WOW magazine issue 5 2013

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WOW Lo nd au kh o t ol Co n, Pa umn m pe ri ci w n s t e a r hag , Ber ies: e l e o n n in, ou r wa y!

The riff issue The future of Icelandic cinema What is RIFF?

Learn all there is to know about ReykjavĂ­k International Film Festival WOW p i c k s The must-see list at RIFF

What’s going on?

Iceland is happening

Winter is coming:

Get your gear ready for these awesome pistes

Issue five 2013

Tax & Duty Free

ÍSLENSKA/SIA.IS/FLE 63311 04/13

Experience Iceland All of our shops and restaurants offer you Icelandic memories to take home.

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Nearby Landmannalaugar

One of few airports in the world that is both tax and duty free — meaning up to 50% off city prices.

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Hello darkness my old friend …

The fall is a time for contemplation and, at least in my case, a new beginning.

It’s about getting the kids back to school, wiping the frost from the car windows, rejoicing in the autumn colors and dreading but still kind of looking forward to the darkest days of winter. It’s the time of year when we Icelanders rediscover that there are stars, suddenly remembering what a full moon looks like against a pitch black sky and that we might soon see the Northern Lights.

Everything starts anew and after the quiet summer months, at the cultural front, the theaters open their doors again. This issue Reykjavík International Film Festival (RIFF) is our main topic but we couldn’t just leave it at that so we delved deeper into the magical world of Icelandic cinema and the big movie business that has been thriving here lately.

But enough about us, how’ve you all been?

Guðrún Vaka Helgadóttir, editor in chief wowmagazine@birtingur.is

In this issue 72 Out of bounds with Ásdís

6 A letter from the CEO 8 This and that … mostly this 12 What’s going on?

Concerts, events, openings and all that.

16 Turning pages What we’ve been reading lately.

18 WOW moments Take a look at the winner of the 55 WOW moments.

20 25 years of Todmobile Iceland’s icons of contemporary popular music are back in the studio and planning a Grand Concerto.

24 Skálmöld’s reign of terror Get to know Iceland’s biggest metal act.

26 Cool Kaleo Newly formed band Kaleo has been creating a lot of buzz lately.

38 How to bake … … a traditional Icelandic Christmas cake.

Reykjavík International Film Festival

44 The future of Icelandic filmmaking

We sat down with four new Icelandic direct­ors who all have their short films screening in the Icelandic short film category at RIFF, one of the most interesting aspects of the festival and the right venue for discovering new talent.

54 It takes at least a miracle or two

Atli Bollason, producer of this year’s RIFF, gave us his insight into how a film festival becomes real.

74 What, where, when?

Select your own “must-see” list from the complete RIFF program.

56 WOW picks

RIFF has such a broad selection of films this

year so WOW air decided to help you

choose by picking out their own “must-see” movies.

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Nature plays its part The ravishing and peculiar landscape of Iceland has inspired the works of artists and scientists for ages.

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From cult to culture When it comes to Iceland’s short but blooming history of filmmaking there is one name that is likely to come up early: Friðrik Þór Friðriksson.

82 Where old is “in”

The National Film Archive of Iceland promotes

film culture at the old Bæjarbíó Cinema in

Hafnar­fjörður.

68 Dip in and experience the annual

Swim-in Cinema

Have you ever watched a movie while in the pool? Now’s your chance!

70 WOW! This movie is so deep!

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Artist Ásdís Sif Gunnarsdóttir, chosen to present her video-art at RIFF will have the same program shown at Hors Pistes in the Centre Pompidou in Paris in January 2014.

42 What is RIFF?

40 A true paradise for film enthusiasts Sometimes we just need a little escape from our own reality and to get lost in the stories told on the silver screen. Bíó Paradís caters to the eclectic film enthusiasts.

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This year RIFF will offer a truly unique film experience, a special screening in a mysterious opening in the ground.

84 Bringing balance to the business

Find out why three women have now created

their own production company.

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WOW Cyclothon The registration for WOW Cyclothon 2014 has already opened and first to sign up was Team Hjólalöggur (Cops on bikes).

WOW Magazine staff

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Run to the hills September is that time of the year when farmers head to the highlands to round up their sheep.

Assistant editor: Guðrún Baldvina Sævarsdóttir

Editor in chief: Guðrún Vaka Helgadóttir wowmagazine@birtingur.is

Design and layout: Ivan burkni / arnardalur.sf ivan@ivan.is Contributing editors: Dísa Bjarnadóttir, Kristín Ýr Gunnarsdóttir, Jón Kristinn Snæhólm, Lilja Björk Haraldsdóttir, Hjördís Erna Þorgeirsdóttir, Ditte Højgaard

92 Vatnajökull Region

Find out about the winter paradise in the

south-east of Iceland.

94 Meet the WOW stars

WOW air proudly supports a bevy of artists,

athletes and projects who all have the WOW-factor.

Proofreading: Paul Michael Herman

WOW autumn cities

WOW autumn cities

Heja Sverige!

We’ve got something special to look forward to as WOW air has announced flights to Stockholm next summer.

100 A person of WOW

Every issue we introduce one member of the

WOW staff, and this time it’s Inga Þóra Ingadótt ir who just happens to be one of the strong­ est members of the WOW cabin crew.

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Tel: 00 354 515 5500 Email: wowmagazine@birtingur.is Printing Oddi environmentally certified printing company All rights reserved. Reprinting, direct quoting or recapitulation prohibited except with a written permit from publisher. See companys legal protection and rates at www.birtingur.is.

Prentun: Oddi umhverfisvottuð prentsmiðja

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Fall in love with London Paris – Intimately yours Brilliant Berlin Get creative in Copenhagen

© Birtíngur Publishing Lyngás 17 210 Garðabær Iceland

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In-house photographers: Rakel Ósk Sigurðardóttir, Ernir Eyjólfsson, Heiða Helgadóttir, Rafael Pinho, Kristinn Magnússon, Hákon Davíð Björnsson

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PRENTGRIPUR

Attention advertisers!

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Shouldn’t your firm be in our next issue?

Contact our advertising representatives and we’ll make it happen. auglysingar@birtingur.is

114 102 The slopes won’t bring you down

Austria is known for its excellent ski resorts

and now’s the right time to book your winter vacation.

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106 Land of beauty and awe

The Kitzbühel Alps - Photographer Markus

Mitterer’s greatest sources of inspiration.

126 Your WOW horoscope

Check out what the stars have in store

for you.

126 Are you bored?

Get a pen and solve these sodokus.

130 The Traveling Inquisition

We apprehended actor, director and story teller Benedikt Erlingsson and got a few

words from him.

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Dear guest,

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elcome onboard WOW air. Tourism and travel to Iceland is fast becoming the largest industry in Iceland. This year about 850,000 people will visit Iceland and this number is expected to double in the coming years.

All of us at WOW air are, of course, very excited about this opportunity and also very grateful for the fantastic feedback we’ve received since our inauguration flight on May 31, 2012 to Paris. It’s been a tremendous ride ever since, and we’re just getting started!

From the beginning we have had 4 core objectives at WOW air • • • •

To offer the lowest fares to and from Iceland To be the most punctual airline in Iceland To offer the newest airplanes in Iceland To smile!

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am very proud to say that this year we have been successful on all of the above. Clearly, our guests are taking notice as our number of pass­ engers from June to August this summer grew from 59,855 last year to 191,468 this year. Thanks to our great results and all the encouragement we have received so far we are very excited about our new destinations and anticipated growth next year. We have already announced Stockholm as a new destination and we will offer daily flights to North America starting next spring.

Tourism is not the only fast growing industry in Iceland. Another very exciting one is the film industry. A long list of Hollywood stars can now be seen regularly around Iceland as the list of films and movies being shot here continues to grow. “Oblivion”, “Flags of our Fathers”, “The Secret life of Walter Mitty”, the adventurous “Game of Thrones” TV series and many more films and TV shows have been shot here, helping us show off our amazing landscapes and adventurous nature. We are celebrating the film industry in this issue of WOW magazine and the Reykjavík International Film Festival in particular. We are very proud to sponsor RIFF which is one of the biggest film festivals in Scandinavia.

We have put together a WOW must-see list for RIFF and hope you’ll be pleased with the eight films we’ve recommended.

We look forward to seeing you again and hope you enjoy your ride!

Skúli Mogensen WOW air CEO and founder

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Explore Iceland on your own terms My Way – perfect day tours for the independent traveller.

My Way is your own audio day tour consisting of a suitable car for you and your friends together with an audio guide programmed into the GPS system.

Sold in cooperation with Avis and Budget car rentals.

With so much to see and do, why not rent a car and hit the road in comfort and style with Budget?

To book your own day tour • Visit the My Way website mywayiniceland.is • Contact Budget, tel. 562 6060.

• Ask the hotel or next information centre to book it for you.

Tel. +354 562 6060 www.budget.is

This and that

Mainly this …

We need some warm clothes moors and wrapped it up in the spirit of the all-Icelandic sailors.

Made from 100% waxed cotton with zippers by YKK and corozo buttons, the jackets breathe well and repel water so they are excellent in Icelandic weather conditions. The Skútustaðir-jackets will last a lifetime only adding to their character with every use and good care.

Find out more about Farmers Market at www.farmers­market.is.

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utumn is moving with surprising speed through Iceland and we want to stay on the warm side. Icelandic design label Farmers Market has the answer: these beautiful waxed cotton jackets called “Skútustaðir”. Designed in collaboration with British textile manufacturer British Millerain, Farmers Market drew inspiration from the Inuits and the Scottish

Tripping out to the Northern Lights

J

ust because summer is over doesn’t mean we stop traveling around Iceland, we only have to adjust to these new and surpris­ ing conditions and enjoy all the gifts that darkness brings us, especially the Northern Lights. These are the tours we here at WOW magazine want to go on this winter:

Both tours, and countless others, are available at Iceland Excursions, www.icelandexcur­ sions.is.

The Glacier & Monster Truck Adventure – Northern Lights Tour This one starts like a normal guided bus trip but then you step of the bus and go on a “Monster Truck Adventure” on the Langjökull Glacier.

This is a tour for those who seek to enhance the excitement of the Northern Lights.

Dog-crazy

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his summer went to the dogs, literally as the song that gripped the nation this summer was “Glaðasti hundur í heimi” (The happiest dog in the world). The song is a single from Dr. Gunni’s (singer/ songwriter/music know-it-all) new children album and is sung by Icelandic teenage sensation Friðrik Dór. This was the most popular song on almost

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The Warm Baths & Cool Lights tour This tour is designed for those who wish to relax, eat good food and enjoy the hunt for the Northern Lights in the Icelandic countryside.

every radio station in the country, topping the charts wherever it went and even bumping down Emiliana Torrini’s “Speed of dark”. And no wonder, the song is unbearably catchy and the lyrics have a philosophical tone such as: “I’m the happiest, happiest, happiest dog in the world / they pat me every day and I’m loving it / I’m the happiest, happiest, happiest dog in the world / Life threw me a bone and I’m gonna chew on it”.

Emiliana Torrini’s “Speed of dark.

This and that

Amiina’s lighthouse project

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miina’s third album was recently released and they sound so good. The album is the result of the band’s concerts in various Icelandic lighthouses and has a total of six songs. Amiina was formed by four young girls who, at the time, were all students in the Reykjavík College of Music and was originally a classical string quartet. Their first claim to fame was their collaboration with Sigur Rós but since then the band has added two new members and matured in their own style. Check out their web­site, www.amiina.com, where

you can also watch their song “Perth” per­­formed in a lighthouse.

A sneak peek into Icelandic homes

I Photo: Sasha Peeleva

Viking girl

M

eet the IFBB Bikini Fitness World Champion 2013.

Her name is Margrét Edda Gnarr and she’s the amazingly fit daughter of Jón Gnarr, the Mayor of Reykjavík. WOW air is proud to have sponsored Margrét Edda, along with three other Icelandic contestants, who went to Kiev, Ukraine, in mid-September to compete in the championships. Margrét is the first Icelander to ever hold this title and it means she can now apply to become a professional within IFBB (The International Federation of BodyBuilding and Fitness).

On the lookout for something unique?

B

e it a housewarming present or a functional souvenir these Icelandic wooden boards are probably just what you’re looking for. Handcrafted in Iceland from quality wood such as birch, ash, teak, walnut and oak amongst others, no two boards are the same as they vary in size and shape plus the character of the wood they are made from really shines through. They are ideal for laying out cheese, tapas, pizza or cold cuts and of course, for chopping. You’ll

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only find them in Búsáhöld boutique in Kringlan shopping mall, along with everything else you might need for your kitchen.

Interior design and home maga­­zine “Hús og híbýli” (Houses and hom­­es), is always visually stunning, but for their September issue they decided to do some­ th­­ing different. The res­­ult is this amazing book that features 45 Icelandic homes visited in the years 2007-2013.

To better orient you, 2007 was the year Icelanders were on

top of the world and money seemed almost of no consequence.

Then came 2009 when the banks collapsed and following that the painstakingly slow rise from the ashes. In this book you can easily see the trends moving and evolving from year to year and even if you don’t speak Icelandic this book will give you good insight into Icelan-

dic homes with brilliant photography.

“Give me blood”

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orwegian director Tommy Wirkola has been filming his next film here in Iceland this fall. He recently put up a video at Vimeo where he asks people to donate some blood. But it’s not actual blood Wirkola is wishing for. The film he’s shooting is called Dead Snow: Red vs. Dead, a sequel to horror movie Dead Snow. For the last scene Wirkola will need copious amounts of fake blood and what he really needs is some extra money to get it.

She’s back

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inger/Songwriter Emilíana Torrini has released her fourth album, “Tookah”, stemming from her collaboration with producer Dan Carey.

“Tookah” follows in the footsteps of her last album, the critically acclaimed “Me and Armini”, released in 2008. Emilíana says “Tookah” is a word she made up.

“It’s something that connects us to every­thing and everybody. The short moment of gratitude you experience when you’re not doing anything in particular, the moment of perfectness.

Some call it a state of God. I call it Tookah”.

Emilíana moved to the UK when she was 20 years old to pursue her music

career but recently she moved back to Iceland with her fiancé and their three year old son. “I always felt like a foreigner in the UK and I didn’t want to become a foreigner in Iceland too.

That’s why I decided to move back home.”

Obtusa

When seeing is not believing

When WOW air’s CEO Skúli Mogensen first saw Obtusa by Venezuelan-American artist Rafael Barrios it was lying on the floor of a gallery.

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he aesthetics and three dimensional qualities of the sculpture were not lost on the avid art col­lector so he bought the piece which was then shown, along with eight other sculptures by Barrios, on Park Avenue, New York, for a few months. When Obtusa finally came to Iceland it seemed that the best place to showcase it was in plain view and so Skúli decided to lend the piece to the people of Reykjavík.

The unveiling of the artwork, on a round-about at Höfðatorg, was the start of this year’s Culture Night on August 24.

Obtusa is 4 m tall and appears to be put together from four three dimensional forms but when viewed from the side it is just a centimeter thick. This is why a round-about is such a fitting site for the sculpture.

Obtusa can now be viewed from many different angles so people can see how the shapes change from different viewpoints.

Rafael Barrios (b. 1947) is internationally recognized for his art, and many art collections around the world have bought his work.

His use of stainless steel and bright lacquered airplane paint lends a transcendent feeling of

both magic and humor. Obtusa conveys illusion and elusiveness and the viewer’s sense of reality is distorted. As viewers move around the piece, they are tricked by subtle changes of light into seeing things that give an impressions which is both uncertain and open to interpretation.

tion of uprooting our convictions about what we believe we see.

Just take a drive by Höfðatorg and lay your eyes on this purple, optical illusion. Get confounded and question your normal beliefs about what is possible.

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xperimenting with form and volume Rafael Barrios creates a territory where the laws of gravity seem not to exist and objects rise freely over each other. His sculptures manipu­late form with the inten-

Mayor of Reykjavík, Jón Gnarr, unveiled the sculpture at the start of Reykjavík Culture Night.

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Iceland is happening – so happening, actually that we wouldn’t even have room for every event if we used the whole magazine to cover it. Here are the highlights for the next couple of months. And don´t forget the numerous pubs that offer live music every weekend, the art galleries that always have a show going, the movie theaters (we have subtitles not Icelandic voice-overs) and the restaurants that offer great food day and night.

October 5 Rokkjötnar Festival Take a look at one of the hardest festivals of Iceland. It’s so hard you could compare it to a diamond as it is compressed to just one day of very hard rock ‘n’ roll in Kaplakriki. This is where you’ll meet all the real metal heads of Iceland all in one place. Put on your best black and some comfortable shoes and rock out to some purebred Icelandic rock with bands like Sól­­stafir, Dimma and Legend and the actual legend … Bubbi Morthens himself.

October 11 – November 3 No language barriers Iceland Dance Company (IDC) is the nati­o­­ nal dance company of Iceland. It consists of dancers who all share a background in classical and contemporary training while retaining a pronounced individuality. IDC thrives on the borders where different forces collide, unite, and transform. Creating with the energy of fusion IDC collaborates with diverse art forms. The company tours

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widely performing in diverse locations and venues as well as co-producing various creations staged in several international networks. The company has toured all over Europe, China and U.S.A. IDC was founded in 1973 as the national dance company of Iceland and currently celebrates its 40th anniversary. The anni­­ versary year kicked off in April with the wildly popular evening “Walking Mad” by Johan Inger and “Ótta” by three dancers of the company. In May IDC teamed up with the Reykjavík Arts Festival, the Iceland Symph­ony Orchestra and the Iceland Aca­­ demy of Arts in creating “Dances in Eldborg” which was performed in the largest hall in Harpa.

The last performance of the anniversary year is “Episodes”, where two new pieces are premiered. “Episodes” by Helena Jónsdóttir is a unique dance piece where older and younger generations of the Icelandic dance tradition meet. The piece is as global as it is Icelandic. It’s a homage to every dancer in the world, as well as the world in every dancer.

“Sentimental, Again” by Jo Strømgren is the second piece of the evening. It is a nostalgic trip back to some of his earlier choreo­graphies. Creative moments, gall­­eries of characters, broken details from diffe­­rent contexts, and memories of long gone shows are merged together into this new piece.

Don’t miss out on the Iceland Dance Company during your stay in Iceland. It’s a fantastic opportunity to see Icelandic stage arts where language isn’t a factor.

October 12 Need some fever for you Saturday night?

Is Disco you guilty pleasure? Then don’t miss out on the Bee Gees tribute concert in October.

When Australian brothers Barry, Maurice and Robyn Gibb formed their little band in 1958 they didn’t know they’d soon be international celebrities. The band was called the Bee Gees and is now synonymous with the Disco era.

To celebrate the Bee Gees’ 55th birthday some of the top vocalists in Iceland are getting together as a tribute to the Gibb brothers in Harpa Concert Hall on October 12, and at the Hof Culture House in Akureyri on October 26.

There’s no need to hide the heel tapp­ ing and hip swaying, we all love it too.

October 17 Surf-punk garage-pop grunge Harlem Bar is the place to be this night as Bleached conjure up the spirit of punk.

This LA band formed by sisters Jennifer and Jessie Clavin plays surf-punk garagepop girl-group grunge and they play it raw and hard guaranteed to make your ears ring. They’re one of the hottest things in LA these days and are following the release of their debut album called “Ride Your Heart” with a European tour. Their first stop just happens to be the Harlem Bar, Reykjavík, Iceland.

November 25 They’re not so dire Two years ago former Dire Straits members, along with hand selected world class musicians, came together in Royal Albert Hall to perform Dire Strait’s most popular

Photo: Silla Páls.

October 18 Jazz it up

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orgardætur (Daughters of the City) is trio of Iceland’s leading female vocalists but it’s not just their singing that we love. It’s their attitude, choice of songs and general sassiness. The Daughters of the City will be jazzing it up in Akureyri at Græni hatturinn on October 18. If you’re unable to attend you will just have to wait for their legendary Christmas gigs at Café Rosenberg in Reykjavík. They’ll be there every weekday except Fridays from December 3 to December 19.

November 15 Todmobile’s Grand Concerto It’s been 25 years since legendary prog rock group Todmobile was founded so their big annual concert is extra big this year. You’ll be sorry if you miss it. Find out more on pages 20-23.

Tickets available at midi.is and harpa.is.

October 24 Laugh out loud

November 16 Lay Low in Akureyri

Controversial stand-up comedian Pablo Francisco is one of the most popular comedy acts in the world and he’s starting his “Live and Kickin” tour in Reykjavík. They say laughter will lengthen your lifespan, so be prepared to live a lot longer after a night of Pablo’s twisted humor in Harpa Concert Hall.

Lay Low is the stage name of awesome singer and songwriter Lovísa Elísabet whose melodic and tranquil singing style has captured the nation. Prepare to be mesmerized at the Hof Culture House in Akureyri where Lay Low will stop by to perform her new material along with her best known hits.

November 7-11 and November 13-17 A crafty affair The Design and Craft Fair at Reykjavík City Hall pro­ vides a unique opportunity to get a glimpse of the many crafts and design studios in Iceland, all under one roof. The fair has been held annually since 2006 to great acclaim and showcases the very best and most original designers in the country.

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songs. At the end of their performance people were in tears, standing and cheering. This was obviously something they needed to do more of, and now they’re here, The Straits, playing in the Harpa Concert Hall. Give your ears a present with gems such as Sultans of Swing, Romeo and Juliet, Tunnel of Love, Money for Nothing … the list goes on.

November 28 - 30 A symphonic reign of terror

Legendary Icelandic metal band Skálmöld collaborates with the Iceland Symphony Orchestra to make the most awesome sounds ever made. Find out more on page 24.

Clairvoyants!

Do you know what’s happening long before it actually happens?

Tell us all about the upcoming events that belong on these pages. We might be able to squeeze them in. wowmagazine@birtingur.is

Every Thursday Do the salsa Every Thursday night at 20:00, Thorvaldsen Bar in downtown Reykjavík gets even hotter when teachers and salsa enthusiasts from Salsa Iceland visit for an evening of steamy dancing. You don’t have to know anything about salsa, just go there and let them show you how it’s done. A dancing partner is also optional. They have seasoned dancers (taxis) in stock just waiting to move you around the floor. The best part … it’s free!

