landscape, offering breathtaking views.

During the tour, your guide will explain how the dogs are trained and how he steers the sled and you will also get ample opportunity for that perfect shot with you and your sled dogs. The dogs are very friendly and love to be stroked.

Experience the amazing LangjĂśkull glacier from the inside A rare, once in a lifetime opportunity

k Ă­ v a j k y e R d n a r e t n e c l l e f a s Ăş H m o Daily departures fr

Find us:

#intotheglacier

www.intotheglacier.is Issue two 17

tours

This tour is operated in different locations depending on the best condition for the dogs.

The location is announced a week before the tour and the travel time from Reykjavik can vary from 30 minutes to 2 hours. They always try to have it as close to Reykjavik as possible, so make sure your accommodation the night before your tour is booked in the capital.

Get a real glimpse of the Icelandic nature and remember, belly rubs are mandatory.

Duration: 1 hours tours.wowair.com/tours/dogsledding

2. TWIN PEAKS ATV TOUR What’s better than going quad biking on a mountain? Going quad biking on two mountains of course! The Twin Peaks ATV Tour is twice the fun with more ATV time, more terrains and more breathtaking mountain views.

The guides at this Safari Quad Tour will help you feel safe on the quad bikes while still providing a fun tour, even for absolute beginners. All the bikes are automatic and very easy to use. The tour operates close to Reykjavik so the drive from the midtown to “base camp” takes no more than 15 minutes. After a thorough safety briefing and learning how to operate the quad bikes, you will go off the beaten track, from gravel roads onto mountain tracks, rocky paths and steep slopes. It’s a thrilling experience in and of itself but made even more spectacular by the stunning nature all around and unmatchable views of Reykjavik City and its surrounding landscape.

The giants of the sea can be found within a few nautical miles from Reykjavik Harbor.

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The giants of the sea can be found within a few nautical miles from Reykjavik Harbor.

Discover these majestic beasts on the great viewing decks of The Andrea during the Whale Watching Classic Tour.

The Whale Watching Classic Tour is family friendly and offers knowledgeable guides and an educational and interactive focus in which passengers can get to see and feel whale teeth and bones and see specimens from the ocean that are shown to them on an onboard screen using special microscopes.

The most common whales spotted are minke whales, white-beaked dolphins, harbor porpoises and even the great humpback whales. If you’re really lucky you might also see fin whales and killer whales. The peak season to watch whales in Iceland is from April to October although that does not mean whales can’t be spotted at other times as the ocean is always full of these fantastic sea creatures.

Duration: 2 hours tours.wowair.com/tours/twin-peaks-2hrs

3. WHALE WATCHING REYKJAVIK

tours.wowair.com

Duration: 3 hours tours.wowair.com/tours/whale-watching-reykjavik

Proudly Making Iceland a Hot Destination.

We could talk forever about how interesting our clean energy production at Hellisheidi is. But, instead, let’s see what some of our guests at the Geothermal Exhibition have to say on TripAdvisor: “A must see activity”, “Bucket List”, “... interactive and inspiring”, “Now I’m impressed!”

ENNEMM / SÍA /

N M 76 5 3 5

We hope to welcome you too on your trip to Iceland at the most powerful exhibition in the world.

Only 20 min. drive from Reykjavík.

A perfect stop on your way to or from the city.

Issue two 19 The exhibition is open every day from 9:00-17:00. Please direct any inquiries to exhibition@on.is Tel: (+354) 591 2880 www.geothermalexhibition.com

Rhyolite mountains

A PLACE THAT WILL CAPTIVATE YOUR MIND When you think of Iceland’s natural wonders, it is common to picture a waterfall, a canyon, basalt column stacks or iceberg lagoons. You visit the site, place yourself in front of it and have your picture taken. It might be a selfie or a photo taken by a fellow traveler confirming you have been somewhere magical.

Photos: Einar PĂĄll Svavarsson

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B

ut there are other natural wonders that you can look at, experience, go through or become a part of in Iceland.

Some of them have magical qualities that literally give you the sense you’ve entered another dimension. There are several such places, and most of them are not the most popular places people visit. Some of the most interesting ones are in the Highland; therefore, they are only accessible during the summer and, as a result, more difficult to reach, but the reward is worth it.

ULTRA-COLORFUL LANDSCAPE Among such fascinating natural wonders are Iceland’s rhyolite mountains. Most of these places span a large area of land, displaying a combination of hot springs and an ultracolorful landform. These places have a stunning spectrum of geology and earth colors. The mountains and the colors are a product of a variety of geological factors ranging from the magma that flows underneath, the chemical combination of the lava flow when surfacing, the condition on the surface to the many hundreds or thousands of years they have been in existence. Rhyolite is among the most interesting phenomena in geology owing to its many visible variations that depend on the combination of all those factors. It can appear as a shining black obsidian or as pink, blue, green or yellow rhyolite rocks, all adding up to a spectacular landform.

Reykjanes.

Some of the

The mountains and the colors are a product of a variety of geological factors ranging from the magma that flows underneath, the chemical combination of the lava flow when surfacing, the condition on the surface to the many hundreds or thousands of years they have been in existence.

EMOTIONAL LANDSCAPE

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In Hveradalir, you can easily spend four to five hours walking the many small paths, constantly experiencing new and exciting things. There are many hot springs with colorful sulfur at the brim and variety of earth colors that can be traced back to the time when the lava surfaced. The paths and steps also lead you to the many fascinating hot springs that are constantly roaring and blowing steam. Although located at a high altitude in the Highland, you will also encounter some interesting vegetation that adds more color to the landscape. And from the time, you enter this magical place and start walking, your mind is blown as you experience feelings that you have never imagined before.

LANDMANNALAUGAR In Landmannalaugar, you can easily spend three to five days hiking to exceptional landforms in colorful valleys or peaks with a grand view to the orange, yellow and blue mountains. You can choose from hikes of a few hours up to two or three days to places that are unique on the planet. These places are especially appealing to photographers. At the same time, you will be embraced by the landform and enraptured by the breathtaking, exceptional and colorful views in every direction. No wonder Landmannalaugar has often been labeled as one of the most remarkable places in Iceland.

SMALL BUT SPECTACULAR RHYOLITE PLACES For those who are interested in visiting smaller versions of rhyolite mountains and spectacular hot springs, there are some attractive options in the proximity of Reykjavík, Iceland’s capital. One such place is Seltún and another is Gunnuhver on the Reykjanes Peninsula. Both places are much smaller and only show a fraction of what you can expect in Hveradalir and Landmannalaugar. But both Seltún and Gunnuhver have all the color, steam, hot springs and boiling clay for your enjoyment if not the magical mindblowing experience of Hveradalir and Landmannalaugar; perfect places for you to get a feel for Icelandic wonder.

Brennisteinsalda, Landmannalaugar.

Two of the most fascinating rhyolite mountains you can visit in Iceland are Hveradalir near the mountain road Kjalvegur, located in the larger mountain ridge Kerlingarfjöll, and Landmannalaugar set in the natural reserve of Fjallabak Nyrðri. From the middle of June until the middle of September, both places display a magical combination of color, smoke, boiling clay, small snowdrifts and warm creeks.

In both places, a short hike takes you into the colorful mountains, small valleys or up to peaks with mesmerizing views, and you are quickly transported to a different dimension.

You get the feeling that you’re not only looking at the landscape, but you are a part of it. Quiet places can absorb your mind, but at the same time they shiver in a small and quiet way and regularly dispatch noises from active and almost angry sounding hot springs.

HVERADALIR

About the author Einar Páll Svavarsson is a political scientist turned photographer and writer with decades of interest and experience traveling in Iceland. Einar is the owner and creator of one of the largest information websites about Iceland—Hit Iceland.

For more see hiticeland.com

Kerlingafjöll Mountains, Hveradalir.

Geothermal pool, Landmannalaugar.

CRE01

RE24 FBP02

Return Airport Transfers & Golden Circle Direct

YOU CAN BUY A TOUR ON THIS FLIGHT! Just ask the cabin crew.

BSÍ Bus Terminal • 101 Reykjavík •

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

CRE05

HO01 FBP02

Return Airport Transfers & Hop On - Hop off

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

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Exotic golfing

GOLF, GEYSERS, VOLCANOS AND WATERFALLS Golfing adventures don’t come more exotic than a visit to the North Atlantic country of Iceland. With its geothermal springs, erupting geysers and volcanic history, it makes for some pretty special rounds of golf.

by Andrew Marshall Photos: Paul Marshall (and as indicated)

Golfers head towards the green of one of the most picturesque holes at Reykjavik’s Grafarholt course (the par-4 7th).

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S

hortly after sunrise in the world’s north­ern­­ most capital city, and a few kilometers beyond the neat rows of brightly paint­­ed homes that climb the hills outside of Reykjavik, we lim­­bered up on the elevated 1st tee of Reykjavik Golf Club’s Grafarholt course, surrounded by extensive views and air so crisp and clear it was like breathing pure oxygen.

ENCHANTED COURSES Luckily, the downhill 299-meter par-4 opening hole, which dog­legs from right to left, was a fairly benign start to our Icelandic golf journey, one that would embrace un­­touched, enchanting and specta­­cular landscapes with nature at its core. This is a land of fire and ice; of spouting geysers, thermal pools, active vol­­can­­ oes, tumbling waterfalls, vast lava fields, lagoons and mysti­­ cal lakes.

Iceland has more than 50 golf courses throughout the country. Some are no-frills nine-hole courses in remote outposts, while the greatest concentration is to be found in the southwest corner of the island, near the capital.

Golf can be played from May through September and in the summer there’s 24-hour golf, compliments of the midnight sun. At Akureyri Golf Club, the northernmost golf course in the world, the Arctic Open Golf Championship (a 36-hole open international midnight tournament) is held at the end of June each year.

to a perfect 37-39°C. Immersed in the turquoise-colored wat­­­ers in a natural Icelandic land­­ scape is a surrealistic boon for the body and soul.

HEADING FORE THE LAVA FIELDS On our return journey to Reykja­­ vik, we had enough day­­light to fit in the unique front nine of Keilir Golf Club, some 10 km southwest of Reykja­­vik. When the club was formed in 1967, the course consisted of nine holes but local architect Hannes Porteinsson, who routed the new front nine through rugged lava fields known locally as “Kapelluhraun” extended this to 18 holes in 1994. If you stray off the fairway you are guar­­anteed a tricky recovery shot and a scratched pitching wedge as we soon discovered.

The toughest hole on the card is the 350-meter par-4 2nd, where a decision must be made

on the tee; you can either play safe down the left side with a rescue club or fairway metal leaving a longer approach to a green not much larger than a tablecloth, or take the Dustin Johnson line by aiming right, over a lava ridge to a tight land­­ing area leaving an easier shot in.

People come from around the globe to bathe and relax in the mineral rich waters of the Blue Lagoon.

Iceland has more than 50 golf courses throughout the country.

Some are no-frills ninehole courses in remote outposts, while the greatest concentration is to be found in the southwest corner of the island, near the capital.

On our return journey to Reykja­­vik, we had enough day­­light to fit in the unique front nine of Keilir Golf Club, some 10 km southwest of Reykja­­vik.

Gullfoss aterfall - one of the highlights on the Golden Circle trip.

WARM AND WELCOMING After our first round, it was time to check out the country’s number one visitor attraction. A 47 km drive south of Reykjavik, in the center of one of the country’s main volcanic areas, is the Blue Lagoon Geothermal Spa, where both locals and tourists come to swim and relax in the warm, mineral-rich seawater that offers many health benefits. The seawater originates 2,000 meters beneath the ground where it is heat­­ed by earth’s natural forces

A golfer tees off on the elevated tee of the par-4 15th at the Westman Islands Golf Club.

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The next day we followed High­­­ way 1 inland from Reykjavik to experience the “Golden Circle,” a 300 km circular route that encompasses a cross-section of Iceland’s history, geology and natural wonders.

The Westman Islands are simply buzzing with sea and bird­­­life, and the islanders have made their living from the sea since the days of the first settlers in 930 A.D.

The back nine is not as unique but features some good holes.

The original course was built on old farmland beside the Atlantic Ocean so water comes into play on many holes. The 16th is a lovely 160-meter par-3 played toward the sea and beautiful Snæfellsjökull, the glacier where Jules Verne’s Journey to the Center of the Earth took place. Another good golfing option in the area is Sudurnesja Golf Club, five minutes from the international airport, a true Icelandic links course and very challenging.

THIS IS ICELAND The next day we followed High­­­ way 1 inland from Reykjavik to experience the “Golden Circle,” a 300 km circular route that encompasses a cross-section of Iceland’s history, geology and natural wonders. In the world-famous geothermal field known as the Geysir Region, we wandered along walking paths, past steaming vents, bubbling hot springs, vibrant mineralrich mud pools and an erupting geyser.

A geothermal landscape of mineral rich hot pools and the geyser Strokkur in the distance in Iceland’s Geysir region (another highlight on the Golden Circle tour).

The excellent par-3 third at Suðurnesja (Keflavík) Golf Club (only a five-minute drive away from Iceland’s International airport).

In the late afternoon light, a group of golfers head up the fairway towards the 9th green of Keilir Golf Club. (a 398-metre par-4).

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The English word geyser comes from Icelandic, and though the word refers to all geysers in general, here in Iceland, it refers to a single geyser (in fact, the Geysir) located in this region.

While Geysir has been mostly dormant in recent decades, when it does per­­­form, once or twice a year, it spews a jet of steaming water 70-meters skyward. Not quite as spectacular but far more reliable is Strokkur, a geyser that erupts about once every five minutes spouting a 30-meter jet.

Another Golden Circle highlight is Gullfoss (Golden Falls). Just a short walk from the visitor’s center is the viewpoint where we witnessed the spectacular 32-meter double cascade, tum­­bling into the churning Hvítá glacial river. On this crisp sunny morning, it was a specta­­­ cular sight with a cloudy mist surrounding hammering falls endowed with several rainbows.

Westman Island Golf Club’s short but tricky par-3 14th.

VOLCANIC ISLANDS After admiring Gullfoss, we had a flight to catch further down the south coast, from the tiny airstrip of Bakki to the Westman Islands for our final round. With our golf clubs stored safely in the hold of the eight-seater plane, we were ready for one of the world’s shortest flights. There’s no inflight service of entertainment on the trip to the Westman Islands, and at only six minutes in length, there’s was barely time to buckle-up before the plane hummed low across the Atlantic and angled in toward the island’s runway.

There are some places in Ice­­ land that simply have to be experienced, and by virtue of their natural beauty and by being historically and geo­­ logi­­cally one of the country’s most distinctive destinations, the Westman Islands are one of them. Of the 15 islands that make up the archipelago, Heimaey, the main island (population of about 5,000) is the only inhabited one.

On the night of January 23, 1973, the volcano Eldfell erupt­ed in the eastern part of Heimaey and lasted for over five months burying houses under ash, and lava that added 2.3 sq. km of land to the island. All but a few inhabitants were safely evacuated to the mainland; a movie about the eruption and rebuilding of the town can be seen at the Westman Island’s Folk and Art Museum.

The sunlit green of the 473-metre 15th at the Sudurnesja (also know as Keflavik) Westman Islands Golf Club, with spectacular Golf Club. soaring volcanic walls as a backdrop.

BIRDIES IN THE WESTMAN ISLANDS The Westman Islands are simply buzzing with sea and bird­­­life, and the islanders have made their living from the sea since the days of the first settlers in 930 A.D. Today, the perfect natural harbor and soaring cliffs teeming with multitudes of seabirds such as fulmar, guillemot and puffin are both important factors in the community’s prosperity.

Every spring and summer, millions of Atlantic puffins return to the islands (the world’s largest puffin colony) and provide a base for a traditional, seasonal industry.

To this day local men hop expertly from ledge to ledge collecting eggs and hunting birds using nets, according to an elaborate and age-old set of rules and ethics (annual catches do not exceed one percent of the total puffin popu­­lation). For adventurous travelers, puffin is available at some of the local restaurants and hotels during the season.

But we’re hoping to get diff­­ er­­ent birdies today as we head over to the Westman Is­land Golf Club (the third oldest in Iceland founded in 1938) and host to the annual Volcano Open. Nestled in the

crater of an extinct volcano, it’s a wonderfully quirky and demanding test of golf, especi­ ally the back nine. There are no obsessively manicured fairways here, but there’s a series of spectacular holes that play along­­side and across the ocean.

A BEAUTIFUL FINALE As we prepared to hit our driv­es from the tee of the par-4 15th, the sun cast long shadows across the velvet green fairway bordered by sea cliffs on one side and a ridge of lava on the other. A backlit red flag fluttered on the distant green set against a backdrop of soaring volcanic walls glow­ing pink and gold in the late afternoon light. Leaning on our drivers, we allowed ourselves a moment to take in this gorgeous scene—one that provided a fitting finale to our Icelandic golfing journey.

WHERE TO PLAY Reykjavik Golf Club: www.grgolf.is/ english/ Keilir Golf Club: www.keilir.is Westman Islands: www.gvgolf.is Sudurnesja Golf Club: www.gs.is USEFUL WEBSITES Visit Iceland: www.inspiredbyiceland.com Golf Iceland: www.golficeland.org/

NO NEED TO WAIT FOR YOUR BAGS if you do what the locals do and pick up some duty free goods in the arrival store before your luggage www.dutyfree.is

THE DUTY FREE ALLOWANCE IS 6 UNITS OF ALCOHOL, ANY WAY YOU LIKE IT Use the duty free allowance calculator on our website, www.dutyfree.is, to determine how to make the best use of your allowance.

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WEST ICELAND

Svalþúfa. Photo: Dimmerinn

Home of Snæfellsjökull National Park Along the coast of Snæfellsness Peninsula in West Iceland lie several small fishing villages. Longline boats and drifters from Ólafsvík, Hellissandur and Grundafjörður set sail early in the morning in hopes of bringing fresh fish to town.

S

ome of the boats return again in the afternoon, others several days later.

Upon their return, the fishermen gaze over the sea searching for that faint speck of light from their village in the midst of the various shades of black and green of the surrounding landscape. This rough and weat­her­-worn landscape is a familiar and com­­forting sight, reminiscent of home.

A TEST OF STRENGTH And a beautiful home it is. At the tip of the peninsula, the extraordinary sights in Snæ­­fells­­jökull National Park exemplify much of the outstanding natural beauty Iceland is well known for. Vast lava fields stretching as far as the eye can see and its coast spans multiple scenic beaches. The most iconic of which is Djúpalónssandur.

Djúpalónssandur is nestled in a small bay of volcanic rocks with fantastic views of the ocean. Although tempting, do not stroll down toward the shore! The water from the crashing waves travels a hundred feet up the black pebbled beach and has a mighty undercurrent that could easily drag you out to sea. Many decades ago, Djúpalónssandur was a spot for landing fishing boats and evidence of the boats’ remains can be found scattered around the beach. At the time, fishermen proved their worthiness and strength by lifting one of the four famous lifting stones. The heaviest stone, “Fully Strong,” weighs 154 kg and the lightest stone, “Useless,” weighs 23 kg. The stones are round, making it a challenge of grip as much as it is of strength.

STANDING WATCH Near the south entrance of the national park, the beach at Lóndrangar and its neighboring cliffs, have a mystical air. From a distance, two large pillars resembling watchtowers stand tall above the ground. These rock towers are the wonderful Lóndrangar and are the eroded remains of a volcanic crater.

The Snæfellsnes Peninsula was once an active volcanic area but over thousands of years has cooled down.

Looming in the background is a majestic view of Snæfellsjökull Glacier, a tall and steep stratovolcano. On

The Snæfellsnes Peninsula was once an active volcanic area but over thousands of years has cooled down. Looming in the background is a majestic view of Snæfellsjökull Glacier.

Svörtuloft. Photo: Dimmerinn

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a clear day, its glacier-capped peak is visible from Reykjavik, across the Faxaflói Bay. Perhaps the best location to observe the national park in its entirety is at the top of Saxhóll Crater. The inactive volcano is frequented by travelers and locals alike and is popular due its accessibility and relatively easy climb. The top of Saxhóll Crater offers a stunning 360-degree view of the ocean, lava fields, and Snæfellsjökull Glacier.

UNDERGROUND SECRETS The flow of lava thousands of years ago left the area covered in rugged and mountainous plains. The earth below it is often hollow and traversing the lava fields poses a lot of danger due to the abundance of cracks and gaps in the ground. As a result, the peninsula hides a network of caves below its surface.

New caves are still being discovered in the area and explored for the first time today! The most visited one is Vatnshellir in the middle of the national park.

Djúpalónssandur. Photo: Dimmerinn

Recently discovered, visitors can enter Vatnshellir Cave with the aid of guides only. Fortunately, tour operator Summit Adventure Guides offers hour-long tours year round. The comfortable descent and return take less than an hour which makes it a convenient mini-adventure.

E A R LY B I R D C AT C H E S After their time in Iceland, Dan and Sarah arrive early to the airport so they can enjoy the last hours there before continuing their 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.

RAUÐFELDSGJÁ RAVINE Although not inside the national park itself, Rauðfeldsgjá Ravine is too beautiful to pass up when in the area. On the southern side of the peninsula near the once thriving fishing villages of Hellnar and Arnarstapi, just outside the park’s entrance, is an unsuspecting opening in the mountainside. The small ravine is easily missed because at first glance it looks to be another crevice in the face of the mountain when viewed from the road. Following the path formed by years of running water along the ground leads to Rauðfeldsgjá’s magical entry. Progress inside and experience the appealing moss-covered walls while venturing down the narrow path into the mountain’s core.

ONE DAY ISN'T ENOUGH

Raudfeldsgja Ravine. Photo: HitIceland.com

Day trips to the Snæfellsnes Peninsula are very popular but exploring all of the peninsula’s beauty is not possible in the span of a day. A week in the West comes highly recommended but even that would barely suffice to learn the surrounding towns’ unique history while visiting Snæfellsnes’ most amazing sites. There’s still plenty left of Iceland to explore. Why not start with the West and work your way around the island?

New caves are still being discovered in the area and explored for the first time today! The most visited one is Vatnshellir in the middle of the national park.

A favorite place to stay while exploring the peninsula is the West Park Guesthouse which is the only accommodation located directly inside the Snæfellsjökull National Park. Affordable and conveniently positioned between Snæfellsjökull Glacier and the ocean, West Park offers spectacular views from all angles.

Snæfellsjokull glacier. Photo: Summit Adventures

Skarðsvík.

MORE TIME FOR SHOPPING They use their time for tax free shopping at the airport before catching their flight back home.

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Leave something for the Icelandic nature

HOW YOUR CHANGE COULD MAKE A BIG CHANGE Phenomenal nature is the top reason for visiting Iceland but the Icelandic n ­ ature is fragile and could use a little help. For this reason, WOW air wants to offer you the chance to give back to nature by donating directly to Landvernd, an organ­ization dedicated to protecting and restoring Icelandic nature.

Photos: Courtesy of Kristján Ingi Einarsson – www.kristjaningi.is

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Discount for your journey The Arion Currency Card is a better way to pay in Iceland, providing you with a wide range of discounts all around the country as well as a SIM card and Icelandic mobile number for your phone. · Great discounts on popular excursions, in gift shops and at selected restaurants, fashion shops, hotels etc. · Save money – You don‘t have to pay international card transaction fees · No need to worry about the currency rate · No need to carry Icelandic krónur in your wallet · Use it everywhere – The Currency Card is accepted in Iceland and internationally Get your Currency Card at Arion Bank in Keflavík Airport, or the next Arion Bank branch.

Currencycard.is

Get your Currency Card at the next Arion Bank branch.

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Leave something for the Icelandic nature

After most trips to foreign lands we usually come back with a few coins or even bills in a currency that we can’t use at home. Some save it but then forget it on their next trip.

Others might give it to their kids to play with or fool a bus driver or two. We’d like to offer you another option: Donate it toward a great cause.

HOW CAN I HELP? In the seat pocket in front of you, there’s an envelope where you can leave any foreign change or other leftover currency that you’d like to contribute. Your donations will be sent directly to Landvernd, the Icelandic Environment Association, who will use the funds to support its efforts to safeguard and protect Icelandic nature. In particular, they will be used to enhance the campaign for a national park in the Central Highland of Iceland, to develop a new volunteering program in soil and land restoration of degraded birch wood­­lands, and in efforts to influence policy and decision making relating to the environment.

WOW air is simply the means of tran­­spor­­t­a­­­tion. The donations come from you, our guests, and go straight to Landvernd where they will be put to good use. Let’s all help Landvernd make sure that Icelandic

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WOW air is simply the means of tran­­sportation.

The donations come from you, our guests, and go straight to Landvernd where they will be put to good use.

nature will still be as incredible when our grandkids come to visit.

WHAT IS LANDVERND? Landvernd is a non-profit environmental and nature conservation organization established in 1969. The main goals of Landvernd are to protect Iceland’s nature and environment, restore degraded environments and promote sustainability in Iceland among residents and visitors alike. This is done through education, by influencing lawmaking and decision making and by taking action. Since people have become more aware of the danger to nature, in the last five years Landvernd has grown tenfold and now has about 5,000 members.

PROTECTING ONE OF THE LARGEST UNTAMED WILDERNESSES IN EUROPE

Photographer Kristján Ingi Einarsson was so inspired by this project he decided to let us use his gorgeous photographs for this article in addition to personally donating 5% of the sales from his latest photography book Unique Iceland to Landvernd. Big thanks from all of us to Kristján Ingi!

Landvernd’s biggest conservation goal at the moment is the establishment of a national park in the Central Highland of Iceland. The Central Highland is one of Iceland’s greatest treasures, containing many active volcanoes, glaciers, voluminous rivers and waterfalls, colorful hot springs and mud pools, vast lava fields and broad expanses of black sand, all contrasted with

oases of vibrant but vulnerable vegetation.

Such an amazing collection of natural jewels is rare in the world mainly because such vast, unpopulated areas where nature alone rules, are disappearing.

“In our opinion, Icelanders are in the enviable position of still being able to stand guard over this precious treasure and protect the Central Highland for future generations. Opinion polls show that over 60% of Icelanders support the establishment of a national park there and only about 12% are against it,” says Guðmundur Ingi Guðbrandsson, who was CEO of Landvernd when this project started but now serves as Iceland's Minister of Environment and Natural Resources. Landvernd’s campaign involves extensive lobbying for a national park among local governments, political parties, various stakeholders and the society at large. You can see short videos of the stunning Highland and sign their petition online at www.halendid.is.

Thank you for your contribution toward protecting Icelandic nature.

Now get out there and enjoy it!

Read more about Landvernd and its efforts to protect Icelandic nature by visiting their website, www.Landvernd.is

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Issue two 35

MEMBER OF ICEWHALE – THE ICELANDIC WHALE WATCHING ASSOCIATION

Part of the change

Ísold Uggadóttir – A new feature in the landscape of Icelandic cinema The Icelandic filmmaker’s new debut feature Andið eðlilega (And Breathe Normally), a socio-realist drama set in the bleak Reykjanes Peninsula on the western edge of Iceland, has won plaudits for its portrait of characters on the fringe of society.

By Christopher Kanal Photos: Kristinn Magnússon.

Stills: Ita Zbroniec-Zajt.

Behind the scenes photos: Lilja Jónsdóttir

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Part of the change “The story demanded this location but I was also intrigued by the visual non-traditional beauty of the area.“

W

hen foreigners think of Iceland they generally think of the traditional beauty of waterfalls and black beaches, a pos­­t­­card version of Iceland,” explains director Ísold Ugga­ dótt­­ir. “I wanted to make a film that was the non-post­card ver­sion of Iceland.”