All December Pink December Pink Iceland organizes and operates two LGBT festivals during the winter, Pink December in, what do you know, December, and Rainbow Reykjavík in early February.

“We are organizing a series of events, big and small, for every single day in December, giving people the freedom to come whenever suits them and plug into what­ ever is going on that day. This includes guided tours, museum and gallery visits, a dip in Reykjavik’s geothermal pools, shopp­ ing, live music, fantastic food, meeting locals, partying, visiting natural wonders and hunting for the Northern Lights,” says Eva María, one of the owners of Pink Iceland.

For more information visit www.pinkiceland.is.

Photo: Eyjólfur Már Thoroddsen

Sundays in December A very Icelandic Christmas See the Christmas traditions of yore at Árbæjarsafn (Arbaer Open Air Museum) in Reykjavík. The Christmas exhibition at Arbaer Museum has been very popular in recent years and has become an established feature of the festive season in Reykjavík. Traditionally dressed Yule Lads prowl around playing pranks, while visitors can try their hand at traditional crafts, sing Yuletide songs, taste traditional holiday dishes and take a ride in a horse-drawn carriage.

The museum is open with guided tours only, everyday except Sundays at 1:00 pm. Sundays in December have a special Christmas program from 1:00-5:00 pm.

At your service- Anywhere- Anytime

Special sightseeing taxi tours We specialize in personalized sightseeing day trips to the natural wonders of Iceland – for small groups of 4-8 persons.

All major credit cards accepted by the driver.

To book in advance: tel:+354 588 5522 or on www.hreyfill.is E-mail: tour@hreyfill.is

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Book of the month:

Butterflies in November

by Audur Ava Olafsdottir Published November 7, 2013

by Guðrún Vaka Helgadóttir

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et me just say first how refreshing it was to get an actual book in my hands. After 2 years of Kindle/iPad reading I had almost forgotten what it feels like to actually turn a page. I could even get back to my old habit of writing little not­es on the pages, a feature, that in my opinion, should be added to all eBooks. I want to state, for the record, that I read a lot of trashy fiction and in this age of fast writ­ing and fast reading, where every other housewife

can publish a semi-pornographic novel online and make money off of it, reading real literature felt almost like a novelty to me.

There was no rich and handsome dominant exerting his power over this story’s heroine. On the contrary… But wait, I am getting ahead of myself. Let’s begin at the beginning.

A recently divorced woman dreams of tropical holidays after being dumped twice in one day.

Her plans are wrecked when her

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best friend’s deaf-mute son is thrust into her reluctant care. But when a shared lottery ticket nets the two of them over 40 million kroner, she and the boy head off on a road trip across Iceland, taking in cucum­ber-farming hotels, dead sheep, and any number of her exes, desperate for one more chance.

As is often the case with road trip-stories they are tales of growth and learning. The storytell­­ er goes on a trip to escape but can’t help on gaining perspective and understanding of herself and her relationships along the way.

And while she deemed herself an unfit mother she acts very motherly towards her helpless compan­ion. The reader is given ample room for his own interpretations, a rare option, and the fastest conclusion he can reach is that the storyteller is often telling only half the actual story or that she’s making things up along the way. That’s what makes the story such an interesting read and gets you to turn the pages, trying to read between the lines and interpret the text. Well, that and the authors refreshing sense of humor.

Take special note of the husbands rant while he is telling his wife why he wants a divorce with sentences like “All you’ve got to do is touch a light switch and the bulb blows”, “Your hair is shorter than mine” and most adeptly “Words, words, words, exactly, your entire life revolv­es around the definition of words.”

The prose of the story is poetic and sometimes dreamlike. This is a novel of text and language, the storyteller even edits and proofs text for a living and she ana­­lyzes and consciously corrects the grammar of people who talk

to her. The deaf-mute child gives her a fresh perspective on these things seeing as sign is one of the few languages this quirky but hard headed woman doesn’t speak.

If good literature is your thing, Butterflies in November belongs on your nightstand. This is a story for slow-reading, beautifully writt­ en and well translated.

A little bit about the author Audur Ava Olafsdottir was born in Iceland in 1958, studied art history in Paris and has lectured in History of Art at the University of Iceland.

Her earlier novel, The Greenhouse (2007), won the DV Culture Award for literature and was nominated for the Nordic Council Literature Award. She currently lives and works in Reykja­vik.

What else have we been reading?

Inferno

by Dan Brown I was really looking for­ward to this book as sym­bology professor, Robert Langdon, has been a kind of favorite of mine for a long time.

Here the story revolves around Dante’s Divine Comedy, as one could have guessed by the title, and Langdon is once again pro­­pell­ed into a quest leading him to various fa­mous locations that all happ­ en to hold a symbolic significance and hidden meanings. Dan Brown has usually done a great job of introducing bits of art, history, religion and science to his readers in a fun and exciting way.

His books have mostly been fast paced page turners where the teachings never over­­powered the actual story. Inferno, unfortunately, does not play to that beat. I felt myself more and more

turning to other things instead of turn­­ing the pages, the story a bit too long and dragged out to hold my interest.

That being said I do like Dan Brown’s descriptions of old cities and artworks, you could really travel by his books and it would make for a very interesting weekend get-away. Brown also has a knack for pointing out interesting facts that concern us all and he does not fail here in that regard, drawing up horrifying images of the globes over-population problem.

If you start reading this book I recommend finishing it but if Robert Langdon is a stranger to you, Inferno is not the right place for first acquaintances.

The Storyteller

by Jodi Picoult This story tells of Sage Singer, a Jew­ish baker who works nights and shies away from human inter­action as best she can. Still grieving the death of her mot­her she attends support group meet­­ings where she gets acquainted with Josef Weber, an elder­ly man who begins stopping by at the bakery. As their friend-

ship develops Josef confesses a long-buried and shameful secret and asks Sage for an extraordinary favor.

This takes the reader to Sage’s grand­­mother’s tales of the Holocaust, weaving an intricate thread through the novel with stories of unimaginable human cruelty but also human compassion.

I tend to generally shy away from stor­ies, movies or news involv­ ing the Holocaust (or WWII in general) as I live in a fantasy bubble of my own, preferring the horror of the books I read to be fiction from be­­ginning to end. Still I found myself drawn to this story. Drying tears from my iPad as I read along, I really could not drag myself away from it. The Holo­­caust is a heavy subject but Jodi Picoult, a best-selling novelist, handles it beautifully.

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We all have them from time to time, these truly WOW mo­­ ments, and now over 2500 people have shared theirs at www.wow.is. Since early this summer WOW air has awarded two lucky participants each month with tickets to any of the WOW destinations. WOW moments is still going strong so it’s not too late to send in your WOW moment.

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ast August, with a little help from their Facebook friends, WOW air sel­­­ected 55 WOW moments and asked people to vote for their favorite. The three top WOW moments were awarded with two tickets each and to sweeten the deal one winner was selected from the group of voters and also got two tickets. Dominating at the polls, Guðrún Lilja Ólafsdóttir, took first prize after she made a promise to her friends that anyone who voted for her was invited to her “white tent” in the Westman Islands’ fam­ ous Þjóðhátíð Festival in August 2014 where she will serve them sand­­wiches, candy from the duty free store and souvenirs from Denmark. “I think we were driving all our Facebook friends crazy during the voting,” says Guðrún Lilja with a smile. “We’re going to Denmark to see the Eurovision Song Contest.

We’ve already started looking at hotels and trying to get more girlfriends to join us.”

Third place Alexandra Tómasdóttir sent in this picture of her and Bogi Rafn on a romantic picnic by the Eiffel Tower.

Guðrún Lilja arrived to WOW air head­ quarters were she was presented with her prize and a special cake. She plans to take her friend to Copenhagen next year for the Eurovision Song Competition.

The lucky winners: Hrefna winner of the voters prize, Guðrún, Alexandra og Þröstur who came in second with a brilliant WOW moment video. Due to some rather unfortunate technical difficulties Þrösturs video cannot be shown on the pages of WOW magazine but its available online.

“The three top WOW moments were awarded with two tickets each and to sweeten the deal one winner was selected from the group of voters and also got two tickets.”

First place Guðrún Lilja and her childhood friend went to Paris for a Muse concert this summer.

They’d heard about the WOW moments project and decided to dress up for a photo shoot by the Eiffel Tower.

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Photo: Sölvi Logason

Photo: Birta Rán Björgvinsdóttir

Photo: Rannveig J. Haraldsdóttir

Photo: Gísli Gíslason

Photo: Dovilé Atutyté

Photo: Sunneva Ómarsdóttir

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25 years of Todmobile

Þorvaldur Bjarni Þorvaldsson is one of Iceland’s leading songwriters with over 300 published songs, six musicals and many national hits under his belt. As one of the founders of one of Iceland’s most popular rock group Todmobile, founded 25 years ago, he told WOW magazine the story of a young man’s quest for fame and recognition and of the people who influenced and inspired him. On the 15th of November he will take the stage in Eldborg (Harpa Concert Hall in Reykjavík) along with Todmobile and the world famous Jon Anderson, the original lead singer and songwriter of legendary band Yes, thus creating the most spectacular musical event in Iceland this year.

Iceland’s icons

By Jón Kristinn Snæhólm Photos: Hákon Davíð Björnsson

of contemporary popular music

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t all started when I was 6 years old and my parents sent me to The Childr­en’s Academy of Music in Reykjavík. I liked the sound of the recorder all right (Ok, sorry

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I really didn’t). I had actually begun to listen to rather complex music by then. My music teacher Áslaug found it interestingly amusing that whenever the students could bring music of

their own choice to class I would bring music like “Tarcus” by ELP, while my classmates brought popu­­lar Icelandic children’s music. After playing ELP’s “Progsolos” during those “free” music

classes there were times when I had to leave the classroom posthaste to avoid being attacked by fed up listeners. I was brought up listening to music by ELP, Roxy Music, King Grimson, David

Þorvaldur Bjarni welcomed us to a Todmobile studio session as the band was recording their new album.

Bowie, Led Zeppelin and Yes, along with classical music by the old masters such as Brahms, Beeth­oven and Stravinsky.

When it came to choosing an instrument the choice was easy: An ELECTRIC GUITAR!” says Þorvaldur.

The big mistake He was a little out of luck though because at that time such an instru­­ment was not on the curri­­ culum so he had to start with a classical guitar. “Ok, the next best thing! But I really enjoy­­ed it and no wonder, I had a brill­iant

teacher, none other than Iceland­ic legend Eyþór Þorláks­­son, who believed in me and gave me a Gretsch electric guitar and an amplifier. He was an unbelievable character who influenced so many musicians in his time!”

Like many young boys, Þor­ vald­ur longed to go outside and play football rather than stay inside most of the time practicing the guitar so at the age of 11 he quit. “That was a BIG mistake because I found out that summer that it was possible to make your own chord progression and thus your own tunes or songs on the guitar. Wow, what a wonderful discovery that was! By that time all guitar schools were fully booked and with long waiting lists. It took me 3 years to start guitar lessons at a prominent guitar school. In the meantime I taught myself how to play by listening to Yes, Bowie, Genesis and Maestro Andrés Segovia amongst others. Also, it was my lucky day when I met my mentor, the late Einar Kristján Einarsson, who also favored progressive rock ‘n’ roll and found it remarkable to meet a teenager who liked this kind of music when so many were passionately in to Punk music.

Under his influence I went all the way and finished my studies as a guitarist and a composer.”

During Þorvaldur’s studies he started a few bands such as Exo­ dus (with Björk amongst others) and Pax Vobis with his friends Skúli Sverrisson and Geiri Sæm.

Full of ideas, he and his band mates practiced almost 24/7 and dreamed of conquering the world. “The music played by Pax Vobis was a complex one and not in unity with the Icelandic contemporary music at that time; there was Bubbi Morthens and

“Although my mind was then set on class­ ical music a few of my earlier pop songs had made the charts, which made me turn back to writing popu­ lar music.”

Brimkló on one hand and punk music on the other. The band had faithful fans and its only album, released in 1984, acquired somewhat of a cult status in the musical circles,” says Þorvaldur.

Soon after Pax Vobis quit playing (mostly because of musical differences but also because of the member’s educational pursuits) and Þorvaldur decided to say goodbye to pop music and hello to classical music.

The story behind the name “Although my mind was then set on classical music a few of my earlier pop songs had made the charts, which made me turn back to writing popular music.

The thought of starting my own band became strong and a name occurred to me, which I wanted to use for it. A friend of mine, a movie producer, wrote a comic series and named his leading character after me, but he always called me Tod. This hero drove around in his “Todmobile”, like the pope in his Popemobile,” explains Þorvaldur.

The band Todmobile was founded in 1988 by Þorvaldur, Eyþór Arnalds and vocalist Andrea Gylfadóttir, “my soul mate and close writing partner,” adds Þorvaldur. This was followed by five years of good and happy days

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25 years of Todmobile

Todmobile. Photo: Oscar Bjarnason

when everything was possible, complimented by six Icelandic Music Awards including “Best songwriter of the year”. “This was definitely one of the highlights of the Todmobile saga,” says Þorvaldur. Todmobile has recorded 10 albums since it was founded and played countless gigs. For a number of years the band has offered one big show each year, now held in the Eldborg auditorium at the Harpa Concert Hall.

no wonder, since this was a time of big changes the musical world with rap and techno music domin­­ating the market. But there were also positive things emerging from this chaos such as Björk’s album, Debut, and the rock-rap band Quarashi for instance,” says Þorvaldur. After some time of “experimenting”

he started composing music and producing recordings for others.

“Since 1997 I have composed 6 musicals, all of which have entered the stages of Icelandic theaters. I have also conducted numerous international musicals by world famous foreign com­­posers, such as Evita, Les Miserables, Little Shop of

Horrors and Rocky Horror. Some of my songs have entered the Eurovision Contest; one of them, “All out of luck”, taking second place. During these years I have met and worked with many wonderful and talented people who have influenced and inspired me in so many ways. For instance Selma Björnsdóttir, who sang

New era In 1993 Todmobile went “semi­ -dormant” for some time and for awhile Todmobile became Tweety. “It was at an era when many Icelandic bands either pushed the pause button, chang­­ed their names or simply quit. These were strange times and rather bad ones for the Icelandic music society when bands were rather insecure in their choice of music and basically experimenting. And

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The original members of Todmobile: Eyþór Arnalds, Andrea Gylfadóttir and Þorvaldur Bjarni.

“All out of luck”. Since 2008 my work has mostly revolved around composing, producing, con­­ducting and Todmobile.”

Happy birthday

Jon Anderson is coming

J

on Anderson is undoubtedly one of the most recog­­­­n­izable voices in pro­­­­­gressive rock as the lead voca­­­­­list and creative force be­­hind Yes. Anderson was the author and a major creative influ­­­ence behind the ground­breaking album Fragile as well as the series of epic, complex pieces such as Awaken, Gates of Delirium and especially Close to the Edge which were central to the band’s success.

Additionally, Anderson coauthor­ed the group’s biggest hits, including I’ve Seen All Good People, Roundabout, and Owner Of A Lonely Heart. In addition, Anderson had great

success with a series of albums he did with Vangelis, and most recently released the critically­ acclaimed solo album entitled Survival and Other Stories.

“I think that Todmobile inspired the musical society here in Ice­­­land to dare; dare to seek edu­­cation in music but still play rock ‘n’ roll, dare to hold big concerts and tour around the country and dare to face and conquer different kinds of music.

Tod­­mobile represents prog rock, rock, pop music, jazz, electro and orchestral music,” says Þorvaldur and adds that he detects some influence from the band in numerous young and educated Icelandic musicians who have chosen rock music as part of their profession.

Now, 25 years have passed since the creation of Todmobile and Þorvaldur is in the midst of creating a new album with the band to celebrate its 25th birthday. “Half of the album holds our first concert in Eldborg (at the Harpa Concert Hall) in 2011, the

“Mr. Jon Anderson, will perform with Tod­ mobile’s lead singers, Andrea Gylfadóttir and Eyþór Ingi.” other half is completely new material,” he says. At Todmobile’s “Grand Concerto” in November, the world famous singer in the also world famous band Yes, Mr. Jon Anderson, will perform with Todmobile’s lead singers, Andrea Gylfadóttir and Eyþór Ingi, the newest Todmobile member, and the other veteran members of the band. “Todmobile is to Iceland what Yes is to England so we really look forward to working with Jon Anderson. This could be the band’s greatest musical event up till now,” says Þorvaldur, “the very best songs of Todmobile and Yes will fill the magnificent concert hall along the Reykjavík harbor.”

Check out Todmobile’s music on www. youtube.com/user/todmobilemusic Learn more about Pax Vobis at my­space.com/paxvobisiceland

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Listen up

Skálmöld’s reign of terror Skálmöld was founded in August 2009 and has since become the biggest metal act in Iceland. Skálmöld plays music that could be described as “battle metal”, a potion of epic Viking metal, old school death and thrash metal, entwined with the Icelandic heritage. The lyrics are all written under the strict rules of the ancient Icelandic poetry and influenced by the heathen roots of this Nordic nation. The outcome is a powerful mixture of heavy metal and heroic Sagas, erupting from the boiling core of the frozen island. The band also puts on a killer show, rock tight and energetic.

Photos: Curtesy of Skálmöld

S

kálmöld (the name literally means “reign of terror”) is travelling through Europe until the middle of October with Finnish metal band Finntroll following the latter’s latest album release.

We got hold of Skálmöld’s bass­ist Snæbjörn Ragnarsson who told us all about their big tour. “Two years ago Skálmöld travelled through Europe with Finntroll and we became good friends with the band members.

That’s basically why they asked us on this tour. One should never underestimate the ale-forged friendships between Icelanders and Finns,” says Snæbjörn. “The plan is to play 37 gigs in 39 days, travelling in a car that has bunk-beds for us in the back.

Fortunately we will be travell­ ing mostly at night. We’re also travelling with Týr, a metal band from the Faroe Islands and I hear some local bands might be joining us on concerts when we get to Western Europe.”

The question of language Skálmöld, Finntroll and Týr all play heavy metal laced with historic and literary heritage wrapp­­ ed in their own native language.

Although each has its own style

24 ı WOW is in the air

their music is bathed in a kind of heroic splendor. Skálmöld has received praise for their use of the Icelandic language in their lyrics, but does that mean that their non-Icelandic audiences are missing out? “I would be ly­ing if I said that they understood the lyrics but every once in a while we meet people who really delve into the meaning of our songs. As for the general listener I believe this foreign effect is working for us. While they don’t understand the lyrics there’s a unique quality and a cert­ain mystique to them, so even though we are expanding abroad, our songs will always be in Icelandic,” promises Snæ­ björn. English lyrics are definitely not on the horizon for Skálmöld but their albums that have been publ­ished outside of Iceland have included the basic thread of the songs in prose, explaining each part of the work.

Do you expect more projects to follow after this tour?

“Usually tours like these leave an impact. We are getting to know a lot of people, networking like crazy, and hopefully some of it will result in more pro­­jects, tours, invitations to music festivals etc. Of course we aim to captivate everyone

that comes to see us during our tour. The European audiences have been great and one thing they do better than our Icelandic audi­­ence is that they show up on time. This is why we’ve been playing to a full house every night even if we’re not the main act. And the energy from the audience is great. We wouldn’t allow anything else.”

Back to hard reality – hardly!

Skálmöld can be expected back to Iceland around the middle of October and the members of the band are mostly looking forward to sleeping in a bed that doesn’t move and shake all night (and one that’s wider than 60 cm).

“Most of us miss our family and it will be fun getting back home and start working, going through

the aftermath of this tour. Then I guess the cold, hard reality will set in; we go back to work, mop the floors, put money in the parking meter and complain about the weather, but we do have a fun project that we are really looking forward to; a colla­boration with the Iceland Symphony Orchestra.”

What does that collaboration entail?

“Well, basically we will play our music along with the orchestra.

Super-orchestrator Haraldur Sveinbjörnsson has been arr­­ anging our songs, adapting them and even adding to them for the orchestra. We have emphasized that these concerts must add something to our music instead of just becoming “the symphonic version”. These things have a tendency to drown

“Usually tours like these leave an impact. We are getting to know a lot of people, networking like crazy, and hopefully some of it will result in more projects, tours, invitations to music festivals etc.”

out the classical part so it can’t really come into its own. We’re not going to let that happen.

This is a massive project and the two concerts that have been ad­­vertised for November 28 and 29 have already sold out. I am now at liberty to share that an extra date has been added on November 30­and we are absolutely thrilled about this project. The real rehearsals start in November but a lot of this

work is done be beforehand.

We have been getting some indication how this is all going to sound with the help of various music and computer programs and based on the goose bumps it’s raised on our hardened hides I can’t wait to see the final results. It’s going to be absolutely magnificent!”

For more information and tour dates visit www.skalmold.is

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Cool Kaleo There has been a lot of buzz surrounding the new Icelandic band Kaleo. Their groove-laden mix of indie and retro rock n’ roll is quite different from other Icelandic export bands that are known for more chilled and atmospheric sound.

Photos: Árni Sæberg and Raggi Óla

E

ven though they are young and have only recently formed their band, the members grew up as friends and have been playing together since they were kids, forming a rare connection. Performing their first gig at an off venue show on Airwaves in 2012 the band is barely a year old but since then they have played all over Iceland and had great success in Icelandic radio. Their version of the old Icelandic classic “Vor í Vaglaskógi” hit num­­ber one in Iceland and is the most played Icelandic song of the summer, hitting the charts

on almost every radio station.

Their two other singles, “Pour sugar on me” and “Rock n’ Roller”, have also hit the charts.

As Kaleo have only released these three hits the expectations for their album, coming out in November, are very high.

Kaleo played the main stage on this year’s Reykjavik Culture Night, the biggest single concert in Iceland. Around 40,000 pe­ople came and over 100,000 heard the concert on the radio or on national television, and this in a nation of about 300,000. The band recently sign­­ed a contract with Icelandic record label Sena about re­­leasing their album in Iceland and are currently on a

break from touring while they record their first album. After that they’ll play at the Airwaves festival and also a couple of off venue gigs including the Blue Lagoon.

Their fan base is growing every day with back to back pack­­ ed concerts and a lot of air time on the radio but how are people outside of Iceland feeling this new band? In the UK they have

already made an impression getting some air time on UK’s Absolute Radio with their song Rock n’ Roller, following a success on

the Unsigned Band Review (a social network for musicians).

Other smaller stations have also given the song a spin.

“Kaleo played the main stage on this year’s Reykjavik Cult­ ure Night, the biggest single concert in Ice­ land.”

Kaleo is planning a European/North American tour for 2014. Check them out at: www.facebook.com/theband. kaleo and www.kaleo.is.

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The Steak House by the harbor

A warmhearted restaurant If you like steak this is it! Steikhúsið, which simply means “The Steak House”, is a trendy new restaurant in the middle of Reykjavik. The vibrant, beating heart of the premises is the Spanish Mibrasa coal oven where guests can watch the deft hands of the cook, artfully preparing the sizzling steaks.

The beautiful coal oven, visible to guests above a bar table is used for grilling and baking. The distinct flavor from the coals gives the food a richer taste and enhances the tenderness of the meat, and speaking of tenderness, if the texture of supple, butter soft meat is to your liking, be sure to taste the “28 days” tendered meat specially cured by the chef. The excellent selections and innovative side dishes are all tanta­lizing and be sure not to miss the grilled Icelandic fish, a tasty delicacy worthy of your indulgence. Although the focus is primarily on steaks the vegetarian choice is excellent. A myriad of flavorful starters served with freshly baked bread will set the mood for your meal. The exciting list of side dishes gives everyone the opportunity to design their favorite meal or why not be daring and try something new?

How about deep fried tempura vegetables or sweet potato French fries?

If selecting becomes too much

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Promotion

Steikhúsið Tryggvagata 4-6 I 101 Reykjavík Tel: 561 11 11 I www.steik.is of a dilemma there is always the set menus. These vary with the seasons and offer the freshest and most popular dishes availa­ble at any given time. The owners take pride in catering to the whole family so as you would

expect the children’s menu is excellent.

Rough and ready style interior The raw decoration and furniture made partly out of recycled ma-

terials create an ambiance of old fashioned charm and history. The restaurant is situa­ted just above the old harbor by the whale watching center of Reykja­vík and therefore the interior, re­­miniscent of old harbor pubs, is fitting and apt. Also it reflects on the history of the house which was built to house a blacksmith’s smithy and metal works. But the main focus here is really on steaks so back to basics, this restaurant is situated firmly in the modern world.

The drinks menu arrives on the table in the form of an iPad making it easy to browse, create a wide selecti­on and change it when something new and exciting catches the sommelier’s attention. After a good meal in the warm atmosphere of The Steak House, a stroll along the harbor or through the lively neighborhood, of restaurants, cafés, artisan stor­­­es and workshops will give a fitt­ing ending to a fun and enjoy­ able evening.

Let´s go to the …

Lebowski Bar

The Reykjavik venue that rocks!

From the entrepreneurs that brought you Café Oliver and Vega­mot, comes Lebowski Bar. You can take a quick guess where the name and inspiration comes from and even if you didn´t like the infamous 1998 movie we are cert­ain you will love this bar.

Just walking into this retro American bar puts a smile on your face and the mood is very 1960’s. You can hang out at the old fashioned porch and imagine you are in a real action movie. They don´t make bars like that anymore … oh wait they do, this one! Four big screens adorn the walls, so it’s also a great place to hang out when there are big events and sporting high­lights to be seen. And there’s also an “outside” area deco­­rated in a zappy Miami­-

sunshine yellow that will cheer even the dullest of days.

Dine and jive Lebowski Bar really captures the diner style with cosy booths and a fabulous jukebox containing over 1,600 songs guaranteed to get those hips swaying. If that´s not enough there’s a DJ on every night of the week so you won´t feel the pressure of select­ing all the music by yourself. The menus are the biggest in Iceland … no literally! Their

phy­­sical dimensions are huge!

Doesn´t everyone say that size really does matter?

Try their amazing burgers, there’s cheese, bacon, a béarn­aise sauce option and succulent beef tenderloin. If that’s not enough, choose from one of the 12 kinds of milkshakes to go with it.

“Careful man, there’s a beverage here!”

Jeffrey ‘the Dude’ Lebowski, the protagonist of the Coen brother’s comedy, is renowned for his penchant for ‘White Russ­ ians’ – vodka based cocktails featuring coffee liqueurs and cream or milk. The Lebowski Bar has taken this now-iconic drink to a new level, offering an astounding 18 varieties of White Russian, along with an extensive bar list.

Bowling at the bar The real icing on the Le­bowski cake, however, is the bar’s gen­u­­ine bowling lane – it’s a

classic. How many bars have a bowling lane? In Iceland, not many, unless you count the bars at actual bowling alleys that certainly don’t have the cool vibe of Le­bowski Bar. DJs and a bass player add to the music mix at weekends and there’s room to dance. Check it out dudes, you’re guaranteed a good time.

WOW Challenge: Dress up as a real rockabilly chick or dude before you go to the Le­bowski Bar. You’ll fit right in.

The Lebowski Bar Laugavegur 20a +354 552 2300 info@lebowskibar.is www.lebowskibar.is FIND IT ON FACEBOOK and Twitter Twitter: @LebowskiBar Instagram: #LebowskiBar Open 11:00 – 01:00 Sun-Thurs and 11:00 – 04:00 Fri/Sat

Lebowski Bar is my favorite place to hang out at. I love grabbing a good beer, a burger & topping it with a delicious milkshake.

Lebowski Bar plays oldies music which mak­­ es the vibe like none other in Reykjavik.

They also have happy hour from 4-7pm and who doesn’t love that!

Bottom line, Lebowski Bar is a great main­ stream bar where you can meet fellow travel­ ers and have a drink with locals. Practice the word ‘SKÁL’ (Cheers) ~ Inga,@TinyIceland (www.tinyiceland.com) Promotion

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big screens and TVs. 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 and for anyone 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!

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”.

And 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 sample 50 beers from around the world, as well as a staggering 15 Icelandic brands.

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. The choice of some 60 malts include many of Scotland’s finest, ensuring that numerous Ice­­landers and worldly travelers make the pilgrim-

age 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 three

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

Promotion

Very nice Vegamót

The all-in -one restaurant This elegant but casual two floor restaurant is located in the heart of Reykja­vík on Vega­­ mótastígur, close to Lauga­­­­vegur. The restaurant has been popular for many years, perhaps because of its wonderful quality of being an all-in-one, restaurant, café, bar and nightclub.

You‘ll never want to leave!

Here the decor is rich on the Mediterranean side and yet elegant with a jazzy ambiance.

In the summertime tables are moved outside to the shelt­ered terrace, probably one of the hottest places in Iceland during those short summer months. This place is famous for their ‘fresh fish of the day’, served all day from

lunch hours. It has very reasonable prices for quality, portions and presenta­tion and guests can choose from a wide variety of decadent dess­erts – if they make it that far.

Try their excellent selection of good beers.

Every day there is a special offer on bottled beers worth a taste.

Vegamót Vegamótastíg 4 I 101 Reykjavík Tel: 511 3040 vegamot@vegamot.is I www.vegamot.is

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Hressingarskálinn

Coffee house, restaurant & night club Hressingarskálinn is a warm place with plenty of seating and a great location in down­town Reykjavik. It’s one of the few places that open at 9 AM to serve breakfast for hungry travelers or locals. Hressingarskálinn is a big part of Reykjavík’s history; the house was built in 1802 and the restaurant was established in 1932. The house has hosted Hressingarskálinn since 1932.

Sitting down for a coffee has a magnetic effect on Iceland’s most talented artists and writers.

Smokers can have a seat on a heated patio with service all day. Over the summer, this place really comes alive. The yard is completely sheltered from the wind, allowing you to enjoy food and beverages in the bright

The menu consists of great selections and offers everything from breakfast to a fantastic dinner. Hressingarskálinn offers Icelandic food for curious visitors.

You can always try the traditional Icelandic meat soup. If not, there’s lamb or the fish stew – You won’t be disappointed.

Hressingarskálinn is stylish and old at the same time, a history well preserved. Check out Hressingarskálinn for great prices and awesome fun!

sunlight. Thursday to Sunday is usually packed with people from all over the world. It’s a great place to meet strangers for some interesting story sharing.

Live bands play on Fridays and Sat­urdays, guaranteeing a crowd before all the popular DJ’s hit the floor with party tunes from 01:0004:30 AM.

“The menu consists of great selections and offers everything from breakfast to a fantastic dinner.”

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Sakebarinn Sushi & Sticks

The one and only choice for Sushi & Sticks …so you can check it off your bucket list Located in a loft on Laugavegur, the main shopping street, in one of Iceland’s old­ est buildings (1886) is a great new restaurant with a great view and an amazing at­ mosphere called Sakebarinn. In its beautiful location, surrounded by windows that look down on Austurstræti, (an extension of Laugavegur leading to the Old Town) and up Skólavörðustígur (known for its cafés, local boutiques and art shops with native works), Sakebarinn lies in the very heart of downtown Reykjavík. In the winter you can see the Northern Lights from the balcony and in the summer, the amazing summer sunsets over the harbor.

The owners of Sakebarinn have a keen interest for the arts and crafts and a wealth of creative assets to play with. Although Sake­­ barinn has a strong foundation in pure Japanese cuisine the current style of the restaurant proves that the owners are not afraid to break some of the rules. To them sushi is meant to be an art form.

Along with its handcrafted sushi, Sakebarinn also offers a sel­­ection of sticks and other meat cours­­es, featuring whale and horse and anything that’s fresh and interest-

ing that day. Why live on an island in the middle of the Atlantic if you’re not going take advantage of the natural fauna? Along with the local seafood, Sakebarinn also carries some more exotic things like octopus, just to keep it interesting, and with a little some­­thing for everyone. There’s love on every plate – You will feel it with each taste.

It’s no accident that the place is named Sakebarinn. It does feature the country’s largest sel­­ection of sake and a shot before a meal

can truly enhance the feel of real Japanese dining. It comes in a surprising range of flavors too, everything from really girly fruit sake to the fire spewing alcohol content of some of the more butch types; potato sake, warm and cold sake and Japanese plum wine. And then of course are the bottles that didn’t make it on to the menu because no one could read the labels and therefore no one knows what they are. Mystery sake! Sakebarinn is a place born to showcase the talents

the staff have collected over the years work­­ing at their first Sushi restau­­rant called Sushibarinn, which is located on the first floor in the same house. A year and a wild ride later, this sushi family has in­­corporated a bunch of new and talented people with some great new recipes and skills they didn’t know they had and didn’t even know existed. The walls are hand painted by them, the wine selected by them, the menu is designed by them and the place is loved by them. They also love to present food so their clients become part of their love for sushi. The look on your face is what they are aiming for, the look of enjoyment.

Sakebarinn Laugavegur 2, 101 Reykjavík (entrance to the second floor from Skólavörðustígur) Opening hours: Mon-Sun 5:00 PM – 00:00 Tel: +354 777 3311 www.facebook.com/Sakebarinn

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Choose your wine

The disappearing café

Tíu dropar / Le Chateaux Des Dix Chuttes Tíu dropar (Ten Drops) is a café located in the cellar of Lauga­veg­ur 27. This is one of the oldest cafés in Iceland and for the last 30 years to this very day they serve freshly baked pancakes and waffles á la the grandmothers of Iceland, with lots of whipped cream and Icelandic jam.

Ten Drops is also known for its homemade cakes, baked from scratch according to old recipes, and of course, their hot cocoa, known by many of their guests as ‘The Only Real Hot Cocoa on Earth’. If you’re not in the mood for old fashioned Icelandic good­ies you can choose from an assortment of light dishes, tea,

wines and beer. We recommend the French meat soup, a popular dish and another old favorite.

into a French wine room known as Le Chateaux Des Dix Chuttes or the Castle of the Ten Drops.

This is a lovely place to sit and enjoy good wines along with cheese, ham or other light dishes for as little as 500 ISK a plate, and don´t worry, the coffee, co­coa and pancakes are still there! Lovely French music sets the mood and the ambiance is perfect for a deep conversation.

Guests wanting to break out in song can have their turn after 22:00 on the weekends, as long as they can find someone to play the antique piano given to the café’s owner, David Bensow, by a regular.

Guests can have their say on the wine list of Le Cha­te­aux Des Dix Chuttes and David will make special orders to fulfill their wish­es. In fact, he welcomes any sug­gestions making the wine list one of the more, well-endowed in Reykjavík. He´s especially interested in serving good Port to his clientele.

Intimate climate The little wine room and café seat only 40 guests and the mood is set in the early evening. It’s safe to say this is just the kind of place that was missing from the brimming Icelandic bar and café scene - a perfect sett­ing for a small group of friends to reminisce over the good old days or for a first date.

Be sure to taste David´s “wine of the week” or let his fair beer prices amaze you.

Check out the ten drops twitt­er feed and find both café and wine room on Facebook.

Tíu dropar / Le Chateaux Des Dix Chuttes Laugavegur 27 I 101 Reykjavík I Tel: 00 354 551 9380

Where did the café go?

Don´t be surprised if you can´t find the café after 18:00. Some­­ thing happens around that time that trans­­forms this little cellar

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The Tapas House

A fusion of food and frolic Fish Company by the old Around Iceland harbor in one evening Fish Company has a very cozy 70’s ambiance and is probably one of the coziest cellar restaurants you’ll ever find. Aptly located, it stands where the remnants of an older harbor were found during an excavation. The remnants have since been incorporated into “The Tides”, an artwork by Hjörleifur Stefánsson that sets the area in a unique atmosphere.

In its beautiful surroundings Fish Company takes its guests on an adventurous journey with a fusion menu based on herbs and spices selected from all over the world. Try the “Around Iceland” tasting menu, a great in­­troduction to local produce from the fields to the sea, sending your taste buds on a trip around the country while dining in downtown Reykjavík.

Some say the real star of Fish Company is the fresh Icelandic seafood but for other delicious options, there’s a variety of lamb, beef, pork and vegetarian dishes. An eclectic wine list echoes the menu guaranteeing an unforgettable culinary adventure.

Fiskfélagið / Fish Company Vesturgata 2a, Grófartorg 101 Reykjavík Tel: 552 5300 www.fishcompany.is

Tapas, stemming from the Spanish cuisine, is more than just something to eat, it is the joy of life fused with deliciousness and color. At The Tapas House by the old harbor you’ll find all of that, plus excellent and vivacious service from a staff that takes the fun part of tapas very seriously.

Aside from its menu The Tapas House holds a Spanish connection historically as the building that once housed a saltfish processing comp­any mainly catering to Spain.

Now, about 90 years later, the saltfish has returned with its place on The Tapas House menu along with fresh seafood straight off the boats, juicy steaks, colorful fruits and vegetables.

And speaking of the menu, The Tapas House has declared war on repetitiousness giving its guests the chance to put together their own perfect meal with over a thousand variations. The sample menus have been highly recommended, especially the “Discover Iceland” and “Tivoli Menu”.

The Tapas House promises Spanish traditions with all the colors, textures and sensations they embody, a virtual tapas experience, in an environment that is, never-the-less, uniquely Icelandic with an unforgettable view of the old harbor. This is Icelandic tapas!

Tapashúsið / The Tapas House Ægisgarður 2 101 Reykjavík Tel: 512 8181 www.tapashusid.is

The Seafood Grill

The real taste of the land In 2010 Head Chef Gústav Axel Gunnlaugsson was awarded the title “Chef of the year”.

The following year he spent traveling around Iceland looking for the real taste of the land and along the way found a few things that now are key items in the interior of the restaurant. While on the road Gústav also drew up a menu like no other with his delectable interpretation of Iceland’s collective grill taste.

Forget the fermented and sour food of days gone by – this is the taste that Icelanders really love!

The Seafood Grill, located on Skólavörðu­stíg­ ur, midway between Hall­­gríms­­kirkja church and the main shopping street, Laugavegur, has an excellent outdoor area with a view of the church. As the name implies Icelandic seafood has a key role on the menu, which is simple and straight forward with an enticing and affordable lunch menu and a fun sample menu called “Grill party”, a multi course grill feast put together by the chef – guaranteed to make your mouth water.

Sjávargrillið / The Seafood Grill Skólavörðurstígur 14 101 Reykjavík Tel: 571 1100 www.sjavargrillid.com

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Promotion

The Danish Pub

Reminder: If you thought you were in for a quiet night guess again, The Danish Pub features live music every night with special appearances and unadvertised happenings on Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays. Put your musical knowledge to the test at the Wednesday night popquiz; the prizes will surprise you.

When in Iceland, go Danish!

You know that Iceland used to be a Danish colony, right? Even though independ­ence from the Danish Crown was necessary, Icelanders still celebrate every­ thing Danish, so don´t expect to meet a big Danish crowd at The Danish Pub, they are all Icelanders just act­ing like they’re Danish. Really!

This bar has made a name for itself in the Reykjavik social scene and is known locally as Den Danske Kro (we all just want a reason to speak Danish in public). This popular downtown venue serves

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a remarkable selection of beers including the famous Danish white beers, the darker more malt brews and of course the traditional and almost obligatory Tuborg and Carlsberg. If you come during the Christmas season you can taste some of the renowned Christmas brews, very popular in demand.

Just ask for Julebryg (“you-lebree”).

this spirit, check out the “house” within the pub – an off-the­-wall design in its most literal sense!

Get carefree or “ligeglad” (leeglaath), shoot some darts, try the custom­ary Gammel Dansk bitt­ers or catch some live football. Watch the world go by on the outside terrace and have a taste of the traditional smørre­brød (fantastic open sandwiches). You can pre-order these delicious snacks for larger groups.

Do as the Danes do

Does this sound too tranquil?

The owners of the Danish Pub strive to create the true Danish atmos­phere known among the Danes (and Danish-prone Ice­­ landers) as “hyggeligt”. If you truly are Danish this can be your “home away from home”. And in

The Danish Pub is nothing if not a place to party. The at­­mos­­ phere is easy going and you can choose from a variety of shots and even cocktails if you’re not in the mood for a beer (Does that ever happen?).

Best local pub in Reykjavík Wherever you‘re from you’ll want to have a great time while vis­iting Reykjavík. The people of Reykja­ vík do anyway, so they flock to The Danish Pub for a beer “en øl” during the Happy Hour every day from 16-19. The place is crowded and you’re guaranteed to meet some fun, “lee glaath” people.

WOW Challenge: Imagine there’s a potato in your throat and re­ ceive every drink with the words: “Tag skaadoo haw”. They’ll all think you´re from Copenhagen.

Honest!

Den Danske Kro Ingólfsstræti 3 I 101 Reykjavík Tel: +354 552 0070 www.dendanske.is Opening hours: 14:00 – 01:00 Sun-Thurs 14:00 – 05:00 Fri-Sat

Tapas Barinn

A tasty ray of sunshine in downtown Reykjavík

Imagine yourself in the hot sun of Anda­lucia, stepping into the cool interior of a typical bodega or wine bar. The whitewashed walls, simple wooden tables and a smiling patron with his friendly staff greet you. You might not realize that you are, in fact, in downtown Reykjavík.

Tapas Barinn is a place bursting with delic­i­ous smells and flavors of traditional tapas. Along the walls are racks of fine wines and right in front of you the tasty dish­­es are being served to the diverse and very loyal clientele.

Temptations for the taste buds Tapas are small portions of food, hot and cold and because people are not focused upon eating an entire meal the serving of tapas encourages conversation to flow more easily.

Like the Spanish, Icelanders go to bars to meet friends, chat, ­argue, joke and flirt. Tapas Bar­­ inn is the ideal venue for this social activity, with their great food and service in a relaxed at­­mosphere. You are sure to be in for a happy evening.

The seduction of seafood When you enter Tapas Barinn you will immed­iately be seduc­ed by the aromas of garlic, olive oil, shellfish, succulent meats and cheese. The well balanced menu contains over 50 dishes to suit all tastes. Any of these dishes can be ordered individ­u­ ally or as part of a main course.

If making a choice is too difficult just let the master chef pick his favorites for you.

At Tapas Barinn you will get a stylish fusion of first-class service, fresh fish and seafood and Icelandic lamb. This combin­a­tion has made Tapas Barinn one of Iceland’s most popular restau­­ rants. But don’t take our word for it, check it out for yourself and be convinced.

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Tapas Barinn Vesturgata 3b, 101 Reykjavík Tel: 551 2344 www.tapas.is

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ı 37

t ’ s co o ha k g? in

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Christmas cake 10 slices

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espite the name, this delicious cake used to be a hous ehold staple served all year round.

Actually, it still is, although Icelandic housewives might not be as prone to baking them as they us­­ed to and also these days, they can be bought from a store. Still, homemade cakes are special and we got Gestgjafinn, Iceland’s leading culinary magazine, to give us

38 ı WOW is in the air

their recipe so our readers could impress their friends with their real Icelandic baking skills.

This recipe has a bit of a fancy twist to it as freshly ground cardamoms give it a unique flavor. If you don’t like raisins you could try switching to chocolate chips.

175 g butter, soft 175 g sugar 2 large eggs

250 g flour 1 ½ tsp. baking powder ½-1 tsp. cardamom seeds, freshly ground or pestled (from 10-20 pods) 1 dl raisins 1 ¼ dl milk 1 tsp. vanilla extract or ½ tsp. lemon extract Heat the oven to 175°C. Mix butt­­er and sugar thoroughly in a

bowl until the mixture is light and creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, and mix for 3-4 minutes. Sift flour and baking powder into another bowl and add ground cardamom seeds and raisins. Add the flour mixture, milk and vanilla or lemon extract to the butter and sugar; mix well. Grease a deep, rectang­ ular cake tin and add the mixture evenly. Bake on lowest rim for 50-60 minutes.