Andið eðlilega (And Breathe Normally) earlier this year won the prestigious Sundance 2018 World Cinema Dramatic Competition Directing Award and follows on from the international success of a recent crop of Icelandic films including last year’s Undir trénu (Under the Tree) from Hafsteinn Gunnar Sig­­urðsson and Hrútar (Rams), the 2015 film written and directed by Grímur Hákonarson.

Uggadóttir’s powerful film is the story of a struggling Icelandic single mother, Lára (Kristín Thóra Haraldsdóttir), who forms an unlikely bond with a female asylum seeker from Guinea-Bissau, Adja (Babetida Sadjo), who has become stranded in Iceland on her way to a new life in Canada. Andið eðlilega is a subtly observed, beautifully shot reflection of the two women’s struggles that compulsively mirror one another, with strong performances by Haraldsdóttir and Sadjo.

LIFE’S REFUGEES Uggadóttir, who not just directed but wrote the screenplay, reveals clues about both Lára and Adja’s past throughout the film, a technique that intelligently drives the drama and the narrative. Both Lára and Adja are prisoners. Lára is a financial captive who struggles not just with debt as a means to support an only child, her son Eldar (Patrik Nökkvi Pétursson), but also a past marked by serious drug addiction.

Andið eðlilega develops Uggadóttir’s approach with visual flair and an eye for the often-absurd details of life and bureaucracy. In one scene Lára refuses the kindness of strangers out of pride when someone else at her local Bónus supermarket offers to cover the cost of toilet paper Lára cannot pay for.

Lára just pushes the item away and walks off. The sense of loneliness that permeates both Adja and Lára’s lives is evoked through the often-detached camera work—Lára’s occasional hookups with the mother of her son’s best friend are devoid of any conversation and their meetings in public, when pick­­ ing up their mutual children at school, are marked by sparse gestures and discrete glances. Likewise, the motif of entrapment is reinforced throughout the film by images of the bleak monolithic residential housing blocks, cats waiting forlornly at a rescue center and a subdued visual color palette of dark blues, greys and greens and a soundtrack of stormy weather hitting the coast with an incessant patter of rain.

Uggadóttir says that she was inspired partly by the late, great Polish director Krzysztof Kiéslowski’s masterpiece Dekalog (1989). “I wanted to talk about people who maybe live a bit on the edge of society,” she says. “Ásbrú, in parti­ cular, was formerly a US airbase, and provided cheap housing after the Cold War ended and the Americans left. “When I was writing about a povertystricken troubled mother it made sense to have her live there.” The location certainly provides a setting where the future is a black hole and where a cycle of former addictions is only replaced by new a cycle of debt and social banishment. Before meeting Adja, Lára’s only saving grace is the love and devotion of her son Eldar, poignantly played by newcomer Patrik Nökkvi Pét­­ ursson, and an opportunity for a new job.

“ICELANDERS TEND TO MAKE STORIES ABOUT ICELANDERS”

Adja wants to escape the oppression of her LBGT background in her homeland and in the process of doing so becomes a literal prisoner of the Icelandic legal system, when in a twist she is detained at Keflavik Airport for using a false French passport by Lára, who is in training as a border control officer. Adja winds up stranded in Iceland and after a brief spell in prison is abandoned in a refugee processing center on the Reykjanes Peninsula while the government considers her future. Lára and Adja soon discover that they have more in common than they might have thought. The barren backdrop of Reykjanes Peninsula becomes a character in itself and is impressively evoked through the lens of the film’s Polish-born cinematographer Ita Zbroniec-Zaj. “The story demanded this location but I was also intrigued by the visual non-traditional beauty of the area,” Uggadóttir says of the Reykjanes locations, that included the town of Ásbrú, and the empty landscape around it that has for centuries been the last stop on Iceland’s western shore before the New World.

“I wanted to create a story that needed to be told and that was not being told in Iceland,” explains Uggadóttir who describes the origins of Andið eðlilega and how the story evolved in the wake of the global refugee crisis of the last five years. After finishing graduate school in New York, Uggadóttir returned to Iceland and sat down at her local library determined to write her first feature film. “Originally I was inspired by our economic crisis here in 2008,” she says. “I had written a short film Revolution Reykjavik about a woman who becomes a victim of it but her pride stops her from admitting how much it’s affected her.

So, I had been thinking of these types of characters and was already underway with the story about a mother with her child and their cat who live in the Reykjanes area and lose their home. As I was developing that story thinking about these characters, I found myself continually reading newspaper articles about refugees stranded in this same town who were trapped and would do anything to get out of their desperate situation. They went on a hunger strike; some people tried to set themselves on fire. This was a new situation in Iceland.”

ON THE EDGE OF SOCIETY

Uggadóttir felt that the plight of refugees was a major political and ­hu­man­­it­ arian issue for Iceland, and one that was not being addressed to a large degree by Icelanders. Refugees were in some respects invisible.

“Icelanders tend to make stories about Icelanders,” she says. For research, Uggadóttir began by collecting stories from the newspapers and television reports and she attended talks. Then, she volunteered as a support worker for

A Columbia University MFA Filmmaking graduate, Reykjavík born Uggadóttir made a name for herself with a series of prize-winning short films including Njálsgata (2009) and Útrás Reykjavík (Revolution Reykjavík 2011), which are marked by strong lead performances and sharp storylines with a sympathetic social-conscience.

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Part of the change

the Icelandic Red Cross and was paired up with a woman from Uganda, who has since become a friend.

“During the three years I was writing the film, the refugee crisis became very big and for lack of a better word, more main­­stream,” she says. “It was a mere coincidence that these issues came to the world stage with such force, during my writing process. I had been moved and troubled by the small­­er scale crisis asylum seekers faced in Iceland, but the global scale of the plight by hundreds of thousands of people made it even more urgent to get my story out there. The shaping of the screenplay was an evolution of me sitting and piecing together individual struggles and from there the story happ­ ens organically. To draw the characters of Lára and Adja together, Uggadóttir originally considered making the pair lovers but decided that it would not work within the context of the wider story and the bigger issues of human displacement and poverty. “I had to see what might happen and what feels natural and organic,” she reflects adding that to force Lára and Adja into a traditional romantic relationship with both characters having such overwhelming struggles did not feel natural. “Of course they connect and bond as humans but I don’t want to say too much. I want to let the audience fill into the gaps and spaces where these bonds are.”

“LÁRA” AND “ADJA”: ACTION AND REACTION

"I had been moved and troubled by the small­­er scale crisis asylum seekers faced in Iceland, but the global scale of the plight by hundreds of thousands of people made it even more urgent to get my story out there."

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One of the main strengths of the film and one picked up by critics are the performances of the two leads Kristín Thóra Har­­­aldsdóttir and Babetida Sadjo. Uggadóttir describes how the two actors approached the respective roles of Lára and Adja. “I had seen Kristín in a play in Iceland and I was fasci­­ nated by her performance,” she reveals adding that during casting she could feel her pain when Haraldsdóttir auditioned for the role. “She got to know Lára. It was not so much: Let’s play out this scene. It was more like: Who is this person?”

Uggadóttir traveled to Brussels to cast the role of Adja where she first met Sadjo. “Babetida showed real depth,” she tells me. “In the interrogation scene, I really believed her.” While the role of Adja was originally written for a woman from Uganda, on hiring Sadjo, the director decided to adapt the part to fit Sadjo’s background from Guinea-Bissau. Uggadóttir adds that Sadjo knew stories of people who had to hide their sexuality and did not feel safe or free expressing it.

The filmmaker did considerable preparation with regard to the visual aesthetics of the film. Before filming took place in Iceland, the film’s cinematographer Ita Zbroniec-Zaj, the production designer Marta Luiza Macuga and Uggadóttir pre­­ pared the look. “That was when I realized we are now mak­­ing a film,” she says. “For such a long time it was about the writing and the funding and finding the cast.”

The shooting of Andið eðlilega took 27 days. It was an intense shoot with many separate locations and limited time. “It was a race,” says Uggadóttir.

CREATING STORIES As a child, Uggadóttir moved around a lot from city to city: “I lived in Germany with my parents for a year and then on the East Coast of the United States for six years until I was 11 years old while my parents were studying.” Uggadóttir attended the University of Iceland where she studied humani­­ ties but her desire was always to become a filmmaker. She moved to New York in 2001 but “I still was afraid of the title of director and the title of screenwriter” so she attended a communications program at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. “I was intrigued by everything that had to do with creating stories,” she says.

Uggadóttir has plans to make a second feature. She reveals that she likes to write at her parent’s summerhouse in Skorra­dalur, just over an hour from Reykjavík, and far from the distractions of life. “I like it in winter when you can really be alone,” she says. On her approach to writing, Uggadóttir emphasizes how at first she’s drawn towards feeling and getting to really know the characters well. Then, when she is ready “I will start sketching out a skeleton of a story.”

Having spent a considerable part of her life in New York City, it is not surprising to discover that it is her favorite city. “I feel very much at home there but I am also inspired by life and the constant commotion of it,” she expresses before adding, “Every day is an adventure and anything can happen.”

Berlin, where the director lived for a period in her twenties is another haunt: “The art community is thriving and I also feel comfortable there.”

Uggadóttir’s films have premiered at such festivals as Sun­­ dance, Telluride and New Directors/New Films, presented by

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FOR ALL THOSE WHO ARE YOUNG AT HEART

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Fred

Come and meet the Tulipoppers in our magical flagship store in central ReykjavĂ­k or find them in boutiques around Iceland.

Check out the Tulipop channel on YouTube to watch our new animated series.

Learn more about the Icelandic Tulipop world and browse the Tulishop online www.tulipop.com. @tulipop

@tulipopworld

@tulipopworld

Issue two 41

Part of the change

Lincoln Center and the Museum of Modern Art in New York, in addition to over 100 other venues. Film industry bible Screen International named Uggadóttir “one of the rising stars of the Icelandic film industry.”

THE FIGHT FOR GENDER EQUALITY AND THE INTERNATIONAL SUCCESS OF ICELANDIC FILM For the past nine years, Iceland has topped the World Economic Forum’s gender equality index, and the country has long been deemed the best place in the world to be a woman. This year, Iceland took a huge step forward in legally enforcing equal pay for men and women.

However, with the revelations of sexual harassment in the film industry and beyond, the fight for equality both in Iceland and elsewhere will undoubtedly remain a major issue in the years to come. Uggadóttir is an optimist in this regard. “Definitely we have to remain aware and this movement has to be kept, she says. “This revolution cannot die and I believe it is something that will have lasting consequences if people stay on their toes. People will not be able to get away with what was once considered normal. Generations change.”

Uggadóttir believes that a major step forward would be in enforcing an equal gender balance. “That would be very helpful,” she reflects. “The women in the Icelandic film and television community have been drawing attention to the fact that we were very much lacking in female directors and those that were there were not being pushed forward. Change is happening now and I feel part

of it.” The director is also contemplative on why Icelandic cinema is in the midst of a boom in terms of the number of films being made and their international success.

Uggadóttir likens it to the popularity that Icelandic music has enjoyed over the last few decades: “We started of course by having Björk and then Sigur Rós doing really well. Once artists from one country start doing well the international audience pays attention. It then inspires others that they can do the same.”

THE ART OF MAKING THINGS HAPPEN Uggadóttir also believes that being a small country with a small population brings a surprising number of advantages. “You are connected to a lot of people,” she enthuses. “Grímur [Hákonarson] who did Rams used to be my neighbor. I know him very well, the same with Hafsteinn G. Sigurdsson and Rúnar Rúnarsson. All these film people are very close. When you see one of them being successful, you can watch it carefully and see how it came about.”

For the Andið eðlilega director, success is also a state of mind. “It is a can-do attitude of we will make it happen even if we don’t have enough money or time.

Our crews are very, very hard working. They are willing to work ridiculously hard under difficult circumstances. Director Dagur Kári once said that making a film in Scandinavia is like playing in a symphony but making a film in Iceland is like playing in a rock band. We just make it happen no matter what.”

“This revolution cannot die and I believe it is something that will have lasting consequences if people stay on their toes."

Andið eðlilega is now showing at Bíó Paradís (www.bioparadis.is) and at Háskólabíó, Smárabíó and Borgarbíó in Akureyri.

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Issue two 43

Iceland at DragCon

… the rest is drag Three of Iceland’s fabulous drag queens are going to DragCon in Los Angeles this May. Even with just the three, they still represent a lot of the diversity found in the Icelandic drag scene.

Photo: Kaspar Bekeris

Deff Starr, Queen of the North, is a grotesque drag-clown and the fiercest performer around.

T

he queens are Gógó Starr, current reigning Queen of Iceland, who has toured the US before and is excited for the chance to represent Iceland once again. Think classy, sassy and gassy. Then there’s Deff Starr, Queen of the North, a grotesque drag-clown and the fiercest performer around. And last but not least: Jenny Purr, Iceland’s premier Bio-Queen. What is a Bio-Queen, you ask? It’s a biological woman doing drag, and being fiercer than most men ever could.

DRAFTY FOR DRAG “All three queens are regular performers of the monthly drag show Drag-Súgur (which actually means draft in Icelandic), and work together at various gigs around town,” Gógó Starr explains. “Also, me and Gógó are roommates,” adds Jenny Purr.

“We tend to show up at bigger queer events, such as the Pink Party, and during Reykja­vík Pride. There are also free entry events at Loft Hostel every now and then which we tend to be a part of,” says Deff Starr.

In addition to that, Gógó Starr hosts a Lip-Sync Karaoke every Sunday at Kiki Queer Bar, along with her fellow queen Ms. Gloria Hole. “I’m also a member of the Reykjavík Cabaret, and we have shows coming up in June, and then again in September,” she adds.

WHAT IS DRAGCON? RuPaul’s DragCon is a convention for the fans of the TV show RuPaul’s Drag Race, and drag in general. “It’s open to all ages and royalty from all over the world. It’s basically a giant meeting point for the drag community and a place to get in touch with the fans,” says Gógó. This is the third time it’s held at the beginning of May in Los Angeles, and it has become the biggest drag-related event ever, with over 50,000 attendees coming this year.

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WOW Power to the people

RuPaul’s DragCon is a convention for the fans of the TV show RuPaul’s Drag Race, and drag in general.

“It’s open to all ages and royalty from all over the world. It’s basically a giant meeting point for the drag community and a place to get in touch with the fans,” says Gógó

“DragCon is just like any other regular ‘convention’ with dedicated fans but way more glitter. There are booths with artists, influencers, shops and more importantly your favorite queen from RuPaul’s Drag Race with monstrously-long waiting lines,” Jenny Purr explains.

“For me, I plan on meeting people, making contacts and representing Icelandic drag but also to stock up on wigs, heels, lashes and cosmetics of course,” says Deff Starr.

“I do think DragCon serves an important role in LGBT+ queer culture because of its emphasis on being yourself and having a safe-space while doing so. It’s also like a strange family reunion—you get to see other drag artists like yourself and it’s just an endless amount of love. Hopefully, I’ll see more of the queens I’m following on Instagram in LA,” adds Jenny.

“It is just so incredibly inspiring to see all the different artists, the many shows, the starry-eyed fans—it’s an incredible thing to be a part of,” Gógó concludes.

WHAT IS DRAG? The word drag seems to have been around since the 1800’s or even earlier referring to men wearing women’s costumes. Today drag can mean so much

more, and there are drag queens of all genders and sexual orientation honing their craft and offering it to their fans.

“Drag in the past has mainly been men dressing up as women, but now drag is open to everyone, as it should be. Drag for me is the deconstruction of gender and reconstruction to how we see fit. It basically breaks the boxes that society puts us in; it’s outrageous and beautiful,” says Deff Star.

“In my opinion drag is an empowering art form. I’m a biological woman and a drag queen, I get to own every aspect of my femininity in drag. Going through traumatic experiences, drag taught me how to love my body again and I’m grateful for the people in my community being so supportive. Celebrating who you are and feeling empowered doing so—that’s drag in my opinion,” says Jenny Purr.

Drag is surely evolving but what constitutes good drag then?

“Good drag is when you’re happy with your make-up, you’re feeling your fantasy, you strut the streets of Reykjavík like it’s your runway; it’s when you’re doing a number on stage and it’s making people feel some kind of joy. That’s when you’re doing good drag,” says Jenny. “We keep comparing drag to what we see on TV or a designer’s runway, and we forget that the expensive wigs or the rhinestoned gowns are not what makes drag good; it’s when you’re most happy and content with yourself and willing to empower the world,” she adds.

“I believe good drag captures the audience or at least it’s engaging, even if it’s simply a look. If it’s captivating enough, it’s good drag. Performance-wise I feel it’s an open field on stage to do whatever. As long as you stop me talking, checking my phone or going out for a smoke, you are doing a good job,” says Deff Starr.

QUEENS OUT OF DRAG Makeup and costumes are obviously a big part of every queen’s life, but what do drag queens do when they’re out of drag?

“Being a performer is my life. Whenever I’m not performing, I’m planning my next performance, creating new acts, marketing, going to other shows, getting inspired, going to various workshops and classes to increase my skill sets, and sometimes I manage to find time off to chill and play video games,” Gógó Starr describes.

“I do squats, no seriously, I work out a lot,” says Deff Starr. “It keeps me focused and is a great release. It’s also nice to do something a bit more structured and less creative since I do spend a lot of time working on acts and preparing looks. Apart from that, I do what most other humans do: Work, sleep, party, dance; I’m so into voguing right now.”

“I’m the least exciting one out of drag since I still have my eyebrows. I serve as the Public Relations manager of Drag-Súgur and also do burlesque. Most of my time, I’m not wearing makeup and just double-tapping on Instagram thinking of an act,” says Jenny Purr.

“I believe good drag captures the audience or at least it’s engaging, even if it’s simply a look.

If it’s captivating enough, it’s good drag.

Performancewise I feel it’s an open field on stage to do whatever. As long as you stop me talking, checking my phone or going out for a smoke, you are doing a good job,” says Deff Starr.

increasing number of people at all of our shows and the increasing demand for drag and variety entertainment,” says Gógó Starr. “It is amazing to see how accepting the mainstream is of our art, and we’ve even been included in advertisements, music videos and countless interviews.”

“The popularity of the reality TV show RuPaul’s Drag Race has had a lot to do with the growing popularity of live drag-shows here in Iceland—it seems to go hand-in-hand,” Gógó adds. “I think that it’s a matter of it simply being the right time, as well as there being more demand for live entertainment, mostly due to tourism.”

It seems that in the past two years a lot has happened to change the Icelandic entertainment scene; it’s no longer just dancing, concerts and theater. The nightlife is overflowing with variety and fun. There’s stand-up, improv, circus, cabaret, variety shows—and of course: Drag!

Gógó concludes: “It’s amazing to be a part of this wave of variety that is sweeping the nation, and we aim to ride it until the end.”

“Being a per­­ former is my life.

Whenever I’m not performing, I’m planning my next per­­ formance, cre­­ ating new acts, marketing, going to other shows, getting inspired, going to various workshops and classes to increase my skill sets, and sometimes I manage to find time off to chill and play video games,” Gógó Starr describes.

ICELANDIC DRAG ON THE RISE Ever since Drag-Súgur entered the scene in 2015, and gave a new platform to drag performers, drag has been on the rise in Iceland. “It can be seen in the

RuPaul’s DragCon will be held in Los Angeles on May 11, 12 and 13.

Kiki with your favorite drag superstars, get awesome merch, learn something new at the entertaining and informative panels and shop ‘til you drop with over 300 exhibitors offering the latest and greatest in all things drag related. rupaulsdragcon.com Jenny Purr, Iceland's Premier Bio-Queen.

Gógó Starr, current reigning Queen of Iceland.

Issue two 45

The WOW Fleet Paint the sky purple Unlike most airlines, WOW air chooses the registration names of each aircraft very carefully and not according to standard practices of the alphabet.

We like our registration names to be fun as they ­represent us in a big way.

Every family is unique, and our growing WOW family of Airbus aircraft is no exception. Take a look.

Photos: SigurjĂłn Ragnar, srphoto@mac.com

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WOW Power to the people

Airbus A330-300 wide-body

TF-WOW Type: A330-300 - YoM: 2015 - Seats: 345 TF-WOW was the first aircraft registration name acquired by WOW air. It now adorns one of our Airbus A330 wide-body jets which was added to the WOW fleet early summer 2016. WOW air’s A330s are the largest aircraft used on commercial flights to and from Iceland and are mostly used to service our routes to California, Florida and other long distance routes. TF-WOW has 27 BigSeats.

TF-MOM Type: A321-200 - YoM: 2014 - Seats: 200 Everyone loves their mom right? The second aircraft to get a WOW registration was TF-MOM; it was also the first aircraft bought and delivered to WOW air in March 2015. TF-MOM is also known as Freyja (The Nordic goddess of love) and is currently the only aircraft in the WOW fleet that has a name beyond its registration code.

TF-WOW was the first aircraft registration name acquired by WOW air. It now adorns one of our Airbus A330 wide-body jets which was added to the WOW fleet early summer 2016.

Airbus 321-200

TF-DAD Type: A321-200 - YoM: 2014 - Seats: 200

WOW air has one of the youngest and most fuel efficient fleets in the world.

If you register a TF-MOM, it goes without saying that you should have a TF-DAD too. For a time TF-DAD was the only aircraft in the WOW fleet that was painted white and had a smile and sunglasses, following WOW air’s old livery. That all changed last May and TF-DAD is now just as purple as the rest of them.

TF-GMA Type: A321-200 - YoM: 2016 - Seats: 220 TF-GMA is a short name for Grandma, but don’t let the name fool you, she’s actually very young. The matriarch joined the WOW fleet at the end of May 2016, straight out of the box.

TF-GPA Type: A321-200 - YoM: 2016 - Seats: 220 Also straight-out-of-the-box, TF-GPA, aka Grandpa, joined the WOW fleet in August 2016. Together Grandma and Grandpa fly our guests to both North America and Europe.

TF-BRO

Type: A320-200 - YoM: 2010 - Seats: 174 TF-BRO has been servicing WOW air since September of 2015, flying to various destinations around Europe.

Issue two 47

TF-SIS Type: A320-200 - YoM: 2010 - Seats: 174 TF-BRO’s twin sister was delivered to WOW air at the same time as TF-BRO, in September 2015, and works really hard carrying our guests to Europe.

TF-KID

Type: A321-200 - YoM: 2013 - Seats: 200 Delivered to WOW air in February 2016, TF-KID carries guests to both Europe and North America.

TF-SON Type: A321-200 - YoM: 2013 - Seats: 200 TF-SON, like his sister TF-KID, services both Europe and America.

The SON was delivered to WOW air in March 2016.

TF-LUV Type: A330-300 - YoM: 2015 - Seats: 345 We love everyone, so naturally, we had to have a TF-LUV. This widebody jet was delivered to WOW air early summer 2016. TF-LUV has 27 BigSeats.

TF-GAY

A321-200neo

The sky is the limit for some, but for WOW air we aim further when it comes to technology. TFSKY was delivered in June 2017 and has a brand new CFM LEAP-1A engine.

Type: A330-300 - YoM: 2010 - Seats: 338 TF-GAY is the out and proud member of the WOW family. A free spirit at heart, he visits San Francisco as often as he can. TF-GAY was delivered to WOW air in June 2016. TF-GAY has 14 BigSeats.

TF-PRO Type: A321-200 - YoM: 2017 - Seats: 218 Say hello to one of our young professionals of the sky. All of our aircraft are total pros, but this one gets to be TF-PRO. Delivered in May 2017 with newly designed interior in WOW air’s style, it gives genuine comfort and is truly amazing.

TF-WIN Type: A321-200 - YoM: 2017 - Seats: 218 We like winning, and TF-WIN well represents our ambition.

Delivered in May 2017 with newly designed interior, WIN serves both our European and North American destinations.

TF-NOW Type: A321-200 - YoM: 2017 - Seats: 218 Make sure you are present in the NOW and fly with TF-NOW in glamorous style. Delivered to WOW air in June 2017 with newly designed interior, TF-NOW travels to both Europe and North America.

TF-JOY Type: A321-200 - YoM: 2016 - Seats: 220 Just before Christmas 2016 we received TF-JOY straight-out-ofthe-box from Airbus. It was the best holiday present ever!

TF-SKY

TF-NEO

Type: A321-200neo - YoM: 2017 - Seats: 218 The sky is the limit for some, but for WOW air we aim further when it comes to technology. TF-SKY was delivered in June 2017 and has a brand new CFM LEAP-1A engine. WOW air is the first airline in Europe to operate the A321 neo aircraft. It offers A321 operators exceptional technical, economic and environmental performance, with a 15% reduction in fuel consumption and CO2 emissions versus current engines and a 50% cut in NOx emission.

TF-SKY’s added flight range means it can fly our guests all the way to Tel Aviv in the Middle East and most of our destinations in North America as well.

Type: A320-200 neo - YoM: 2017 - Seats: 180 TF-NEO (New Engine Option) has brand new CFM LEAP-1A engines that are more economically and environmentally friendly than any other on the market. TF-NEO’s added flight range means it can fly our guests all the way to Canada in addition to servicing our shorter European routes.

TF-CAT Type: A321-200 - YoM: 2018 - Seats: 208 Hey kitty girl! The cat’s out of the bag and ready to fly our guests around the world. Our new pet was brought to us straight from the assembly line at the Airbus factory in February. TF-CAT has 200 regular seats that have a leg room from regular to XXL and in addition to that, it has 8 BigSeats for those who like to get really comfortable on their way between Europe, Iceland and America.

MEOW!

Two of our brand new babies in the family are the A320neo and A321neo.

TF-NEO A320-200 neo

TF-NEO’s added flight range means it can fly our guests all the way to Canada in addition to servicing our shorter European routes.

NEO stands for New Engine Option and offers up to 15% reduction in fuel consumption. You will be amazed how quiet these aircraft are.

TECHNICAL INFO

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Airbus A320-200

Airbus 320-200neo

Airbus A321-200

Airbus 321-200neo

Airbus A330-300

Max takeoff weight: 78,000 kg Range: 6,150 km Engines: 2xIAE-V2500 Cruising speed: Mach 0.82

Max takeoff weight: 79,000 kg Range: 6,850 km with Sharklets Engines: 2xCFM LEAP-1A Cruising speed: Mach 0.82

Max takeoff weight: 93,500 kg Range: 5,950 km with Sharklets Engines: 2xCFM-56 Cruising speed: Mach 0.82

Max takeoff weight: 93,500 kg Range: 6,850 km with Sharklets Engines: 2xCFM LEAP-1A Cruising speed: Mach 0.82

Max takeoff weight: 235,000 kg Range: 11,100 km Engines: 2xRR-Trent700 Cruising speed: Mach 0.86

WOW Power to the people

W E L C O M E

O N

B O A R D !

Elevate your encounter with Iceland!

Amazing helicopter tours around Iceland for individuals or groups. You can choose from a 20 minutes city sightseeing tour up to a whole day journey and everything in between.

AirTaxi! We are often available on short notice!

Your wish is our command!

The fleet is made up of the most modern and meticulously maintained helicopters on the market. The pilots are trained to the highest standards, experienced, friendly, multi-lingual individuals with great knowledge of Iceland’s spectacular nature.

They will make your journey unforgettable.

Safety and comfort of our customers is always our main priority.

• We operate from Reykjavik (city) Airport.

• We offer free transport services within Reykjavik city area in connection with our flights.

• We can, on the other hand, arrange for a pick up and/or drop off from and to just about anywhere in the country.

• You can either pick one of our tours or simply design your own.

• We are flexible.

Our service team is on duty 24/7 and will happily assist you at any time.