Tax free shopping and a great variety of shops

Only 10 min. drive from ReykjavĂ­k center

smaralind.is Open: Weekdays 11-19 Thursdays 11-21 Saturdays 11-18 Sundays 13-18 Follow us on

And now for something completely different

Icelanders love going to movie theaters. Perhaps it’s because our winters can be long, dark and cold. It means that sometimes we just need a little escape from our own reality and to get lost in the stories told on the silver screen. Or maybe it’s just that we love movies

A true paradise for film enthusiasts

by Dísa Bjarnadóttir Photo: Kristinn Magnússon

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or some reason the majority of Icelandic movie theaters show mostly big budg­et Hollywood films. But there is one notable exception: Bíó Paradís on Hverfisgata, which was founded by The Icelandic Filmmakers! Association with the goal to enrich the selection for Icelandic movie goers and promote Icelandic film-making. And it’s off to a great start.

In the two years Bíó Paradís has been operating, visitors have increased by 33 percent, even though general visits to

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Ice­­landic cinemas has decreas­ ed by eight percent. One reason for this could be that Bíó Paradís is now the only movie theater in downtown Reykjavík. It also has quite a cozy little café. There are tables and chairs, couches and a bar.

Hrönn Sveinsdóttir, the manag­ ing director, describes it this way: “Everybody is welcome to come here and just hang out.

Thats why the tables and chairs and the chessboard is there.

We see it as a venue where you can sit down and have a beer with your friends, watch a film

and then return to discuss what youve seen. We have a good selection of music and all of the employees are great DJs so we always have good music play­­ing.”

A great way to learn about foreign places Bíó Paradís has also been gain­­ ing a growing reputation as a host to various events, such as Wednesday night game nights and Black Sundays. On Black Sundays a small group of horror movie fans have been showing other fans, movie buffs or just

curious people a very eclectic collection of horror movies, most of them quite out of the mainstream.

Hrönn says: “The best way to introduce a countrys culture is through their films.” So the movie theater often hosts various events such as Polish, Chinese, and European film days to name a few. Each year it shows over 400 films from over 40 different countries. It has also become an annual tradition to show selected old and new Icelandic films throughout the summer, catering especially to foreign visitors.

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Reykjavík International Film Festival September 26 - October 6, 2013 WOW air is a proud sponsor of Reykjavík International Film Festi­val - RIFF. For eleven days every late September the center of Reykja­ vik vibra­tes with culture and energy brought by the presence of cinephiles, artists and press buzzing around town to reach the events at RIFF. With a wide range of dramas and non-fiction from around 40 countries in 13 program categories, RIFF offers events suitable for everyone.

RIFF

is a great opportun­ ity for visitors not only to watch movies but also to experience a cultural event. The festival is popular with tourists since all movies are either shown in English or with English subtitles. RIFF highlights independent filmmaking from all over the world with an emphasis on up-and-coming filmmakers and encourages the interaction of cinema with other art forms by organizing concerts, photo exhibitions and more.

You never know, which special event might come up next Swim­-In Cinema, Ciné-Concert or Living Room Cinema to name a few possible off-venues. With either a festival pass or different ticket options, you can find your own way through all the opportunities RIFF has to offer.

This year RIFF celebrates its 10 year anniversary. The festival was founded in September 2004, by a small group of film professionals and film enthusi­

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asts with the main goals to pres­­ent new and progressive quality films, support innovation in filmmaking, promote social and cultural dialogue and, last but not least, continue building an international network of filmmakers and film enthusiasts.

Sixteen films were screened at the first RIFF in 2004 but in 2005 already 70 films from 26 countries were shown to 13,000 guests. 2012 RIFF had nearly

tourists, have visited the festival.

If you visit Reykjavik during RIFF season you will experience how the city buzzes with films: Whether you are getting your hair cut, out bowling or sipping on a cappuccino you could find yourself situated in one of Riff Around Town’s many unorthodox venues. But the art of cinema knows no boundaries, and neither does RIFF. Film enthusiasts can be found all around Iceland and therefore RIFF “Each year the festival jury is launched awards the Grand Prix of RIFF, the around IceGolden Puffin, to the Best Picture land during of the competition category, enti- every edition, tled New Visions.” screening a selection from 30,000 guests, 119 films from 41 the official program in every countries were screened and quarter of the country. the festival is still growing. More The Golden Puffin than 1000 films from all over Gathering filmmakers, film en­­ the world have been screen­­ thusiasts, tourists and locals for a ed at RIFF, and over 700 film huge eleven day party, RIFF prespro­fessionals and hundreds of ents and promotes tal­­ent. Each journa­­lists and reporters, not year the festival jury awards the to mention film enthusiasts and

Grand Prix of RIFF, the Golden Puffin, to the Best Picture of the competition category, entitled New Visions.

This is a festival with a modest aim - RIFF wants to change lives and it is their belief that films and art can change people’s lives for the better and that’s teRIFFic!

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The future of Icelandic filmmaking

by Dísa Bjarnadóttir Photos: Kristinn Magnússon

We

have some fresh directors on our cover this issue and what they all have in comm­on is that their short film (or even films) will be screened at RIFF this year. This is a new generation of directors, the future of Icelandic filmmaking.

Many of the best directors in Iceland (and the rest of the world) have made their debuts with short films and the short film category at RIFF is a great venue for the rest of us to get a preview of what’s to come in Icelandic cinema.

The Icelandic short film category at RIFF is one of the most interesting aspects of the festival. A total of 19 short films are shown in three separate portions. This is a great venue for discovering fresh talent and surprising new directors who all come together competing for the short film award at RIFF. Every year the question about the best Icelandic short is highly discussed and the decision of who gets the award is keenly awaited.

Among what can be seen from the directors featured in this issue is a story of an old widower whose life takes unexpected turns, a film about two young boys stealing a car to explore an abandoned house, a young woman’s explorations of love and the story of a young boy struggling to help his older brother. Filmmaking is a blooming industry in Iceland and viewing the short films made by the newest generation of directors gives us high expectations for the years to come. Send yourself on a trip through unexpected and amazing film moments and enjoy the journey into a composition of dramatic, extraordinary and unorthodox short films.

The cover photo and the individual photos of the directors were shot at the old Bæjarbíó Cinema in Hafnar­ fjörð­ur and we would like to thank The Icelandic Film Archive for their great hospitality and help.

Photographer: Kristinn Magnússon Photographer’s assistant: Hákon Davíð Björnsson

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Issue five

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The future of Icelandic filmmaking

Working yields results We last spoke with Guðmundur Arnar in the early summer this year, when he was heading to Cannes to premiere his short film Whale Valley. Since we spoke, Whale Valley won the Short Film Special Distinction Ex-aequo award in Cannes and has also won the grand prize for a short film in Les Percédies Film Festival, The Golden Spike Award at the 43rd Gifoni Festival in Italy as well as numerous other nominations.

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o it’s been a busy summer for Guðmundur and his colleagues to whom he credits a great deal of the film’s success. “Making films is a team venture and it is very important to have good people with you that believe in the project and are ready to put 110% into it.” Has Guðmundur’s world dramatically changed? “Well, Cannes open­­ed a lot of doors, for example when it comes to gett­­ing people interested in financing my projects, this gives me more credibility as a film maker who can produce the work.” And he’s got a lot going on; these days he’s working on financing his first full length film called “Heartstone”. He says that he has been working on this script for a long time and, not wanting to give too much of it away, says it’s about two young boys around puberty, growing up in a small Icelandic fishing village, and their conflicting new feelings of love and how it affects their friendship. While one boy falls for a girl, the other boy falls for his friend. “Ártún” is another short film ready to be screened and just waiting for the right venue. The film tells the story of three young boys growing up in a small town, how they start smoking and turn themselves into punk rockers before heading to the city in the hopes of getting girls.

One thing that Guðmundur Arnar’s movies have in common is that they tell the stories of youth. “Whale Valley” shows the main charact­ er, a young boy, who walks in on his older brother attempting to end his life and the events that follow, “in a family where feelings aren’t often discussed,” says Guðmundur. Even though the subject matter is serious and heavy he says that the film also has strong love and tender moments. When asked why he focuses so much on telling the stories of young boys, he says, “These are the years that mold you, from being a child to being a teenager and then becoming an adult.

At this age you have so little say in the world. You’re not allowed to make any major decisions because the grown-ups are in charge.

Society isn’t built around teenagers, so in many ways it’s a time of waiting. These years shaped me so I’ve always wanted to relive them and what was going on.”

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What does it mean to you to show your film at RIFF? “It’s a great honor to have our Icelandic premiere at RIFF. It’s a very important festival for Iceland. It nourishes the international film culture in Iceland and creates a platform for filmmakers and audiences to come together and celebrate films. I’m particularly looking forward to seeing Lukas Moodysson, he’s one of my favorite directors.”

As for other favorite directors, Guðmundur says that the list is very long and includes among others: Lars Von Trier, Kar Wai Wong, James Cameron and Carlos Reygadas. “They are all very different from each other and very inspiring in their own way.” He also says that there is an abundance of good filmmakers here in Iceland considering what a small nation we are.

Do you have any advice for young aspiring filmmakers? “There is one thing that I heard older filmmakers saying when I was young that I couldn’t stand hearing. They always said that this business was so hard you shouldn’t go into it unless this was the only thing you could do. After about five years of doing this I started thinking that way, but the thing is ... if you keep working hard you’ll get results. Working yields results. And you have to be fine with making mistakes. It gives you the freedom to stop playing it safe. Because if you’re true to yourself and your decisions are truly yours, decisions you can stand by, it’s easier to look back at them without regrets even though they were mistakes. Because you feel like you have learned something valuable. Rather than if you didn’t listen to yourself, which results in you making a mistake. Then you look back in pain, because you should always follow your own instincts.”

If you had unlimited budget, what would be your fantasy project?

Guðmundur smiles, “A Viking movie. I’ve started writing it already.

And it’s fantastic!”

“These are the years that mold you, from being a child to being a teenager and then becoming an adult. “

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The future of Icelandic filmmaking

48 覺 WOW is in the air

Something mysterious and unexplained Marsibil Sæmundardóttir had done various things in her life before she decided to be­­ come a filmmaker. After running a rehab center for teenagers and serving as a member of the city council of Reykjavik she went through some self-reflecting and took time to figure out what she wanted to do. She knew it wasn’t politics. She tried learning project man­agement and life coaching to help her find out what she wanted to do and after a while she realized that she wanted to be creative. Since she’s always loved films, it came naturally that she’d sign up for film school.

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arsibil’s debut at RIFF is called “Jón Jónsson” and tells the story of a widower who has no children and lives a rather lonely and ordinary life when all of a sudd­­ en unexpected things turn his life upside down, as the synopsis says. Before making this short film, Marsibil directed a film called “Freyja” (also a school project) which tells the story of a pregn­­ant woman who is alone in a new house and is waiting for her husband. “It’s a little spooky,” Marsibil says. She adds that so far, what all of her films have in common is that they are what’s called genre fantastique, a French term for literary and cinematic genre that overlaps with science fiction, horror and fantasy. There is always some­­­thing mysterious and unexplained in her films.

When asked where she gets the ideas for her scripts she says that she starts with certain pre-set notions, such as make it a simple film (since it’s a school project with no budget) with a few locations to shoot. She says she learned from her experience in film school that it’s possible to tell a really good story with just one person in one location.

Marsibil said that she was lucky in many ways with the filming of “Jón Jónsson”. She got one of Iceland’s seasoned actors, Erlingur Gíslason, to play the main part and claims that his presence does wond­ers for the film. Also, while looking for a location she found a small house for sale that happened to have been owned by a single old widower who had recently passed away and all his furniture was still inside the house. It was exactly as she had imagined it when she wrote the script. She says that at times the crew could almost sense the presence of the old man and that he was approving of what they were doing.

“Freyja” made the rounds to a few different film festivals, such as one called The Best Shorts Competition where it won an Award of Merit, and also The Palm Springs International Film Festival and Cannes Short Film Corner. As for what it means for her to have her film showing at Reykjavík International Film Festival, she says, “It’s

3

always good to show your work in a festival in your own country. It adds to the chances that it could be shown at other festivals abroad.”

She adds that she’s looking forward to seeing the other films at RIFF, of course “Whale Valley” which has been anticipated here in Iceland for quite a while since winning an award at the Cannes Festival, but also she’s looking forward to just being there and seeing as many films as possible.

“It’s always good to show your work in a festival in your own country. It adds to the chances that it could be shown at other festi­­vals abroad.”

Marsibil is already hard at work on other projects. She has started a production company with four other women whom she met while in film school. She’s also been working on a documentary about a man named Bear, who became world famous when he shot a video of a double rainbow and got millions of views on YouTube. She says Bear’s story is remarkable: He’d never left his birthplace, Canada, before 2010 and the first foreign country he visited was Iceland. Since then he’s been in various commercials and visited various countries.

As for why he got so emotional when he saw the double rainbow ...

Marsibil smiles and says “You’ll see it all in the movie.”

If money was no object, what would your fantasy project be? “I don’t want to give it all away just yet ... What I can say is it would be a big budget Icelandic film, based on our sagas, one of those “true” fantasy-like ones. Currently, I’m preparing an application to get a grant for this project.”

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The future of Icelandic filmmaking

“I get to wake up every day, go to work and be excited about it” This year Freyr Árnason will be showing a short film he directed called “Strýta” at RIFF. He says it’s hard for him to say much about the film without giving away too much about the plot so what he’ll share is that it’s about two young boys who decide to steal a car and go explore an abandoned house in their town. The film was a graduation project for a student in the Icelandic Film School named Sigurður Már Davíðsson who was the Director of Photography for the film.

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“Strýta” was filmed in the town of Djúpivogur, where Sigurður Már is from. According to Freyr the whole town deserves credit because the people there were very helpful – lending clothing for props, letting the crew film into their homes and even changing things around when needed. Special mention goes to the hotel manager at Hótel Framtíð, who housed and fed the crew. “The man is a genius,” says Freyr.

But filming wasn’t without challenges. “It hadn’t snowed in Djúpi­ vogur for a really long time but all of a sudden we had a snowstorm.

It made everything rather difficult, but we decided to film in the snow­storm anyway. Some of the scenes that seem to be filmed in decent weather are actually shot under horrible circumstances where we could barely stand straight. We had one Dane in our crew who repeatedly exclaimed we were crazy when we decided to go out and film in this weather.”

“Tarantino is really good, and Guy Ritchie, even though not all of his stuff is brilliant, the good stuff really is.”

The main characters are all children and Freyr says that there was a lot of pressure on them with the long filming days but they all did a really good job and it was very fun to work with them. “We had been going around to schools looking for kids and then it happened that

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Valdimar Kúld, the producer of the film, had also been working with the director Guðmundur Arnar on his film “Ártún” so he knew some kids from that film. We ended up using two of the kids from that film, not because they were in Ártún but just because they were really good.” In the first scene the kids can be seen driving a car, how did Freyr manage that? “That car was being pulled by a pick-up truck.

We put the camera on the truck to film the kids so it looked like they were driving - another thing we couldn’t have done if it hadn’t been for the help of the people in Djúpivogur.”

What is it like to be a young filmmaker in Iceland? “Right now I work for Tjarnargata, which is a production company. I’m involved in the making of a lot of music videos. One music video, featuring Emmsjé Gauti, was premiered recently. I’m working with Einar Bragi Rögnvaldsson and Árni Gestur Sigfússon and I get to wake up every day, go to work and be excited about it,” says Freyr.

When asked about his favorite directors Freyr says, “Tarantino is really good, and Guy Ritchie, even though not all of his stuff is brilliant, the good stuff really is. As for Icelandic directors, Hafsteinn Gunnar Sigurðsson who made “Á annan veg” (Either Way) is really good. He was one of my best teachers when I was in the Icelandic Film School and I learned a lot from him. Baltasar Kormákur has been doing really good things and Friðrik Þór [Friðriksson] has made some really good movies too.”

If you had endless budget what would your dream project be? “A film about Death Row Records, the music production company in Los Angeles.”

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The future of Icelandic filmmaking

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“Everything about this business excites me” Gunna Helga Sváfnisdóttir comes from a very creative family which she looks to in her own creations. She even thinks the family is under some sort of a spell making them unable to stick to just one medium when it comes to their creativity. Gunna Helga writes scripts, directs movies and paints and says that her enrollment to The Icelandic Film School was kind of an accident. saw an advertisement for the school at a time when I was at a crossroads in my life. I’d always wanted to make music videos and even when I was younger I found them very appealing. I saw this as an opportunity to do something related to my love for music and I’ve never regretted a single second of it,” says Gunna Helga.

Gunna Helga has two films screening at RIFF, “Monika” and “Gabrí­ ella”. We asked her about “Gabríella” first. “After I graduated Sigga Björk [Sigurðardóttir] asked me to direct her final project in the acting department called “Gabríella”. I wrote a new script based on her original idea in collaboration with my Uncle Erpur Sigurðarson. “Gabrí­ ella” is the story of a young girl who is sexually abused by her friend and the aftermath where she gets kind of lost within her own head but then she starts to claw her way back to the real world. Sigga and I worked a lot on the creation of the character. We improvised, and I even made her go to the mall as different characters putting her in very uncomfortable situations. I gained a lot of experience from this project, you learn so much from collaborating with other people,” says Gunna Helga. When we asked her to tell us about “Monika” she said, “‘Monika’ is my baby. It took a lot of creative time and effort and here I also wrote the script with my Uncle Erpur. This was kind of a family production, some of the locations are at the homes of family members; my grandmother plays a part in the movie, my father composed the music and my cousin Hrefna produced it with me.

These are some of the reasons the film is so dear to me. The story is about a young woman who has always been a model citizen, a good daughter, wife, student and employee. She starts resisting this image when all this perfectness starts to become too much for her, realizing that up until now every aspect of her life has been valued by very trivial standards: grades, the opinions of other, paychecks … She goes on a spiritual journey that is trying but in the end well worth it,” explains Gunna Helga and adds that she is very excited about the screenings at RIFF. “RIFF is a great venue for me to see what others are doing, meeting directors and producers and others who are in this business.”

What comes next? “I am definitely staying in this business and I hope to make more movies, however I am getting into a little project

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right now that has nothing to do with films and I am going to follow through with it along with making some music videos. I would really like to go abroad to learn more but I am open to everything. I would just as much like to do the catering as to be on the roadblocks for a production. I just love being on set. I love the energy that goes with it. Of course I want to direct but everything about this business excites me.

“I love making music videos and recently got the chance to make one with SísíEy to the song “Ain’t got nobody”. It’s available on youtube. My passion definitely lies in music videos. I’m not sure if I’ve developed any one style to my projects yet. I love trying new things, testing boundaries, and I’m not afraid to make mistakes. It’s just as much fun getting silly results after experimenting, and learning something in the process, as it is getting it “right”. I have done projects that I seriously can’t watch without shuddering and others that I still love to this day … and anything in between.”

Where do you get inspiration? “My all time favorite movie is Natural Born Killers by Oliver Stone. That movie definitely made its mark on me. But on the whole, everything can inspire me. Sometimes when I’m painting I get a feeling that later becomes an idea for a project and sometimes a project can inspire an idea for a painting.”

Do you think this business welcomes young directors and pro­ ducers or is it just a lot of struggle? “It’s a struggle to get into this business but isn’t that true for any industry? You have to work hard, get a lot of experience, prove yourself and eventually you will gain ground. As a director you usually have to make your own projects.

It’s not like applying for a job, but you do have to apply for funding, find a good crew and get to know as many people as you possibly can. That really increases the possibility of work coming your way.

And you have to love what you do.”

If you had an unlimited budget, what would your dream project be? “I have this script I wrote along with a few fellow students in film school. It’s called “Discopolitan” and we would need a giant set and 300-400 professional dancers. That’s my dream project and I hope on day it becomes a reality.”

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Atli Bollason, producer of this year’s RIFF, studied English literature and film at Concordia University in Montreal and has worked on and off for the festival since 2005. We got the chance to ask Atli some important questions.

It takes at least a miracle or two Photo: Hákon Davíð Björnsson

Q: What is your favorite RIFF-mo­ ment?

A: “Once we had a very famous Finnish director as an honorary guest at RIFF. He came to my house for an after-party. We had a fatigue- and alcohol-fuelled con­versation in the wee hours in my kitchen. I had these packets of Royal instant pudding sitting in my kitchen window as decoration and in his drunken state he claimed this classic design to be the only beautiful thing left in the world. It was a very Scandinavian moment, except that we were not naked and we did not stab each other.”

Q: Why do you have a puffin in the RIFF-logo?

A: “There are two reasons. Firstly, the puffin is a well-known sym­­bol of Iceland. Souvenir stores in Iceland are even called “puffin­stores” by locals because they usually have puffin dolls in the windows. Secondly, we chose the puffin because it is al­­ways dressed up. It shares the “tuxedo-look” with the penguin. So it’s classy and film-like.”

Q: Which do you like more, ­fea­ture films or documentaries?

A: “I like documentaries a lot. I don’t even have to like the topic they are dealing with. A good documentary infuses interest re­­­­gardless. That said, I think most of my favorite films of all time are feature films.”

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Q: How many films do you think the average ticket-holder sees for the duration of RIFF? A: “I hope people see at least one film per day, so 11 films should be

a feasible number. But our select­ ion is much more. We usually have more than 80 films on the schedule and frankly they are all pretty good. The highest number I ever heard was 40 movies. You can achieve that by seeing 3-4 movies every single day of the festival.”

Q: Have you ever panicked while working for RIFF? A: “Yes. Planning and organizing RIFF always takes at least a miracle or two. Personally, I al­­ways experience a little bit of a panic each year. We have tri­­ed to increase the number of Ger­­man volunteers to reduce the number of panic attacks but hearing English spoken with a German accent tends to in­­crease the panic. I guess there is no way out.”

Q: Who is your favorite Ice­­­l­andic filmmaker?

A: “There are many good ones. I think I will have to say Friðrik Þór Friðriksson though, because he was both quirky and mainstream enough to put Iceland on the map as a film-country.”

Q: Which do you like more while watching a movie, popcorn or candy?

A: “The answer is nachos drenc­­hed in delicious cheese sauce.”

“We chose the puffin because it is always dressed up.

It shares the “tux­ edo-look” with the penguin.”

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There’s a broad selection of films at this year’s Reykj­­a­ vík Interna­ti­onal Film Festival. There are so many good ones that people might find choosing, difficult. While most people make up their own personal list of what they want to see, if you don’t have the time or if you want to see what we come up with, WOW air brings you it’s very own “must-see” list.

This list includes feature films and docu­mentaries, films from diffe­rent countries, awardwinn­ing arty films and just general crowd-pleasers. What they all have in common is that they are very well made films that are good to watch.

We present to you, the WOW picks!

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We are the best (VI ÄR BÄST)

It’s hard to believe that it’s already been 15 years since Swedish director Lukas Moodysson’s breakout debut “Fucking Amal” captured our hearts. Moodys­son is best known for dramatic movies such as “Lilya 4 ever” and “A hole in my heart” but in “We are the Best” he aims for similarly optimistic mood as he did in his film “Together” (“Tilsammans”), claimed to be one of his most accessible and warmest works. “We are the Best” is based on a graphic novel by the director’s wife, Coco Moodysson, called “Never Goodnight” (“Aldrig Godnatt”) and follows 12-13 year old Bobo, Klara and Hedvig who roam the streets of Stockholm in 1982. These girls are all at once brave, tough, strong, weak, confused and weird. Bobo has had to deal with her troubled adolescence and her best friend Klara, like Bobo, proudly refuses to fit in with the other kids at school. They love punk rock and want to form their own band. When they meet Hedvig, a talented classical guitar player they convert her to rock music and persuade her to cut off her hair, infuriating her mother. Then they form their punk band with the motto “Punk never died”.

Moodysson has a gift when it comes to depicting and representing the life of young people realistically.

The girls, on that threshold between childhood and adult life are captured so realistically that the viewer can’t help but return to his own youth, awakening nostalgic memories. “I wanted to make a film showing that life – despite all evidence to the contrary – is worth living. It’s wonderful to have a friend, wonderful to play an instrument without knowing how, wonderful to set fire to an old statue, wonderful to have the most annoying parents in the world, wonderful to throw up on someone’s records, wonderful to be booed and mocked, wonderful to be the best.” – Lukas Moodysson

W O W pic k s Director: Lukas Moodysson (SWE) 2013 / min

Lukas Moodysson is one of RIFF’s guests of honor and he will be pre­sent­ed with an award of creative exce­llence at the festival. As part of its schedule RIFF will also screen two of Moodysson’s former films “Container” and “Fucking Åmål” (English title: “Show Me Love”). Lukas Moodysson will have a master class as well as giving Q&A during a screening of his films.

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W O W pic k s Director: Ritesh Batra (IND) 2013 / 104 min

The Lunchbox

A mistaken delivery in Mumbai’s famously efficient lunchbox delivery system connects a young housewife to an old man in the twilight of his life and they build a fantasy world to­ gether through notes in the lunchbox. Gradually, this fantasy begins to threaten their reality.

A beautiful and artistic feel-good movie that touches the heart yet does not fall into the trap of being all about the food. Ritesh Batra adds the right amount of humor needed without trying too hard to please the viewers. As a whole, the movie is a visual treat where each frame is used to the fullest.

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Winter is coming.

magazine.66north.is #66nor th

Blue is the Warmest Color (La vie d’adele)

Adèle is a 15-year-old girl who aspires to become a teacher, but her life is turned upside down when she meets Emma, a blue-haired art student at a nearby college, who instigates a romance. This three hour drama won the Palme d’Or at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival, and became the first film to be awarded the prize for both the director and the main actresses.

Make no mistake that this movie is long and some might say that the actual story could have been told in a much shorter movie. That, however, was not Abdellatif Kechiche’s intent. Instead he leads the audience through an intensely focused study of a relationship immersing them fully in every miniscule detail of it. The faint of heart might want to avert their eyes as Kechiche leaves little if anything to the imagination while demonstra­ting the powerful influence of sexual desire on the emotions. This is a masterpiece of a movie with committed performances and brill­iant characterization, composed but at the same time bursting with life.

W O W pic k s Director: Abdellatif Kechiche (FRA) 2013 / 187

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W O W pic k s Director: Robert Ingi Douglas (ICE / IRE / CHI) 2013 / 94 min

This is Sanlitun Icelandic director Robert Ingi Douglas returns with a comedy set in China.

Gary is in Beijing to make it big. After fail­ing to impress his Chinese invest­ors he soon takes up teach­ing English and getting life lessons from Frank, an incompetent mentor. Gary’s real reasons for staying become apparent when his son and Chinese ex-wife enter the picture.

If the members of Spinal Tap had decided to become busi­nessmen and English teachers in Beijing circa the early Woody Allen-era “This is Sanlitun” would be their movie … well, almost.

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W O W pic k s Director: Christoffer Boe (DEN) 2013 / 110 min

Sex, Drugs and Taxation

(Spies & Glistrup) The true story about the spectacular friendship between two notorious Danes: the lawyer-turned-politician Mogens Glistrup, and the “travel king”, millionaire, womanizer and public provocateur, Simon Spies. Despite their different ways of life, Glistrup and Spies become best friends, and together they turn Spies Travels into one of the most profitable travel agencies in Scandinavia during the 1960s and 70s. When Glistrup goes public that he doesn’t pay taxes – “and nobody should!” - their business collabor­ ation and friendship face an impossible challenge.

It’s a shocking, often hysterical but always compelling quasi-biopic where Christoffer Boe daringly explores the power of memory – and its capacity to mold an individual’s (and even a whole country’s) perception of reality.

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Bright days ahead

(Les Beaux jours)

Caroline has retired, at last. A new life lies before her; time to take care of her children, her husband, and, most of all, herself. However, she soon comes to realize that this new freedom is synonymous with boredom and idleness, especially when she receives a membership to her neighborhood’s senior club as a birthday present. Reluctant at first, she nevertheless decides to take the plunge. Oddly enough, she meets great people there, starting with the young computer science teacher, who is far from insensitive to her charms.

Fanny Ardant, in the role of Caroline, and the rest of the terrific cast hold up this “comingof-old-age” dramedy. This is definitely one of the more convincing portraits of senior love to come out in recent years and it kind of leaves the viewer hopeful for the future. If aging is anything like this, bring it on!

W O W pic k s Director: Marion Vernoux (FRA) 2013 / 94 min

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W O W pic k s Director: Liz Garbus (USA / FRA) 2012 / 107 min

Love, Marilyn

Marilyn Monroe invented her public persona at the expense of concealing a private side known only to her close confidants. Drawing on never-before-seen personal papers, diaries and letters, director Liz Garbus worked with acclaimed actresses to evoke the multiple aspects of the real Marilyn - passion, ambition, soul-searching, power and fear.

These documents, brought to life in this film by some of our contemporary icons and stars, give us a new and revelatory understanding of Monroe.

Of all the stars in Hollywood’s history Marilyn Monroe was probably the most glamo­ rous and her story the most tragic. Anyone remotely familiar with Marilyn Monroe will appreciate the insights this move provides into her private life. The readings from her personal and surprisingly well articulated journals are particularly enlightening giving the viewer a different and seldom seen perspective of the actual person behind the Hollywood image.

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Greedy Lying Bastards Climate change is no longer a prediction for the future, but a startling reality of today. Yet, as evidence of our changing climate mounts and the scientific consensus proves human causation, there con­tinues to be little political action to thwart the warming of our plane “Greedy Lying Bastards” is a documentary detailing the people and organizations casting doubt on climate science and claims that greenhouse gases are not affected by human behavior. It investi­ gates the climate change misinformation campaign waged by the oil industry and its funded think tanks. The film exposes how a small number of well paid spokespeople have worked to confuse the public and lawmakers on the issue. Both ExxonMobil and Koch Industries are identified in the film as two of the worst culprits funding the denial campaign. In addition to exposing the denial campaign, Greedy Lying Bastards tells the stories of those currently impacted by changing climate. These include residents of Kivalina, Alaska who are faced with relocation due to erosion of shorelines caused from rising temperatures and those on the island of Tuvalu facing sea level rise. The film also covers the 2012 wildfires in Colorado, drought in Kansas and Hurricane Sandy.

The urgency is clear and director and activist Craig Rosenbraugh doesn’t even try to be subtle launching his attack on those who deny the existence of climate-change. He’s not afraid to name names and detail the tactics used by organizations and individuals to misinform the masses. A fast paced and tightly edited narrative that really holds the viewers attention.

W O W pic k s Director: Craig Rosebraugh (USA) 2012 / 89 min

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Dip in and experience the annual Swim-in Cinema A visit to one of the swimming pools in Iceland is kind of a must, even if you are only taking a short stop. Swimming in Iceland is special and noth­ing beats the sight of seeing and feeling the steam from the geother­mal water on a dark and cold night. If you want to make your visit to the pool even more special you should check out the annual swim-in theater at the Reykja­vik International Film Festival.

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he venue is Laugardals­ laug, the biggest indoor pool in Iceland. It offers a lot of space for speed swimming as well as just paddl­ ing around and on this evening it will host a screening of the hil­ arious 1980’s classic “Airplane”.

Members of the WOW air cabin crew will be on the premises to insure everyone has a pleasant flight. This is a unique oppor­­ tunity to enjoy the film from a totally new angle. You can either just relax in the water and enjoy the movie or you can ex­­peri­ ment with all the possibili­ties this creative atmos­phere gives you.

Have you ever listened to a

68 ı WOW is in the air

movie und­er water? Go deeper, hold your breath and duck your head under the water. Backstroke through the wet environment and relax as the movie sound will be all around you.

Come to soak and relax while the movie’s atmosphere will be recreated in the surroundings of the pool. If you don’t know how to get your mind into a movie-watching mode, don’t worry. To set you in the mood, live music will accompany your swim from 7:30 PM onward. The annual Swim-in Cinema now tak­­ es place for the fifth time. Past movies include the likes of “A Never Ending Story” and “Back

to the Future.” At your next norm­al cinema visit, you will try to paddle through the audience and wond­er, why everyone is wearing so many clothes!

Just put on your swimsuit and experience a classic movie in a

totally unconventional way! We apologize in advance for the lack of popcorn!

The Swim-in Cinema is a one-time only event during the festival, and takes place on September 28. Tickets are available at www.riff.is.

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WOW! This movie is so deep!

T

he Reykjavik International Film Festi­val hosts a series of special events during the eleven days it will be runn­ing, along with regular screenings. This year the festival will offer a truly unique film experience, a special screening in a mysterious opening in the ground, referred to as the cave-in cinema (reminiscent of the drive-in cinema except inside, underground and with no wheels).

RIFF staff has put to­gether a special secret program for the event especially fitted for this environment.

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How low will you go for a movie?

The trip will commence in downtown Reykja­ vik where the RIFF staff and guides from the festival’s collaborator, Arctic Adventures, will meet and greet guests and depart with a bus to the secret cave in the outskirts of Reykjavik. A light hike follows for about 15 minutes until the destination is reached and a screening will commence deep in this crater.

The cave-in cinema is a perfect opportuni­ ty to mix a cinematic experience with the unique Icelandic surroundings. Guests are advised to be properly dressed as the

trip includes a short hike and cancellation, though unlikely, could always occur based on weather conditions. Included in the trip are hot drinks and light snacks. Further information and tickets can be bought at www.riff.is.

A perfect opportunity to mix a cin­ ematic experience with the unique Icelandic environment.

Out of bounds with Ásdís The Hors Pistes, an international project for mutual enrichment cele­­brat­­ ing cross cultural per­spect­i­­ves, will collaborate with RIFF this year showing screenings of video art. Artist Ásdís Sif Gunn­arsdóttir, chosen to present her video-art at RIFF will have the same program shown at Hors Pistes in the Centre Pompidou in Paris in January 2014. That screening will be a part of the Ice­­landic annual cultural Festival “Air d’Islande”.

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orn 1976 in Madison, Wisconsin, USA, Ásdís Sif Gunnarsdóttir studied at UCLA in Los Angeles and at the School of Visual Arts in New York. She lives and works in Reykja­vik and is known for her performances, taking place in unconventional places. Her video installations consisting of three dimensionality and visual psychedelic poetry also brought her to the Berlinale Film

Ásdís Sif Gunnarsdóttir. A still from “Horfinn Hljómur”.

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Festival in 2010. The works from Ásdís Sif Gunn­ arsdóttir that are going to be shown at RIFF and Hors Pistes are “Horfinn Hljómur” (from 2013), “For Your Eyes Only” (2012), “Improvised, Im­mediate Past” (2011), “Vertigo” (2010) and “Laugarvatn, Trufluð Mynd” (2009).

The program will be screened at Slip Cinema at the Reykjavik Marina Hotel from September 30 and on­ wards during the festival.

WELCOME TO OUR TRULY SPECIAL WORLD BOOK YOUR TICKET ONLINE & SAVE TIME FOR RELAXING

RIFF PROGRAMME 2013

Nature plays its part

76 覺 WOW is in the air

Gloomy ventures Filming in Iceland

Described by Led Zeppelin as “the land of the ice and snow from the mid­ night sun where the hot springs flow”, the ravishing and peculiar landscape of Ice­­land has inspired the works of artists and sci­ ent­ists for ages.

by Hjördís Erna Þorgeirsdóttir Photos: Courtesy of True North Film

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n Jules Verne’s 1864 sci-fi novel, A Journey to the Cent­ er of the Earth, the passage to the center of the earth is via the enigmatic Snæfellsjökull glacier. It was only a matter of time before the versatile and dramatic features of the Iceland­ ic landscape would be rediscovered as the epic background of Hollywood blockbusters.

Motion madness During the last few years there has been a significant increase in the demand for filming locations in Iceland from major studios. There are various reasons behind this development including a 20% tax rebate of production costs and a weak currency. The rebate system is considered simple, transparent and quick in delivery. Additionally there is a selection of skilled Icelandic people and professionals that have been collaborating with foreign film crews.

Then there’s the unearthly landscape, delicate and coarse at the same time, unpredictable weather and the thrilling interaction of light and dark. These contrasting features and the geographical isolation create an apocalyptic atmosphere, adding to the lure of this dynamic island and making Iceland a particularly popular destination for sci-fi, thriller and fantasy projects.

In 1985 Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon (on the border of Vatna­ jökull National Park), was used as a location for the Bond movie “A View to a Kill”. In the years

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Nature plays its part that followed and during the 1990’s there were very few major film productions. It wasn’t until after the return of a transformed Bond in “Die Another Day” in 2002 and “Lara Croft: Tomb Raider” in 2001 (both films also used the glacier lagoon as a location) that a new era of filming in Iceland began.

Vatnajökull National Park continued to attract fictional heroes and in 2005, parts of the glacier (on Svínafellsjökull glacier) were even used to portray the Himalayas in “Batman Begins”. Since then the projects have steadily been increasing and getting bigg­er with Hollywood films such

Mývatn and Vatnajökull have further been the setting for many of the chilling Beyond-theWall scenes in HBO’s “Game of Thrones”. Einar Sveinn, marketing director at Pegasus film who has been collaborating with the HBO crew, describes it as a great project with a mo­­ tivated team. The large-scale production has required a crew of 200-300 people, more than half of whom are Icelandic, to work diligently under all weather

been chosen as the setting for “Game of Thrones”, although winter is definitely coming. Last summer, Þingvellir, one of the most important historical and cultural sites in Iceland, was us­­ed as a location for the show’s upcoming 4th season.

Intense and fragile, like the power struggle in “Game of Thrones”, Þingvellir rests on the geologic rift that separates Europe and North America. Such features and the accompanying volcanic activity make Iceland a particularly vivid, almost animated, setting.

After all, this is the landscape that inspired stories of trolls, hybrids and other mythological creatures. Such supernatural stories, while contributing to the literature and storytelling

conditions. The series has even been shot in November with only four hours of sunlight.

The show’s dramatic theme is nicely echoed in the grand glacial landscape with features such as scenic clouds, divine yet eerie, that are often more intense as it gets colder. But it’s not just the glaciers that have

tradition, were one of the main sources of entertainment for the Icelandic people throughout the centuries. Now this spectacular landscape at the edge of the world continues to serve as the picturesque background for dramatic narratives enjoyed by audiences from all around the world.

attracted geologists for a long time. In 1965 and 1967 American astronauts in the Apollo program, including Neil Armstrong, pre­­pared for the anticipated moon landing in the volcanic Askja and Lake Mývatn area.

Beyond epic

as Ridley Scott’s “Prometheus”, Tom Cruise’s “Oblivion”, “Star Trek Into the Darkness” and Ben Stiller’s “Secret Life of Walt­­er Mitty”. Upcoming films in­­clude “Thor: The Dark World” and “Interstellar”.

Cosmic features The vast and rugged terrain of the highlands with glaciers, hot springs and clusters of seemingly out of place vegetation, are becoming one of the biggest attractions. Surrounded by abso­ lute and unparalleled silence, this “volcanic desert”, the former home of notorious outlaws, is simu­­ltaneously soothing and uncanny.

Although the glaciers are al­­ ways popular, according to Þór Kjartansson, location manager at True North film, new features are being explored in these desolate areas. “For a long time it was the glaciers and black beaches that were our main com­­modities” but now customers are becoming more captivated by the bleakness and strong

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contrasts of “mossy mountains, with black sands and snowdrifts on top” says Þór.

Another unique feature of filming in Iceland is the lighting conditions. The midnight sun and relentless brightness during summer maximizes filming oppor­­tunities but it’s usually the vibr­­ant sky that truly fascinates observers. From the Aurora Borea­lis to the psychedelic twilight, the flaring skies are nothing short of glorious. Þór mentions how people become instantly fascinated by the colors of the sky that intensify during late summer and fall.

There are also many impressive waterfalls (and rivers) in Ice­­land which Þór claims to be a strong factor. In “Promotheus”, director Ridley Scott chose the magnificent Dettifoss, claimed to be one of the most powerful ­waterfalls in Europe, as the setting for the prehistoric scenes in the movie. The volcanic landscape surrounding Vatnajökull National Park, considered reminiscent of the lunar surface, has also

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Friðrik Þór Friðriksson

From cult to culture When it comes to Iceland’s short but blooming history of film-making there is one name that is likely to be mentioned fairly early: Friðrik Þór Friðriksson, the first Icelander to be nominated for an Academy Award. Friðrik has been making films since he was a teenager, starting in 1975 (at age 19) and he’s still going strong.

by Dísa Bjarnadóttir Photos: Heiða Helgadóttir and Birtíngur Photo Archive

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riðrik Þór gathered both attention and shock in 1980 when his short film Brennu Njáls Saga (The Story of Burnt Njal) was shown on national television.

The film had the same name as one of the most well-known Icelandic sagas, which features murders, revenge, battles and a traumatic house fire in the Viking times. Therefore, people natur­ally assumed that his film would be based on the saga, which it was, in a way. The film shows two hands picking up a decorated version of the saga and setting fire to it. For the re­­mainder of the film all that’s shown on screen is the book burn­ing. Needless to say, after this little stunt, people didn’t know quite what to make of Friðrik Þór.

However, he continued to make films and a film which has since become a timeless histori­ cal piece depicting Icelandic music, youth and the influence of punk came out in 1982: Rokk í Reykjavík. It documented young artists (among others, Björk) talking about their music, lives, and often drugs. The film has become a timeless cult classic.

Many of the people depicted in the film have been making music ever since and became really well-known In 1991 Friðrik Þór got an Aca­ demy Award nomination for his film “Children of Nature” which tells a story of two senior citi-

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zens who meet in a retirement home and realize that they knew each other in their youth. They decide to escape the retirement home and return to where they grew up. In a television interview in 2005 Friðrik Þór said that he first got the idea when he was a teenager and made a board game for his school maga­­zine where one of the possibilities was to land on a square that said “you meet your long lost child­­­­hood sweetheart in the old folks’ home, move ahead three spaces.”

Army left behind after WWII, all colorful characters including a fortune teller and her slew of kids and grandkids. The other, “Angels of the Universe”, tells the story of mental illness, which affected the brother of Einar Már Guðmundsson, whom Friðrik had been friends with since they were little boys.

And the list goes on, including “Cold Fever” the story of a Ja­­panese man who com­­es to

Iceland because his parents had died there years earlier, “Movie Days” a film that depicts a young boy and his experience of the world through Hollywood movies and then “Mamma Gógó” an autobiographical piece about a film director whose mother gets Alzheimer’s.

Much more could be said about Friðrik Þór than this short article allows, however, watch­­ing his films is a much better option.

Rokk í Reykjavík documented young artists (among ­others, Björk) talk­ ing about their ­music, lives, and often drugs.

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riðrik’s career spans decades more and even though he burned a fa­­­­mous book, he’s made films based on famous books by two of Iceland’s most renowned writers: Einar Már Guðmunds­­ son and Einar Kárason. One of them, “Devil’s Island”, depicts the lives of the people who settled in the “houses” the US

Friðrik Þór got an Aca­demy Award nomination for his film “Children of Nature”.

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In with the old

The National Film Archive of Iceland Our readers might be wondering why the up-and-coming film makers on the cover were shot with old-school film paraphernalia all around them and to tell you the truth it just seemed right even if none of them work with films any more. Films are what we associate with motion pictures, an association that has been branded on our brains from birth. This also made a great opportunity to set up a meeting between the old and the new and what better place to house that meeting than the old Bæjarbíó cinema, the screening premises for The National Film Archive of Iceland.

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n the town of Hafnarfjörður there’s a hidden gem known as The National Film Archive of Iceland. The Archive is a state institution and has been operating since 1978. A member of the International Federation of Film Archives (FIAF) the Archive’s responsibilities, amongst others, are collecting, registering and preserving Icelandic films, collaborations between Icelandic and foreign entities and foreign films filmed in Ice-

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land, enforcing deposit laws on films and film related material, providing screenings of Icelandic and foreign films, preserving and restoring its film collection, providing facilities for academics and professionals for research purposes and promoting film culture in Iceland.

To promote film culture you need a cinema and the old Bæjar­bíó Cinema in Hafnarfjörð­ ur certainly does the trick. The National Film Archive screens movies twice a week during the

winter season, every Tuesday night at 8 PM and Saturday afternoons at 4 PM. A visit to the Bæjarbíó Cinema is well worth

it, if not for the film screenings then just to have a look at a restored theater from the mid 20th century. When the theater

The exhibition in the cinema hall consists of posters from Russ­ ian films and exam­ ples of screening apparatus and other things coming from MÍR. was reconstructed to its original design every effort was made to preserve the beautiful interior, wall paintings in the hall and other specifics that give it a real historic character. The Bæjar­ bíó Cinema opened in 1945 and from the very beginning its revenue from film screenings was used for the development of a retirement home in Hafnar­ fjörður. This season a small exhibition that complements the screening program is in the hall of the cinema..