Check out our tours and prices on our website.

E-mail to info@rehe.is or call (+354) 589 1000 www.reykjavikhelicopters.com

Issue two 49

WOW Cyclothon

Sisters on bikes If you love cycling and unique adventures, WOW Cyclothon might be just the thing for you. A relay bike race around Iceland in 24-hour daylight is an experience that will be hard to top. Every year over one thousand avid cyclists take on this challenge making it one of the biggest ultra-cycling races in the world when it comes to the number of participants.

Photos: Hari, Sigurjรณn Ragnar Sigurรฐsson and from a private collection

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WOW Power to the people

The half-sisters celebrated both at the finish line and at the WOW cyclothon after party.

WOW Cyclothon is a race that’s ideal for team building.

Friends and colleagues that have taken on this challenge together can all attest to this and of how great a challenge it is to create a good atmosphere, set a goal and encourage one another.

T

he winner of last year’s female B-category was Team Arctica Finance, a team of 10 women who met while triathlon training together in 2012. They all finished a ½ Ironman challenge later that year forming strong and lasting friendships and call themselves #hálfsystur (half-sisters).

A CYCLOTHON TO CELEBRATE In 2013 one of the half-sisters, Karen Axelsdóttir, was badly injured, and at the beginning of 2017, she was slowly but surely coming back. “Us sisters decided to celebrate her recovery by taking part in the WOW Cyclothon and creating more great memories,” says team member Lilja Birgisdóttir. It’s worth mentioning that for a long time Karen held the overall Icelandic time record in a whole Ironman challenge and didn’t lose that record to a male athlete until she was forced to quit competing in triathlons.

EXPERIENCE THE RACE It’s safe to say that few teams have as much experience when it comes to WOW Cyclo­­ thon as the members of Team Arctica Finance, both as participants and planners of the event. Eight members of the team had previously participated in the race, many of them more than once and some more often than that. They also had in their team a former WOW Cyclothon race judge and race manager.

“WOW Cyclothon is a race that’s ideal for team building. Friends and colleagues that have taken on this challenge together can all attest to this and of how great a chall­enge it is to create a good atmosphere, set a goal and encourage one another. This com­­ petition is first and foremost about having fun in the amazing Icelandic landscape, day and night. It brings groups together, and through the struggles, friends and colleagues get to know each other’s strengths and weaknesses. Our goal was to ride, enjoy ourselves and support a good cause,” says Lilja.

Issue two 51

BURGERS OVER TEAMMATES The B category of WOW Cyclothon started the race at 7 PM on a Wednesday. “Hvalfjordur (Whale Fjord) was a lot of fun. We used four cyclists to get through it and our goal was to get out of there with good teams that we could work with on the road. WOW air’s TF-WOW team was with us there, and since we knew those guys well we really enjoyed working with them although they left us behind later in the competition,” the half-sisters tell us.

At Staðarskáli Gas Station the sisters split up and half the team drove straight to Varmahlíð to rest. The remaining five took on the hills and heaths, working with various teams along the way. “It rained quite a lot on this part of the route and the fabulous five were drenched once they met up with the rest of the team in Varmahlíð to take their well-deserved break.”

Now it was time for the fresh five to take over and just before they reached Akureyri they had formed a good working relationship with teams Advania and the Viking Lords. “At the N1 Gas Station in Akureyri, WOW air welcomed us with hamburgers and a little party. And there was a real bathroom which some of us were very glad to put to use. The festive atmosphere made us lose track of time so we didn’t meet up with Alma, whom we’d sent onwards on the bike, until she was about to tackle the hills of Víkurskarð. Not the greatest teammates!” the sisters say jokingly.

The half-sisters from Team Arctica Finance finished the race in 43 hours and 45 minutes.

WITH A LITTLE HELP …

The weather in North Iceland was great and Team Arctica was still in great company having added team VÍS to their group. “When we reached Egilsstaðir we got news that the weather could cause problems in the competition and after we got through the Öxi Mountain Road a “refreshing” gale welcomed us head-on. Working together with the other teams has never been more important.”

At around 1 am on Friday morning one half of the team parked the RV about an hour from Skaftafell National Park so they could rest for an hour or so. When it was time to hit the road

A happy half-sister near the town of Hella.

“When we reached Egilsstaðir we got news that the weather could cause problems in the competition and after we got through the Öxi Mountain Road a “refreshing” gale welcomed us head-on.

Working together with the other teams has never been more important.”

again to give the other half a break the RV refused, it’s backside was stuck and the girls were in trouble. After calling 112, the Icelandic emergency number, they were told that Bjössi, a nearby farmer, sometimes helped travelers in the vicinity if they got in trouble.

“A short while later, Bjössi rescued us and we could go and meet up with the rest of the team. We would also like to thank the teams we were working with for taking care of our cyclists while we were stuck and for giving them something to eat.”

When the RV had caught up to the working part of the team the rested half got to work and the RV went on ahead for another rest. “Our goal was to reach Selfoss before 10 am on Friday morning but right after our RV had gone ahead we got “the weather,” a strong gale blew straight in our face and the team’s speed dropped from 34 km/s to 20 km/s.

Our pace slowed so much that we got a call from the race administration asking if we were ok.”

This was a trying part of the race where the team’s unity and strength really shone through. “We rode on whether our batteries were full or empty. We gave it our all and tackled the wind head on!”

PURE JOY TO THE FINISH LINE After reaching Kleifarvatn Lake Team Arctinca Finance say they rode on pure joy with the teams they’d worked so well with during most of the race. “Team Advanina and the Viking Lords formed an amazing honor league behind us when we finally reached the finish line. It was an indescribable feeling (and yes, there were tears involved). We’d just finished this great race as a team and won the female B category.”

Sign up Want an adventure of your own? Get out your bike, go to wowcyclothon.com and sign up for WOW Cyclothon 2018.

Follow WOW Cyclothon on social media such as Facebook and Instagram so you won’t miss a thing.

See you on the Ring Road!

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WOW Power to the people

Refuel at Olís We welcome you to our service stations around Iceland where you can refuel and enjoy our services. Great variety of tasty food and beverages and everything else you might need on the road.

Visit us at olis.is/travel

FREE FUEL DISCOUNT CARD

FREE COFFEE WITH DISCOUNT CARD

FREE WI-FI

OPEN 24 HOURS

Since 1927

Issue two 53

WOW word of advice

The ultimate safety checklist We have the utmost respect for the work of ICE-SAR (Icelandic Search and Rescue teams) who work tirelessly educating locals and guests alike to prevent accidents while traveling in Iceland. ICE-SAR’s volunteers, on call day and night, are willing and able to respond to emergency calls and go into dangerous circumstances to save those who haven’t heard or haven’t heeded their advice.

Check the road conditions on www.road.is as they frequently change in the wintertime and may be closed/impassible.

Because it is in every traveler’s power not to put himself/herself in danger, we consider it a common courtesy towards the rescue volunteers to follow their advice and stay safe. Your life is not the only one you’ll put in danger if you don’t.

Good preparation is key for successful travel in Iceland, so please keep the following in mind: 1.

Your first destination should always be www.safetravel.is.

2.

Always leave your travel plan with someone who can react if needed and with Safetravel.

3.

Check the weather forecast on vedur.is, sudden changes in weath­er are very common so always be prepared for any kind of weather!

4.

Map, compass and GPS should always be used when traveling outside urban areas!

5.

Conditions in Iceland can be very different from what you are used to, so gather information about the area you are traveling to.

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WOW Power to the people

Single lane bridges, tunnels and roads can be found in all of Iceland. Show patience, slow down and let cars coming from the other side finish crossing before attempting it yourself.

6.

If traveling on foot/hiking, make sure you are fully aware of the conditions and follow marked trails!

7.

When hiking in Iceland, layers are your friend! A waterproof shell is a necessity and wool is your best friend in the mountains!

8.

Look for the Safetravel screens around the country as alerts on weather and conditions will appear on there!

Beautiful Icelandic nature is easily accessible by car, but you must keep the following in mind: 9.

Check the road conditions on www.road.is as they frequently change in the wintertime and may be closed/impassible.

10. Driving in the Highland should only be done in 4x4/4WD jeeps with ground clearance!

11. A seat belt use is required by law and your life may depend upon it; also in the backseat!

112 The emergency number in Iceland is 112.

12. Pulling over on the side of the main road (no. 1) is prohibited. Find a side road or a rest area where you can open all doors of the vehicle safely!

13. Accidents are common on gravel roads—reduce your speed before the transition!

14. Single lane bridges, tunnels and roads can be found in all of Iceland. Show patience, slow down and let cars coming from the other side finish crossing before attempting it yourself.

We hope you have safe travel in Iceland. Remember —we want you out of here - alive!

Icelandic wool

Issue two 55

West Park Guesthouse

Welcome to the Snæfellsnes Peninsula West Park Guesthouse Gufuskálar, 360 Snæfellsbær Tel: +354 837 7700 www.westpark.is Email: info@westpark.is

West Park Guesthouse A day trip to the magnificent Snæfellsnes Peninsula will never suffice. To really relax and become one with the Icelandic countryside, stay the night at West Park Guesthouse.

West Park Guesthouse offers a great variety of on-site activities via their partners at Summit Adventure Guides which include bike tours, hiking, ice climbing on the Snæfellsjökull Glacier, skiing, snowmobiling and cave exploration!

W

est Park Guesthouse features eight con­­ nected houses, each with three double rooms and one single room. Every house has its own shared kitchen and bathroom along with a common area with great views of Snæfellsjökull Glacier. Situated between the glacier and the ocean, each room has a spectacular view.

ice climbing on the Snæfellsjökull Glacier, skiing, snowmobiling and cave exploration!

West Park Guesthouse offers a great variety of on-site activities via their partners at Summit Adventure Guides which include bike tours, hiking,

West Park Guesthouse provides the best value accommodation in West Iceland, offering affordable and clean rooms as well as helpful and

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WOW Power to the people

The location is also ideal for seeing the Northern Lights due to the guesthouse’s isolation and minimal light pollution from nearby towns in the wintertime.

friendly staff. Make your stay comfortable and your experience memorable in the Snæfellsnes Peninsula.

The location is also ideal for seeing the Northern Lights due to the guesthouse’s isolation and minimal light pollution from nearby towns in the wintertime.

ICELAND CARBON FUND

10:00 13:00

Issue two 57

Slippbarinn Opening hours: Sundays to Thursdays: 11:30 am – midnight / Fridays and Saturdays: 11:30 am – 1:00 am / Happy hour: every day from 3-6 pm.

Mýrargata 2 101 Reykjavik Tel: +354 560 8080 Email: slippbarinn@icehotels.is www.slippbarinn.is

S

lippbarinn became an instant hit, with its emp­hasis on fresh ingredients, creativity and high-quality hand-crafted cocktails. Many fine bars have since followed in Slippbarinn’s footsteps, making the Reykjavík scene exciting to any cocktail connoisseur. But no one else quite lives up to the endless innovation, ambition and sheer style of the inimitable Slippbarinn.

Bright flavors and bold presentation In the kitchen as in the bar, Slippbarinn is guided by its philosophy of flux and creativity. Starting with the solid foundation of a classic dish, the chefs

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WOW Power to the people

Slippbarinn

The birthplace of Icelandic cocktail culture It has already been five years since Slippbarinn opened its doors at the trendy and ­delightful Iceland­air Hotel Reykjavík Marina, but it is still as popular as ever. As it turns out, Reykjavík in 2012 was ripe for a cocktail revolution.

bring their own twist, sometimes bold, sometimes subtle, but always deeply satisfying. An everevolv­ing menu consists of dishes that combine fresh and hearty, wholesome and flavorful, with a dash of adventure. Some classics have earned a per­manent place, however. Be sure not to miss the legendary charcuterie (created to share), the expertly prepared calamari, or what might be the best fish soup in the entire city!

Your perfect harbor hangout Almost every town in Iceland is a fishing village at heart. At Slippbarinn, you get right in touch with

Reykjavík’s roots. Located on the old harbor, in view of a still-operational dock, it’s where you can watch fishing vessels being repaired. Slippbarinn is the perfect place to while away an afternoon over a whiskey sour and the catch of the day. When it is time for a caffeine fix, head over to Slippbarinn’s baby brother, the adjoined gourmet café Kaffi­ slippur. The pastries will melt in your mouth and you will dream of them ever after.

Slippbarinn is the perfect place to while away an afternoon over a whiskey sour and the catch of the day.

VOX Restaurant Tel.: +354 444 5050 | www.vox.is

Geiri Smart Restaurant Hverfisgata 30 | Tel.: +354 528 7050 | geirismart.is

EXTRAORDINARY RESTAURANTS FOR FINE DINING OR A CASUAL LUNCH VISIT APPETITEFORICELAND.COM FOR THE BEST WE HAVE TO OFFER

Icelandair Hotel Akureyri Tel.: +354 518 100 | www.aurorarestaurant.is

Satt Restaurant Tel.: +354 444 4050 | www.sattrestaurant.is

The Drunk Rabbit Irish Pub Opening hours: Sunday – Thursday 12 pm-1 am Friday – Saturday 12 pm-4 am Happy hour: every day from 12-19 pm.

Austurstræti 3 101 Reykjavík Tel: +354 553 1041 E-mail: info@drunkrabbit.is www.facebook.com/drunkrabbit.is www.drunkrabbit.is

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f you happen to be in Reykjavik on St. Patrick’s Day, which is also The Drunk Rabbit’s anniversary, be sure to join the celebration.

Happy hour The happy hour, or should we say happy hours, at The Drunk Rabbit are unique with great offers on beers, wines, spirits and ciders from 12-19 every day.

Besides the Guinness, eight different local beers and ales are available on tap and more in bottles.

The bar is full and the whiskey selection is ex­cel­ lent. Irish whiskeys, Scotch whiskeys, bour­­bons and even an Icelandic single malt called Flóki.

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The Drunk Rabbit

Let’s make it Irish The Drunk Rabbit Irish Pub is an authentic Irish watering hole in the heart of downtown Reykjavik. Since its opening on St. Patrick’s Day 2016 it has become a favorite venue for people from all over the world as well as locals. The Drunk Rabbit serves the best Guinness on tap, has perfect Irish coffee and great craic.

Food The Drunk Rabbit is not a restaurant but as in every good Irish pub, there is a small food menu for the hungry ones. The fish & chips are probably the best you’ll find in Iceland.

Entertainment There is always great craic at The Drunk Rabbit where you can watch live sports, football, rugby or whatever you’d like. Just ask the staff if they can show your game and they will try their best to find it.

Live music is a big part of the craic here and it’s on seven days a week from 10 pm ‘til closing with

different musicians from all around the world every night. Tuesday nights are session nights starting about 8:30 pm.

The happy hour, or should we say happy hours, at The Drunk Rabbit are unique with great offers on beers, wines, spirits and ciders from 12-19 every day. Besides the Guinness, eight different local beers and ales are available on tap and more in bottles.

Kaldi Bar Opening hours: Sunday-Thursday: 12:00 pm - 01:00 am Friday & Saturday: 12:00 pm 03:00 am Happy our every day from 4-7 pm

A breath of fresh air

Cool as Kaldi

Laugavegur 20b 101 Reykjavik Tel: +354 581 2200 www.kaldibar.com

Kaldi Bar is one of Iceland’s most unique bars.

An oasis in central Reykjavík.

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t might not be spacious but it makes up for it with great relaxing atmos­­­ phere in a rustic setting. Besides the congenial atmosphere, there’s a great out­­side seating area in a cozy back­­yard.

Known for its wide collection of local micro brews both on draft and in bottl­es, Kaldi Bar is very popular among locals who check in at happy hour to get their fill of the unfiltered Kaldi brew. Drop by and get to know everybody, they might even give you some good tips on how to become a local.

Kaldi Bar is one of Iceland’s most unique bars. An oasis in central Reykjavík. It might not be spacious but it makes up for it with great relaxing atmos­­­phere in a rustic setting.

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Cafe Paris Opening hours: Sundays-Thursdays from 8:30am-10pm / Fridays-Saturdays from 8:30am-11pm

Austurstræti 14, 101 Reykjavik Tel: +354 551 1020 www.cafeparis.is

The French beat in downtown Reykjavik Cafe Paris is a local corner restaurant and café, where you can enjoy the calm and charming feel of old Paris, with a hint of a New York twist.

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osaic tiles, marble top coffee-tables and classic wicker chairs create the right at­­ mosphere here. The terrace fac­­­ing the historic Austurvöllur is the local’s go to place on sunny days—it also does the trick on chilly even­­ings, when guests wrap themselves in blank­­­ets and get hugged by the Nordic absence of light.

Cafe Paris welcomes you to enjoy a nutritious and hearty breakfast, lunchtime favorites and heart­­ warming pastries. To wind down in the evening,

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one shouldn’t forget a drink at the bar, followed by a candlelit dinner in one of the comfortable banquettes.

The menu offers a selection of French classics such as Moules frites and onion soup, spiked with New York vibes in the form of chicken and waffles, and Oysters Rockefeller. The creamy New York cheesecake, followed by a thick espresso—or a glass of champagne will be the perfect “finissage” to a good meal at this petite Parisian escape.

Mosaic tiles, marble top coffee-tables and classic wicker chairs create the right at­­mosphere here. The terrace fac­­­ing the historic Austurvöllur is the local’s go to place on sunny days—it also does the trick on chilly even­­ ings, when guests wrap themselves in blank­­­ets and get hugged by the Nordic absence of light.

American Bar Open: Mondays to Thursday from 11:00 am - 1:00 am - Fri - Sat: 11:00 am 4:30 am - Sun: 11:00 am - 1:00 am

American Bar American Bar captures the American spirit; land of the free, home of the brave with a unique selection of beer and a simple yet delicious menu. American Bar is a must-visit when in Reykjavik.

Beer selection second to none With more than 50 different kinds of beer you are sure to find the beer that suits your taste. There’s beer made in the Hawaiian Islands as well as beer made from the famous Icelandic water.

Location and experience Located at the heart of Reykjavik, American Bar is easy to find. Once inside you’ll feel at home right away, especially if you’re an American; with decorations like football helmets (find your favorite team) and the American flag.

Live music, live sport and the Wheel of Fortune Live music every night brings the right atmosphere and if you want to shake it up a bit you can hit the

dance floor on weekends and dance into the crazy Reykjavik night. If you are feeling lucky you can always spin the Wheel of Fortune.

Must see that game in the English PL or the Champions League? You will be well taken care of at the American Bar. HD-screens and TVs in every corner make sure that you won’t miss one second of your favorite sport.

Inside and out—all day long With more than 100 seats inside and a great outdoor area on the sunny side (for those wonderful sunny Icelandic summer days) you will always find a seat at a good table. The outside area is truly remarkable, overlooking Dómkirkjan Cathedral and Alþingi (Parliament House). When you think of central Reykjavik this is it! The menu

Austurstræti 8-10 101 Reykjavik Tel: +354 571 9999 Mobile: +354 697 9003 Find us on Facebook/AmericanBarIceland

is simple, yet delicious. The hamburgers, ribs and chicken wings are well-known to the locals for being unique and tasty.

Lunch or dinner, live music or dancing, beer or cocktails; the American Bar has it all and is truly worth the visit!

Life is short—Drink early!

Located at the heart of Reykjavik, Ameri­can Bar is easy to find. Once inside you’ll feel at home right away, especi­ally if you’re an American; with deco­­rations like football helmets (find your favorite team) and the American flag.

Issue two 63

The English Pub Opening hours: Sun-Thurs: 12:00 - 01:00 Fri-Sat: 12-04:30 Open at 11 am from May 1st to September 1st.

Austurstræti 12 101 Reykjavik Tel: +354 578 0400 Mobile: +354 697 9003 www.enskibarinn.is. www.enskibarinn.is.

The English Pub – Save water, drink beer For years, Iceland has enjoyed a diverse selection of restaurants and often sophisticated bars.

However, one tiny grumble occasionally surfaced from the country’s ­Anglophiles – simply that there was no proper “pub”.

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nd so the English Pub was born. From mod­­­­est beginnings it has built a hearty repu­­tation, seeking out, with the advice and guidance of its dedicated customers, the finest ale availa­­ble to mankind. Today it offers its enthusiastic clientele the chance to try a great variety of beers, foreign brands, as well as many local beers that are a must try.

Whisky galore Not content to rest on its laurels, the English Pub has ventured north of its virtual border and also offers the finest selection of whiskies anywhere in the country. Acclaimed assortment of malts includes many of Scotland’s finest, ensuring numerous Icelanders and worldly travelers make

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the pilgrimage to the pub’s humble door. Located at the very heart of downtown Reykjavik, the walls of the English Pub are adorned with hundreds of photographs – like an album of the city’s history just waiting to be explored over a quiet beer.

A sporting chance Live sporting coverage is amply catered for, with a choice of six big screens and two TV screens. Inside the pub there is room for up to 150 people, and an outdoor terrace can accommodate plenty more on those balmy Icelandic evenings! Whether it is football (Premier and Champions League), rugby or golf, there are always special offers when live events are being broadcast. Live music every night adds

to the atmosphere. In addition to the happy hour from 4-7pm every day, and for the ones feeling lucky, there is the Wheel of Fortune. Regulars like nothing more than to spin the wheel and chance a “Sorry” or preferably, win what used to be called a Yard of Ale. These days, it’s inevitably known as a meter of beer, but the winners don’t seem to mind!

Located at the very heart of downtown Reykjavik, the walls of the English Pub are adorned with hundreds of photographs – like an album of the city’s history just waiting to be explored over a quiet beer.

The Lebowski Bar Opening hours: 11:00 – 01:00 Sun-Thurs and 11:00 – 04:00 Fri/Sat Twitter: @LebowskiBar Instagram: #LebowskiBa

Lebowski Bar The Reykjavik venue that rocks!

Walking into this American retro bar, is stepping back in time. And right away you know it’s the right bar for a few White Russians and a real good time. With carefully chosen music from the 50s to the 80s, the atmosphere in Lebowski Bar comes together giving the good vibration that the Dude would definitely abide by! Just walk in to see what condition your condition is in...

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ll kinds of people come here,” the staff proudly explains. “Icelanders, tourists, every­­­body. With food and music that suits everyone, our customers range from age 20 to 85.”

On those rare, but beautiful “warm” days in Iceland, Lebowski is the place to be: the huge outdoor terrace opens whenever the temperature rises above “a steamy 5°C.” But even with all this going for it, what Lebowski Bar prides itself most on is its delicious, diner-style menu with one-of-a-kind burgers, thick and creamy milkshakes, and oh yeah— White Russians. White Russians. Lebowski Bar has over 23 different variations of White Russians, the most popular one being the Cocaucasian, a regular White Russian topped with Cocoa Puffs. Some call it the brunch of champions, others Cocoa Puffs Russian … Either way, it’s delicious!

Where’s the Burger, Lebowski?

Made with 150 grams of beef—that’s more than a quarter pound, for the metrically-challenged— Lebowski Bar’s classic burgers always hit the spot and boast a tempting array of toppings and sauces, from chili-marinated bacon to Japanese mayo.

With its perfect balance of sweet and savory, the Honey Boo, a honey-glazed bacon and BBQ-sauce burger, has been called “the best bacon burger in town” (and there are a lot of them to choose from).

The Other Lebowski, a steak burger made from extra juicy beef tenderloin, is a staff favorite.

Wanna go big? Check out the “Burger of the Month” specialty offerings. Past specialty burgers have included the Once Upon a Time in the West, made with steak tenderloin marinated in La Trappe Quadrupel Ale and served with Jack Daniels BBQ Sauce and caramelized onions, among other tasty toppings. Another limited-time option was the Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, a piquant patty served—appropriately enough—with pepper cheese and chili sauce.

Burgers are clearly the house specialty here. For non-beefy options, Lebowski Bar has something for you, too. Try the Bunny Lebowski Chicken Burger, which was declared “gorgeous” by one happy visitor on Trip Advisor, or The Stranger Veggie Burger.

And if you’re looking for something lighter, there are plenty of bar snacks—from cheese-stuffed jalapeños to onion rings—to enjoy with your beer.

Laugavegur 20a 101 Reykjavik Tel: +354 552 2300 email: info@lebowskibar.is www.lebowskibar.is

You’re not wrong, Walter Lebowski Bar opens 11 am for lunch and there is a DJ every night from 9 pm. All big sports events are shown on all 5 Full HD screens.

“This Reykjavík place is mind-bending,” Trip Ad­­visor user Graham enthused after a recent visit. “The burgers are massive, the chips chunky and the beers and White Russians flow. There’s a happy hour to bring down Iceland’s high prices, and regular bands playing to bring the film’s rockin’ ethos to life.”

Sounds good to us. But you know, that’s just, like, his opinion, man.

Wanna go big? Check out the “Burger of the Month” specialty offerings. Past specialty burgers have included the Once Upon a Time in the West, made with steak tenderloin marinated in La Trappe Quadrupel Ale and served with Jack Daniels BBQ Sauce and caramelized onions, among other tasty toppings.

Issue two 65

Den Danske Kro Opening hours: Sun-Thurs 12:00 – 01:00 and Fri-Sat 12:00 – 05:00

Den Danske Kro Ingólfsstræti 3 101 Reykjavík Tel: +354 552 0070 www.dendanske.is

When in Iceland, go Danish!

A vibrant place on the Reykjavík social scene is Den Danske Kro or “The Danish Pub,” a popular downtown venue with locals with happy hour and with live music every night.

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en Danske Kro serves a variety of beers, in addition to familiar names such as Tuborg and Carlsberg, the Danish Pub serves a selection of seasonal beers from both Denmark and Iceland.

During the Christmas months, Den Danske Kro is the home of the Tuborg Christmas Beer or “Julebryg,” a popular drink in Iceland during the darkest months.

check out the interior of the pub and you’ll discover an off-the-wall design in its most literal sense!

Den Danske Kro is a great place to hang out with friends, play darts, watch sports, enjoy the occasional sun and watch the world go by on the outside terrace.

And to get into the spirit of things, we recommend you try a glass of the customary Gammel Dansk bitters, a traditional Danish schnapps.

Cozy Copenhagen style

The place to party

The Danes have a word to describe a cozy, friendly atmosphere—“hyggelig” and that’s something the owners of the Danish Pub have worked hard to create in this home away from home within a pub. Just

Den Danske Kro, as said before, is a popular venue among locals, and as soon as happy hour kicks off, the place starts filling up with people from the neighborhood and others who want to finish the

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workday with a cold beer. Every night there’s live music where you can request your all-time favorite.

During the weekend Den Danske Kro is open late.

The bartenders will be happy to see you and you are welcome to dance and sing with the guests until the morning.

Den Danske Kro serves a variety of beers, in addition to familiar names such as Tuborg and Carlsberg, the Danish Pub serves a selection of seasonal beers from both Denmark and Iceland.

Kopar Restaurant Opening hours: Mondays to Thursday from 11:30-22:30 Fridays from 11:30-23:30 Saturdays from 12:00-23:30 Sundays from 18:00-22:30

Kopar Restaurant by the old harbor Kopar Restaurant is situated by Reykjavik‘s romantic harbor, in one of the old green fisherman‘s huts.

T

he fishing industry still thrives in Reykja­­­vik, so the old harbor is full of life. In the morning, fishermen go out to sea and return later with their catch of the day. As you stand on the pier you can feel the history of Reykjavik and watch the harbor life: fishing boats, fishermen, the catch, and young kids with their rods trying their luck off the pier. Meanwhile passersby are walking about and enjoying life. This fresh and energetic atmosphere of the old harbor is all part of the experience when you dine at Kopar. Kopar is a seafood restaurant

featuring locally caught seafood and crustaceans.