This winter is “Russian Winter” in Bæjarbíó Cinema, devoted to old and new Russian films, many of which are dubbed in English but others with English or Icelandic subtitles. In rare cases

Cinema is 500 IKR and the cinema opens half an hour prior to screening time. For more information see www.kvikmynda­ safn.is.

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The future Like all film archives in the world The National Film Archive of Iceland is facing dramatic changes due to digital technologies in production, post-production, distribution and consumption of audio-visual material. This rais­­es new challenges related to long-term preservation in terms of what material to preserve and how to guarantee future access to this particular heritage. The bulk of the Archive’s collection is on celluloid film, well placed in climate-controlled dark storage,

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some parts of the screen­ings have Icelandic voice over. The “Russian Winter” is an opportun­ity to explore the largest collection of films ever donated to the Film Archive. The collection was donated a few years ago by MÍR (The Cultural Liaison of Iceland and Russia). These screen­­ings also celebrate 70 years of diplomatic relations be­­tween Iceland and Russia. The exhibition in the cinema hall con­­sists of posters from Russian films and examples of screening apparatus and other things coming from MÍR. Entrance fee to the Bæjarbíó

but the Film Archive has decided to take the initiative and use new ODA technologies from Sony to preserve contemporary film production, our future film heritage.

This rais­­es new chal­ lenges related to long-term preserva­ tion in terms of what material to preserve and how to guarantee future access to this particular heritage.

Located on Laugavegur, Reykja­vík’s most trendy shopp­ ing street, this two floor 360 sq. meter shop offers more var­i­ety than most in Europe when it comes to board fashion for all ages. Here you will find soft goods along with hard goods from over 20 major brands which all have one thing in common. They are all connected to skate, snow and surf.

This 15 year old store has distribution contracts straight from the manufactures, for all their brands, making them able to offer better prices than the neighboring countries in northern Europe.

Labels include such giants as Billabong, Element, 686, Rome SDS, Bataleon and Lobster

snow­­boards just to name a few.

If you forgot to pack your bathing gear or even outerwear, or just want to see what’s brand new in the world of boardsports, be sure to stop by at Brim.

Brim Laugavegur 71 and Kringlan shopping center 101 Reykjavík Tel: 5517060

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Roadblock Iceland

Bringing balance to the business

It is called being “in the business” when you work in the film industry in Iceland. For you to stay in the business you need to be cool. You also have to be able to stay awake for long hours, endure the cold weather and work under lots of pressure for months.

Interview by Auður Jónsdóttir Photo: Heiða Helgadóttir

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sually it was the same group of filmmakers that worked on all Icelandic as well as foreign films that were shot in Iceland. But after filming foreign blockbusters over here got so popular, the amount of people working in the business has grown considerably. Three women, all of whom have worked on foreign blockbusters have now created their own production company. Their names are Hrefna Hagalín, Sunna Guðrún Pétursdóttir and Halldóra Lena Christians and their idea for the company came up last Easter, after, as they put it, the storm from all this blockbuster filming had calmed down.

Each one fled the country after all the madness. One “travelled the circle” i.e. the world, another went to Germany and the third to New York. When asked if the point was to gain perspective they look dumbfounded and laughingly exclaimed, “No, mostly to spend money.”

But how exactly would they describe this madness?

Sunna Guðrún: On average sixteen hour days, six days a week for three months. Stuck up in the mountains in a sandstorm ...

Hrefna: And getting paid while having to wait for a few days until the storm passes.

Halldóra Lena: Meanwhile Ben Stiller is shopping in London.

We get back to discussing their company. Why are you found­ ing your own company?

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Halldóra Lena: Earlier this year, around the Edda Awards [The Icelandic Film and TV Awards], there was a lot of talk about the lack of women in this so-called business.

Sunna Guðrún: Female executives to be exact.

Halldóra Lena: Yes, and young people.

Hrefna: And obviously we want to be the ones in charge. Be the bosses!

Halldóra Lena: Of course, we wanted to produce our own scripts, but the work and devel­ opment of a project takes a long time. So, to begin with we decided to limit ourselves with producing other people’s scripts and to take on both small and big projects. We actually produc­ ed our first project the other day; a music video for Ásgeir Trausti, directed by Arni & Kinski.

What is the name of your com­ pany?

“Roadblock Iceland” they say and rejoice by dipping their French fries in ketchup.

How did you get into filmmaking?

Hrefna: My dad works in the media and movies and I’ve been around the business since I was little. One summer, when I was fourteen, I got to be on the catering team on set instead of doing municipal work [that kids here in Iceland often do at that age]. The movie was called “Eleven Men Out” and I had the time of my life so there was no turning back. I started making short films and really just got going. I made an attempt to study art in London and Copanhagen

but filmmaking kept pulling me back so in the end I decided to go to film school.

Halldóra Lena: I am going to blame my dad as well. He is a film producer and I moved to Ireland, where he lived, when I was nine.

I went to a Catholic school and at one point got an acting part in a German soap opera that was filmed there. That’s how I realized I wanted to become an actress.

Years later I studied acting in Hamburg but my acting career is going slowly so I decided to work in producing as well.

Sunna Guðrún: My story is really the opposite. I went to the Commercial College of Iceland and realized that office work did not suit me. So I decided to become one of two things, a musician or a film maker. I started a band that was awful so I made my way to London to study journalism and film making.

“We are obviously sur­­­­rounded by stress, press­­­ure and re­­­­­ sponsi­­­bility but we are act­­u­­­ally very chill­­ed out in a posi­­­­­tive way.

We believe in our­ selves.”

Is there anything you are afraid of regarding founding your own company?

Sunna Guðrún: Office work! No, just kidding.

Hrefna: Afraid of ... ?

Halldóra Lena: We are obviously surrounded by stress, press­ure and responsibility but we are actually very chilled out in a posi­­­ tive way. We believe in ourselves.

Hrefna: The work we do is stressful but that’s the nature of the game. And we’re used to it.

So this environment is familiar territory.

Halldóra Lena: Except we will be in charge – men can become so dominating.

Sunna Guðrún: You can find endless examples of chauvinism in this line of work. Like in the words of an acquaintance of mine: “There is no point getting a guy to do the catering, is there?”

Halldóra Lena smirks: Catering is actually a very demanding job. You have to be sure there’s enough coffee and something to munch with it, food, drinks and just about everything the crew might need. Even toilet paper!

Hrefna: There can be so much sexism. Like when we had eight guys who all thought it was natur­al for the only girl there to clean the men’s toilets.

Halldóra Lena: Once I was in a crew that was filming on a ship and they had me clean up the vomit after the men. But now we are going to ...

Hrefna interrupts and continues laughing: ... bring some equality ...

Sunna Guðrún: ... to encourage some balance in the business.

Do you have any projects coming up?

All three: Yes! Sunna Guðrún: But we are still working elsewhere while we are in between projects and building our company.

Hrefna: But thankfully we have exciting projects coming up.

Halldóra Lena: We are going to be multitasking.

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WOW Cyclothon

It was the best of times!

The annual WOW Cyclothon is a 1332 km relay race, circling Iceland where one cyclist passes the baton to the next in teams of 6-10 people.

Held from June 19-22, the longest days of the year, in rain, mud and lots and lots of sun, the event is becoming quite the summer highlight and for some it’s the highlight of the year.

Photos: Ernir Eyjólfsson and from private collection

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he WOW Cyclothon isn’t just a race and a good time, it’s also a charity event where teams collect pledges and all corporate sponsorship goes di­rectly to charity. This year, the WOW Cyclothon sponsored the Save the Children Iceland foundation and raised a total of 4,274,328 ISK. The event is also meant to encourage outdoor activities and subsequently healthy living.

The registration for WOW Cyclothon 2014 has already opened and first to sign up were Team Hjólalöggur (Cops on bikes). Team leader Sverrir Guð­­ finns­­son says there was never a quest­ ion whether Cops on bikes would compete again. “As soon as I got the email offering this year’s teams a discount on the admissions fee with an earlier registration I jumped on it. I knew I had the team behind me and as it turns out we have more than a full team. Some of the team members that competed in the first cyclothon couldn’t make it this year but want to compete next year and so the team is growing. And then there are colleagues who haven’t competed with us before but want to get on the team. I wouldn’t rule out the possibility of two cop teams next year as we want to keep our team in the A class,” says Sverrir and added that he would soon round up his teammates for a burger to go over these matters.

“We haven’t formally started training or strategizing for next year but I gave the guys some homework before our first meeting asking them to go over this year’s competition to see what went well and what we can work on.

It’s somewhat difficult getting the team together for a meeting as we all work different shifts in different departments.

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What I can tell you about our goals for next year is that we plan on improvement. The hardest part about this year’s race was definitely the weather, which was very bad in some parts. We plan to be better prepared for all weather conditions next year with better gear and by toughening up, training outside through the winter. We all have racers and even though we are not the most ex­perienced team of cyclists we are very enthusiastic about cycling and slowly but surely our gear is getting better.”

When we asked if Cops on bikes had any secret weapons or strategy up their sleeves, Sverrir denied, “Our only secret weapon is hard training. This takes hard work. The cyclothon is not just a question of how well you can ride a bike; it’s about endurance, to be able to continue despite the lack of sleep and the weather conditions. The experience we’ve gotten after two cyclothons is also very important. We’ve learned to be tactical. We know better what gear to take, what food works well and how to train for this trial. We learned a lot last year and we learned even more this year,” concludes Sverrir.

Gather up your bike buddies and register for WOW cyclothon 2014 at www.wow­­cyclothon.com.

The registration for WOW Cyclothon 2014 has already opened and first to sign up were Team Hjólalöggur (Cops on bikes).

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Run to the hills

Time to round up the sheep In the summer the sheep and lambs live in the mountains, eating grass and herbs, but in September, the farmers gather for the roundup and bring them in from the mountains to shelter them in barns in for the winter. Though they use tractors these days to transport the sheep from the pen to the barn, and while not everyone arrives on horseback, the roundup has been going on for generations and it’s a tradition that young farmers are taught to carry on. by: Ditte Hoejgaard

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t was like the horses could feel the end of the roundup com­­ ing and it sparked something in both of my horses when the hikers suddenly began to appear on the mountainsides. ­Cal­m­ly, though in confident pace, our hikers were chasing the last sheep and lambs towards the valley and ever more sheep appeared.

With high raised heads my horses were speeding up, and it was no longer necessary for me to pull the reins of my hand horse to keep up with the horse I was riding. The energy flooded through them – we were now flying, galloping up and down the hills, crossing small rivers, search­­ing for groups of sheep in the green landscape. From the moun­­tainsides the hikers came

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running, wishing for a horse to provide transport from there to the sheep­­fold.

Fifty-something horses to Þórsmörk But first came Thursday. Thursday the 5th of September was a sunny day, and it was the day we drew our group of fifty-something horses to Þórsmörk. The horses are necessary for rounding up sheep in the mountains of Almenningar, an area located in the south highlands of Iceland, a part of the popular hiking route Laugarvegur, just by Þórsmörk. Work is work but there’s no denying the beauty as I found myself passing the waterfall Seljalandsfoss on horseback. I was one of the riders who led the horses

to Þórsmörk that day. The land of Almenningar is own­­ed by farmers in the western part of the Eyjafjalla area (yep, the moun­­tains with the famous glacier Eyja­­­fjallajökull on the top). The foremost participants are from the farms Fornusandar and Skálakot. For me, this year’s sheep roundup began on the back of my horse, behind a herd of twenty loose horses which two of my friends and I drove the forty kilometers from Skálakot to Þórsmörk.

After the first hour of riding we met up with a group of horses and riders from Fornusandar, and as we came closer to Þórsmörk, more people who were taking part in the roundup joined our group. We continued on and eventually a caravan of tractors and jeeps drove along

The horses are necessary for rounding up sheep in the mountains of Almenningar, an area located in the south highlands of Iceland, a part of the popular hiking route Laugarvegur, just by Þórsmörk.

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Run to the hills the gravel road, and when we made stops to change horses, flatkökur (Icelandic flatbread), pancakes and coffee were waiting for us, together with a sip of Brennivín (Black Death).

In Þórsmörk we were accommodated with bunk beds in two large huts. Young and old, we all found a place for the night. And though we were planning on an early start for the roundup the next day, the evening was spent cheerfully singing and strumm­ ing the guitar. People strolled between the two houses, some conversing about the hay har­ v­est, but I was mostly singing along. When I could no longer recall the words to “Heart of Gold” it was obviously time to call it a night.

Reins to tail On Friday morning we woke up at 5 AM. Cursing those beers I had with the sing-a-long the night before, I fueled up with some Skyr and a cup of coffee and made myself a sandwich to keep in my pocket. We all brought sandwiches in our pock­ets, along with chocolate­bars and hipflasks. Around 6:30 we began the roundup. Some of us were horseback riding, others driving the tractors and

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jeeps, but at some point it was no longer possible for a vehicle to follow our group and everyone continued on horseback.

It took us around three hours to get to the narrow valley be­­tween two scenic green moun­­­tains.

This was our starting point, where the first group of hikers left their horses to search the mountains by foot. After the old tradition we tied the horses they left to each other like a train, reins to tail, and brought them with us.

Sheep on horseback In the valley we found our first sheep. On the top of a cave on the mountainside a lamb stood looking in our direction. Inside the cave a ewe lay dead. After three hours with no sheep to hunt, our dogs were incredibly eager to catch this lamb and barking and howling they went for it. The poor lamb ran as if its life depended on it, down the mountainside. The dogs did their job, but by the time it got to the bottom the lamb was too stressed to walk, probably missing its mum to lead the way, so we tied its legs together and brought it with us on horseback.

Now came a waiting time. In order to make sure that we get

all the sheep we search the area quite systematically. Therefore we could not carry on until we made a line with the hikers. We now had hikers on the mountains on either side of us and we, the horseback riders, were in the middle. Once the hikers appeared on both mountainsides we could carry on to the point where we were back in line.

For me it was time for lunch and relaxation in the grass. Some kept warm by dancing. Ot­hers shared some biscuits and chatt­ ed. We were all excited about when we’d see more sheep.

Slowly we moved forward tow­ards the end of our roundup area and increasingly hikers went back on their horses. In the flatter area of Almenningar more and more sheep appeared and by using our voices and with help from the dogs we drew the sheep to the pen. It is my experience that sheep are not that easy to move around, and it wasn’t easy getting them all in. A small group of sheep and lambs unexpectedly went another way down the mountain­ side so that three riders had to run after them to turn them around. And when we’d gotten almost all of them to go in the right direction, some suddenly

changed track and went just along the side of the pen. Most of us had now mounted the horses, and a group of hikers where jumping around trying to get the sheep to run the right way. In the end everyone went into the sheepfold, and after a rough counting they were plac­­ ed in big transport boxes on the back of the tractors.

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ur 10 hours of roundup were successfully completed, and the pylsur (Icelandic hotdogs) that we cooked over a small bonfire to celebrate, well, they just tasted unbelievably good in these marvelous surroundings. Although the roundups in Almenningar might not be a spectator’s sport there are big roundups all over Iceland in September that are.

Willing spectators can watch as a land­­slide of sheep run down a moun­­tain and into large pens where they are then sorted.

Anyone can come and watch or even help out a farmer if they want, but it’s always best to ask a farmer to show you the ropes first. Watching is one thing, but actually taking part, raises this experience to a whole new level.

If you want to restrict your calorie intake but still eat well and main­­tain a balanced diet, Skyr is the natural choice.

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The ultimate dairy Skyr (pronounced skeer) is a dairy product that is unique to Iceland. It is a deliciously healthy course or snack that has been a large part of the Icelandic diet since the first settlers brought it with them around the year 1000, as mentioned in the Icelandic Sagas.

Skyr is made from clotted skim milk, has a slightly acid taste and a tinge of sweetness. Its popularity is due to its versatility and nutritional qualities. Skyr is a creamy delicacy that is both fat-free and protein rich, giving you a great sense of fullness – a convenient and healthy food, loved by both Icelanders and visitors alike.

If you want to restrict your calorie intake but still eat well and main­­tain a balanced diet, Skyr

is the natural choice. It is a very satisfying food that keeps you going throughout the day but will not burden your mind or weaken your resolve on a diet! Skyr is a great breakfast, a snack between meals or the sustaining part of a hearty meal. Served with cream it has been Icelanders’ favorite dessert through the centuries.

Unflavored, unsweetened Skyr is a great fat-free substitute for mayonnaise, crème fraiche or

yogurt in cold dips and oven dishes. Skyr contains 10% high quality protein, 20% of which is whey pro­­tein, best known for its muscle building properties. This has made it extremely popular among ath­letes and bodybuild­ ers. Skyr is made from the fresh­ est ingredients: milk, farmed in the fresh green pastures near the Arctic Circle where the water is pure and the nature unspoiled.

The new processing technique is 100% natural, based on the origi­ nal principles, using the thousand year old recipe and milk from the same cow breed, the color­ ful settlement cow, whose milk has unique health-promoting qualities.

mark, Sweden and Norway under license agreements from Iceland.

Skyr is also being exported to Finland. Skyr’s popularity has grown immensely in the short time since production began in the Nordic countries, just another indicator that Skyr really is the ultimate dairy!

U

ntil a few years ago Skyr was only available in Ice­ land. However this has changed over the last few years as Skyr is now produced in Den-

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Vatnajökull Region

Winter paradise In the Vatnajökull Region you’ll find the real reason for Iceland‘s name. The area is dominated by the Vatna­ jök­ull Glacier which is the largest glacier in the world outside the Arctic regions. There you also find some of Iceland’s most popular tourist attractions such as the spect­­acular Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon, Skaftafell a jewel in Vatnajökull National Park (largest national park in Europe) and Hvannadalshnjúkur, the highest peak in Iceland and a popular hike.

Photos: Einar Rúnar Sigurðsson

T

he Vatnajökull Re­­ gion is filled with stark contrasts with its black beaches and white glaciers.

Serenity, energy and forces of nature combine to make a visit to the Vatnajökull Region a never-to-be-forgotten exper­­ ience and a photographers dream. There is rich wildlife in the Vatnajökull Region with thousands of migrating birds passing through and herds of reindeer, a common sight.

And if you’re lucky you might spot a seal at Jökulsárlón or an arctic fox running through the land. You will also find dozens of companies that off­er all sorts of activities year round, diverse accommodation and great restaurants with local food.

The Vatnajökull Region is in the southeast of Iceland and covers over 200 km of the Ring Road from Lómagnúpur in the west to Hvalnes in the east. It covers the south and most accessible side to Vatna­­ jökull. There is one town in the area, Höfn, with a popu­la­ tion of 1600.

Activity, accommo­ dation and restaurants Much of the activity in the Vatnajökull Region revolves in the proximity of the glacier and the nature around it. You can choose between boat rides at Jökulsárlón, glacier walks, ice cave tours and ice climbing at Vatnajökull, snow­­mobile tours and jeep tours at Vatnajökull, ATV tours and geothermal baths at Hoffell, northern lights tours, reindeer excursions, a visit to the Thorbergssetur Cultural Museum, the local handicraft store, the Farmzoo at Hólmur, and many more.

There are various possibilities in accommodations to suit

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different needs. Whether you want to sleep in your tent, a hotel or anything in between, you will find a warm welcome by knowledgeable hosts.

There are several restaurants in the area and most of them offer local food made by local people. Be sure to ask for the local beer Vatnajökull, which is made from icebergs from Jökulsárlón and arctic thyme. A lobster meal will also be a good choice since Höfn is the lobster capital of Iceland.

Accessible year round The Vatnajökull Region is accessible the whole year round due to good weather conditions and frequent tran­­sportation. There is a daily flight from Reykjavík to the Höfn airport during the summer and five days a week during other seasons. Buses between Reykjavík and Höfn are scheduled daily during the summer and three days a week during other seasons.

There are also three car rental companies in Höfn.

For more information check out www.visitvatnajokull.is.

The Vatnajökull Region is in the southeast of Iceland and covers over 200 km of the Ring Road from Lómagnúpur in the west to Hvalnes in the east.

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WOW air proudly supports a bevy of artists, athletes and projects.

The people chosen are individuals who have done something WOW worthy, are good role models and are an inspiration to others.

WOW air’s goal is to help its stars reach their goals by sponsoring their international travels. Skúli Mogensen, CEO of WOW air says: “Iceland has so many noteworthy people doing good things in arts, sports and culture, that it’s really unbelievable.” So far we’ve introduced five WOW stars to the world and we plan to keep our readers posted on all their endeavors.

Annie Mist

Jón Margeir

Annie Mist For the past months Annie’s train­­ing has mostly revolved around rehabbing her back after an injury early this year. The last two months she spent travelling the globe, going to Dallas for a fitness expo and to Alicante to teach for a week. Alicante was not only about teaching since Annie’s trainer is from the area and took his role as a guide quite seriously. Annie then went to South Africa as a Reebok am­­bassador helping them out with The Big Five Throw Down tournament. That trip ended with a three day safari. Then Annie and her fiancé headed to Dubai to compete in the Dubai Fitness Championships. “His highness Sheik Majid took great care of us and we got to see and do a lot of things. This was a very important tournament for me seeing as I haven’t been able to compete

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at all since I hurt my back. My fiancé and I both took first place in the competition which shows me that my reha­­bilit­­ation period is coming to an end.”

When asked what the future holds Annie says that building up strength in her back and getting back to 100% is no. 1.

Annie is part-owner of CrossFit Reykjavík which opens at a new location in Faxafen 12 in October, subsequently becoming the biggest CrossFit facility in the world. At the moment she’s planning a big opening party.

Jón Margeir Jón Margeir won gold at the Para­­­lympics in London last year and set both World and Olympic records in the 200 meter free­­­ style swim. He also holds numerous Icelandic records and has been very successful in various international swimming compet­

itions this year. In August he participated in the IPC Swimm­­­ ing World Championship in Montr­­eal where he got the silver in 200 m freestyle and set a new nati­­onal and European record.