They are especially proud of their crab soup, made with Icelandic rock crab from Hvalfjordur. Kopar offers a variety of Icelandic produce, including wild game, although the main emphasis is seafood, the fruit of the ocean.

Kopar‘s head chef, Ylfa, is a member of the gold medal winning national culinary team. She pre­­­ pares the seafood in a unique and delicate manner, in­­tent on giving you an unforgetable experience.

Geirsgata 3 101 Reykjavik Tel: +354 567 2700 www.koparrestaurant.is info@koparrestaurant.is

Delight yourself with great service and atmosphere, delicious food and the best view in town. When visit­ ing Reykjavik, enjoying a night out at Kopar is a must.

Kopar‘s head chef, Ylfa, is a member of the gold medal winning national culinary team. She prepares the seafood in a unique and delicate manner, intent on giving you an unforgetable experience.

Issue two 67

ODDSSON Hello is it me you’re looking for?

Hello is it me you’re looking for?

101 Reykjavík Tel: 5113579 www.oddsson.is email: hello@oddsson.is

ODDSSON Reykjavik ODDSSON is all about the surprising combinations that make life interesting.

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luxurious suite on the same floor as an 8 bed dorm room. Extravagant design furniture in a lobby with stripped down concrete walls. A Karaoke room in the middle of a restaurant!

Whether you are looking to splurge or save, this old warehouse turned hip-hostel is the place to rest, play, work, have a snack, meet people, make friends or just sit back and relax.

A view to get lost in Although ODDSSON is only a few steps away from the frenzy of bars, cafés and stores of downtown Reykjavík its proximity to the sea makes it feel nicely set apart from the bustle of the city center. As you kick back in the lobby’s sofa’s and take in that

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expansive ocean view it’s easy to imagine yourself sitting somewhere at the edge of the world. The glorious sunset light on Mount Esja (or the northern lights over the bay if you’re lucky) only adds to the sensation. If you need to plan a trip, catch up on work or upload all those pictures you’ve been taking on your travels, why not grab a coffee at the café downstairs, spread your map, plug in your devices and make yourself at home. There’s plenty of space.

Did someone say yoga?

If it’s relaxation you’re after, then be sure to memo­­ rize the weekly schedule for the hostel’s yoga studio. With a variety of sessions ranging from quiet meditation hours to full-on Yoga classes, the

studio brings ODDSSON guests, staff members, and locals all together for a little bit of bliss.

Perched on the fourth floor with warm wood vibes and huge win­­dows opening up to the sky, there is nowhere better to salute the sun.

ODDSSON offers dorm rooms, single & double hostel rooms as well as en suite rooms at some of the best prices in Iceland. For an even better bargain use this code when you book your stay at ODDSSON.is: 4WOW2STAY

Never mind the chocolate, puffin dolls or the key ring.

If you really want a souvenir that will last, a tattoo is the way to go.

WEBSTORE

You can also shop our merchandise and more at our shop or online at www.reykjavikink.is /reykjavikink

/reykjavikink

reykjavikink@reykjavikink.is

We are open Monday – Saturday 12 pm-8pm - We are located on Frakkastíg 7, 101 Reykjavík

Issue two 69

Base Hotel Hostel at Ásbrú

Valhallarbraut 756-757, 235 Reykjanesbær, Iceland Tel: +354 519 1300

It’s all about the Base

www.basehotel.is e-mail: basehotel@basehotel.is

The recently opened Base HotelHostel at Ásbrú is a budget accommodation conveniently located near Keflavik Airport on the Reykjanes Peninsula.

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ase HotelHostel is at a former NATO base used by the US Army until 2006. The hotel is located in two buildings where US Army families once resided and it embraces the 55-year history of the army’s presence in Iceland in its overall theme, with quirky little touches and photographs.

“We looked to the area’s history and decided to create a positive concept revolving around that history. A big part of the design process was creating a warm, comfortable and fun space that could hold all the modern art that’s now on display. To add to the challenge, everything we did must be low-cost and to keep costs down we kept a lot of the furniture that was left in the house. A good example of that are the rocking chairs found in most rooms, which were used by the army families during the military’s stay in Iceland,” says Leifur Welding, hotel designer.

PERFECT FOR STOPOVERS Base HotelHostel is perfect for short stopovers in Iceland and as a base for exploring the Reykjanes Peninsula and Southwest Iceland. The affordable rooms cater to all types of travelers. “Base Hotel has a lot to offer, the lone traveler just looking for a place to rest, the couple for a fun place to be, or the family needing more space. With our community kitchen, laundry room, TV lounges, library, game

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room, 24-hour reception and bar, and shuttle to and from the airport we try to meet everyone’s needs without aband­oning our policy of being the most affordable accom­­modation in the area. The Base is not just a place to stay, it’s a place to live, even if it’s just for a few days,” says Base hotel manager Richard Eckard.

At Base HotelHostel you’ll find hostel-style dorm rooms for the extremely cost conscious, suites for the private but thrifty and anything in between for everyone else who just like to stay within their budget but still get a good night’s rest.

YOUR BASE IN ICELAND Because the Base HotelHostel is located close to Keflavik Airport a lot of precious time is saved on arrivals and departures for those on a brief WOW Stopover in Iceland. This affords guests more time to explore the Reykjanes Peninsula, a geologically young area displaying Iceland’s magnificent nature. From the Northern Lights to helicopter flights—whale watching to geothermal springs, the Reykjanes Peninsula’s got it all!

Base HotelHostel is at a former NATO base used by the US Army until 2006.

“We looked to the area’s history and decided to create a positive concept revolving around that history. A big part of the design process was creating a warm, comfortable and fun space that could hold all the modern art that’s now on display.”

Where the locals go Two local secrets on the Reykjavik restaurant scene that will leave you wanting more.

M Messinn at Grandi If you want the best fish in Reykjavík, look no further The restaurant is located in an old fishing area close to the city center and offers a relaxed atmosphere and a great view, overlooking the Reykjavík Harbor.

essinn by the Reykjavík Harbor is a new fish buffet restaurant that offers pan fried fish served in cast iron skillets, emphasizing fresh quality material in every way. The restaurant is located in an old fishing area close to the city center and offers a relaxed atmosphere and a great view, overlooking the Reykjavík Harbor.

Another Messinn restaurant, located in the city center offers similar dishes and is rated as one of the top five restaurants in Reykjavík on TripAdvisor. The most popular courses are the fried Arctic char with honey and almonds, the Atlantic wolffish in a creamy mushroom sauce and the plaice fried with tomatoes, capers, lemon and butter.

Messinn I Grandagarður 8 and Lækjargata 6b I Tel: +354 562 1515 I messinn.com

Grái kötturinn The right place to energize for a busy day The Gray Cat prides itself on its homemade bread, tuna salad, hummus and pancakes. It is frequented by local artists and intellectuals.

The Gray Cat” is a cozy, dimly lit, book-lined café in an old townhouse, and a must visit when in Reykjavik. It opens early (perfect for those who have arrived on the red-eye) and focuses on American style breakfast, lunch and brunch. Although the Cat is famous for their big breakfast dish known as “The Truck,” you will find more on the menu, such as sandwiches, bagels, hummus, eggs & bacon and last but not least; American pancakes. The Gray Cat prides itself on its homemade bread, tuna salad, hummus and pancakes. It is frequented by local artists and intellectuals. So do like the locals; sit down, read a book or plan your day while you eat eggs, pancakes or bagels and drink good coffee (Icelanders take the latter very seriously).

Grái kötturinn I Hverfisgata 16a I 101 Reykjavik I Tel: +354 551 1544 I facebook.com/graikotturinn/ I Mon-Fri; 7:30AM-2:30PM I Sat-Sun 8:00AM-2:30PM

Issue two 71

Svartifoss (Black Waterfall). Photo: Ragnar Th.

VANTAJÖKULL REGION

VATNAJÖKULL NATIONAL PARK The Vatnajökull Region reaches from majestic Lómagnúpur in the west to scenic Hvalnes in the east. In this area, travelers can visit the glacier Vatnajökull and the Vatnajökull National Park, which has a lot to offer.

Photo: Matej Kríz

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atnajökull National Park is a magnificent area that boasts incredible ice caves, magical la­­­ goons of floating ice, and crawling outlet glaciers, some within easy reach. The park was established in 2009 and covers 14,141 km2 or approximately 14% of Iceland.

Within the park lies Vatnajökull the largest glacier in Iceland and the largest glacier by volume in Europe.

It covers over 8 percent of Iceland measuring an area of 7,800 km2, with an average thickness of 400m.

GEOLOGICAL PARADISE The Vatnajökull National Park off­ ers numerous interesting sites to visit and is a must for all who are interested in geology and beauti­­ ful natural vistas. The natural en­­vironment in this part of Iceland spans the greatest variety both in the geology and the flora and fauna.

Its geological diversity is what gives the park its uniqueness. A volcanic

fell. The hike is about 1.5 km or 45 minutes (one way).

There are many more hikes to do in the Vatnajökull National Park area, for example, scenic sites in Hjallanes, Heinaberg and Hoffells­­ jökull. During the summer, visitors are invited to join park rangers on hikes.

ATTRACTIONS Vatnajökull National Park has some of the country’s most sensational and unforgettable attractions. In this area, travelers can visit Hvanna­­ dalshnjúkur, the highest mountain in Iceland, Vatnajökull, the most voluminous glacier in Europe, and of course, the famous Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon.

WHALE WATCHING FROM REYKJAVIK

Jökulsárlón is, perhaps, the most highly esteemed natural attraction in the Vatnajökull Region. It’s still blue waters and almost surreal ice­bergs that float from the edge of Breiðarmerkurjökull are a sight to

SKAFTAFELL The former Skaftafell National Park which was established in 1967 is now a part of Vatnajökull National Park.

Skaftafell and its vicinity is a haven for all visitors of the Vatnajökull Region. Offering magnificent scenery, Skaftafell can be explored on short or long hikes. It is a perfect place to witness the range of contrast and natural wonders that the national park boasts.

Most visitors go to see the beautiful Svartifoss (Black Waterfall), a 20 meter (66ft) high waterfall that is bordered on both sides by tall black basalt columns, which gave rise to its name. The hike to Svartifoss starts at the visitor center in Skafta­

Next to Jökulsárlón is an attraction named Breiðamerkursandur, which are fields of sand strewn with chunks of glacial ice that gets carried along the river Jökulsá in Breiðamerkursandur toward the sea and then sent back upon the sands by the tides. The diamond-like pieces of glacier create a mes­­ meri­­zing atmosphere in the mist that often visits the beach. These glistening ice-diamonds create an even more spectacular vision in the winter months when the sun comes out and bathes the beach in magical lighting, which reflects off the ice.

ACTIVITIES Among activities that can be found in the Vatnajokull Region during the wintertime are ice cave tours, ice walks and snowmobile tours.

During the summertime, some of the activities available are sailing on Zodiac boats or kayaking on the ice lagoons, ice walks, ice climbing, snowmobile tours and super jeep tours.

For more information, go to www.visitvatnajokull.is

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The glacier has always had a great impact on the people living in the area. It still plays a role in people’s daily life as in no other part of Ice­ land have people been as aware of both its power and its threatened existence due to climate change.

The effects of climate change over the last century have meant easier transportation and communication within the area, but they have also meant the rapid retreat of Vatna­ jokull’s outlet glaciers.

behold. The lagoon flows through a narrow gateway into the Atlantic Ocean that crashes relentlessly into the shoreline below. In wintertime, the fish-filled lagoon hosts numbers of seals who visit the lagoon for an easy meal. All year round curious seals can be seen basking on the blue-tinted icebergs.

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zone on the tectonic plate boundary runs through the park and includes a large number of volcanos, many of them active.

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The Vatnajökull National Park off­ers numerous interesting sites to visit and is a must for all who are interested in geology and beauti­­ful natural vistas.

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BOOK NOW! +354-560-8800 specialtours.is info@specialtours.is Issue two 73

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Egilsstaรฐir

HOURS

OPENING

2016

Monday-Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday

11:00 - 18:30 10:00 - 19:30 10:00 - 18:00 12:00 - 18:00 Issue two 75

WOW Designs

TULIPOP

– NOT JUST FOR KIDS

The award-winning character lifestyle brand Tulipop, created by product designer and illustrator Signý Kolbeinsdóttir and her best friend, computer engineer and MBA Helga Árnadóttir was launched back in 2010 out of Signý and Helga’s mutual passion for producing an eye-catching and unique brand and range of products that would appeal to both kids and grownups worldwide.

by Gerður Harðardóttr Photos: Courtesy of Tulipop

T

he whole concept of Tulipop revolves around the fictional island of Tulipop, a magical adventure island, created when an underwater volcano erupted and formed the island many moons ago. The wondrous and ever-changing landscape of the Tulipop island, with its hot springs, volcanoes, lava fields, waterfalls and icebergs is actually one of the main characters of the Tulipop world and it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that the inspiration for the island is Signý and Helga’s own home turf, Iceland.

QUIRKY CREATURES The creatures living on the Tulipop island, the Tulipoppers, capture the quirky spirit of the island in a clever and whimsical way that’s truly engaging. Although cute as a button and totally lovable, each character is somehow flawed and dealing with real-life problems, which the rest of us can easily relate to.

Tulipop’s key characters are daydreaming, blueberry pancake eating mushroom boy Bubble, his brave, adventurous and fun-loving sister Gloomy, Bubble’s best friend, Miss Maddy, a talented prima donna, and cuddly Fred, the smelly and a totally unthreatening black monster (despite his best intentions to the contrary). Two additional characters and the oldest residents of Tulipop are the magic tree Mr. Tree and the actual creator of the Tulipop island, Mama Skully.

FOR KIDS OF ALL AGES The Tulipop range of colorful merchandise appeals to kids of all ages, teenagers, and adults who appreciate the brand’s esthetics

76

WOW Power to the people

The cre­­atures liv­­ing on the Tulipop island, the Tulipoppers, capture the quirky spirit of the island in a clever and whimsical way that’s truly en­­ gaging.

Helga Árnadóttir and Signý Kolbeinsdóttir illustrator.

WOW DESIGNS

and the quality of the products which include notebooks, smart­­­ phone covers, backpacks, key rings, bags, badges, wallets, pens, mugs, clothes, lamps and toys. Tulipop retails in 350 stores in Ice­­­ land, Europe and US worldwide plus online at tulipop.com. In the US alone, the Tulipop products are sold in 300 Hot Topic stores across the country.

ANIMATED AND FUN Since launching the brand in 2010, Signý and Helga’s firm ambition has always been to extend the world of Tulipop into a variety of media, including animation. To feed Tulipop’s expanding fan base and to advance perception of the magical world of Tulipop, a special Tulipop channel launched on YouTube in October last year featuring short cartoons where the adventures of the Tulipoppers are explored. Within only 3 months the channel had amassed over 1.3 million views. The cartoons, aimed at kids age seven and upwards, are co-written by Signý and Tobi Wilson, a writer for the popular Cartoon Network series, The Amazing World of Gumball. A 52-piece cartoon series made for TV is also in the pipeline.

The Tulipop range of colorful merchandise appeals to kids of all ages, teenagers, and adults.

Check out the Tulipop flagship store right in the heart of Reykjavik at Skólavörðustígur 43. You’ll find Tulipop online at Facebook/tulipop, YouTube/tulipop, Instagram@tulipopworld and Twitter @tulipopworld.

BUY DIRECTLY FROM THE PEOPLE WHO MAKE THEM HANDKNITTED IN ICELAND

Skólavörðustígur 19 & Borgartún 31

t: +354 552 1890

handknitted.is

Issue two 77

Southtrips

Quality tours and personal service

Southtrips Tel: +354 7881255 Email: southtrips@southtrips.is www.southtrips.is

B

ecause of Iceland’s fast-growing tourism industry, there has been an explosion of tour providers. Many offer similar tours, and often it can be hard to decide which one to choose even when you know what you want. Southtrips strives to keep its selection simple, and guarantees that the tours offered have been hand-picked by their staff to meet their high standards.

Safety is always a top priority and Southtrips is constantly making sure that their partners meet the strictest safety standards.

Southtrips is a young, fast-growing travel organizer specializing in finding tours that stand out from the rest. The most important qualities for any tour they offer are finding ones with personal service and a unique experience.

For tours where guests participate in groups, those with small groups are selected to allow for more personal attention. When the tour involves a vehicle, Southtrips selects those with the newest and most reliable equipment.

Tailor-made trips Southtrips prides itself on planning Iceland’s best private tours. For both individuals and groups, their team of experts provide prearranged tours and tours tailored to your needs, and the prime focus of their friendly and knowledgeable guides is that each guest gets the most from their experience.

Photo: Alex Christopher K

78

WOW Power to the people

Iceland has a lot to offer and in most cases, visitors have limited time to enjoy its beauty and uniqueness. Take the guesswork out of finding Iceland’s most incredible tours and just focus on having the most amazing experience of your life. The friendly staff and trusted partners of Southtrips will do everything they can to make sure you get the most out of your visit to Iceland.

Southtrips prides itself on planning Iceland’s best private tours.

www.n1.is/en

facebook.com/enneinn

instagram.com/enneinn

Tank up at N1 on your way around Iceland

95 locations around Iceland

Complimentary

Wi-Fi

at selected N1 service stations

COFFEE & Croissant

LAMB soup Traditional Icelandic meal

Treat yourself

burger & fries

-3 ISK

off each liter of fuel

Classic meal

When you present your N1 discount key at N1 stations.

With 95 locations around Iceland, N1 is always nearby. Find your nearest location and plan your trip at www.n1.is/en.

Keep moving Issue two 79

Make flying great again •

Top 10 tips for a travel veteran

•

•

Flying used to be such a glamorous affair, or so it seems when you look at old photos. What these photos don’t tell you is that flying was a luxury reserved for the rich, and an intercontinental flight could take 15-20 hours.

Now that it has become cheaper, faster and safer, we’re all doing it but in turn, the seemingly elegant days of flying the stylish skies seem to be gone forever.

Nothing larger than 100ml! If you’re carrying a 250ml bottle containing 20ml of product, it will be confiscated. Buy travel size toiletries if you really must have it in your carry-on. Place 100ml liquids, aerosols and gels in a 1-liter transparent bag enabling airport security staff to quickly identify the contents.

If it’s bigger than 100ml or can’t fit into a 1-liter plastic bag, it needs to go into checked in luggage.

•

Bring your reusable water bottle through security empty; then fill it up on the other side.

3. CHECKED IN LUGGAGE

Pack your mobile phone and iPad (already loaded with videos and books) in an easy to reach compartment in your carry-on as you will need to remove and place it in an inspection bin.

Remove your laptop from its case. New security measures

Put your cell phone, loose change, wallet and watch into your jacket pocket and placed in an inspection bin.

•

If you’re traveling with a child under the age of two, there are certain exceptions to the 100ml policy which includes baby food, formula and juice. Present these to the screening officer separately.

•

Keep your passport and boarding pass on your person.

For peace of mind, be sure you’ve tagged your checked in luggage with Dynotag GPS enabled smart tags.

Alternatively, go the heavy-duty luggage strap route; it makes them instantly identifiable on the carousel.

4. ONLINE CHECK-IN Doing it online saves loads of time and removes the need to stand in

7. AIRPORT LOUNGES Get yourself an annual membership of Priority Pass that you can use in +600 airport lounges around the world. You pay a mere €24/$27 for each lounge visit which covers access to quiet, comfortable spaces to relax, food, drinks (including alcoholic beverages), newspapers and magazines, and shower facilities.

8. SLEEP KITS They can be purchased in most airport gift shops, but you can build one at home to keep with your carryon; it includes a U-shaped travel pillow, an eye mask, earplugs/noisecancelling headphones and a large shawl. You can also buy one onboard your WOW air flight.

9. ON THE FLIGHT When you board the aircraft, find your seat, place your carry-on in the overhead bin and sit down. Turn off your electronic devices and wait

by Cindy-Lou Dale

But this doesn’t mean you need to resign yourself to merely endur­­­ ing air travel. In fact, de­­­spite confusing and ever-chang­ing safety regulations and snoring seat­­­­­mates, there are plenty of ways to improve it. From leaving home to arriving at your desti­­­na­­ tion, here are ten travel tips to help turn tedious journeys into part of the great travel exper­­­ience, and make flying great again. Buying a ticket with WOW air is just a start!

Get yourself an annual membership of Priority Pass that you can use in +600 airport lounges around the world.

You pay a mere €24/$27 for each lounge visit which covers access to quiet, comfortable spaces to relax, food, drinks (including alcoholic beverages), newspapers and magazines, and shower facilities.

call for electronic devices and cameras to be checked, so be sure they are charged as you may be asked to turn on your device. If you can’t turn it on, it will be confiscated!

1. BEFORE PACKING To keep airport hassle to a minimum and before you start to pack, check for recent regulation changes on your provider's website.

2. YOUR CARRY-ON Start packing a few days before you leave, then go through your bag a few times to scale it down. Think about what’s in your carry-on.

•

If it’s not listed on the regulations website, or you’re not sure, leave it behind.

•

If it’s pointy, it will be confiscated (I was once liberated of my metal nail file).

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WOW Power to the people

•

Medication needs to be packed separately (another 1-liter transparent bag) to enable easy inspection. It may be worthwhile to have a doctor’s letter or a copy of your prescription should you be asked about your meds. Avoid wearing large metal items.

In fact, slip-on shoes (you’ll need to remove your shoes at the security checkpoint) and elasticated waistbands can be the easiest option.

queues at the airport’s check-in desk.

All that needs doing at the airport is to find WOW air’s luggage drop point.

5. ARRIVE RELAXED Expect the unexpected and head to the airport with plenty of time to spare.

6. AIRPORT PARKING Go online and book your parking at the offsite airport parking facilities, which would require you to get a shuttle to the terminal building.

However, when it’s cold and wet and you’re lugging heavy bags, you might want to consider booking undercover parking immediately adjacent to departures. It costs fractionally more but is a lot less hassle—and doing it all online brings with it good prices.

patiently for the announcement from the flight crew that it’s safe to switch them back on again. Now, armed with the healthy snacks you brought from home and your bottle of water, watch that movie that’s evaded you this past year.

10. ON ARRIVAL, AND BEFORE LEAVING THE AIRPORT BUILDING Get to an airport cash machine and do a cash withdrawal so you’re sure to have the correct currency to pay for your cab and bell-hop. Some banks are understandably cautious when they see a foreign transaction on a bank account and may temporarily freeze your account until they hear from you. To avoid this stress, be sure to let them know of your travel plans.

Issue two 81

Flying

FLYING MADE SIMPLER Last year we introduced three simple and easy ways to book flights with WOW air, WOW basic, WOW plus and WOW biz.

We are constantly adapting our services to better suit our guests’ needs so now we introduce the all-new WOW comfy and an update to the WOW biz. That's four easy ways to get more WOW for your money

FLYING MADE SIMPLER

WOW basic This is really all you need: a simple flight ticket that will get you to your destination along with one personal item. You can add anything you want to the ticket, such as a carry-on bag or checked baggage, bigger seat, priority boarding and cancellation protection to name a few, for an additional fee. This is our simple ultra-low fare.

Included: • •

Flight ticket Personal item up to a maximum 42x32x25cm/ 17x13x10in

WOW plus Bundle up! The convenient WOW plus option is loaded with addons at a better price. Fly in style and enjoy the extra services such as a carry-on bag, a checked bag and standard seat reservation.

WOW plus will always be cheaper than adding these services to the WOW basic fare; guaranteed.

Included: • • • • •

Flight ticket Personal item up to a maximum 42x32x25cm/ 17x13x10in Carry-on bag up to a maximum of 56x45x25 cm/ 22x18x10in Checked bag Standard seat reservation

WOW comfy Get cozy with the WOW comfy because you don’t have to skimp on comfort when you save on airfare. Choose the most relaxing way to travel and stretch out with the extra legroom. The WOW comfy option has all the best add-ons, such as carry-on and checked bags and XL-XXL seats with a 32-36-inch seat pitch.

Included: • Personal item up to a maximum 42x32x25cm/ 17x13x10in (10 kg/22 lbs) • Carry-on bag up to a maximum of 56x45x25 cm/ 22x18x10in (12 kg/26 lbs) • Checked bag • Cancellation protection • Seat reservation: XL or XXL. Best extra legroom seat available at the time of booking.

WOW biz For all the busy bees out there, this one’s for you. Travel in the biggest and most comfortable seats available and be the first in line at the airport. Of course, you’ll get a BigSeat and all the best add-ons.

• • •

Included:

•

• • •

•

Personal item up to a maximum 42x32x25cm/ 17x13x10in Carry-on bag up to a maximum of 56x45x25 cm/ 22x18x10in 2 checked bags

Cancellation protection BigSeat: Our biggest and most comfortable seat, always.

Priority boarding at all airports and fast track security at KEF airport in Iceland.

In-flight meals and snacks. Pre-order or choose food and drinks from the WOW me menu on board.

No change fee

BIGGER AND BETTER WOW air has always been a single class airline and that hasn’t changed but we now have some first-class seats should our guests want to treat themselves to a little more luxury. On all our air­­craft we offer, of course, our standard seats, 29-31” and for an additional fee guests can select XL (32-34”) and XXL (35”+) seats as well if they want to stretch their legs while they spread their wings.

Last year we introduced the BigSeat—a bigger, better and more comfortable seat, available only on our A330 aircraft, and it was a big hit. This year we will gradually begin to add BigSeats to all of our aircraft so that more guests will have the option of trying this luxurious goodness.

These extra wide and comfy seats all have added legroom and they all lean back, giving you that super relaxed feeling on board. The BigSeat is now 100% guaranteed when you book the WOW biz option but no matter what option you go for you can always add an XL, XXL or BigSeat to your ticket if they haven’t already been snatched up.

For more information on WOW air’s additional services and new flight options go to wowair.us/travel-info/fares

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WOW Power to the people

PRICE:

2.300 ISK 3.900 ISK

ONE WAY

RETURN

Pay less with Airport Express

Siggi is one of our experienced drivers

Quick and convenient airport transfer

Free Wifi on board

Tickets available directly on the bus or online

Comfortable, modern coaches

Service for all flights

Book now at airportexpress.is or call us in +354 540 1313 (24/7)

Issue two 83

rm

Pour remplir ce formulaire, utilisez uniquement des majuscules. Si vous faites une erreur, notre personnel vous donnera un nouveau formulaire.

s Declaration Fo

The U.S. Custom

Chaque voyageur entrant ou chef de famille entrant doit fournir les informations suivantes (UNE SEULE déclaration par famille)

What is this and why do I need to fill this out?

Before you arrive in the U.S., you will need to fill out the US Customs Declaration Form. If you‘re traveling with your family only the head of the family needs to fill out the form. When you arrive on US soil you will hand this form to the U.S. Customs agent.

Français Le formulaire de déclaration en douane américaine

Qu’est-ce que c’est et pourquoi dois-je en remplir un?

Avant votre arrivée aux États-Unis, vous devrez remplir le formulaire de déclaration en douane américaine. Si vous voyagez avec votre famille, seul le chef de famille doit le remplir. Lorsque vous arrivez sur le sol américain, vous donnez ce formulaire aux autorités douanières américaines.

Si vous voyagez avec des fruits, nous vous recommandons de les jeter avant ou pendant votre vol vers les États-Unis mais que se passe-t-il si vous répondez « oui » à l’une de ces questions ? Ce n’est pas aussi terrible que ça en a l’air et dire la vérité vous évitera pas mal d’ennuis et une amende pouvant aller jusqu’à 300 $. Consultez la page 86 pour obtenir plus d’informations si vous répondez « OUI ».