It was interesting that the same three swimmers: Jón, Fox and Cho, took the first three places in Montreal just as they did at last year’s Paralympics.

After the World Championship, Jón Margeir took a well deserv­­ed break heading to the Swiss and French Alps. Although he didn’t tell us much about it, we’re sure he did more than just relax over there seeing as mountain biking is one of his favorite pastimes.

Jón Margeir has now returned to his vigorous training and a couple of big domestic tournaments are on the horizon. He’s also heading to the Open Nordic Championship in swimming at the start of November.

Baltasar Kormákur Baltasar has been well known for many years in Iceland for his acting and directing, but has recently been directing movies in a small town called Holly­­wood.

His latest movie “2 Guns” was premiered in USA in August and ranked number one at the box office after the opening weekend.

The international premier was at the opening of the famous Locarno Film Festival in Switzerland in front of 8,000 viewers. Baltasar has also been traveling around the world with his movie “The Deep”. “The Deep” was short-listed for an Oscar this spring and has now been nominated for the European Film Awards and the Nordic Council Film Prize. “I’ve also been raising my children but I still haven’t gotten any awards in that department,” he commented with a smile.

When we spoke to Baltasar he

Ásgeir Trausti

Baltasar Kormákur Guðmundur Felix was on his way to London to meet actors for his next project, “Everest”, a film about a 1996 accident on Mount Everest, and also to meet with product­ion companies for EVE online, a massive multiplayer action game. After that he’s heading to New Zealand to meet the friends and family of the people who died in the Everest accident. “I’m also going to Nepal to look at locations and then to Everest base camp and even higher. We start shooting in the Dolomites in Italy at the beginning of November.” The stars are really lining up for Baltasar’s new movie.

So far Josh Brolin, Jake Gyllenhaal, Jason Clarke and John Hawkes have already signed on.

Ásgeir Trausti Ásgeir Trausti became the most popu­­lar singer/songwriter in Ice­­land in just under a year, his first album selling over 30,000

copies and named “Album of the Year” at the Icelandic Music Awards. This summer has been all about travelling for this young artist and singles from his English album have hit the sound wav­­es to critical acclaim.

The first song “King and Cross” was released August 12 along with a music video made by Árni & Kinski. The personal highlights of Ásgeir’s European tour were in Roskilde, Denmark, and Pohoda, Slovakia, but he also opened for Of Monsters and Men across Europe.

Coming up in the next couple of months are three concerts in Denmark at the start of October (one of which is already sold out) and various showcases around the CMJ mus­ic festival in New York on October 13-19. The highlight how­­ever is probably the release of Ásgeir’s English album, “In the Silence”, on October 28,

foll­­owed by an already sold out re­­lease concert in London on October 30. From November 12, Ásgeir will be starting his album release tour around Europe be­­ ginn­­ing with Copenhagen and Paris and making stops in Den Haag, Amster­­­dam, Tilburg, Zurich, Poznan, Warsaw, Katowice, Ham­­­­­­­ burg, Munster, Berlin and Dresd­­en.

The tour continues in Decem­­ber with six shows across the UK.

Guðmundur Felix Guðmundur Felix leads a full life as a father of two grown girls while running a business de­­spite the loss of both his arms at the shoulders in 1998. His per­­sistence got the attention of French doct­ ors who have agreed to make him the world’s first double arm transplant recipient. Last June, Guðmundur moved to Lyon where he’ll be residing during the preparations for, and recovery from the

transplant. And it’s not just us here in Iceland that are interested in Guðmundur’s story as he recently got a house call from a French publisher who’s eager to publish a book about this remarkable experience. This means Guðmundur is now on the lookout for writers.

When we asked him “What’s up?” he said “Nothing much,” as right now he’s on hold, waiting to get on the waiting list. He added that life in Lyon was treating him nicely, his French was coming along slowly but surely and that the food was great, almost too great, “but fortun­ately it’s almost always healthy.” Guðmundur Felix stays in shape, going for regular runs in the Tete d’Or Park.

The waiting game will hope­ fully be over for Guðmundur at the start of October. And when he’s finally on the transplant waiting list he can get that call at any moment.

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Something to look forward to

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Heja Sverige!

Ever changing, lively and beautiful, Stockholm, the largest city of Scandinavia, is sometimes dubbed as Venice of the North. The bustling city is built upon fourteen islands so nature is never far away – a great city for a few days of civilized metropolitan relaxation before continuing on a grand journey.

by Kristín Ýr Gunnarsdóttir

J

ust a short while ago WOW air announced that they’re flying to Stockholm. WOW air will fly through Arlanda Airport, Sweden’s largest Airport, giving guests a great connection to the Middle East and The Orient. WOW air will offer flights three times a week, Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from June 2nd. Stockholm will then become an all year destination. We are really looking forward to this new WOW desti­nation and here are more than a few of the reasons why …

wait to sit down on Stortorget with an ice cream and then taking in the Palace. Next we would enjoy the view on Katrinahissen and then wind our way to Mariatorget for a cup of coffee ending our stroll at a nice restaurant at Katrina Bangata or Skån­egatan.

Vitabergsparken This lovely park in Södermalm is ideal for a stroll or a jog and to enjoy your life. The park has a variety of good cafés and restaurants, most situated around Nytorget. Erstgatan is also well worth a visit, especially the old working-class district close by.

Djurgården

Södermalm Gamla Stan

Södermalm is like Reykja­vík’s 101 area’s bigger and cooler brother; trendy, charming and unique.

Most people who visit Stockholm go to Gamla Stan, one of the largest and best preserved medieval city centers in Europe. This is where it all started! Walking through Gamla Stan is like walking through a living pedestrian-friendly museum full of sights, attractions, restaurants, cafés, bars and places to shop, not to mention the Royal Palace - a great place for a meditative stroll through narrow winding cobble­­ stone streets, taking in the med­­ ieval architecture. Now we can’t

This part of Stockholm is like Reykjavík’s 101 area’s bigger and cooler brother; trendy, charming and unique. This is where the young and creative people want to live and enjoy themselves. The area is home to a multitude of unusual, interesting and contemporary boutiques for fashion, design, interior décor and vintage merchandise.

SoFo, the area south of Folkunga­ gatan, has become a diverse scene for the new and unexpected and this is a great place for people watching on Saturdays.

The green island of Djurgården, close to central Stockholm, is beloved by outdoorsy Stockholmers and tourists alike. This oasis is home to Gröna Lund, Stockholm’s old amusement park, several of the city’s top museums and attractions as well as enjoyable cafes and restaurants. We especially look forward to visiting the Vasa Museum before or after a picnic and a stroll around the area.

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Something to look forward to

the stations perceived as more beau­­tiful and safe, the artworks give each station their own identity, mak­­ing it easier to navigate in the transport network. The trip becom­ es a cultural experience.

lived there with his wife Olge until 1931. This unique setting, one of Sweden’s foremost tourist attractions, welcomes thousands of visitors every year. It is open all the year round and the intention is for

Metro art

Millersgården

The cheapest art shows you will ever go to are at the many underground metro stations in Stockholm.

By cheap we mean that the only ad­­mission is a valid metro ticket.

Each metro station in Stockholm has been decorated with artwork by well known artists. Besides making

Millesgården can be termed a work of art in its own right, a nicely balanced stage design of terraces, fountains, stairways, sculptures and columns. In 1960 the sculptor Carl Milles bought a plot of land on the island of Lidingö and had a house and studio built there. He

the museum, aided by exhibitions and activities of various kinds, to continue in the visionary spirit of Carl Milles himself.

The cheapest Skinnarviksberget art shows you will Katarinahissen is a popular place ever go to are at the in Stockholm if you want to get a many underground good view of the city. But there’s metro stations in another less crowded and even better platform to see the skyline; Stockholm.

Skinnarviksberget in Södermalm.

This place gives you great view over Kungsholmen and is a great venue for a picnic.

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All this and so much more. We are sure you’ll fall in love with Stockholm just like we have.

Book your WOW flights to Stockholm at www.wow.is

Person of WOW

Inga Þóra Ingadóttir has been part of the fabulous WOW air cabin crew since last May. This is not her first job at an airline, as Inga says she just fell in love with this ­career, seeing the world and meeting new people.

“I’ve lived all over the world and you could say that I’ve been moving around since I was six years old. This adventurous job is right up my alley and I really liked the atmosphere at WOW air, everything is just WOW!”

Wonder Woman in the upper atmosphere Photos: From personal collection

T

he cabin crew is responsible for wel­­ coming the guests of WOW air onboard, delivering them on time and safely to their destination with a smile on their face.

“The best part about my job are my fellow crew members; they’re really upbeat and fun.

I also like that no two days are the same. Sometimes, when I put on my uniform I feel like Wonder Woman in the upper atmosphere,” says Inga. What is the hardest part of the job?

“There are some trying moments. Sometimes things don’t go exactly as planned. When these circumstances arise, the cabin crew has to be able to read people and react accordingly. Sometimes you have to be a waitress, a police officer, a nurse and a psychologist all at once and know how to keep calm during those incidents.”

Bootcamp and crossfit But there’s more to life than be­ing good at your job and Inga excels in her favorite pastime as well. In 2007 she was intro­duc­ed to bootcamp and crossfit training and fell head over heels. “My friend got me into it and some­ thing just clicked. I have always been very competitive in sports and used to train in gym­nastics and track and field. Bootcamp was exactly what I needed to quench my competi­tive thirst

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Fit Games in L.A. with my team Thor and we came in second at the European Championship last May. Then there was the Bootcamp Hell Weekend earlier this year. It’s 36 hours of extreme challenges such as open water swimming, hauling giant logs around, running up Mount Esja and so on, with some very tough Navy Seals. It’s so amazing to find out that your body can do so much more than you would expect. The Bootcamp Hell Weekend really taught me that and it was a great boost for moving forward.”

Inga and her boyfriend, Arnar have a three and a half year old son named Viktor Breki.

How does family life fit into her lifestyle of flying between countries and exercising? “Well it fits rather well, actually. As I said I met Arnar through bootcamp and we are teammates on Thor as it gave me an opp­ortunity to challenge myself and channel my energy.” Inga studied sport science at Laugar­vatn and began to work as a bootcamp coach in 2008, “and I’m still coaching today. Many people think that bootcamp is madness but that’s not how it is. Actually everyone does the exercises according to their own pace and ability. In my opinion this is great way to tone up and boost your strength,” explains Inga.

Bootcamp and crossfit has

not only kept Inga healthy and fit but lead her down some unexpected paths, “I actually met my boyfriend, Arnar, through bootcamp and I’ve also made some wonderful friends during this time. In 2007, after I started training I competed in a Model Fitness competition and got first prize. I’ve competed in endurance competitions and last year my team won the title “Fittest Women’s Team”. We’re on our way to defend that title soon.

I’ve also competed in the Cross-

so this is a shared interest for us. We just have to organize really well and then everything just falls into place. Viktor Breki is fast becoming a part of this lifestyle practicing gymnastics and swimming. He’ll be great at bootcamp/crossfit one day,” says Inga.

Even though bootcamp and crossfit are her main hobbi­es,

don, Copenhagen and Barcelona; I just can’t choose between them. I simply love travelling, learning about different cultures and meeting different people,” says Inga and then shares a little story from a trip to Berlin in 2011. “I went with Arnar who was running in the Berlin Marathon. I was a dutiful cheerleader that time and stayed on the sidelines to take pictures. You always have to be clear about your location before the runners pass you by and so I ran all over the city to ensure that he would be able to hear me and that I could snap some photos. I was so afraid of missing him, he just ran so fast. I think I ended up running half a marathon that day and I got to see Berlin in all its glory while doing it. I think running a marathon is a great way to get to know a city from a different perspective.”

This gem, situated in the heart of Reykjavík, offers a homey Mediterranean atmosphere along with great food from the freshest ingredients.

The pizza oven at Caruso is legendary as well as the pizzas and everything from pasta to amazing steak and fish dishes are prepared with love and respect.

Be sure to try the delicious homemade chocolate cake. Some say it’s the best in town.

Caruso Þingholtsstræti 1 I 101 Reykjavík I Reservations: 562 7335 or email caruso@caruso.is I Fax: 561 7334 Open: Mondays - Thursdays: 11:30-22:30 Fridays: 11:30-23:30 Saturdays: 12:00-23:30 Sundays: 17:00-22:00

she says she also loves sing­­ ing, cooking and travelling. “I get to travel a lot for work and because of competitions, sing­­ ing and cooking get a little less attention. That’s why I really love those times I get to spend cooking and sitting down with my family.”

“I simply love travelling” Being well travelled Inga of course has some favorite plac­­es. “Every year we travel to America as I have a family there. Most often we go to Virg­inia and stay by Lake Anna where we just relax. Berlin and almost all of Germany is also a favorite as I lived in Heidelberg for four years. Then there’s Lon-

B

efore we left Inga she wanted to challenge the readers of WOW magazine. “Last Easter, all the staff at boot camp were given some chocolate eggs. I contacted a home for children who come from difficult circumstances and we decided to donate the eggs to them. At 11 o’clock on Easter Sunday I took my family and one of my colleagues to the home and we orchestrated a little egg hunt with the kids there.

The happy looks on their faces still fill our hearts with joy and so I want to challenge the readers to do something different and nice for other people. It’s amazing how just a little thing can make others happy.”

ends On week is played c si u m e liv ssic mous cla by our fa r Símon H e y la guitar p an creating Ívarsson le b a unforgett . ambience

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Winter sports

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The slopes

won’t bring you down Salzburg’s attractions are loved by millions of visitors from all over the World making it one of Europe’s busiest cities all year round. This, however, is not the only reason to take flight to Salzburg. Just a short distance away from the bustling city life you will find some of Austria’s best ski areas; Bad Hofgastein, Kirchberg and Saalbach-Hinterglemm. Austria is known for its excellent ski resorts, some even claim they are the best in the world. With reliable snow conditions and prices that are generally low­­er than in Italy or France it is no surprise that ski va­­cations in Austria are becoming increasingly popular. Plus, Austrians really know how to make their ski resorts fun with a number of entertaining festivals and happenings at each one.

Photos: Birtíngur Photo Archive, Photos.com, Gasteinertal Tourismus GmbH, Kitzbüheler Alpen Marketing GmbH and Tourismusverband Saalbach Hinterglemm

Bad Hofgastein We couldn’t say a bad word about Bad Hofgastein. This little town is part of Ski Amade, a network of 28 ski areas and towns that combined make up the largest ski area in Europe with 860 km of downhill slopes and 278 modern ski lifts. The right slope awaits you no matter what your ability level: deep-snow and mogul runs, carving hills and freerides, along with family runs, guaranteeing the best ski vacations you could possibly wish for. The optimal elevations and broad snowmaking coverage of Gasteiner Valley’s ski resort guarantees reliable snow conditions from the end of November until late April.

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Winter sports

For an unforgettable view, traverse the 140 m long pedestrian footbridge on the Stubnerkogel, with 28 meters of nothing but air underneath and at 2400 meters above sea level, this is Europe’s highest suspension bridge.

In addition to the 250 km of pistes, Bad Hofgastein is also an esteemed wellness resort offering one of Europe’s most exclusi­ve and extensive thermal spas, the Alpentherme. With six adventure and vitality worlds spread out the Alpentherme covers an area of 32,000 square meters and features a unique 360° panoramic view of the Alps, a sauna world with a mountain lake, leisure and wellness areas, a multimedia adventure dome, thrilling water slid­­ es, geysers and a glassed-in sky bar. Bad Hofgastein should really rather be known as Good Hofgastein!

Photo: Kurt Tropper

Photo: Stefan Eisend

Photo: Stefan Eisend

Kirchberg A friendly little town, Kirchberg in Tirol lies in the heart of the Kitz­­­ bühel Alps – just 6 km from the world famous town of Kitz­­bühel, one of Austria’s best-known and fanciest winter sports resorts.

Both Kirchberg and Kitzbühel are close to the moun­­tains Hahnen­­ kamm (1715 m) and Kitzbühler Horn (1996 m). The Hahnen­­kamm is home to the annual World Cup ski races, includ­­ing the circuit’s most important event, the downhill race on the famous Streif Slope, counted as one of the toughest downhill com­­petitions in the world. The World Cup and other international races that take place here bring many celebrities and jet setters to these slopes.

Kirchberg also attracts couples, groups, families and any de­­di­ cated skier looking for a good deal. Ski holidays in Kirchberg offer bargains to many of the ski and snowboarding related festivals held in the region each season. The world famous Hahnen­­­­kamm Race Week (January 22 – 26) is just one of these. Kirchberg offers a number of lively pubs where you can party the night away. As an alternative you can also take a trip into Kitz­­bühel to try out their après ski scene or try your hand in the casino. There are also plenty of options for snowboarders in the area with a local snowboard park as well as a second snowpark near the Kitzbühler Horn.

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Photo: Markus Mitterer

Saalbach-Hinterglemm Saalbach is one of Austria’s premier ski resorts, offering a wide range of runs, extensive off pistes, and an excellent snow record.

Skiing can be found on both sides of the valley. The runs on the north side (south-facing side) tend to be preferred by visitors due to the generally sunny weather. The pistes on the south side (north-facing side) are normally in the shade and have better snow coverage, particularly in the late season, as well as more trees. Much of the off-piste skiing is found on the north side, where thigh-deep, untouched powder can be found only meters from many of the pistes. There is a small snow park in Hinterglemm, but experienced snowboarders and skiers prefer the snow park in the adjacent valley in Leogang, which boasts superior kickers, as well as rails and jibs.

While experienced adrenalin junkies head to the new Boarder and Skiercross on the Bernkogel (a 500 m long run, planned and built by

none other than Boardercross World Championship legend Mario Fuchs), children and other inexperienced skiers or board­­ers should head to the Easypark that’s close by.

Some never get enough from the slopes and for them there’s the Monster Energy Nightpark that stretches from the mountain to the valley station of the Unterschwarzach cableway in Hinter­­ glemm. The extended and improved floodlit facilities provide per­­fect light conditions and turns night into day for those tireless freestylers enabling them to work on their moves until 9:30 pm.

Energy for the slopes Fancy dinners beside a roaring fireplace and fun with friends at one of the many après skis in the villages of the Austrian Alps are a given but when you need energy to stay on your skis or snowboard that’s where käsespätzle and germknödel come in. Käsespätzle is a type of egg noodles with a soft texture mixed with grated cheese (typically Emmenthaler) and fried onions. For dessert (or as a main course) we recommend the germknödel, a fluffy yeast dough dumpling filled with spicy plum jam and sprinkled with sugar and poppy seeds, served with vanilla cream sauce. Yummmm!

At most on-piste restaurants you will find these delicious and energ­izing local dishes that will get you down the hill and up again until it’s time for some après ski. When that time comes, be sure to try the glückwein. Good glück!

Photo: © Saalbach Hinterglemm

Photo: Edward Groeger © Saalbach

Photo: © Saalbach Hinterglemm

Photo: © Saalbach Hinterglemm

Photo: Edward Groeger

How to get there?

WOW air offers flights to Salzburg every Saturday from December to March.

Check out their varied ski-packages to these magnificent ski-resorts at www.wowtravel.is.

All you need in one place • Skólavör›ustígur 19 tel.: (+354) 552 1890 SWEATERS AND SOUVENIERS, NO KNITTING MATERIAL:

• Radisson Blu, Hótel SAGA tel.: (+354) 562 4788 • Laugavegur 53b tel.: (+354) 562 1890 www.handknit.is

Grand creation

It was one of the grandest days of creation when God made the Kitzbühel Alps in Austria. It must have happened on the eighth day, after he (or she) got a day of rest and the experience from the previous week was still fresh in his (or her) mind. Since that time it has been granted to the plants, animals and people of this land to grow up in a stupendously enchanted world.

There’s more to the land than landscape

S Markus Mitterer and his beloved Kitzbühel Alps.

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now covered giants in the south and rough hewn crags in the limestone ranges of the north gaze down enviously across the unending grassy carpets of summ­­er and the snow blanketed hill­­sides of winter ... and humbly stand in awe. Proud peaks and high gentle pastures, later adorned the Kitzbühel Alps, that

slowly became a nest bursting with abundant life. And this is what photographer Markus Mitt­erer calls home and what has become one of his greatest inspirations.

Born in St. Johann in Tirol in 1970, Markus has worked as an independent photographer since 1998 for industry, handicrafts and tourism, as well as for photo and advertising agencies.

Markus’ book reveals the Kitzbühel Alps in great detail for the very first time and it is safe to say that Markus did not lie around during those five years he spent creating it, traip­sing over hill and dale in the provinces of Tirol and Salz­burg, tracking down the beauty and diversity of his homeland. This journey took him from Alpbach Valley to Wildschönau, Brixen valley, the city of Kitzbühel and Leuken Valley into Glemm Valley and all around them again. “To be honest, I u ­ nderestimated the thematic richness and geo­grap­­hic breadth of the Kitzbühel Alps,” says Markus. “Maybe that’s why it turned out that I’m the first photographer to publish an illustrated volume of its entire surface area. Even so, I don’t wish to make any claim to having covered everything completely. My curiosity led

It all began when he was 14 years old when he became fascinated by his father’s single-lens reflex camera. something bigger, a book where the photos would not be com­ promised. I decided to start on this dream project of mine in 2007 and in November 2012 I finally held the first copy of my book.”

Apart from commissioned work, he has also photographed his homeland since 2001 for the annual pictorial wall calendars. It all began when he was 14 years old when he became fascinated by his father’s single-lens reflex camera. From then, his future path was settled. Following high school graduation and apprenticeship in Germany came several years of practice in various photo studios, his master’s exams and two years as cameraman for television. He

now has his own studio, lives and works in Kitzbühel. “You could say that I came back to my roots. After 9 years of working away I was homesick. I missed the mountains, the nature and the balance and quality of life here in the Alps,” says Markus who recently published a 288 page illustrative book with his photos from the Kitzbühel Alps.

“I started photographing the Kitzbühel Alps for the pictorial calendars in 2001 but the whole time I was thinking about do­­ing

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Grand creation

“I love all four seasons; after all, they are what makes the year exciting, each season has its specialties. However, most of my landscape photos are shot in the autumn and winter.”

me to the furthermost corners, made possible many valuable human encounters with the land and its people, for which I am most grateful.”