1.

Nom, Prénom, Initiale du deuxième prénom.

2.

Date de naissance Jour/Mois/Année.

3.

Nombre de personnes voyageant avec vous.

4.

(a) Adresse Aux États-Unis (Destination ou nom de l‘hôtel) (b) Ville (c) Etat

5.

Lieu de délivrace du passeport (nom du pays)

6.

Numéro de passeport

7.

Pays de résidence

8.

Pays visités pendant ce voyage avant l‘arrivée aux aux Etats-Unis

9. Ligne aérienne / numéro du vol / Nom de vaisseau 10. Vous voyagez pour raison d‘affaires: OUI/NON 11.

Je suis / nous sommes porteurs de (a) fruits, plantes, produits alimentaires, insectes: OUI/NON (b) viandes, animaux, produits provenant d‘animaux ou d’animaux sauvages: OUI/NON (c) agents pouvant causer des maladies, cultures cellulaires, escargots: OUI/NON

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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WOW Power to the people

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.

This Space For Official Use Only

U.S. Customs and Border Protection Welcomes You to the United States

(d) terre. J‘ai / Nous avons visité une exploitation agricole en dehors des Etats-Unis: OUI/NON

12. J‘ai / nous avons touché ou traité du bétail: OUI/NON 13.

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) á plus de 10 000$ US: OUI/NON

14.

Je suis / nous sommes en possession de marchandises commerciales (articles des tinés à la vente, échantillon de démonstration ou tout autre article autresque des effets personnels): OUI/NON

15.

Résidents - la valeur totale des biens, y compris la marchandise commerciale, que j’ai/nous avons achetés ou acquis à l’étranger (y compris les cadeaux pour une autre personne, mais pas les articles envoyés aux États-Unis) et que je/ nous rapportons aux États-Unisest de: montant en USD

Customs Declaration

FORM APPROVED OMB NO.1651-0009

19 CFR 122.27, 148.12, 148.13, 148.110, 148.111, 1498; 31 CFR 5316

Each arriving traveler or responsible family member must provide the following information (only ONE written declaration per family is required).

The term "family" is defined as "members of a family residing in the same household who are related by blood, marriage, domestic relationship, or adoption."

1 Family Name Middle

First (Given) 2 Birth date

Month

Day

Year

3 Number of Family members traveling with you 4 (a) U.S. Street Address (hotel name/destination) (b) City 5 Passport issued by (country) 6 Passport number 7 Country of Residence 8 Countries visited on this trip prior to U.S. arrival 9 Airline/Flight No. or Vessel Name Yes

No

(a) fruits, vegetables, plants, seeds, food, insects:

Yes

No

(b) meats, animals, animal/wildlife products:

Yes

No

(c) disease agents, cell cultures, snails:

Yes

No

(d) soil or have been on a farm/ranch/pasture:

Yes

No

12 I have (We have) been in close proximity of livestock: Yes

No

11 I am (We are) bringing

(such as touching or handling) 13 I am (We are) carrying currency or monetary instruments over $10,000 U.S. or foreign equivalent:

Yes

No

Yes

No

(see definition of monetary instruments on reverse) 14 I have (We have) commercial merchandise: (articles for sale, samples used for soliciting orders, or goods that are not considered personal effects)

Visiteurs - La valeur totale de tous les articles qui resteront aux États-Unis, y compris la marchandise commerciale est de : USD Signez sur la ligne pour déclarer que votre déclaration est véridique.

15 RESIDENTS—the total value of all goods, including commercial merchandise I/we have purchased or acquired abroad, (including gifts for someone else but not items mailed to $ the U.S.) and am/are bringing to the U.S. is: VISITORS—the total value of all articles that will remain in the U.S., including commercial merchandise is:

$

Read the instructions on the back of this form. Space is provided to list all the items you must declare.

I HAVE READ THE IMPORTANT INFORMATION ON THE REVERSE SIDE OF THIS FORM AND HAVE MADE A TRUTHFUL DECLARATION.

X Signature

Deutsch

Die US-amerikanische Zollerklärung

Was ist das und warum muss ich dieses Formular ausfüllen?

Vor der Ankunft in den USA müssen Sie das Formular der US-Zoller­ klärung ausfüllen. Wenn Sie mit Ihrer Familie unterwegs sind, braucht nur das Familien­ober­haupt dieses Formular ausfüllen. Wenn Sie US-Boden betreten, übergeben Sie dieses Formular dem US-Zoll.

(c) State

10 The primary purpose of this trip is business:

U.S. Customs and Border Protection is responsible for protecting the United States against the illegal importation of prohibited items. CBP officers have the authority to question you and to examine you and your personal property. If you are one of the travelers selected for an examination, you will be treated in a courteous, professional, and dignified manner. CBP Supervisors and Passenger Service Representatives are available to answer your questions. Comment cards are available to compliment or provide feedback.

Important Information U.S. Residents—declare all articles that you have acquired abroad and are bringing into the United States.

Visitors (Non-Residents)—Declare the value of all articles that will remain in the United States.

Declare all articles on this declaration form and show the value in U.S. dollars. For gifts, please indicate the retail value.

Duty—CBP officers will determine duty. U.S. residents are normally entitled to a duty-free exemption of $800 on items accompanying them. Visitors (non-residents) are normally entitled to an exemption of $100. Duty will be assessed at the current rate on the first $1,000 above the exemption.

Agricultural and Wildlife Products—To prevent the entry of dangerous agricultural pests and prohibited wildlife, the following are restricted: Fruits, vegetables, plants, plant products, soil, meat, meat products, birds, snails, and other live animals or animal products. Failure to declare such items to a Customs and Border Protection Officer/ Customs and Border Protection Agriculture Specialist/Fish and Wildlife Inspector can result in penalties and the items may be subject to seizure.

Controlled substances, obscene articles, and toxic substances are generally prohibited entry.

Date (month/day/year)

CBP Form 6059B (04/14)

The transportation of currency or monetary instruments, regardless of the amount, is legal. However, if you bring in to or take out of the United States more than $10,000 (U.S. or foreign equivalent, or a combination of both), you are required by law to file a report on FinCEN 105 (formerly Customs Form 4790) with U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

Monetary instruments include coin, currency, travelers checks and bearer instruments such as personal or cashiers checks and stocks and bonds. If you have someone else carry the currency or monetary instrument for you, you must also file a report on FinCEN 105. Failure to file the required report or failure to report the total amount that you are carrying may lead to the seizure of all the currency or monetary instruments, and may subject you to civil penalties and/or criminal prosecution. SIGN ON THE OPPOSITE SIDE OF THIS FORM AFTER YOU HAVE READ THE IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOVE AND MADE A TRUTHFUL DECLARATION.

Wenn Sie auf Ihrer Reise Obst mit sich führen, empfehlen wir Ihnen, dies vor oder während dem Flug in die USA zu entsorgen. Aber was geschieht, wenn Sie eine dieser Fragen mit Ja beantworten? Das ist nicht so schrecklich, wie Sie vielleicht denken, und Ehrlichkeit spart Ihnen eine Menge Ärger und eine mögliche Geldstrafe von bis zu 300$. Siehe Seite 86 für weitere Informationen zur Antwort JA.

Bitte verwenden Sie beim Ausfüllen dieses Formulars nur Großbuchstaben.

Falls Sie einen Fehler machen wird Ihnen unsere Crew ein neues CBP Description of Articles (List may continue on another CBP Form 6059B) Value Use Only Formular geben.

Jeder ankommende Reisende bzw. jedes verantwortliche Familienmitglied muss die folgenden Angaben machen (es ist pro Familie nur EINE schriftliche Erklärung erforderlich) 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 CBP Form 6059B (04/14) (c) Staat

Total

PAPERWORK REDUCTION ACT STATEMENT: An agency may not conduct or sponsor an information collection and a person is not required to respond to this information unless it displays a current valid OMB control number. The control number for this collection is 1651-0009. The estimated average time to complete this application is 4 minutes. Your response is mandatory. If you have any comments regarding the burden estimate you can write to U.S. Customs and Border Protection Office of Regulations and Rulings, 90 K Street, NE, 10th Floor, Washington, DC 20229.

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

Issue two 85

rm

s Declaration Fo

The U.S. Custom 5.

Pass ausgestellt von (Land)

6.

Passnummer

7.

Ständiger Wohnsitz (Land)

8.

Auf dieser Reise besuchte Länder vor Ihrer Ankunft in den USA

(c) Krakheitserreger, Zellkulturen, Schnecken: JA/NEIN

(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

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: JA/NEIN

(b) Fleisch, Tiere, Tier- oder Wildprodukte: 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 Gegenstände zum persönlichen Gebrauch gelten): 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.

US-Bürger - der Gesamtwert aller Waren, einschließlich Handelswaren die ich/wir erworben habe(n) oder im Ausland erworben habe(n) (einschließlich Geschenke für andere, nicht aber Sendungen in die USA) und in die USA einführe(n) lautet: Betrag in US-$ Besucher - der Gesamtwert aller Artikel einschließlich Handelswaren, die in den USA verbleiben ist: $

Auf der Linie unterschreiben, um zu erklären, dass Sie eine wahrheitsgemäße Erklärung abgeben.

What happens if you say “Yes”?

Sometimes we just want to avoid trouble and think that saying NO to everything will make things easier. That’s not the case and in fact, it can even cause more problems, delays and even fines. Be truthful on your Customs Declaration form and all will be good. Worst case scenario they’ll confiscate your banana but we promise you can buy a new one once you’re out of the airport.

Yes to 11 (a), (b) or (c) Your customs officer will refer you to an agricultural specialist who will ask you additional questions and might ask to inspect your food items. In many cases, you’ll be allowed to take your food with you. This often depends on where you got the food and how it’s been processed. Fruits, vegetables and raw meats are usually confiscated. You can research ahead of time at canibringit.com which is a U.S. Government run site.

Yes to 11 (d) and/or no. 12: An agricultural specialist will ask to inspect the soil or clothes, shoes or luggage that has been in contact with livestock or farm soil to determine if they contain any dangerous organisms. If they find potentially dangerous substances they will disinfect your items before allowing you to bring them in. For bringing soil into the US, you need a permit.

Yes to no. 13 or 14: If you are carrying currency worth over $10,000 you will simply be given a special form to fill out for the Treasury Department.

For items intended for sale, you should have already filed a “formal entry” before embarking on your journey. You could do so “on the spot” but these matters are subject to many rules and regulations and can be complicated.

Français

Deutsch

Le formulaire de déclaration en douane américaine

Die US-amerikanische Zollerklärung

Que se passe-t-il si vous répondez « OUI » ?

Was passiert, wenn Sie JA sagen?

Certaines personnes semblent penser que répondre « non » à toutes les réponses leur évitera des ennuis. Ce n’est pas le cas et en fait, cela peut même vous causer plus de problèmes, des retards et des amendes. Dites la vérité sur votre formulaire de déclaration en douane et tout ira bien. Dans le pire des cas, ils confisqueront votre banane mais promis, vous pourrez en acheter une nouvelle à votre arrivée à l’aéroport.

Einige Leute nehmen an, dass sie keinerlei Ärger bekommen, wenn sie überall NEIN sagen.

Das ist nicht so. Tatsächlich kann dies sogar mehr Probleme, Verzögerungen und sogar Geldbußen verursachen. Seien Sie bei Ihrer Zollerklärung ehrlich, und alles wird gut. Im schlimmsten Fall konfisziert man Ihre Banane, aber wir versprechen Ihnen, dass Sie sich eine neue kaufen können, sobald Sie den Flughafen verlassen haben.

Oui aux questions 11 (a), (b) ou (c) Votre agent douanier vous dirigera vers un spécialiste agricole qui vous posera des questions supplémentaires et qui pourra inspecter vos fruits. Dans de nombreux cas, vous sera autorisé à garder votre nourriture. Cela dépend souvent de la provenance la nourriture et de la façon dont elle a été transformée. Les fruits, les légumes et la viande crue sont généralement confisqués. Vous pouvez faire des recherches avant de partir sur le site canibright.com qui est un site du gouvernement américain.

Oui aux questions 11 (d) et/ou 12 : Un spécialiste agricole inspectera la terre ou les vêtements, les chaussures ou les bagages qui ont été en contact avec du bétail ou le sol d’une ferme pour déterminer la présence d’organismes dangereux. S’il trouve des substances potentiellement dangereuses, il désinfectera vos objets avant de vous laisser les garder. Pour importer de la terre aux États-Unis, il vous faut un permis.

Oui aux questions 13 ou 14 : Si vous transportez des devises d’une valeur supérieure à 10 000 $, vous devrez simplement remplir un formulaire spécial pour le ministère des finances.

Pour les objets destinés à être vendus, vous devriez déjà avoir rempli un « formulaire d’entrée officielle » avant de prendre votre vol. Vous pouvez faire cela sur place mais ce genre de chose est soumis à de nombreuses règles et règlementations et peut être compliqué.

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Ja zu 11 (a), (b) oder (c) Ihr Zollbeamter wird Sie an einen Spezialisten für landwirtschaftliche Produkte weiterverweisen, der Ihnen zusätzliche Fragen stellen wird und evtl. darum bittet, Ihre Lebensmittel inspizieren zu dürfen. In vielen Fällen wird man Ihnen erlauben, Ihr Essen mitzunehmen. Oft hängt es davon ab, wo Sie die Lebensmittel erworben haben und wie sie verarbeitet wurden. Obst, Gemüse und rohes Fleisch werden in der Regel beschlagnahmt.

Sie können vor Abflug auf der Website der US-Regierung canibringit.com nachlesen, was erlaubt ist.

Ja bei 11 (d) und/oder Nr. 12: Ein Spezialist für landwirtschaftliche Produkte wird Sie darum bitten, die Erde oder die Kleidung, Schuhe oder das Gepäck inspizieren zu dürfen, welche(s) in Kontakt mit Tieren oder landwirtschaftlichem Boden war, um zu bestimmen, ob diese gefährliche Organismen enthalten. Wenn er potenziell gefährliche Stoffe findet, werden Ihre Gegenstände desinfiziert, bevor Sie die Erlaubnis erhalten, diese einzuführen. Für das Einführen von Erde in die USA benötigen Sie eine Genehmigung.

Ja bei Nr. 13 oder 14: Wenn Sie Bargeld im Wert von mehr als $10.000 mit sich führen, erhalten Sie einfach ein besonderes Formular, das Sie für das US Finanzministerium ausfüllen müssen.

Für Gegenstände, die für den Verkauf vorgesehen sind, sollten Sie bereits vor Ihrer Abreise eine „formelle Einfuhrgenehmigung“ einholen. Sie tun könnten dies auch „vor Ort“ erledigen, aber diese Vorgänge unterliegen vielen Regeln und können sehr kompliziert sein.

NATURE PARADISE IN BREIDAFJORDUR AND VESTMANNAEYJAR ICELAND'S LARGEST & SMALLEST INHABITED ISLANDS

brjánslækur flatey stykkishólmur

reykjavík

landeyjahöfn vestmannaeyjar

Issue two 87

Ireland

Northern Links From some of the world’s best links courses and legendary Irish hospitality to the Giant’s Causeway and Old Bushmills whiskey distillery, Ireland’s north is a great destination for a golf trip.

by Andrew Marshall Photos: Paul Marshall and as indicated

W

ith their unique characteristics, links golf courses retain their allure as the game’s original and purest form, and they come in no greater dramatic abundance than in the north of Ireland. These courses by the sea have all the quintessential ingredients— stunning ocean views, towering dunes, rumpled fairways, fast undulating greens, deep pot bunkers and ever-present winds.

Not golf for the fainthearted, to-be-sure, to-be-sure, to-be-sure.

Adding to the golfing experience are the friendly locals you meet at the courses, and let’s not forget the wonderful club­­house bars to enjoy a pint of Guinness while discussing the day’s round.

Adding to the golfing experience are the friendly locals you meet at the courses, and let’s not forget the wonderful club­­ house bars to enjoy a pint of Guinness while discussing the day’s round. What follows is a week-long golf journey that begins at Dublin Airport where we drive up the northeastern coast into Northern Ireland, head west along the Causeway Coast to the rugged Inishowen Peninsula and County Donegal back in Ireland, to play half a dozen top links courses.

The 18th green Ballyliffin’s Old Links

Other nearby attractions include the stunning Carrick-a-Rede swinging rope bridge that spans a gaping chasm between the coast and a small island, and the haunting ruins of 16th-century Dunluce Castle perched on the edge of a rocky headland.

Golfers at Castlerock Golf Club.

DAY 1: ARDGLASS – COUNTY DOWN From Dublin Airport we drive two hours north to the first course of our trip—Ard­ glass Golf Club. This spectacular old-style links and clifftop gem hugs a rugged headland on the County Down coastline, offering sea views from every hole. The par-3 12th is arguably the course’s signa­ture hole drawing comparisons with the famous 17th hole at Pebble Beach.

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WOW Power to the people

-(PHOTO CREDIT: Ballyliffin Golf Club)

The view from the elevated tee, with the backdrop of the Irish Sea and the majesty of the brooding Mourne Mountains as a backdrop, is worth the green fee alone.

Ardglass is home to the world’s oldest clubhouse—a 12th-century castle with a row of cannons in front.

Overnight: Slieve Donard Resort & Spa (Newcastle) www.ardglassgolfclub.com

DAY 2: PORTSTEWART – COUNTY ANTRIM It’s a claim that’s often made—Portstewart’s Strand course has arguably the best opening hole in Irish golf. Played from an elevated tee with topography that bucks and plunges like a raging river, this classic par-4 is a memorable start to a wonderful links peppered with plenty of testing holes.

In the afternoon, as a diversion from golf, we visit the spectacular UNESCO World Heritage-listed Giant’s Causeway, where hexagonal and octagonal rock pillars climb out of the Atlantic Ocean. Other nearby attractions include the stunning Carricka-Rede swinging rope bridge that spans a gaping chasm between the coast and a small island, and the haunting ruins of 16thcentury Dunluce Castle perched on the edge of a rocky headland.

The Giant’s Causeway.

The Bushmills Inn is an excellent base for golfers.

Overnight: Bushmills Inn (Bushmills) www.portstewartgc.co.uk

DAY 3: ROYAL PORTRUSH – COUNTY ANTRIM As Royal Portrush Golf Club first comes into view round a curve in the County Antrim Coast Road, it provides us with the

Ballyliffin’s Glashedy Links (7th and 8th holes).

(PHOTO CREDIT: Ballyliffin Golf Club)

From some of the world’s best links courses and legendary Irish hospitality to the Giant’s Causeway and Old Bushmills whiskey distillery, Ireland’s north is a great destination for a golf trip.

magical sight of its green fairways hiding among shaggy-topped dunes and the great headland of Inishowen contrasting vividly with the low line of the Skerries and the sea beyond. Established in May 1888 Royal Portrush’s Dunluce course is in the World’s Top 20 and a great test for any golfer. It hosted the British Open in 1951, and in 2019 it will be home once again to the prestigious championship. A hole that typifies Royal Portrush is the standout 14th known as Calamity Corner. This testing 210 yards par-3, calls for a long carry over an 80-foot ravine to reach the green. Don’t be ashamed of taking a four here—threes are as rare as an unfriendly Irishman.

Overnight: Bushmills Inn (Bushmills) www.royalportrushgolfclub.com

DAY 4: CASTLEROCK – COUNTY LONDONDERRY The following morning we enjoy a full Irish breakfast before taking a pilgrimage to nearby Old Bushmills—the birthplace of Irish whiskey (dating from 1608) and the oldest licensed whiskey distillery in the world. After taking a tour and sampling a few whiskeys in the distillery bar, our fourth round awaits us at Castlerock Golf Club’s Mussenden Links situated further west along the Causeway Coast. Founded in 1901, this historic links set amid tall sand dunes beside the picturesque River Bann estuary will test every facet of your game.

After enjoying a 19th-hole pint, we drive to Magilligan Point to board the car ferry to Greencastle back in Ireland. A scenic drive northwest across the Inishowen Peninsula takes us to the village of Ballyliffin and our bed for the night.

18th green and clubhouse - Ballyliffin's Glashedy Links. (PHOTO CREDIT: Ballyliffin Golf Club)

The par-5 11th Ardglass Golf Club.

Overnight: Ballyliffin Lodge & Spa (Ballyliffin) www.castlerockgc.co.uk

original course in 1893, and over a century later came the equally inspiring18 holes of Sandy Hills designed by Pat Ruddy.

Sandy Hills is a course of gargantuan proportions that weaves through a maze of the tallest and shaggiest dunes on the coast. One hole that will etch itself in the memory is the par-4 6th, where you drive over a crest then look down at the emerald green below with a stunning panorama of Muckish Mountain, Sheephaven Bay and the golden beach of Tramore. Sandy Hills at Rosapenna isn’t your average layout; it’s a golfing adventure on a brilliant course and a fitting finale to our “Northern Links” golf trip...

Overnight: McGrory’s (Culdaff)

DAY 5: BALLYLIFFIN – COUNTY DONEGAL A remarkable 36 holes meander through this most beguiling of links land, with rocky outcrops, perfect greens and enchanting views of the coast. Designed by Mother Nature (with some tweaks by Sir Nick Faldo), the classic Old Links undulates in the glory of its natural terrain. The rippling fairways give the course a unique character, and it’s the type of place where you can imagine the golfing forefathers striding along the sheep-cropped turf with their hickory clubs. The more recent Glashedy Links is fashioned around the incredible dunes on higher ground above and beyond the Old Links, offering stunning views as you play.

The course kicks off with a trio of long par4’s and from there the challenges never let up—making it a worthy venue for the 2018 Dubai Duty-Free Irish Open held in early July.

Old Tom Morris laid out the original course in 1893, and over a century later came the equally inspiring18 holes of Sandy Hills designed by Pat Ruddy.

www.rosapenna.ie

Dunluce Castle.

North and west coast links For more information and a variety of golf packages to play courses in Ireland’s north and northwest coastal regions, please visit: www.northandwestcoastlinks.com

Aerial shot of the Dunluce Course - Royal Portrush.

(PHOTO CREDIT: Royal Portrush Golf Club)

Overnight: Rosapenna Hotel & Golf Resort (Rosapenna) www.ballyliffingolfclub.com The stunning Carrick-a-Rede swinging rope bridge that spans a gaping chasm between the coast and a small island used by fishermen.

DAY 6: ROSAPENNA – COUNTY DONEGAL We are now way up in the northwest corner of Ireland, where the hands of the golfing greats have shaped and molded the links at Rosapenna. Old Tom Morris laid out the

Ireland certainly is on par when it comes to golf so pack your clubs and start planning your dream golf vacation.

A golfer heads to the next tee at Royal Portrush.

WOW air offers cheap flights to Dublin, Ireland from USA and Canada, every day of the week, all year round.

Issue two 89

American road trip

Lincoln Park Bridge Chicago.

Photo: jaskoomerovic

From Boston to Chicago: A road trip guide There’s nothing more American than a road trip. Here are five places you can’t miss on your journey between two great WOW destinations: Boston and Chicago.

by Krista Connor Photos: iStockphoto.com

ADIRONDACK MOUNTAINS About four hours from Boston, take a break and embrace nature at the Great Sa­­­candaga Lake, one of the Adirondack Moun­­tains’ largest lakes measuring 29 miles long and up to five miles wide. A very popular vacation and camping destination, the lake is ideal for outdoor adventure, of course, offering plenty of options during every season. If you can’t lug camping gear with you, get a hotel room at any of the nearby towns of Broadalbin, Edinburg, West Day,

Fall colors at the Adirondack Mountains. Photo: BHamms

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Conklingville, Batchellerville, Fayville and Fish House, among others, and enjoy the north’s rustic charms before continuing west on your journey.

OLD ERIE CANAL & SENECA FALLS A three-hour drive west brings you to the Old Erie Canal State Historic Park, in East Syracuse, N.Y., which at first glance may not be draw-dropping alluring, but is an important historic and geographic site which connected the East Coast with the Midwest through trade and travel in the 1800s. The park encompasses a 36-mile segment of the original, iconic Erie Canal, and also includes restored segments of the canal’s waterway and towpath which were in active use between 1825 and 1917. The resurfaced towpath is great for biking and hiking, or if you have a canoe or kayak on hand, you can cruise down the canal like it’s 1862.

Nearby, visit Seneca Falls, N.Y., a fascinating city with deep roots in social and religious

The Women’s Rights Move­ ment officially began here with the first Convention on Women’s Rights at the Wesleyan Chapel on Fall Street.

reform. In the 1800s, supporters of the Und­­ erground Railroad were very active here and the area became a hotbed of anti-slav­­ery activism in the years preceding the Civil War. Arguments for women’s rights would come from experiences in the anti-slavery move­­­ ment, and in the mid-1800s, the Women’s Rights Movement officially began here with the first Convention on Women’s Rights at the Wesleyan Chapel on Fall Street. The

Seneca Knitting Mills factory which closed in 1999 and will re-open this year as the Center for Great Women. Photo: jfbenning.

There’s nothing more American than a road trip. Here are five places you can’t miss on your journey between two great WOW destinations: Boston and Chicago.

Niagara Falls on a beautiful summer’s day. Photo: JANIFEST

Niagara is actually made up of three different waterfalls—Horseshoe Falls, American Falls and Bridal Veil Falls—which, unsurprisingly, make up the biggest falls in North America.

For an adventurous spin on the experience, hop onto one of the many ferries which explore the Niagara River below. You’ll get so close to the base of the falls that you’ll definitely get drenched—a nice road-trip wake up, right?

CLEVELAND

Cleveland’s Rock n’Roll Hall of fame. Photo: Sean Board

Women’s Rights National Historical Park embodies the movement: Guests can visit the first Women’s Rights Convention site and the Elizabeth Cady Stanton House, the National Women’s Hall of Fame and more.

NIAGARA FALLS Get back out into the sunshine at the legendary Niagara Falls, straddling the international border between Ontario, Canada and New York State. It may be a tourist trap but it’s one you have to visit at least once in your lifetime, right?

Get back out into the sunshine at the legendary Niagara Falls, straddling the international border between Ontario, Canada and New York State.

Next, sidle on over to Cleveland, Ohio, after a three-and-a-half-hour drive, for a taste of some of America’s greatest music throug­­hout the decades. Cleveland is most notably home to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, which is located downtown on the shore of Lake Erie. Why is this place so important? Because it documents the best-known and most important artists and influencers in the rock and roll industry. Most recent inductees into the Hall of Fame for this year include Bon Jovi, The Cars, Dire Straits and The Moody Blues.

Want to meet or split up here? WOW air off­­ers flights to and from Cleveland four times a week starting this May.

DETROIT Despite its notoriety for suffering from severe urban blight, this city, nearly three hours west of Cleveland, is undergoing a renaissance with young entrepreneurs at the helm. Lonely Planet has named it the world’s second-best city to visit in 2018. LP says that young creative types jump­­-started the scene when they began transforming the slew of abandoned build­­ings into distilleries, bike shops and galleries, which prompted more posi­­­tive change like the construction of parks, sports arenas, hotels, and more. Plus, something significant was born here besides 20th-century mass auto­­motive production (think Ford, Chrysler, etc.).

Here, Motown music took the world by storm, and you can visit the Motown Museum which was originally the recording studio and residence of producer Berry Gordy and Motown Records.

Calling it quits or just getting started?

WOW air offers flights to and from Detroit four times a week starting at the end of April.

After nearly five more hours on the road, you’ll reach The Windy City where, if you’re ready for it, a new adventure begins.

Planes, trains and automobiles, an American road trip doesn’t need to be a full circle.

Fly to one city and drive to the next. WOW air will pick you up.

WOW air offers cheap flights to several cities in the US, such as Boston, Chicago, Cleveland and Detroit. Find your flights and your US destinations at wowair.com

Issue two 91

France wine country

Eat, drink and be very merry A train ride from Paris to the storybook town of Beaune, the epicenter of wine in the medieval region of Burgundy, unveils an enduring culture with a love for the good things in life Text and photos: Krista Connor

V

incent Martin and his young son Gaspard wade through a tangle of brambles toward the low stone wall, momentarily lost in the sunset glare.

They gracefully scale the wall and slip into the vineyard beyond, surrounded by pine forest; I follow along after a minor scuffle with thorns and admittedly, with much less ease.

WHIMSICAL ADVENTURES Breaking and entering alongside my hotel proprietor certainly wasn’t on my to-do list today, which up until now has consisted of more of the same thing: eating, drinking local wines and meandering through the medieval village of Beaune, currently out of sight downhill. But as everything seems to go in Burgundy, this adventure is merely whimsical. Martin is part of a family of winemakers and we’re only trespassing in his father’s vineyard. If we were really intruders, I don’t doubt that we’d be greeted with a friendly bellow and a loaf of freshly-baked bread and, if lucky, a bottle of grand cru to share. That’s just how it seems to be here—unhappiness is hard to come by.

Gaspard darts from plot to plot to show me their truffle plantation made up of 600 trees, and we pluck fresh raspberries from the vine. In time, the vineyard will yield 3,000 bottles of wine. I can’t help but feel that everyone I meet here has a touch of creative genius, be they baker, winemaker, cook, market vendor, or, most likely, all of the above combined.

Surrounded by some of the world’s most famous wine villages, Beaune takes the title of “Capital of Burgundy Wines.”

WINE CENTER I’m staying with my mom at La Terre d’Or, Martin’s family-owned bed and breakfast.

It’s located on the hill midway between the family’s forested land and a panoramic swath of vineyards sloping down to the walled village of Beaune, three hours southeast of Paris.

Surrounded by some of the world’s most famous wine villages, Beaune takes the title of “Capital of Burgundy Wines,” thanks to its pinot noir, chardonnay and limestone soil.

Only a small dot on the map—the entire Burgundy region accounts for a quarter of one percent of wine production worldwide— Beaune is one of the most important wine centers in France. At La Terre d’Or alone, a revolving door of specialists and importers take up residence throughout the year. The openness of the countryside extends beyond the physical space. Here, where you’d think the competition between winemakers would be thickest there’s an interconnectedness. I learn this, one afternoon from the back seat

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F

eldur Workshop is a family business created and operated by furrier Heiðar Sigurðsson and his wife Kristín Birgisdóttir. They specialize in the design and production of genuine high-quality fur garments and accessories.

The main ambition of the business is to produce beautiful designs from prime quality fur that are both classic and modern.

Feldur Workshop also provides mending services for fur coats and other fur articles. This service is a part of their desire to make their creations and fur products in general, items that will last a lifetime and even be passed on to the next generation.

The highlight for many visitors is the opportunity to observe the master furrier himself.

Feldur Workshop is located at Snorrabraut 56 in downtown Reykjavik. The workshop is both a stylish and cosy, displaying some of the fur products they‘ve designed, while others are handmade on site.

If you are interested in seeing Feldur Workshop’s products, we recommend a visit to the workshop on Snorrabraut 56. Alternatively, there are a number of stores in Iceland that carry a selection of their items which you also can see online at www.feldur.is.

SHOP SNORRABRAUT 56 | T. 588 0488 | FELDUR.IS Issue two 93

France wine country of a Land Rover that’s jostling uphill through the region’s ubiquitous rolling vineyards.

TERROIR AND CLIMAT In most wine regions like Bordeaux, one winemaker would own a sprawling vineyard, but that’s not necessarily the case here. Our guide, Robert Pygott, explains Burgundy’s distinct tradition of climat. Here, there are more than 1,000 fragmented plots and each could be owned by a different winemaker, sometimes with histories dating to Roman antiquity. The method is intentional, not haphazard. Because terroir varies wildly here, one small plot with its own microclimate and geological condition could produce a wine unlike another just a few rows away.

LOCAL SURPRISES Today with Pygott, co-owner of Burgundy Discovery which works closely with small, family-run vineyards that rarely receive casual visitors, we chat with the down-toearth, unstuffy owners of Domaine Dujardin, Domaine Lejeune and Domaine Glantenay.

Pygott says most of these local producers don’t sell to stores or restaurants and definitely don’t export. “No need to because they easily sell it all locally,” says Pygott. It’s almost a relief to hear the region is safely tucked away within itself in cyclic tradition.

At Domaine Dujardin, winemaker Ulrich Dujardin shows us his cellar, which was once used by 12th-century monks of the same profession. Dusty bottles and timestained barrels line the walls as they may have almost a thousand years ago. Back at La Terre d’Or, Martin reveals a surprise of his own: Beneath the B&B, a dug-out grotto dates to the same time period. The Martins have expanded the cave, so in maneuvering down the basement steps you’ve wandered into a chilly cavern. One that houses hundreds of wine bottles. And there’s a Jacuzzi.

And then we head down the hill into Beaune, made up of a traditional architectural character so perfectly distressed, slightly lopsided, and partially unhinged, with café tables and chairs tumbling effortlessly onto sidewalks outside. The pace of life is slow.

It’s not unusual to spot a lone pedestrian stop at a restaurant, slowly drink a glass of Perrier and continue on out of sight. Foreign tourists, while plentiful, don’t drain the town of its personality.

Like its counterpart, at its culinary core Beaune is steeped in tradition. Think bœuf or lamb shank bourguignon, coq au vin or escargots de Bourgogne. Mother-daughter duo Marjorie Taylor and Kendall Smith Franchini of cooking school The Cook’s Atelier point out that this steadfast hold onto custom is actually what makes the region so special. “Burgundy is still very traditional, but more importantly, we have access to many small farms and artisan food producers,” says Marjorie. “As cooks, we feel the connection to the farmer is the most important part of creating good food. In this age of homogenization and convenience, it’s important to not take them for granted and to hang on to traditions such as these to preserve them for the future.”

Based out of a shop close to the town center, the women have created their gathering place to share their love of food and wine. Each Saturday the pair guides guests through the iconic Beaune market to purchase from their favorite food producers.

Then they spend the day teaching classic French cooking techniques. Their first cookbook—The Cook’s Atelier—is out this April.

GOOD THINGS COME IN PAIRS A region so revered for its wine can only be matched by one thing: food. Each morning we’re met at breakfast on the terrace by assistant manager Fabrizio Rastelletti who chats about our plans for the day and offers thoughtful suggestions while setting out coffee, cheese, croissants and charcuterie.

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At Domaine Dujardin, wine­­­ maker Ulrich Dujardin shows us his cellar, which was once used by 12th-century monks of the same profession. Dusty bottles and timestained barrels line the walls as they may have almost a thousand years ago.

HOW TO GET THERE Take the vintage regional train (TER) from Paris to Beaune for a scenic ride. High-speed trains (TGV) are faster though pricier.

WHERE TO STAY La Terre d’Or La Montagne, Rue Izembart, 21200 Beaune laterredor.com TOURS La Terre d’Or Exceptional, engaging tours through the eyes of lifelong locals; visit close-knit, hard-toaccess wineries, along with nearby villages, estates and more. (For info, see above.)

Burgundy Discovery Visit area vineyards, meet winemakers, and experience dining and exploring like a local.

Rue des Forges, 21350 St. Thibault, Beaune; burgundydiscovery.com The Cook’s Atelier Explore the iconic Beaune market and take a cooking class with ingredients from the morning’s find.

43 Rue de Lorraine, 21200 Beaune; thecooksatelier.com

Later on, in the morning, as we are about to leave Beaune, La Terre d’Or’s Rastelletti offers one last bit of irrefutable logic as we mourn our pending departure from these country breakfasts. “You want a real French breakfast all the time?” he asks. “What you do is find a French man, marry him and move to France so you can eat these delicious foods every single day.”

Glorious wine and food, rolling vineyards and the magnificent slow pace of country living … sounds like a vacation in heaven to us.

WOW air offers cheap flights to Paris, France from USA and Canada, every day of the week all year round. During the summer months we also offer flights to Lyon, which is closer to Burgundy, 3 times a week.

“The Icelandic Museum of Rock 'n' Roll is as eccentric in its telling as the tale it celebrates.”

David Fricke, Rolling Stone.

THE ICELANDIC MUSEUM OF ROCK 'N' ROLL

Visit Iceland's largest music museum and enjoy our history of Icelandic rock and pop music.

Browse through the timeline of Icelandic pop and rock music with the Rock 'n' Roll app on Ipads, spend time in our soundlab, cinema, karaoke booth, gift store, exhibitions or simply grab a cup of coffee at our café (free wifi!).

The museum is located in Keflavík only 5 minutes away from Keflavík International Airport.

Open daily from 11am - 6pm For more go to rokksafn.is

The Icelandic Museum of Rock 'n' Roll

Issue two 95

New York – New York

T

he subway is an attraction in itself and you will inevi­­ tably spend much of your vacation time check­­ing out routes and ducking in and out of the various stations, armed with a MetroCard and a copy of the iconic subway map. Here are 5 of the best free NYC activities.

TAKE THE HIGH ROAD Once an abandoned and unsightly stretch of elevated railroad track, the High Line was transformed in 2009 into a snaking day park, suspended 9 met­ers above the ground connecting the Meatpacking District with Chelsea’s market and art galleries. From wonderful views of the Hudson River to lush gardens, art installations and sculptures, this shining example of urban renewal is full of hidden moments and perspectives. Architecture fans will love looking down 18th Street, and over at 17th and 30th Streets, steel cut-outs frame the scenes below.

After experiencing this unmissable free attraction, explore Chelsea’s nearby art galleries situated mainly around 21st to 24th Streets and 10th to 11th Avenues, and time your visit for wine-and-cheese openings on Thursday evenings.

Museum of Modern Art (MoMA).

Colourful mosaic mural at one of New York city’s subway stations.

14th Street and 8th Avenue A WALK IN THE PARK

Central Park.

Big Apple – Small Budget Enjoying many of the Big Apple’s biggest attractions like the Empire State Building, a Broadway show or the Guggenheim Museum can be expensive. However, purchasing a seven-day, unlimited ride, $32 MetroCard on New York’s subway system, opens up a world of free experiences.

by Andrew Marshall Photos: Paul Marshall

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Just like most ordinary parks, New York’s Central Park is free to visit, but Central Park is no ordinary park. This 340-hectare swathe of green is jam-packed with free events, points of inter­est, familiar scenes from the movies and some of the world’s best people-watching.

It would be easy to spend loads of time here. Some top picks to get you started include a visit to Strawberry Fields, a tranquil garden area created by Yoko Ono in memory of John Lennon, a free Shakespeare in the Park production at the Delacorte Theater during July or August, picnicking in Sheep Meadow, strolling the Literary Walk or watching street performers at the ornate Bethesda Terrace and Fountain.

The High Line.

51st Street Subway Station

A visitor checks out a Jackson Pollock painting at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMa).

Street and 7th Avenue A NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) showcases arguably the most comprehensive collection of modern masterpieces on the planet including classics such as Van Gogh’s Starry Night, Andy Warhol’s Campbell’s Soup Cans and Jackson Pollock’s

New York City subway map.

Enjoying many of the Big Apple’s biggest attractions like the Empire State Building, a Broadway show or the Guggenheim Museum can be expensive.

One. Although the usual cost is $25 for adults; it’s free every Friday between 4 pm and 8 pm. Whether you have one hour or four hours to visit the galleries, it helps to have a plan. If it’s a short visit, concentrate on a specific collection or explore a special exhibition in depth.

If you have more time, then endeavor to explore the MoMA from top to bottom, see a film or stroll through the Sculpture Garden.

53rd Street and 5th Avenue

Staten Island Ferry & Statue of Liberty.

After leaving the southern tip of Manhattan’s financial district, the ferry takes about 25-minutes to make the 29 kilometer crossing to Staten Island, where most visitors simply hop back on for the return journey to experience more city skyscraper views that are even more dramatic.

WHO PAYS THE FERRYMAN? Every Big Apple visitor wants to see the Statue of Liberty, but with cruise tours of New York Harbor costing as much as a seven-day MetroCard, for a free alternative, join commuters on the Staten Island Ferry to enjoy spectacular vistas of the Manhattan Skyline and glimpses of Ellis Island, Governors Island and the Statue of Liberty. After leaving the southern tip of Manhattan’s financial district, the ferry takes about 25-minutes to make the 29 kilometer crossing to Staten Island, where most visitors simply hop back on for the return journey to experience more city skyscraper views that are even more dramatic.

A BRIDGE TOO FAR Built entirely from granite and completed in 1873, the Brooklyn Bridge with its distinctive pointed arches is one of those iconic landmarks that make New York, New York. Strolling the 1,600-meter span of this graceful bridge that links Manhattan with Brooklyn is a rite of passage for New Yorkers and visitors alike. Well recommended is to first take the subway to High Street Station on the Brooklyn side and walk back across the bridge to Manhattan.

Early evening in good light can be particularly atmospheric; the shifting perspectives of Manhattan’s skyscrapers seen through the intricate struts of the bridge are a-dreamcome-true for creative photographers.

High Street

Chelsea Market.

Brooklyn Bridge.

Get the most for your plane ticket and discover New York for the price of a train ticket— it’s more than worth it.

South Ferry

WOW air offers cheap flights to New York (both Newark and JFK*) every day of the week from multiple European cities. Find your flight at wowair.com *WOW air’s service to JFK airport starts in May 2018.

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Issue two 97

Jerusalem, holy city

The Western Wall and it’s prayer plaza. Beyond the wall the Dome of the Rock glitters in the sunset. Photo: VanderWolf-Images

Gathering at the Western Wall Getting invited on an adventure trip to Israel was a dream come true, and it turned out to be one of the most magical trips I’ve ever taken. Israel amazed me to the nth degree.

by Guðrún Vaka Helgadottir Photos: iStockphoto.com

T

he flight from Keflavik to Tel Aviv takes almost 7 hours but as we were heading eastward it wasn’t too hard. For flights between North America and Israel, I’d recommend taking a stopover in Iceland when heading west; it’s a great way to even out the jet lag and time difference.

JERUSALEM CALLING After landing at Ben Gurion Airport we were whisked away to the fabled city of Jerusalem, only about an hour and a half’s drive. The city was shrouded in darkness when we arrived and we were assigned to our rooms at the famous King David Hotel (where almost every leader of the world plus a legion of rock, pop and movie stars have stayed when visiting Israel).

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Having been raised in a Christian en­ viron­ment one imagines the tales of Christianity to have happened almost in a fairytale world that mere mortals can’t visit. I never expected to see Jerusalem with my own eyes, nor did I think Golgotha really existed, or Jesus’ empty tomb for that matter. All these places mentioned in the Bible I found in Jerusalem and I think that even if you’re not a believer, visiting Jerusalem is like visiting an ancient movie set; you can’t help but feel star-struck even if you didn’t like the film.

During our exploration of Jerusalem, we also learned a lot about Jewish history and religion, for instance why Jews gather at the Western Wall. The walls role in Judaism had remained a mystery to me since I was a kid and never did

The flight from Keflavik to Tel Aviv takes almost 7 hours but as we were heading eastward it wasn’t too hard. For flights between North America and Israel, I’d recommend taking a stopover in Iceland when heading west; it’s a great way to even out the jet lag and time difference.

the news anchors of my youth explain its importance or the reason it was called The Wailing Wall. Coming over here and finally gaining insight into this part of Jewish history and culture was eye-opening.

THE MOST HOLY OF HOLIES In the Old City of Jerusalem, inside the ruins of what was once the Second Jewish Temple, on a hill called the Temple Mount there is an octagonal Muslim shrine with a golden dome, known as The Dome of the Rock. The shrine is one of the most beautiful buildings in the city and among the best-recognized landmarks of Jerusalem. The site is considered the third holiest place in the Islamic religion but it is built on the holiest site in the world according to Judaism, as the site is believed to hold the rock from which God created the Universe. On this site, God gathered the dust used to create the first human, and this is also the place where God’s divine presence is manifested more than in any other and toward which Jews turn during prayer. Muslims believe in the site’s significance connected to the creation of the Earth but also in connection to Muhammed’s ascension to Heaven and return back to the Earth with the order to pray 5 times a day.

ONCE UPON A TIME …

The First (Jewish) Temple, known as the Temple of Solomon, stood on the Temple Mount according to the Bible. It was built

Getting invited on an adventure trip to Israel was a dream come true, and it turned out to be one of the most magical trips I’ve ever taken. Israel amazed me to the nth degree.

by King Solomon (son of King David) in 957 BCE and destroyed

by Babylonians in 586 BCE. The Second (Jewish) Temple was constructed in 516 BCE and then greatly expanded by King Herod. It was destroyed during the Roman Siege of Jerusalem in 70 CE.

in Judaism and has become a place of pilgrimage for Jews. Any visitor to the Western Wall, Jewish or non-Jewish, will no doubt be affected by witnessing the devout in fervent prayer, even openly sobbing, rocking back and forth and reciting Torah passages. It is important to be respectful of those praying and follow the rules, dress code and customs of this holy place. Don’t be surprised seeing people walking backward away from the Wall. It is a Jewish custom to never turn your back on the Wall as it is considered disrespectful to turn away. This also symbolizes not turning your back on your prayer to God.

In the Second Temple period, the shrine to the most Holy of Holies was a T-shaped building that only a high priest could enter once a year on Yom Kippur (The Day of Atonement). Jews believed that at the westernmost part of the building lay the Foundation Stone and also God’s divine presence. This shrine was destroyed during the Roman Siege and although most would guess that the Holy of Holies lies beneath the Dome of the Rock, it’s exact location is not known and therefore part of Orthodox Jewry completely avoid climbing up to Temple Mount, to prevent from accidentally stepping on the holy place or any sanctified areas.

When King Solomon built the Temple he specifically asked God to heed the prayers of all who were drawn to the Temple, not just Jews. The prophet Isaiah said that the Temple Mount was “a house of prayer for all nations.” Jewish or non-Jewish are therefore welcome to write a prayer or wish on a piece of paper and place it in the wall. In the cracks of the Western Wall you will see thousands of little wadded notes sticking out with the wishes and prayers of visitors. It is estimated that over a million notes are placed in the wall each year.

In the first few centuries after having been cast out of Jerusalem, Jews were allowed to worship on the Mount of Olives and occasi­ onally near the Temple Mount. Later they were given permission to enter the city once a year, on the ninth day of the month of Av, to lament the loss of the Temple. Jews then gathered by the Western Wall of the temple to pray, as close to the Holy of Holies as they could get.

The Western Wall is also known as The Crying Wall or the Wailing Wall, referring to the practice of Jews weeping at the site over the destruction of the Temple and the loss of national freedom it sym­­bolized, but this term is now being less used as it is considered derogatory. To this day, and for the past 2000 years, Jews, wherever they are in the world, pray “next year in Jerusalem” on the Passover, which for many represents their hope that the Temple will be rebuilt in Jerusalem, signaling the coming of the Messiah.

It should be noted that the history of the Western Wall in connection to Jewish traditions is, of course, more nuanced so getting a good and knowledgeable guide with a flair for history is greatly recommended for your first day in the city. I was fortunate to receive the excellent guidance of Eli Gertner (www. eligu­ide.com) who turned out to be extremely passionate and wellversed in the country’s religious and cultural history.

VISITING THE WESTERN WALL The Western Wall is venerated as the sole remnant of the Holy Temple

UNDER THE WALL Jerusalem has been conquered, sacked and rebuilt several times by different nations and kings. This is a layered city with a long and complicated history where a new layer has been built upon the old, time and time again. Nowhere is this more evident than if you take a tour of the Western Wall tunnel. The tunnel exposes the full length of the Western Wall and is located under buildings of the Old City of Jerusalem. Revealing the methods of construction and the various activities in the vicinity of the Temple Mount, the excavation of the tunnels in the 19th century also included many archeological discoveries.

The tunnel is in part narrow so the claustrophobic should stay outside on the Western Wall Plaza and continue with their prayers. The guided tour through the tunnel begins with a short video explaining how the Old City was built on top of an even older city before taking you in further and deeper along the wall and finally through the recently made northern exit.

Notes with prayers fill every crevice and crack of the Western Wall.

A model of old Jerusalem and the Second Temple. The Western Wall faces towards the camera, behind the wall, the Holy of Holies.

We could all stand to broaden our minds. In Jerusalem, you can learn about three different (and yet in many ways similar) religions and walk on the setting of many holy scriptures.

WOW air offers cheap flights to Tel Aviv, Israel, three times a week, all year round. A bus ride from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem takes only 1 ½ hour. Find your flight at wowair.com.

Issue two 99

Scene and heard

A perfect spot to do a little reading. Photo: iStockphoto / PorqueNoStudios

Seeking San Fran’s Literati San Francisco has long been championed as the bona fide American literary star, casting a shadow even over glittering New York City’s Greenwich Village and Brooklyn writing circles and deeply appreciated Chicago and Marfa, Texas scenes.

By Alexandra Pereira

W

hen you think of American literature, you might think of Wolfe, Steinbeck and Ginsberg. You most certainly won’t escape Kerouac, Miller and Bukowski. And it all began in San Fran. Maybe it’s the warm climate and the moody fog that keeps beckoning writers and readers alike—but the Bay Area’s ever-changing lit scene today is as fastpaced, diverse and electrifying as it always was, making for a fantastically inspiring, conveniently reached travel destination. Browse bookstores, attend open mics and cast your imagination to the Beat Generation days at Bay Area landmarks.

Lawrence Ferlinghetti founder of City Lights Bookstore.

Photo: Courtesy of City Lights Books

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STEPPING BACK IN TIME Book yourself a room at Seal Rock Inn close to Golden Gate Park, where Hunter S Thompson was barricaded in to finish Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and watch the waters crash against the rocks. Look out for dolphins. Make some notes on your blossoming travel memoir and head out to North Beach.

At City Lights Bookstore on Columbus Avenue, founded by Lawrence Ferlinghetti and Peter D. Martin in 1953, one enters a dreamlike state. That’s because it’s a place that reminds us so much of a time when things were different—a period where bookstores were legitimately babysitting spots. Yep. I’m shown around by born and bred San Franciscan, punk rocker Ray Vaughan, who grew up playing within the walls of this landmark indie shop and publisher.

“I was a very active child, horrible really and a pain for my parents to deal with. We’d dine out most Sundays, feeding me quickly, then my Dad would walk me a few doors down to City Lights and drop me off. The staff was always very friendly

I remember… It was smaller than it is now, and I’d settle in and thumb through the books till my dad would come back and collect me. I was captivated, watching the world come and go below my loft-like nook. Looking back, I imagine all the writers and Beats that might have been hanging around. Great memory of a city that was safe and accepting of all who passed through…”

Ray would be sitting on the floor surrounded by discarded pages as Burroughs and friends reeled off obscenities on typewriters and spilled coffee. As for the coffee, there’s only one place to go and thumb through your recent purchases. Find small tables on the sunny pavement outside the legendary Caffe Trieste. The flagship house at North Beach hosts poets and writers almost nightly, and all around are competing beat­­en-up, fabulous bars and restaurants with tired walls, humming ceiling fans and live jazz blaring out. Sample the Americano with hazelnut liqueur.

Seal Rock Inn and Restaurant, 545 Point Lobos Ave City Lights Bookstore and Publisher, 261 Columbus Ave Caffe Trieste, 609 Vallejo St

San Francisco has long been championed as the bona fide American literary star, casting a shadow even over glittering New York City’s Greenwich Village and Brooklyn writing circles and deeply appreciated Chicago and Marfa, Texas scenes.

This, the city that is still full of buzz and new horizons, has to be scratched a little below the surface of the new money to find that a dazzling lit scene still does exist, and is bubbling away. It’s a new era for the San Francisco literati and now more than ever, ardent writers both young and old want their voices heard.

FACT OR FICTION? “I still wonder how much I actually really remember, and how much is just illusion conjured up by the myths of what San Francisco used to be…” Ray muses. Such is the magic of books. The stories and worlds, minds and imaginations they allow us to enter. Is reading not the ultimate travel experience? Like many Californians, he’s a radiant and expressive storyteller, with an inimitable air of laid-back cool that can only be compared to that of the beatniks. But did he really sit and pester the greats at City Lights? Who knows? Who cares, shrugs Ray, “Either way like my dad use to say, ‘truth be damned, a good story is a good story!’”

Now, the Bay Area, of course, has its own realities that are firmly rooted in fact over fiction. It’s a rapidly changing landscape where creativity still presides, but alongside multibillion-dollar social and technical enterprises with suited and booted, squeaky-clean looking celebrity entrepreneurs reigning over the lauded, filthy, lumberjack-shirted beatniks of yesteryear. It’s a confused place where Tibetan shops and hippy philo­­sophies run adjacent to con­­servative, commercial enterprises. (Last summer, I was invited to a dropbox party in a multimillion-dollar condo the same day as I attended the How Weird Summer of Love anniversary street fair. I’ll allow you, the reader, to guess where I found the glittered­­-up nudists and fun). This, the city

that is still full of buzz and new horizons, has to be scratched a little below the surface of the new money to find that a dazzling lit scene still does exist, and is bubbling away. It’s a new era for the San Francisco literati and now more than ever, ardent writers both young and old want their voices heard. Caffe Trieste is just one of the hundreds of stops to hear live readings of essays, fiction, poetry and the spoken word around the city. Among other greats to have chosen this city to sound off in have been Naomi Wolf, Alice Walker, Rebecca Solnit, Isabel Allende… Yep, it’s not just a boys’ club. Check out listings at Neck of the Woods, Hotel Utah and Cafe International. Don’t miss the Bay Area Book Festival in April and if you’re a budding author, have your novel manuscript ready for the San Fran Writers’ Conference held every February. baybookfest.org – sfwriters.org

Punk rocker Ray Vaughan. Photo: Greta and Manu Schnetzler Photography

E-books travel better but for the San Fran literary scene, you’ll probably want to flash some paper. Read all about it!

WOW air offers cheap flights to San Francisco from Europe, 4-7 times a week, all year round.

Find your flight at wowair.com.

Issue two 101

Germany

The alternate Düsseldorf Just 90-minutes from Frankfurt is the edgy city of Düsseldorf.

Apart from being Germany’s richest city, the nation’s advertising and fashion capital (where Claudia Schiffer was discovered), and the hub of many corporations and banks, it’s also a city of eclectic art —ultimates and extremes, a sensational mix of glass, chrome and ancient bricks.

By Cindy-Lou Dale

R

adical architecture dominates the Media Har­­bor where, instead of ware­­­houses and silos, stand bold art in­­stallations designed by world-re­ nown­­ed Canadian-born Frank Gehry.

Their warped facades, not dis­­­similar to the surrealist art of Salva­­dor Dali, capture the imagina­­tion: the two most eye-catch­­­ing build­ings being Roggendorf-Haus, with its outrageous plastic figur­es climbing up the exterior and a chrome office block which glistens when the sun reflects off its metal surfaces. Yet it all blends seamlessly with the surrounding Rococo and Baroque architecture.

and designers moved into the area because of cheap rents; then came stylish investors.

This has resulted in an eclectic interwoven mix of designer labels like Wunderwerk and Tina Miyake, high-end apartment blocks, second-hand boutiques like Elementarteilchen, MyOwnBike selling single-geared bicycles and for imported coffee and homemade cake, there’s Rekord.

DRINK A visit to Fuchschen Brewery (Altstadt) needs to top your mustdo list. On Mondays, a few of the local old boys meet up in the “Liar’s Corner” to drink good beer and exchange yarns. A tradition they’ve upheld for +45 years.

For a typical pub experience, check out Kreuzherreneck’s extensive Schnapps collection.

If Jagermeister is your thing, then you’ll love Killepitsch—the holistic way to get hammered. It’s a thick somewhat sweet, all natural liquor which contains 98 herbs, berries and fruit and is distilled into a tow curling 42 percent alcohol. The best place to enjoy Killepitsch is at Et Kabuffke, an authentic small pub in Altstadt.

SHOP In downtown Düsseldorf is the elegant Konigsallee Boulevard, a thoroughfare divided by a moat with a lush park in the center. It’s where money is made. On one side of the boulevard are banks and businesses and across from them are flagship haute couture boutiques.

For a trendy shopping experience visit the hipster walk of Loretto­­ strasse. Start at Bilker Church with Fromagerie for the best cheese in town, continue with creative stores like Sabas, Tuxe­do and Uwe van Afferden, high-end deli’s like Bernstein & Inbar, wine groceries like the Bilker Weinhaus and finish at the local branded fashion label of Null:Zwo:Elf where you can buy ethnic souvenirs. Lose yourself in Wandel Antik, a huge warehouse for antique furniture and vintage designs. Should you get hungry, try out the yummy pizza on the terrace of Menta or have homemade everything at FRL Buntenbach. Even their egg warmers are croqueted! If you’re into the deep fried snacks of Dutch cuisine, head to Leo’s Grill.

The alternative “in” shopping precinct is the Ackerstrasse region. A few years ago, artists

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Wait for a warm day and take your­­­ self down to the food wagon near Oberkasseler Bridge for bratwurst or currywurst, get a beer and pull up a bench. The view of the Rhine and the Altstadt is terrific and gets better with each sip.

Ratingerstrasse is the cradle of the Düsseldorf punk movement. Even now, this street is still seen as more alternative than Altstadt. Every Wednesday evening Ratingerstrasse mutates into a meeting point for all after-work party people. Check out the pub Zum Goldenen Einhorn.

When you drink Altbeer in one of the local breweries, the waiters replace your empty glass with a full one without asking. What may seem welcoming at first could become a problem when you get the bill. Put a beer coaster on top of your glass to let them know you’re done.

Although Germany is a true beer nation, beer is not as cheap as one might think. Luckily an unlimited number of little kiosks called “Budchen” or “Trinkhalle” are scattered all over Dusseldorf and sell cold beer from €1.20.

EAT OUT Neighboring Altstadt, near the Hofgarten, is Patisserie Passion which, if you’re a chocoholic, is heaven. Here the glass cabinets

Düsseldorf is a city of eclectic art —ultimates and extremes, a sensational mix of glass, chrome and ancient bricks.

display gold pralines, chocolate torte and a selection of cakes and pastries to die for!

Zum Schiffchen (Altstadt) is another must-visit. It’s the city’s oldest restaurant where Napoleon himself is said to have dined. The history-steeped premises are smarter than other brewery pubs and the food is good too.

Bar Cherie, a cozy French-style café is one of the first choices of young Dusseldorfers for their first date. Try their fabulous tarte flambé.

If you get the late night munchies and you’re not into a kebab or pizza, try out Dusseldorf’s answer to the burger—the famous Schweinebrotchen, a bread roll with two slices of juicy grilled pork. For the late-night gourmet, Ham Ham Bei Josef is highly recommended.

EAT IN Since the 1700s, Dusseldorf is famous for its mustard. Senfladen is a small Altstadt mustard shop that sells its wares in small stone pots with the company’s initials “ABB” inscribed in blue on the side.

Van Gogh so liked the mustard he included a depiction of it in one of his paintings.

Then there’s the bread, which Germans value more than beer. And it doesn’t get much better than Hinkel, a family-run bakery for more than a century. Hinkel is a bustling carbparadise stacked with artisan bread, pastries, cookies and cakes.

To find something to put on your Hinkel bread, take a wander around the undercover gourmet food stalls at Carlsplatz Market (established nearly six centuries ago).

QUIRKY STUFF For murals and street art, visit the alternative neighborhood of Kiefernstrasse. House number 23 is the only remaining punk club in Düsseldorf, the notorious AK47.

Beneath the promenade, in one of the underground road tunnels, is KIT Kunst im Tunnel—an

alternative art exhibition. Enter through the bar at ground level (great views of the Rhine), then take an elevator into the tunnel.

GETTING AROUND: To get to the city from Düsseldorf Airport take a 12-minute train journey (€2.50).

A Düsseldorf Card gets you free public transport, museum entrance and city tours: €9 for 24 hours.

See Düsseldorf Tourism to plan your trip www.dusseldorf-tourismus.de.

In downtown Düsseldorf is the elegant Konigsallee Boulevard, a thoroughfare divided by a moat with a lush park in the center. It’s where money is made. On one side of the boulevard are banks and businesses and across from them are flagship haute couture boutiques.

WHERE TO STAY: Düsseldorf City Hostel, Europe’s most modern hostel, is located along the Rhine, just a few minutes’ walk from Altstadt. The amenities are comfortable and innovative and all rooms have en-suite facilities. All rooms have private bathrooms. And rates start at €24.40pp incl. breakfast.

Düsseldorf is an alternative dream come true. See you there!

LET’S TACO ‘BOUT IT

WOW air offers cheap flights to Düsseldorf from the start of June to the end of October. We also fly to Frankfurt all year round. Find your flight at wowair.com.

HY HEALT LOCAL OOD FAST F CHAIN

Mexican food that is a true fiesta for your taste buds!

We are at eight locations in the Reykjavik area and one in Akureyri: The N1 service stations at Hringbraut and Bíldshöfði. The shopping malls Kringlan and Smáralind and Akureyri center among other places.

Issue two 103

The Berlin vibe

It’s not about the place...

Berlin‘s alternative subculture gives the city a unique feel, a “Berlin vibe” – one that can only be felt and understood by being fully immersed in it.

by Kimberly JY (www.kimberlyjy.com)

I

t was an unusually warm afternoon as the sun peeked out from behind the clouds hovering above Berlin. I walk­­ ed under a bridge that is Kottbusser Tor station, towards two guys (a friend of a friend and his friend) who I had never met before. When I say it out loud, it sounds like something that would worry my mother terribly. However, I was welcomed with gracious smiles, a light hug and a large cold bottle of beer. The thing about traveling to foreign places is that you need to learn to read body language and trust the well-meaning locals. It also helps when you’ve got friends or their buddies in the right places like I did. I immediately felt comfortable and familiar with the two. We opened up and drank our beers to cool off as we made our way to an open-air bar in Kreuzberg.

GET INTO IT The moment we stepped into Birgit & Bier, I felt like I was transported to a nostalgic playground for adults. It is furnished with a repurposed carousel, a ping pong table,

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a broken-down piano, wooden benches, stalled rides and old-school bumper cars, carnival garlands and a dusty foosball table. We could not let the opportunity pass.

We put down our new set of beers (when in Germany, right?) and invited a man sitting on the bleachers with a pen, paper and a smile (we later learned that he’s a writer) to join us for a match of tabletop football – and what a game it was! I initially planned on leaving early but we ended up spending the rest of the evening chatting and appreci­ ating the people around us. “You see,” one of my new friends said, “what mak­­es Berlin so special isn’t its location or physical attributes; it’s the vibe.” And he’s right.

AN ALTERNATE STATE OF MIND Looking at the city itself, there is nothing quite “spectacular” about its esthetics.

Berlin is lined with post-war buildings and graffiti, and there are some areas that are still in need of a clean-up. That said, Berlin is in the process of revitalization. What’s special about this city is the locals’ ability to find life in—and make the most out of what

Perched on top of Neukölln Arkaden, once a parking lot, Klunkerkranich has been turned into a proper (legal) gathering place with unmatched views of the city.

Klunkerkranich: Rooftop views with a collective soul

Completing The Golden Circle

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Issue two 105

Berlin‘s alternative subculture gives the city a unique feel, a “Berlin vibe” – one that can only be felt and understood by being fully immersed in it.

they have. Berlin beams with opportunity, openness, creativity, and an alternative state of mind. These are reflected in the city’s art scene, eccentric bars and cafes, multicultural pop-up markets and restored parks.

KLUNKERKRANICH: ROOFTOP VIEWS WITH A COLLECTIVE SOUL

What’s special about this city is the locals’ ability to find life in—and make the most out of what they have.

Perched on top of Neukölln Arkaden, once a parking lot, Klunkerkranich has been turned into a proper (legal) gathering place with unmatched views of the city. Decorated with plants, hanging lights, con­­­temporary and abstract art, repurposed shoes (now used as flower pots), and furnished with wooden tables and benches, a swing and a multitiered deck, Klunkerkranich has become an oasis in the midst of the busy core. During the day, one can expect to see sun seekers lying around, digital nomads working on their laptops, and city dwellers catching up over beer or coffee. In the afternoons and evenings, the bar hosts various events such as live jazz jams, DJ sets and pop-up markets.

Tuerkenmarkt: Exquisite food, textile and buskers On Tuesdays and Fridays, expect to see Turkish stalls set up at the border of Neukölln and Kreuz­­ berg neighborhoods, along Landwehr Canal. It’s a favorite among locals and a great place to pick up fresh fruits, international pastries, affordable fabric, leather goods and small gifts. After a long stroll, grab a treat and a cup of Turkish coffee. Sit on the wooden deck by the canal and let the wonderful sounds of buskers serenade you.

STREET ART: GRAFFITI AS A CULTURAL EXPRESSION AND HISTORICAL HOMAGE The graffiti scene in Berlin is not to be missed. Its characteristic concrete walls and rundown alley­­ ways have become the canvas of local and visit­­ing artists from all over the world. This is evident in every neighborhood and nook in the city. Even the Berlin Wall (what’s left of it) is covered in poignant paintings. Through powerful murals that retell the stories of its past, personal expressions, comical breaks and appeals for social and political reforms today, these street artists lead Berlin’s alternative subculture.

Berlin is lined with post-war buildings and graffiti.

The moment we stepped into Birgit & Bier, I felt like I was transported to a nostalgic playground for adults. It is furnished with a repurposed carousel, a ping pong table, a broken-down piano.

Birgit & Bier.

TEMPELHOFER FELD: LOUNGE AROUND AN AIRPORT-TURN­D-PARK What better way to use a dilapidated facility than turning it into a humongous park, right? While Tempelhofer Feld used to be a busy airport dur­­ing World War II, like many other buildings in Berlin, because of its troubling history, it had been abandoned for years. Today, it is owned by the govern­­ment and has been opened to public use as a park. The airfield is no longer a runway for planes or training ground for soldiers but is now where cyclists, skateboarders, kite surfers, joggers, picnickers and dogs can relax, get together and enjoy.

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WOW Power to the people

It’s all about the vibe and Berlin promises good vibrations.

WOW air offers cheap flights to Berlin every day of the week, all year round. Book your flight on wowair.com.

www.naturebaths.is #myvatnnaturebaths Issue two 107

Great Britain

Borough Market, The market gets extremely busy on weekends (Fridays and Saturdays) but is closed on Sundays.

London’s best foodie markets Who’d have thought it, London a mecca for gastronomy? Well, after years of being held up as the worst example of global ­cuisine, the UK now lays claim to some of the best street food.

And n ­ owhere is this more evident than in the many food m ­ arkets dotting the capital.

Y

BOROUGH MARKET A literal stone’s throw from London Bridge, there’s been a market in

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WOW Power to the people

The market gets extremely busy on weekends (Fridays and Saturdays) but is closed on Sundays. To get there, head to London Bridge tube station and follow your nose.

BRIXTON VILLAGE

by Oli Lynch Photos: Oli Lynch and as indicated

ou’ll spy exciting street food every­­where; which for visitors means making some tricky choices, or accepting the fact that you’ll put on weight during your visit.

If you want to taste the best London has to offer, head to one of these great markets.

smelly cheeses from around the world, top quality wine and an assort­­ment of burgers, falafels and Asian stalls.

Borough since around 1013. Of course, the surroundings have chang­­ ed a little with a rail line running over­­head and the Shard towering in the background, and the modern mark­­et is slightly different from the one that Shakespeare would have frequented during his lunch break.

But if the Bard were around today, he’d probably be delighted with the fare on offer. Traditional salt beef bag­­els, fish and chips (of course),

Staying south of the river, the revamped market at Brixton Village has become a major draw for food tourism in the city. Some of London’s most popular chains started here including Honest Burger and Franco Manca pizza (both of which now have chains all over town).

It’s actually two separate covered markets, Market Row and Brixton Village—and now there’s a new area “Pop Brixton” which has been

created from shipping containers in an old car park. This is the place to check out some great West Indian food at Fish, Wings and Tings, Basque pintxos at Donostia Social Club or modern British fare at Brixton Grill.

LEATHER LANE MARKET A favorite of city workers, Leather Lane is a proper London market packed full of bric-a-brac and loud traders hawking their wares.

Among the trinkets, though you’ll find top-notch street food from gourmet burgers to jerk chicken to Greek wraps and veggie treats. If the weather is a bit too British for you, there are lots of cafés and pubs you can duck into to grab a cake, coffee or craft beer.

The market runs Monday-Friday and is a short walk from Chancery Lane tube station.

Who’d have thought it, London a mecca for gastronomy? Well, after years of being held up as the worst example of global ­cuisine, the UK now lays claim to some of the best street food.

BROADWAY MARKET Possibly a bit obscure for most visitors to the city, Broadway Market has become a go-to for Londoners looking for some top-notch munch. A real Eastender’s haunt, you’ll find stalls selling vintage trinkets, modern art and, of course, edible treats to tempt a saint.

There has been a market here since the late 1800’s and now you’ll find classics like pie and mash with jellied eels or gourmet burgers. Of course, there are also lots of interesting takes on global cuisine including sushi ice cream, vegan Persian dishes and buttermilk fried chicken (among others).

Take the train from Liverpool Street to Lond­ on Fields and walk around five minutes to Broad­way Market. Every Saturday from 9-5.

Brixton Village Market.

KERB MARKETS Running several very popular markets across the city, Kerb attracts some of the more cutting edge and high-end street food traders. Among the glut of burgers you’ll also find Indonesian street food at Kaki Lima, Hawaiian Poké from Lords of Poké and Indian treats from Horn OK Please.

Southbank Food Market.

Best bet is to check out the website at kerb­­ food.com for dates and locations. Kerb’s main market at Camden is open 7 days a week but you can also find them at Kings Cross, West India Quay and Padd­­ington during the week.

THE ICELANDIC

PENIS MUSEUM We

Dicks!

Broadway Market: There has been a market here since the late 1800’s and now you’ll find classics like pie and mash with jellied eels or gourmet burgers. Of course, there are also lots of interesting takes on global cuisine including sushi ice cream, vegan Persian dishes and buttermilk fried chicken (among others).

KERB Markets : Running several very popular markets across the city, Kerb attracts some of the more cutting edge and high-end street food traders.

The Others You’ll spot food markets everywhere, but these popular spots are reliably excellent.

•

Brick Lane (Saturday and Sunday) – See also nearby Spitalfields Market.

•

South Bank/Waterloo (Fri, Sat, Sun) – Behind Royal Festival Hall near London Eye.

•

Berwick Street in Soho (weekdays).

•

Box Park Shoreditch (daily) – Near Shoreditch High Street station.

WOW air offers cheap flights to London Gatwick and London Stanstead from the US and Canada up to three times a day, all year round.

Bring your appetite for adventure to London and fill up on some British, and non-British, delights. .

The Icelandic Phallological Museum is one of the most informative, humorous, and unusual museums in the world.

The world famous “Penis museum” in Reykjavik is the only museum in the world to contain a collection of phallic specimens belonging to all the various types of mammal found in a single country. The founder, Sigurður Hjartarson started the collection 40 years ago and made it first accessible to the public in 1997 with the opening of the museum.

The Icelandic Phallological Museum contains a collection of more than 220 penises and penile parts belonging to all the land and sea mammals that can be found in Iceland.

There is also a foreign section that holds more than forty examples and a folklore section that has some twenty pieces on display. All in all, more than 380 biological examples. In addition to the biological section of the museum, visitors can view a collection of about 350 artistic oddments and practical utensils related to the museum’s chosen theme.

The museum is in a 250 square meter location on the upper part of Reykjavik’s main shopping street, Laugavegur, only a 10 minutes walk from the city’s centre.

There is a souvenir corner with a small exclusive selection of things related to the museum’s theme.

Seeing is believing!

No pornography or offensive material in the museum.

Laugavegur 116 • 105 Reykjavík • Tel.: (+354) 561-6663 (+354) 690 3774• phallus@phallus.is • www.phallus.is Opening hours: Summer: Daily from10 am - 6 pm • Winter: Daily from 11 am -6 pm • Next to Hlemmur bus station Issue two 109

Pittsburgh

The Andy Warhol Museum, lobby. ©Abby Warhola

The Andy Warhol Museum A scenic stroll across the yellow Andy Warhol Bridge AKA the Seventh Street Bridge in Pittsburgh will take you to the largest collection of Andy Warhol’s artworks and archival materials in the world. Welcome to The Warhol.

by Caron R. Luteran Photos: Courtesy of The Andy Warhol Museum, Pittsburgh

Andy Warhol, Brillo Soap Pads Box, 1964, The Andy Warhol Museum, © The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc.

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The best way to visit is by start­­ing on the seventh floor and then working your way down to The Factory in the basement where you can color a card or do a small art project during specified afternoon hours.

P

ittsburgh is well known for its steel, bridges, football team, pierogies and the three Carnegie museums. In addi­­tion, the famously celebrated artist, Andy Warhol, was born in the Steel City and studied art there before moving to NYC to pursue a career and life in art. Around this time, he underwent a name change from Andy Warhola to Andy Warhol.

GETTING TO KNOW ANDY Andy Warhol’s legend lives on in the Andy Warhol Museum located at 117 Sandusky Street. It is here on seven floors that visitors can see his colorful pop art of everyday consumer products such as the soda bottle and soup can, silkscreen prints and his serial images of famous people such as Marilyn Monroe. The best way to visit is by start­­ing on the seventh floor and then working your way down to The Factory in the basement where you can color a card or do a small art project during specified afternoon hours. The seventh floor showcases Andy’s family life with a concentration on the years 1920-1960 while lower floors exhibit works from the 1960’s, 1970’s and 1980’s. The silver clouds floating in the air on the 5th floor are beyond cool! The Archives consists of time capsules where you can view some of his glass collection and personal items such as letters.

The Andy Warhol Bridge in Pittsburgh. Photo: iStockphoto / rjzeytoonian

MORE THAN JUST THE HITS While the MoMA in NYC exhibits some of Andy’s work; the collection in Pittsburgh is vast and a must-see for fans as it is the best collective representation of Warhol’s diverse interests and works. The museum is highly interactive for visitors, offering audio guides, tactile art reproductions that can be touched, a film and video gallery where you can choose from 100 short films such as Phoney to watch and gallery talks at 11 am and 3 pm.

Visit Andy Warhol’s Screen Tests room where you can pose for a camera (screen test

A scenic stroll across the yellow Andy Warhol Bridge AKA the Seventh Street Bridge in Pittsburgh will take you to the largest collection of Andy Warhol’s artworks and archival materials in the world. Welcome to The Warhol.

mac­hine) to do your own screen test for 3-4 minutes that will be emailed to you. A brief talk on the silkscreen printing process can be enjoyed, too.

The highlight of my visit was bumping into Donald Warhola, Andy’s nephew, from whom I learned more about the personal side of the artist, film producer who made movies such as Chelsea Girls, and writer who founded the magazine Interview. Donald emphasized that Andy always had a great sense of humor.

VISITING INFORMATION AND TIPS The museum is open every day except Monday.

Admission is $20 for Adults, $10 for Students and Senior Citizens with half-price admission on Good Fridays. Prepare to spend about 2 hours or more here depending on your level of interest.

The museum is open every day except Monday.

Admission is $20 for Adults, $10 for Students and Senior Citizens with half-price admission on Good Fridays.

Prepare to spend about 2 hours or more here depending on your level of interest.

MORE OF ANDY

The Andy Warhol Museum, entrance. ©Abby Warhola

Be sure to check out “The Two Andys” mural above Weiner World at 626 Smithfield Street.

Perhaps enjoy a hot dog there, too. This fun artwork features Andy Warhol and Andrew Carnegie at a hair salon. While both men are named Andy and from Pittsburgh, they made different but important contributions to society: Warhol in art and Carnegie in the steel industry and philanthropy. You can’t help but notice many references to Carnegie in the Steel City and if you have time check out the Carnegie Museums for Art, Natural History and Science.

The museum’s casual café on the ground entrance floor offers homemade soups, salads, sandwiches and healthy sides plus some cookies all of which can be enjoyed in its sleek, modern and industrial interior.

The Andy Warhol Museum is about a 15-20-minute walk from either Greyhound Bus Station or Amtrak train station in downtown Pittsburgh. So not only will you get exercise but you will be treated to a scenic view of Pittsburgh’s downtown skyline.

Don’t forget to exit through the gift shop to pick up a Warhol memento or another cool item.

Early Pop art by Andy Warhol on the 7th floor. ©Abby Warhola

Pittsburgh is a trip and no trip to Pittsburgh is complete without a visit to The Warhol.

Get your contemporary art goggles on and stare all you want.

WOW air offers cheap flights to Pittsburgh from around Europe 4-5 times a week, all year round.

AVAILABLE AT A HAIR SALON NEAR YOU Issue two 111

WOW destinations

You want more?

WOW! We’ve got so many destinations we don’t have room for articles about all of them. WOW air now has over 30 destinations and will continue to add more as well as increase flight frequency to our top destinations such as London, Paris and California. You can check out all our flight destinations and low fares at wowair.com.

ALICANTE Warm up by the Mediterranean Sea and taste the best of Spain.

WOW air now offers cheap flights* to Alicante from Iceland, with available connections from USA and Canada, up to four times a week until the end of October 2017.

AMSTERDAM A city of art, architecture, cool people and canals, and don’t forget windmills, weird wooden shoes and tulips. Amsterdam is a fairytale and a great place to visit.

WOW air offers cheap flights to Amsterdam from USA, Canada and Iceland daily or two times a day*, all year round.

CLEVELAND The city who coined the phrase “Rock n’Roll” will welcome you with its friendly people, cultural diversity, great food scene, live music, amazing nature and of course a healthy passion for American sports. Do you love shopping? You’ll fit right in as this is the city that invented the mall.

WOW air will fly to Cleveland, Ohio, four times a week*, all year round from May 3.

BOSTON The city that’s famous for Cheers and good shopping.

WOW air offers cheap flights to Boston from Iceland all days of the week* all year round. Connecting flights to Boston are available from most WOW destinations in Europe.

BRUSSELS

BARCELONA Barcelona truly is the perfect destination; tasty tapas, seaside promenades and mind-blowing architecture.

Getting there is the easy part. WOW air offers 2-4 flights a week* to Barcelona from Iceland, with available connections from USA and Canada, until the end of October 2018.

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WOW Power to the people

A trendy hot-spot with a wide range of tourist attractions, Brussels, Belgium is a perfect destination for a fun family vacation or a short city break. Known for fine chocolate, tasty waffles, premium beer and mussels this cool destination will surprise you.

WOW air offers cheap flights to Brussels every day of the week* during the summer and four to five times a week during other seasons.

CHICAGO The Windy City has it all; beaches, awe-inspiring architecture, great food, top rated museums, sports, comedy, diverse neighborhoods, a bustling nightlife and so much more.

WOW air now flies to Chicago five to seven times a week*, all year round.

COPENHAGEN

CINCINNATI

The former capital of Iceland is still a favorite among Icelanders and now’s your chance to find out why.

Also known as the Queen of the West, Cincinnati offers historic architecture, innovative food and festivals fit for royalty.

WOW air offers daily flights* to Copenhagen, Denmark from USA, Canada and Iceland all year round. Two flights a day on Mondays and Fridays from June 1st until end of October.

WOW air offers cheap flights to Cincinnati, Ohio, four times a week* from May 9.

DETROIT The energy that surges through “Motor City” is worth checking out. This former hub of the American car industry is going through a revival and has become one of the most exciting destination in USA. DALLAS-FORT WORTH The dream turned out to be real after all and WOW air is going to Dallas – and Fort Worth too.

Big houses, big hats, big cars, big portions and big ideas …

Welcome to Texas!

WOW air offers cheap flight to Dallas-Fort Worth three times a week*, all year round, from May 23.

WOW air flies to Detroit, Michigan, four times a week*, all year round, from April 25.

WOW air offers 3-4 flights* a week to Edinburgh from USA, Canada and Iceland, all year round.

WOW air offers a weekly flight to Gran Canaria from Iceland during the winter months.

FRANKFURT

LYON

Frankfurt am Main, aka “Mainhattan” is Germany’s most cosmopolitan city but that doesn’t mean history isn’t appreciated there. When you visit Frankfurt don’t miss out on the Mosel Valley for a taste of Germany’s best wines. Prost!

Experience the gastronomic capital of France with all its history and vibrant cultural scene.

WOW air offers cheap flights to Frankfurt am Main from USA, Canada and Iceland, every day of the week*, all year round.

GRAN CANARIA The city of Las Palmas in Gran Canaria is warm all year round so it’s a perfect destination for both the chilly and the chill.

WOW air flies to Lyon up to four times a week* from June to October, with available connections from USA and Canada.

MILAN Get ready for high fashion and high culture and don’t forget to feast your eyes on da Vinci’s Last Supper.

WOW air flies to Milan, Italy from Iceland, with available connections from USA and Canada, up to four times a week* from June to September.

EDINBURGH

LOS ANGELES

Enjoy Scottish hospitality, listen to the smooth sounds of bagpipes, swim with the Loch Ness Monster, taste the national dish—haggis— and wash it all down with some fine Scottish whiskey. We guarantee you’ll get hooked on Scotland!

The City of Angels, also known as L.A. is eclectic, progressive, trendy, laid-back and retro all at once.

Great beaches, Rodeo Drive and famous people, need we say more?.

WOW air offers cheap flights to Los Angeles, California 4-7 days a week* all year round.

Snæfellsjökull Art, science and history of an Icelandic volcano A unique book by Iceland’s most noted volcanologist.

<

Haraldur Sigurdsson vulkan@simnet.is Issue two 113

WOW destinations MONTRÉAL This cultural gem has been nicknamed La Belle Ville or the Beautiful City and it’s more European than American at its core.

Here you’ll find design, art, culture, nightlife and culinary scenes that rival the best in the world. And don’t forget about the hockey.

WOW air flies to Montréal, Canada four to seven times a week*, all year round.

SALZBURG Looking for that perfect winter destination? European ski resorts are known for being budget friendly and the Austrian Alps’ best ski resorts are just a short drive from Salzburg Airport.

WOW air flies once a week to Salzburg from Iceland from the end of December to the end of February every winter.

ST. LOUIS From the world renowned symphony orchestra and the magnificent Gateway Arch monument to the home of the Budweiser and the Cardinals, St. Louis might surprise you. Meet your there?

WOW air offers cheap flights to St. Lois, Missouri, up to five times a week.

WASHINGTON, D.C. Are you ready for a monumental trip? Get acquainted with the history of the United States of America and enjoy this great capital.

If you want more, you can go to Baltimore too.

WARSAW STOCKHOLM The capital of Sweden is a city of contrasts, an urban paradise full of fun and history but with a relaxed and modern atmosphere.

WOW air now flies to Stockholm Arlanda airport, from USA, Canada and Iceland, offering four flights* a week, all year round.

The capital of Poland has some historic charisma and is a great destination if you’re on a budget.

WOW air offers cheap flights* to Washington, D.C. from Europe, every day of the week, all year round.

WOW air offers flights to Warsaw from Iceland, with available connections from USA and Canada, two times a week from June to September.

The WOW Stopover

TENERIFE Relaxing on a tropical island sounds like a dream and Tenerife is a dream come true.

When flying between North America and Europe take advantage of our WOW Stopover option.

WOW air offers 2-3 flights a week to Tenerife Sur from Iceland all year round.

The WOW Stopover allows you to visit Iceland on your way to or from your destination. It’s kind of like getting two vacations for the price of one.

TORONTO This hip and happening city is a cultural melting pot where you’ll find world renowned restaurants, a vibrant nightlife and super friendly Canadians.

Check out Canada! WOW air offers cheap flights to Toronto from Europe, every day of the week*, all year round.

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WOW Power to the people

Find out more at wowair.com

Go further with Kiwi.com

WOW air’s now offers additional travel options in collaboration with Kiwi.com. You can book connecting flights outside our network at the best possible price. Would you like to fly to South America, Asia or Africa? Our booking engine in collaboration with Kiwi.com will find you the easiest connection. * Note that the availability of connecting flights between USA and Europe/Asia may vary depending on the flight frequency to each city.

WOW air connects London, Edinburgh, Dublin, Berlin, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Copenhagen, Amsterdam, Brussels, Paris, Lyon, Stockholm, Alicante, Barcelona, Milan, Warsaw and Tel Aviv to New York, Boston, Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Dallas, Detroit, Washington, D.C., Pittsburgh, Miami, Los Angeles, San Francisco and St. Louis in the US and Toronto and Montréal in Canada.

This and that …

mostly this

Photos: Various outlets

Mysterious raccoon found in Reykjanes

Make a pledge!

If you plan on following our WOW advice (see page 54) on how to stay safe in Ice­­­ land and how not to ruin the nature, you might as well make it official. The website “Inspired by Iceland” has great tips and info for travelers and now entreats them to sign a pledge to be a responsible tourist.

The pledge goes: “When I explore new places, I will leave them as I found them.

I will take photos to die for, without dying for them. I will follow the road into the unknown, but never venture off the road.

And I will only park where I am supposed to. When I sleep under the stars, I will stay at a campsite. And when nature calls, I won’t answer the call on nature. I will be prepared for all weather, all possibilities, and all adventures.”

Sign the pledge here: www.inspiredbyiceland.com/ icelandicpledge/

People of Iceland may have thought that April 1st arrived early when they read the news in late March that a hunter and his dog had found and killed a raccoon on the Reykjanes Peninsula. Raccoons, unfortunately (or maybe fortunately, we don’t really know them), don’t live on the island and it is illegal to import them. No one knows how this particular, unlucky raccoon got to Iceland but the most likely scenarios are either illegal animal smuggling or that he accidentally smuggled himself in with some freight.

Many were outraged that the raccoon had been killed even though importing them to Iceland is not only illegal but Raccoons are seriously cute but importing them could also cause poses a health risk for serious health the domestic animals of Iceland. risks for Iceland’s domestic animals. We totally understand— raccoons are seriously cute and perhaps this one could have been captured and brought to the Húsdýragarður Zoo in Reykjavik to live out his days to make the best out of a bad situation. However, the Icelandic fauna will remain devoid of raccoons for the foreseeable future.

Hugleikur Dagsson designed a T-shirt with his edition of the HÚ!

The battle of HÚ!

Few battle cries have been as celebrated as the famous Icelandic HÚH!” or is it “HÚ!” or maybe “HUH!” after the European Football Championship. And you’ll be sure to hear it again when the Icelandic National Team competes at the World Cup in Russia this summer.

Anyway, last autumn famous Icelandic comedian and cartoonist Hugleikur Dagsson designed a T-shirt with his edition of the HÚ! only to find out someone had already applied and gotten a patent for using HÚH! on clothing and now wanted a piece of the action.

The Icelandic Patent Office ruled that there was no difference between HÚ! and HÚH! and that the patent was valid.

Not bent down or broken Hugleikur told everyone via his social media outlets what had happened and what followed was an outcry from a nation that was under the impression that both HÚ! and HÚH! belonged to everyone. Due to the negative backlash the owner of the patent has now backed down and wished Hugleikur all the best in his HÚ! endeavors. We really appreciate that and we appreciate Hugleikur’s T-shirts as well. HÚ! … HÚH! Go to dagson.com to check out more of Hugleikur’s awesome T-shirts.

JUMP ON BOARD OUR

NORTHERN LIGHTS SUPER JEEP TOURS graveltravel.is/tours/northernlights

GRAVEL TRAVEL

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t

+354 788 55 66

e

info@graveltravel.is

WOW Power to the people

Plogging takes off in Iceland Jogging has been popular in Iceland for years. A new style of jogging is now taking off on the island, plogging, a combination of picking up litter and jogging.

This new fitness craze arrived here from our cousins in Sweden where the phrase was first coined by environmentalist Erik Ahlström in 2016. Appalled by the amount of litter in his capital, Ahlström organized a group of joggers to go pick up litter armed with garbage bags and gloves while they went on their runs. This really caught on and now you can find plogging groups and lone ploggers all over Europe and the US. Fed up with the litter on their jogging routes many joggers have jumped onto this trend realizing that getting bitter about litter wasn’t the only way to react to the situation. Instead, they could really make a difference. Now they get their endorphins from both running and the knowledge that they’re helping their community.

Plogging is for people who want to stay fit and burn calories while saving the planet. And the great thing is, it adds squats and a bit of lifting to your jogging, not to mention that these trash bags get heavier as they fill up. Icelanders are now catching on to this trend and even our President, Guðni Th. Jóhannesson was spotted plogging near the Presidential residence in Bessastaðir the other day.

President Guðni Th. Jóhannesson getting ready for some presidential plogging.

Photo: Halldóra Gyða Matthíasdóttir Proppé

Issue two 117

This and that …

mostly this

Photos: Various outlets

Remembering Jóhann Jóhannsson

Photo: Shutterstock.com

It was with great sorrow that we learned of composer Jóhann Jóhannsson’s death last February. Only 48 years’ old, Jóhannsson had a brilliant career in music both here in Iceland as well as internationally. The Oscar-nominated Jóhannsson composed scores for such films as The Theory of Everything, Arrival and Sicario. Jóhannsson was nominated for an Oscar, BAFTA and Grammy Awards for his score to The Theory of Everything and it won him the Golden Globe.

Godfather of funk playing at Secret Solstice The awesome Secret Solstice Music Festival just got funkier as they introduced their third and final line-up. George Clinton and his Parliament Funkadelic will be gracing us with their presence in the Laugardalur Valley, smack down in the middle of Reykjavik City.

Approaching a 50-year music career, George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic’s influential sounds helped lay George Clinton Photo: Shutterstock.com the foundation for generations of artists in genres ranging from funk and psychedelic rock to hip-hop and R&B. For those thirsty for dancing, the German duo of Kollektiv Turmstrasse

MANY

will also attend the festival, doling out the beats in the midnight sun. Among other great bands playing at Secret Solstice Festival are Icelandic legends GusGus and international Slayer, Stormzy, Gucci Mane, Bonnie Tyler, Clean Bandit, Steve Aoki, Charlotte de Witte, 6lack, GoldLink, Skream and a bevy of Iceland’s up and coming talents. Held in June each year and set against the backdrop of the stunning natural surroundings of Iceland’s breathtaking scenery, there are many reasons why Secret Solstice should be on your festival bucket list. With once-in-a-lifetime add-on side events taking place inside unique and otherworldly places like glaciers and lava tunnels sound­ tracked by exceptional music talent, Secret Solstice caters to destination festival goers with a passion for the natural beauty of the great outdoors. See you in Laugardalur Valley in Reykjavik on June 21-24.

Go to secretsolstice.is for more information on the lineup and festival tickets.

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Jóhannsson, who often blended electronics with a conventional orchestra also had a career as a solo musician and has several albums with his own music, the most recent was Orphee (2016).

He had been working on scores for several movies before he died including The Mercy and Garth Davis’ Mary Magdalene with Roney Mara which recently premiered in theaters. Although Jóhannsson’s music has in a way made him immortal, the loss of this great composer is deeply felt and our sincerest condolences go out to his family and friends.

Sharing Icelandic art How about bringing home a souvenir from Iceland that you can proudly display in you home for years to come. Reykjavik Print is a new independent publisher based in the heart of Reykjavik. They have launched a collection of signed and numbered art prints by prominent contemporary Icelandic artists, including Hulda Hákon, Steingrímur Eyfjörð and writer Sindri Freysson. Established in 2017 by designers and writers at Icelandic creative agency Karousel, the goal for Reykjavik Print is to make art and design of Iceland accessible at more affordable prices. Take for example the original piece Icelandic Nudes made with acrylics on hydrocal by Hulda Hákon from 2006. It lives in Marbella, Spain in a private collection with it’s rightful owner. This piece is now available in an edition of 200 signed and numbered art prints.

“We are excited about making the art of some of the nations favorite Icelandic artists more accessible.

We see this initiative as a way of emphasizing the importance of art in the lives of individuals, communities and the world at large. The arts belong to everyone and influence nearly every aspect of the world, even if it isn‘t always obvious.

The collaboration with the artists has been very rewarding and we are humbled by their trust in us,” say Maria Ericsdóttir Panduro and Margrét Jónsdóttir De La Forest, founders of Reykjavik Print. “ Ever mindful of its impact on the planet, Reykjavik Print promises to do everything with consideration for the environment, from choosing paper from sustainable forests in Sweden to environmentally friendly printing processes.

Their prints are available in the National Gallery of Iceland Museum Shop on Fríkirkjuvegur 7 and you can also order them online at www.reykjavikprint.com.

Issue two 119

Hey

look!

What’s going on over here?

Quite a lot actually, and if you know where to go you can live each night in Iceland like there’s a full blown festival going on.

Photos: From respective events or venues

WHAT: Icelandic Sagas: The Greatest Hits WHEN: Several dates in April and May WHERE: Harpa, Reykjavik Concert Hall Icelandic Sagas: The Greatest Hits is a fast-paced and hilarious 75-minute theatrical comedy in English that takes you on a journey through Iceland’s literary heritage. The Icelandic Sagas are narratives, mostly based on historical events that took place in Iceland in the 9th-11th century. They tell of heroes and anti-heroes, villains, feisty females, betrayal, dispute, love, hate and last but not least, pillaging, plundering and murder. The Sagas are often hilariously grotesque, they hint at homosexuality, make light of gory murders and happen in a world where innocent things, like where to sit at a party, can turn into bloody family feuds and good poems can get you out of trouble with angry kings. This, of course, makes for great theater.

Get your ticket to Icelandic Sagas: The Greatest Hits at www.icelandicsagas.com and www.harpa.is.

They tell of heroes and anti-heroes, villains, feisty females, betrayal, dispute, love, hate and last but not least, pillaging, plundering and murder.

Sub of the day

BLT bacon

Subway Melt

A movie lover’s paradise Located in the heart of downtown Reykjavík, Bíó Paradís is a nonprofit organization run by Iceland’s professional filmmaking guilds. Screening the latest art house releases from all around the world as well as cult films and Icelandic film, it is Iceland’s first and only art house cinema. The theater provides a warm, cozy environment for film lovers of all kinds—both in its three-screen theater and its well-stocked bar.

Events in April and May WHAT: Reykjavik International Children’s Film Festival

WHAT: Farts in Paradise: Best of the worst films ever

WHEN: 5-15 April

WHEN: 12 April and 3 May at 8 PM

This is a film festival for the youngest audience members. With a selection of international feature and short films for children and teenagers, also a documentary about street dancers and classics like Stand By Me, The Karate Kid, Princess Mononoke and more. Films are screened with Icelandic dub, in English or original version with icelandic subtitles mostly.

For more information, check out the festival website bioparadis.is/barnakvikmyndahatid

Spicy Italian

Monday

Tuesday

Ham

Tuna

Cartoonist/ writer/artist Hugleikur Dagsson curates a monthly event in Bíó Paradís where he chooses the best of the worst films ever made.

Hard Ticket To Hawaii is the April fart. In Molokai, two undercover drug enforcement agents are after a vicious drug kingpin, but on the way, they will also have to deal with a contaminated giant python.

For the May fart Hugleikur is serving up Troll 2 which by many is considered to be the very worst of the worst. Not to be missed!

WHAT: Eurovision Song Contest party! Free entrance!

WHEN: May 8th, 10th & 12th Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Buffalo chicken

Turkey and ham

649 kr.

1089 kr.

Saturday

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Sunday

6 inch

12 inch

WHAT: Friday night party screenings

24 locations in Iceland

WHEN: Every Friday night at 8 pm

Sub of the day

Friday means nostalgia at Bíó Paradís. The Rocky Horror Picture Show? Sure. Jurassic Park and Grease sing along? Of course!

Want to feel like an Icelander or just see how your country is doing? Let’s all watch it together! May 8th, 10th and 12th you can wath the wonder that is the Eurovision Song Contest while out on the town instead of hanging out alone in your hotel room or Airbnb. Free entrance and everyone is welcome! Come and rejoice in the festival of glorious Euro-love! The party starts at 18:30 with drinks at the bar, and the show starts at 19:00 on the dot. Go ARI!

HVÍ TA H ÚSIÐ / SÍA / 16- 1625

Vintage shop L a u g a v e g u r 1 1 6 ° S k ó l a v ö r Ðu s t í g u r 1 2

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Hey

look!

What’s going on over here?

Quite a lot actually, and if you know where to go you can live each night in Iceland like there’s a full blown festival going on.

WHAT: Reykjavik Children’s Cultural Festival

circus, visual arts, storytelling, music, film, puppetry and dance activities.

WHEN: 17-22 April

Dress up as a Viking for a photo shoot and walk around the archeological finds at the Settlement Exhibition.

See a show and maybe try out for the circus at the Reykjavik Art Museum (18 April). You can decorate your own hula hoop or make your own shield at the Árbæjarsafn Open Air Museum (19 April) and feast your eyes on Ásgrímur Jónsson’s drawings of Icelandic folklore and fairytales at the National Gallery of Iceland (21 April).

WHERE: Around Reykjavik Traveling with kids? Reykjavik Children’s Culture Festival is dedicated exclusively to children and young people in Reykjavik. The festival strives to introduce youth to a wide range of art disciplines through the medium of workshops and performances. The emphasis is in big part on participation, focusing on the child as an artist. A variety of activities for children is on offer, including theater workshops, a

childrensculturefestival.is Photos: Hjalti Árnason

WHAT: Drag-Súgur Drag Show / Drag-Súgur Drag Lab

WHAT: Eistnaflug (The Flying Testicles Music Festival) WHEN: 11-14 July 2018 WHERE: Neskaupstaður, East Iceland

WHEN: April 7, 13 and 19, May 11 and 31 WHERE: Gaukurinn, 101 Reykjavik Iceland’s best and only drag cabaret, Drag-Súgur, has been entertaining an ever-growing crowd for over a year now.

With its transcendent and outrageous drag royalty, it has been changing the queer scene in Iceland with their edgy performances. Drag-Súgur has a drag show every month at Gaukurinn and also offers another monthly Drag Lab plus additional shows if they can be bothered. Be there or be square.

The queens are padded, the kings are bulging, and they have comedy, glamour, fantasy and fierceness oozing out of every pore. For more things drag-related check out Gogo Starr’s and Gloria Hole’s Lip-Sync Karaoke every Sunday evening at 9 pm at Kiki Queer Bar, and the public viewing of RuPaul’s Drag Race at Loft Hostel every Friday evening a 7:30 pm.

Metalheads and music fans alike all yearn for that ultimate experience of discovering something that is truly their own—seeking it in the hipsterinfested dust of Coachella to the power metal soaked bogs of Wacken Open Air. But deep in the fjords of eastern Iceland, under the neversetting midnight sun, a select few have found something so genuinely different, that year after year they traverse the desolate, barren shoreline of a volcanic island on the edge of the earth to partake in the head-banging bacchanalia.

Photos: Kaspars Bekeris

For more information, go to dragsugur.com or find them on www.facebook.com/dragsugur

Open weekdays from 12 to 18 and Saturdays from 12 to 16.

The nearest bus station is at Grenársvegur.

Góði hirðirinn | Fellsmúla 28 | 108 Reykjavík | 520 2200

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eistnaflug.is – Tickets available through tix.is

The festival is Eistnaflug, and since its heyday in 2005, this friendly gathering has hosted international acts from Sweden’s Meshuggah to Poland’s Behemoth performing alongside the cream of the burgeoning local scene, such as Auðn, Zhrine and Misþyrming.

Visit the most popular flea market in Reykjavík A vast selection of vintage items as well as favorably priced tourist goods

The 2018 edition promises to be yet another banger, with acts such as black metal giants Watain and the spellbinding Poles in Batushka already confirmed. So let your hair down and buy those early bird tickets already, ‘cuz next July will be a month to remember!

WHAT: The Cinema of Fire, Ice and Northern Lights WHEN: Screenings three times a day WHERE: The loft at Old Harbor Village no. 2 Before you take a tour of Iceland’s geological sites, take a little slice out of your day to watch a film that really shows you Iceland in action. Knowing the basics will help you enjoy the sights on your guided trips even more because you won’t need to be glued to your guide to hear every word, you’ll already know!

In one of the blueish-green houses by the Old Harbor in Reykjavik, you’ll find a small cinema dedicated to screening films about Iceland. The films are: Chasing the Northern Lights, a film showing and explaining the Aurora Borealis, Eyjafjallajökull – The Eruption! a film about the 2010 eruption, and Birth of an Island – the Making of Iceland, a film about the constant making and remaking of Iceland. Finally, they have a short film about the 2014-2015 Holuhraun eruption. www.thecinema.is

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Hey

look!

What’s going on over here?

Quite a lot actually, and if you know where to go you can live each night in Iceland like there’s a full blown festival going on.

WHAT: Andrea’s Bluesmen (Blúsmenn Andreu) WHEN: 20 April, 8:30 PM WHERE: Bæjarbíó, Hafnarfjordur A unique chance to catch one of Iceland’s best blues singers in the act. Andrea’s Bluesmen have been operating since 1989 offering a gorgeous mix of blues, soul and jazz in addition to songs composed by Andrea herself. This is THE event for a blues lover and we promise that you’ll be completely entranced by Andrea‘s voice.

Tickets available at midi.is

and a whole lot of nonsense in the beautiful old theater of Tjarnarbíó. The show features Icelandic variety royalty with local and international guests. No two shows will be the same and only 130 tickets are available for each show.

Photos: Kaspars Bekeris

WHAT: Reykjavík Kabarett WHEN: 9, 15, 22, 23, 29 and 30 June WHERE: Tjarnarbíó Theater, Reykjavik Hilarious and sexy, the Icelandic Cabaret family is ready for summer, mixing burlesque, variety, magic, circus

Because the shows are mostly visual, language should not be a problem and knowledge of Icelandic is not a requirement for fun. If you come to Iceland to laugh with the locals, this is a perfect night for you but leave the kids at home as this show is not suitable for people under the age of 18.

Check out www.reykjavikkabarett.com for information about their next gigs.

MANY AWARDS BEST THAI FOOD 2017

all our menus, we make our own way

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Always been the best from the reviews in our local people and local newspaper.

There's a reason why we get an award every once a year

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Laugavegur 130 við Hlemm banthai@banthai.is TEL : 5522444, 692- 0564 124

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TOP TEN

BEST RESTAURANTS IN ICELAND DV. 17.07.11

Do not get stuck with other Thai foods you have eaten

also best 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016

Photo: Freydís Leifs

WHAT: Reykjavik Deathfest WHEN: 17-19 May WHERE: Gaukurinn, 101 Reykjavik Iceland has a metal festival but did you know that Reykjavik has a festival dedicated solely to death metal? Well, you do now! Reykjavik Deathfest is where you’ll find the deep growling vocals mixed with high-pitched screaming, heavily distorted and low-tuned guitars and aggressive and powerful drumming… cause how else should songs about death, suffering and destruction sound? Don your midnight black, sharpen your eyeliner and meet your fellow death metal followers at Gaukurinn in downtown Reykjavik in May. The line-up includes heavy hitters such as Dead Congregation, Skinned and Der Weg einer Freiheit.

Tickets are available at tix.is

PROBABLY THE

WORLDâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S SMALLEST WATCH MANUFACTURER

Our Master Watchmaker never loses his concentration

With his legendary concentration and 45 years of experience our Master Watchmaker and renowned craftsman, Gilbert O. Gudjonsson, inspects every single timepiece before it leaves our workshop.

All the watches are designed and assembled by hand in Iceland. Only highest quality movements and materials are used to produce the watches and every single detail has been given the time needed for perfection.

www.jswatch.com

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April– May 2018

LIBRA 23 SEPTEMBER - 23 OCTOBER

ARIES 21 MARCH - 19 APRIL Soon you will declare your undying love to that special someone, maybe even write them a poem or a song. While performing, you accidentally fall down on one knee and they’ll think you’re proposing. How are you going to get out of that one?

In your endless quest for balance, you take up tightrope walking but then realize that it imbalances your dangerous vs. safe ratio. The stars recommend taking up accounting as a hobby.

SCORPIO 24 OCTOBER - 21 NOVEMBER

20 APRIL - 20 MAY

You’ll try almost anything once but just remember that tattoos are forever and so are body altering surgeries. Stick to extreme sports and shenanigans. That’s what everyone loves about you.

Oh for the love of attention! Just wear those red pants already, we know you want to! And nobody cares!

SAGITTARIUS

TAURUS

22 NOVEMBER - 21 DECEMBER

GEMINI 21 MAY - 21 JUNE As a Gemini, you tend to dislike humans in general, except the ones you’ve trained well enough. Don’t be afraid to take in new human pets this month.

CANCER 22 JUNE - 22 JULY Your adorable and happy disposition attracts certain types of people, but you should know it repels others. You could stand to be a little moodier.

Hello there lover! All the signs are jealous of you, you know, and it's because you're great in bed. Now all you have to do is work on what you do out of bed and you’ll be perfect.

CAPRICORN 22 DECEMBER - 19 JANUARY As we all know, Capricorns are extremely fun and hardworking. We don’t have a horoscope for you, we just wanted to remind you of your great qualities.

You goat!

AQUARIUS LEO 23 JULY - 22 AUGUST If you were an app, you’d be Pinterest. Full of good ideas but not a lot of productivity.

Make it your goal to put at least one of your ideas into action this month.

VIRGO 23 AUGUST - 22 SEPTEMBER People think you have this need to have the last word. Don’t budge. You’re right; they’re wrong, and they need to know it. You’re doing the world a big favor!

20 JANUARY - 18 FEBRUARY Trying to stay true to your sign, you try out some watersports only to find out you hate getting wet. The stars suggest another approach: Drinking!

PISCES 19 FEBRUARY - 20 MARCH You slippery bugger! The stars had awesome bait for you and it looked like you were going to bite but then you slipped out of their grasp. Quit playing hard to get.

Disclaimer: This horoscope is total and utter nonsense. Any accuracy, real or imagined, is purely accidental.

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Get QR vCard

Ca

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+354 861 5660

Book online: nordiccampersiceland.com

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WOW SUDOKU

REALLY, REALLY BORED? HERE ARE A FEW SUDOKUS TO MAKE TIME FLY.

BUT HOW DO I DO IT?

The object is to insert the numbers in the boxes to satisfy only one condition: Each row, column and 3x3 box must contain the digits 1 through 9 exactly once. What could be simpler?

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THE TRAVELING INQUISITION

“I loved the Icelandic pop band Írafár and its sing­er, Birgitta Haukdal, was my idol [BTW – she represented Iceland in Eurovision in 2003]."

THE NEW VOICE OF ICELAND

Ari Ólafsson will represent Iceland in this year’s Eurovision Song Contest with the song Our Choice. He’s 19 years old, has studied music since he was 11 and this fall he’ll be moving to London to study at the Royal Academy of Music. The future is bright.

by Svava Jónsdóttir Photos: Mummi Lú and from private collection

A

ri appeared on the stage wearing a burg­­­ undy red suit and sang like an angel the song Our Choice by Þórunn Erna Clausen.

Ari Ólafs­­son and the song are Iceland’s choice in the Euro­­vision Song Contest held in Lisbon, Portu­­ gal this May. THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING NICE With his bright eyes shining and a smile on his lips, Ari sang himself into the hearts of Icelanders in Söngvakeppnin 2018 held by the Icelandic broad­­caster RÚV. “The lyrics to the song are about the choice you have—you can treat others well and therefore spread happiness and kindness in­stead of punishing and judging others. All of us experience negative things and difficulties in our lives and you never know what people are going through. That’s the reason why it’s so important to be nice,” says Ari. Ari says that participating in the Eurovision Song Contest is a great experience. “It’s also an honor to be the representative of Iceland in the biggest tele­­ vised program in Europe. It’s an opportunity for me as a singer and to spread a good message.”

The first lines of the text by Clausen: All the faces you see on your way Have a story they could tell Tiny traces of life’s joy and sorrow Why can’t we treat each other well?

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LIKE A GREY CAT The adventure began when Ari was a child; he says there are three reasons why he wanted to perform.

His father, Ólafur Gunnar Guðlaugsson, wrote and illustrated books about Benedikt the elf (Benedikt búálfur in Icelandic) and later you could learn about Benedikt and his adventures in the National Theater of Iceland. At the theater, Ari was “like a grey cat”—as we say in Iceland when someone often goes to a particular place—and that’s how the young Ari Ólafsson first came to know musicals.

“I loved the Icelandic pop band Írafár and its sing­er, Birgitta Haukdal, was my idol [BTW – she represented Iceland in Eurovision in 2003]. I also wanted to sing.

Then I spent a lot of time in the US, especially during Christmas as my grandfather owned an apartment in Florida, and I watched Hanna Montana a lot.“ So Benedikt the elf, Birgitta and Hanna Montana were the reasons why Ari wanted to perform.

ROYAL ACADEMY OF MUSIC When Ari was 11 years old he made his debut as a performer as Oliver in Oliver Twist on the stage of the National Theater of Iceland. Since then, he has also performed in the Reykjavík City Theater. It’s worth mentioning that Ari has sung twice with the Norwegian singer Sissel Kyrkjebø.

Ari says that he hopes he will be able to work as a singer and songwriter in the future; he wants to sing all around the world. “I’ll be happy as long as I can do something related to music,” he says. This fall, Ari will move to London to study at the Royal Academy of Music.

SELLAND AND ORLANDO Asked about his favorite place in Iceland, the singer says it’s Selland in Fnjóskadalur Valley in North Iceland. “My family owns a land in the valley and we often stay there for one or two weeks each summer.

I usually invite some of my friends to come with us and we do all kinds of fun stuff. ” What about Ari’s favorite place abroad? Well, it’s in Orlando in Florida—at a place called Ventura. “My grandfather lived there for some years and I visited him often during Christmas. It’s a paradise.”

From Florida to Fnjóskadalur Valley, we have a feeling that London will soon be on Ari’s list of fav­­ orites. We wish Ari and his team mates the best of luck in the upcoming Eurovision Song Contest.

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

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Visit our stores: Skólavörðustígur 7, 12 & 16 and Kringlan, Reykjavík. Hafnarstræti, A kureyri. Haukadalur. Geysir.com