No better place on earth Some of Markus’ photos are absolutely awe inspiring and one can’t help but wonder how he got them. “During the winter I get my images mostly while ski touring. That means walking up with skins on the bottom of my skis. Then I ski down through powder-snow (hopefully) over untouched landscapes beside ski-resorts with their busy lifts

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and slopes. I also use the lifts of course, to get closer to the mountain tops with my heavy equipment and from there I start with my ski touring equipment. I also walk and drive through this winter wonder­land,” explains Markus.

“I love all four seasons; after all, they are what makes the year exciting, each season has its specialties. However, most of my landscape photos are shot in the autumn and winter. That’s the time of year where the air gets very clear and the light is really intense,” says Markus.

But landscapes are not all you

can find in his book. “It was very important to me to depict the people of the area and their traditions as well.”

Markus’ book has about 240 masterful photographs, 70 of which are portraits of people followed by their stories. “I wanted to inspire locals as well as guests to have a closer look at our beautiful mountains. Not many people know about the quality of life here in the Kitzbühel Alps. As a photographer I am very much aware of it and my book should convey that message. Through this intense approach to my homeland I

actually fell in love with it again.

And I can tell you from experience, there‘s no better place on earth to live.”

For book details and orders visit www.markus-mitterer.com

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WOW autumn cities

London Fall in love with

Photos: Rafael Pinho and Photos.com

An awesome

October

The popularity of city-getaways is great during the fall and London is one of those cities that seem to blossom in all seasons. During the fall and wint­er you will find this city bustling with life and culture.

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This month London’s food, drink and film scene is at the forefront.

The city’s amazing dining culture is in the spotlight during the London Restaurant Festival (October 3– October 21), a city-wide celebration of London’s restaurants and chefs.

Special menus, celebrity chefs, culinary tours and street food – London becomes a foodie heaven The BFI London Film Festival (Octo­­ber 9 –October 20) brings

films to the table at the same time with a packed program of premiers, talks and the biggest names in the industry, including Hollywood directors and actors. The whole city becomes a great place for photobomb­­ing. Just follow the paparazzi!

If you get tired of being just a spectator The Big Draw should cap­ture your attention. Throughout Octo­ber you can participate in this inspiring festival by joining one of many events around London in this world’s largest celebration of draw­­­ing. London’s ancient history and ghoulish past make it a perfect

might be. Discover more about this vibrant occasion also known as the Festival of Lights with a trip to Shri Swaminaray­an Mandir, a spectacular Hindu temple in West London. Trafalgar Square is the place to be for this celebration that attracts thous­ands of people to central London. This year the program is packed with free entertainment including music and dance from community groups and professional artists, food stalls, and a range of activities for children.

If you prefer a smaller crowd you can find smaller festi­­vals and family place to spend Halloween (Octo­ber 31 and the days around). With its gloomy dungeons, haunt­­ed tower and other super scary attractions, such as the London Bridge Experience (availa­­ble all year at 2-4 Tooley Street), London aims to scare you at this time of year but if scary is not your thing the Hindu festi­­val of Diwali (October 27) just

events across London, as well as special menus in some London restau­­rants.

Don’t miss the Designer Ware­­ house Sales. For a limited time you can get award winning de­­­­signer labels for up to 80% off the original price, all under one roof. We’re talking Valentino, Gucci, Velvet, Belstaff, Celine, Prada, Blumarine, Anonymous, Vi­vienne Westwood, High, Viktor & Rolf, Celine, Dolce & Gabana, Marc by Marc Jacobs, Roberto Cavalli, Moschino and many more new and exciting designers. Expect catwalk one-offs, showroom samples and cancell­­ed orders from the pick of the current season’s collections. Some have even called this one of the ten best reasons for living in London.

The Designer Warehouse Sales are held 12 times a year and there are two in October: Womenswear October 19-21 and Menswear from October 26-28.

A highlight of October is the riot of autumnal color as the city’s parks change from green to copper and russet reds. This vivid display is worth a trip to London’s largest open space, Richmond Park.

Weather: Daytime temperatures reach up to 14°C (57°F) and can fall to 8°C (46°F) in the evenings. You can expect around five hours of sunshine on average each day and mostly a light jacket is all you need.

A noteworthy November

During November, the city’s dark winter nights light up with major events and theatrical productions, while the colder weather is the perfect excuse to enjoy a cozy pub. The highlight on ­London’s event calendar is without doubt Guy Fawkes aka Bonfire Night (November 5), when awesome fireworks displays take place a across the city. For more fireworks, plus one of London’s biggest street parades be sure to be at the right place for the Lord Mayor’s Show (Nov­ember 9), an 800-year-old inauguration ceremony that has evolved into a huge celebratory procession of marching bands, acrobats, samba dancing and more, winding its way through the heart of London. After the procession a fantastic fireworks display lights up the sky over the River Thames.

Reaffirming its place as a hot­­­­ bed of musical talent, the city is home to the London Jazz Festi­­­val (November 15 – November 24).

This is the city’s biggest pan-city music festival, a 10-day feast of performances from both emerging and established jazz artists. For the sport enthusiast the spotlight this month will proba­bly hit the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals (November 4 – November 11) where the world’s best male tennis players com­pete at The O2 Arena.

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WOW autumn cities squares. For a more spiritual nour­ ish­­ment, look up St. Paul’s Cathedral, which hosts a grand program of carol concerts and services. Those lucky enough to be in London over New Year’s Eve should not miss the incredible fireworks display from the River Thames and London Eye. ‘Tis the season for parties and going out with friends, and London is certainly not lacking in places to let your hair down. From booming nightclubs to sophisticated bars, the party venues are many and varied.

Make sure you visit some of the London Christmas markets.

They offer charming crafts and excellent food produce, not to mention a festive atmosphere and plenty of warming mulled wine.

Get nostalgic at Trafalgar Square, where London’s biggest Christmas tree sparkles and carol services are held throughout the month.

Although the weather can be fairly gloomy this time of year, London makes up for it with glittering Christmas lights.

The pubs of London are cult­ur­ al institutions in their own right and really come into their own during winter. Inside you will find the perfect retreat where you can enjoy warming log fires and taste the hearty ales. November is also the perfect time to start your Christ­­ mas shopping when the various shops are gearing up for the festive season with decorations and lights.

Match up your pub-experiences and shopping for the ultimate effect and don’t forget the city’s varied and plenti­­ful live music venues and theaters.

When December nears, Lond­ on’s Hyde Park becomes a Wint­ er Wonderland (November 23 – January 5) with big top shows, the observation wheel and a huge Christmas market. Take a spin on the stunning ice rink or take the children to meet Santa in his grotto.

This is a place of fun for the whole family. If the weather treats you badly on your visit just remember all the indoor excitement that can be found at the Science and Natural History Museums and at the Tower of London.

Weather: Daytime temperatures reach a high of 10°C (50°F) and can fall as low as 4°C (39°F) at night. There’s an average of 3 hours of sunshine each day.

Dreamy December

The festive atmosphere of London is truly special and a great way to get into the spirit is with a pantomime. This unique theatrical tradition is perfect for the young and young at heart as colorful characters, dastardly plots and

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audience interaction kick-start the Christmas season. The Hyde Park Winter Wonderland (see November) will be in full swing during December. The seasonal spirit continues as a host of temp­ orary outdoor ice-skating rinks pop up across the capital. Many are situated in striking venues and stunning parklands, including medieval towers and neoclassical

Weather: It’s almost winter and the average temperature in London is 6°C (43°F) with expected 3 sunny hours a day.

How to get there?

WOW air flies to London 13 times a week all year round.

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WOW autumn cities

Paris

– Intimately yours

October is for art

The fair city of Paris does not dull down in the fall.

On the contrary it literally sparkles with fiery autumn colors and invites its guests to enjoy meditative strolls in crisp air, calm reading in warm cafés and dramatic dusks in picturesque settings.

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The busy tourist season is coming to an end and the city gets more quiet and relaxed. Guests will have more space to wander around and truly enjoy the fine museums and galleries without waiting on long lines. Wandering through one of Paris’ many elegant parks and gardens is ideal on a sunny day.

As the colors of autumn arrive in Paris the parks are blanketed with falling leaves and the atmosphere is unforgetta­ble; a romantic set up if ever there was one!

But one can’t just walk around during a stay in Paris. Surely you will see something that catches your eye during that leisurely stroll and to top it off Paris hosts a vari­ ety of fun and exciting events in October.

Plan to stay up late on the night of Saturday, October 5, for the 12th­annual Nuit Blanche, or White Night, in Paris. This popu­lar event cele­­­brates art and culture and in Paris that means an endless line of museums, galleries and other popular spots across the city will be open most of the night. Guests are advised to take ad­­van­tage of the special exhibits and music events and to enjoy an artistic evening out in Paris (visit White Night web page for more infor­­ mation www.nuitblanche.paris. fr). In Paris, if it’s not about art, it’s about wine, so for a truly autumnal experience in Paris you should head to Montmarte (18th arrondis­ sement) for the Vendanges de Montmartre (October 9 – 13). The vineyards on the hills around the brilliant white church of Sacré-

Coeur produce only a small quantity of wine but this harvest festi­­val has a special place in the hearts of Parisians plus there is wine tasting, local food specialties,

music, street performances and a fireworks display. This is also a great time to visit artist studios in Montmartre. The Cité Montmartre aux Artistes houses 180 studios and accommodations which

17th arrondissement near Mont­ martre for the Paris Short Film Festival (November 5 – 10) held at the Cinéma des Cinéastes – one of the most important short film festivals in the world. It’s also a great excuse to stay inside and rest your feet after a long day of walking. The French national

are the workplace and home of paint­­ers, sculptors, filmmakers, photographers, musi­­­cians, writers, designers, etc, who once a year (October 11 – 13) open their studios to the public enabling anyone interested in contemporary art to enter into their creative universe.

Having had your fill of wine and art, you might want to do a little dancing as Paris goes a little tango mad. The bodies will be swaying to the beat as the biggest names in Latino dance converge in Paris for the annu­­al Banlieues Tango Festival (October 9 –November 30). Venues are across the city and its suburbs and for six weeks Paris and several cities in Ile-de­France pulse to the rhythm of the tango. When you take a break from dancing (or watching others dance) you can feast your eyes on the vintage car parade passing through Paris on October 13. Hundreds of classic cars make their way through the city starting at Place Joffre near the Ecole Militaire at 10AM,

then crossing the Seine to the Trocadéro. The parade can also be spotted at Avenue Foch, the Arc de Triomphe, Rue du Faubourg Saint Honoré, Place Vendôme and Place de l’Opéra in the heart of Paris.

Late in October the contem­por­­­ ary art scene in Paris com­­es to life

during the annual International Contemporary Art Fair (October 24 – 27). The fair, held in the gorgeous setting of the Grand Palais with its large glass dome, brings together the work of thousands of artists from around the world. Another feast for the eyes and ears will take place at the gardens at Versaill­­es during Les Grandes Eaux Musicales, the Musical Fountains Show. The show takes place every Saturday and Sunday from March through October and is not to be missed.

Weather: October in Paris is generally mild and has an average temperature of 11°C (52°F).

of the male nude in art. For some, this will be a chance to learn more about art history and for the rest a great chance to ogle at paintings of nude men. It’s a win-win. For those traveling with a child (or on good terms with the child within) you might get them to behave at the museum if you promise them a trip to Disney­­land Paris for the Bonfire

holiday known as Armistice Day (November 11) honors members of the armed forces who died or were injured during war and commemorates the end of World War I. As this is a national holiday some museums and monuments may be closed or have limited hours. Quiet contemplation is the ‘word’ for November and so what’s better suited to this theme than Paris Photo (November 14 – 17) at the Grand Palais. This is an international fair of photography from the 19th century to the pres­­ ent. For more contemplation, al­­ though not as quiet, the Orchestr­­es en Fête (November 15 – 24), an annual classical music festival,

Spectacular to celebrate Guy Fawkes Day (November 4, 6 and 8). After a fun day of a­dventures at the amusement park you can enjoy the magical show of fireworks, live entertainment and a floating bonfire on Lake Disney. In November this magical world also gets miraculously transformed into a Winter Wonderland with snowy streets and millions of twinkling lights.

Film lovers will want to head to

takes place throughout Fran ce but Paris is still at the heart of it presenting concerts by national orchestras in beautiful venues across the city, including Théâtre du Châtelet, Cité del la Musique and more.

Yet another chance for con­­tem­ p­lation, the long-awaited release of each year’s Beaujolais Nouveau (November 21) comes at the stroke of midnight on the third Thursday

November is for nourishment November in Paris is a time for contemplation. The tourist numbers have dwindled down considerably so those who brave the autumn chills can treasure it more to them­­ selves. This is also a great time to see the actual people of Paris who have long since returned from their summer vacations.

After seeing the last of the fall colors brighten up the city, head on to Musée d’Orsay for more beauty.

The running exhibition (ends January 2) is called Masculine / Mascu­­line and aims to take an inter­­­pretive, playful, sociological and philosophical approach to explor­­ing all aspects and meaning

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At any given Christ­ mas market you’ll find holiday treats, tradi­ tional Christmas food and desserts, hand­ crafts and great gift ideas. in November and there are about 120 festivals to honor the arrival of this young wine in the Beaujolais region alone, not to mention throug­hout France. Several bistros in Paris celebrate the release.

To finish this month with a splash of color there’s Africolor (Novem­­­ ber 16 – December 22), a monthlong African music festival that tak­­es place in various venues in the suburbs, including Montreuil, St Denis and St Ouen. By midNovem­­ber the streets are decked out for Christmas and at the big department stores such as Galeries Lafayette and Printemps it’s pretty impressive. Shopping in Paris is also more relaxing now than during the summer months, considering the lesser crowds. The serious café culture of Paris lets you enjoy the decorations over a hot cup of chocolat chaud or a warmed mull­ ed wine as the patrons turn up the outdoor heat lamps and stay on the sidewalks (partly because the guests can’t smoke indoors). And then there are the Christmas mark­ ets popping up all over the city hinting of the festive times ahead.

Weather: The weather in Paris can still be warm in November with an average temperature around 6°C (42°F).

December is for joy

As the holiday season arrives with twinkling lights up and down the grand boulevards, shop win­­ dows are decked out with festi­­ve displays and the popular Christ­­ mas markets arrive. Head to the Champs Elysées for the most spect­­­acular and popular Christmas light display in Paris. It’s a magical time to be in this romantic city and a great time for gliding around the ice skating rinks at some of the

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city’s most iconic spots, such as Hotel de Ville, The Eiffel Tower and the Trocadéro. At the Trocadéro, located just across the Seine from the Eiffel Tower you will also find a charming Christmas market. At any given Christmas market you’ll find holiday treats, traditional Christmas food and desserts, handcrafts and great gift ideas. Stroll around, mull­­­­ed wine in hand, to get into the true Parisian Christmas spirit.

The most popular markets are at Champs-Elysées and Trocadéro but you can find smaller markets set up in Place Saint Sulpice and Place Saint Germain des Prés in the 6th arrondissement. Guaranteed to get you into the holiday spirit are the Christmas trees and in Paris there are thousands of them bringing a

wonderful wintry feel right to the heart of Paris. The tree set up in front of Notre-Dame Cathedral is not to be missed and what better backdrop for a great holiday photo from Paris?

Although this all sounds like Par­­ is­­ians go Christmas-crazy during Dec­­­­ember they are actually less about shouting Christmas and more

about subtly but elegantly ex­­citing a sense of anticipation and joy. Paris in December is fairly re­­laxed making this month an ideal time to take advantage of the city’s many sights and attractions, ex­­plor­­ing museums and attending special holiday concerts.

Weather: Snow is rare in Paris and if it comes it usually melts fast. Most days in December are sunny with an average temperature of 5°C. How to get there?

WOW air flies to Paris three times a week during the fall and winter months.

A Unique Design and Jewelry Store in Downtown Reykjavik

WOW autumn cities

Berlin Wall.

Berlin Brilliant

by Lilja Björk Haraldsdóttir Photos: Photos.com and Birtíngur Photo Archive

The city of Berlin is a great place to visit during the autumn months. Being the capital of Germany and the culture capital of Europe, Berlin has plenty to offer the whole year round. With the onset of autumn, the city dresses up in glorious colors and with all the events, concerts, shows, Christmas markets and people, you will surely enjoy strolling around and experiencing this historical city.

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The events of October In colorful October you can enjoy exploring the different neigh­bor­ hoods of Berlin as most of them have a number of cafés, cozy rest­ aurants, markets and bars. Many of the restaurants keep their outdoor area open throughout the month, giving you a good op­portunity to observe and enjoy the Berliners’ daily life. If you are eager to see more, head on up to the Berliner Fernsehturm (Tv-Tower) situated on Alexanderplatz where you can

historical event of German re­uni­­ fication is celebrated every year during a four-day-long folks’ festival around Brandenburg Gate and the “Straße des 17. Juni” (which oddly enough is also Iceland’s national day). When you’ve had enough of German unity, the Festival of Lights is sure to brighten up your day. From the October 9 – 20, Berlin is all about “lightseeing”, where historical landmarks such as the TV-Tower, the Berliner Dom and the Brandenburg Gate sparkle with illuminations, projections and

Platz. From October to January the Spielzet’europa takes place ­­showcasing theater that incorpo­­ rates new political and aesthetic ideas from a specifically European perspective. However on a sunny October day you may prefer to take it easy and enjoy the autumn sun as you stroll alongside the Berlin Wall. The wall, with its immense history, is now covered in graffiti made by street artists from around the world who commentate the history and meaning of this historic landmark.

Weather: October in Berlin has temperatures around 10°C (50°F) to 13°C (55°F) and is generally sunny.

The notes of November

© visitBerlin | Scholvien

get a 360° view of the city and see attractions such as the Reichstag (Parliament building), Brandenburg Gate and the Main Railway Station, as well as Olympic Stadium, Museum Island (Museumsinsel) and Potsdam ­Squ­are (Potsdamer Platz).

If you are around during the 3rd of October make sure you visit Brandenburg Gate and get a sense of union as the Germans celebrate The Day of German Unity. The

Festival of lights.

fire­­works; certainly a sight not to be missed.

If you’d rather experience the cultivating and innovative art scene of Berlin you should visit Berliner Festspiele in Charlottenburg where throughout the year there’s a range of imaginative and intelligent festi­­ vals, excellent exhibition projects and individual events in the Haus der Berliner Festspiele and the Martin-Gropuis-Bau in Potsdamer

In November everything is about music and you can list­­en to some excellent tunes from almost every genre. It kicks off with Jazzfest Berlin (October 31­– November 3) at the Berliner Fest­­spiele in Charlottenburg. This festival has doo-woopped in Berlin since 1964 and offers a wide spectrum of smooth and playful jazz sounds with performances by both fresh out artists and big time talents.

If however, dance music is your thing the Berlin Music Days or “BerMuDa” (November 6 – 10) is what you should be doing. The festival is held in various venues around the city, so put your dance shoes on and forget about sleeping

KUKI.

for the weekend as the program is packed from early evening to late morning!

If you have little ones be sure to check out the Berliner Märch­­ en­­tage (November 7 – 24) or the Fairytale Festival. Held for the 24th time this year the festival’s tagline is “Around the World in 18 Days” with its focus on fairytales and stor­­ies from the French speaking world. Children will surely be enraptured by stories told of bold adventures and musical events in a carnival setting.

As mentioned above Berlin has a lot to offer. In mid-November you can curl up in cine­­mas around town as two inter­­national film festivals take place. KUKI (November 10 – 17) is an international short film festival for children and youth presenting an amazing mix of entertaining and thought-provoking short films for tiny kids, curious children and teens. For the grownups there is the 29th International Short Film Festival (November 12 – 17) where the focus is on short filmmaking in all its diversity with 7 competitions, numerous special programs and events in 7 cinemas and additional locations in Berlin.

Jazzfest © visitBerlin | Günter Steffen

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Ice skating in front of Berlin City Hall. © visitBerlin | Scholvien.

Berliner Märchentage. Photo: Jürgen Sendel.

In late November, for electronic music enthusiasts, there is the four day Worldtronics Festival in Tiergarten celebrating the world of electronic music. Berlin is known for its immense electronic music scene so this festival should not be a disappointment to anyone inter­­ ested in the genre. Guest musicians come from all over the world while the trade fair covers everything from books, clubs and labels to software and sound la­­boratories.

Photo: © visitBerlin | Scholvien.

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Weather: November has an average temperature of around 6°C (42°F). Make sure to take advantage of the sunny hours each day.

The joy of December December is a great time to visit Berlin thanks to the considerable swing into the festive season. With a number of Christmas markets all over the city you are sure to get in the holiday spirit, buying some unique and quirky Christmas gifts for your loved ones and getting warm­­ed by some mulled wine and ginger­bread. If you’d rather do your shopping inside, head down to Pots­­damer Platz Arkaden where there are over 130 shops, restau­­ rant and cafés on three levels.

What better time to get new inspirations and ideas for your

Decorative Arts and Design Fair.

New Years Eve at the Brandenburg Gate © SpreePIX Media.

home then dusky December. At the Decorative Arts and Design Fair (December 5 – 8) located in the Deutsches Historisches Museum you will find specifically selected artists presenting their quality products for everyday use.

And expect to be impressed, we all know the Germans are good at designing things! To get into the real Christmas spirit you should visit St. Matthäuskirche situated within the Kulturforum complex near Potsdamer Platz. It is a neoRomanesque church and during the advent they offer Christmas con­­ certs and an exhibitions pro­­gram.

If you’re staying in Berlin during Christmas and New Years you´ll also catch a fun local tradition, the Berliner Silvesterlauf or the Pan­­ cake Run! It is a New Year’s Eve Run that starts off in Grunewald at the intersection of Waldschulallee and Harbigstrasse. With both adults and children participating, often wearing funny costumes and face paint it’s certainly fun to see. After you’ve cheered for the runners you can ring in the New Year by hugging strangers, swigg­­ ing sparkling wine straight from the bottle and generally mis­­behaving

at the Brandenburg Gate or the Kreuzberg Hill in Viktoria­­park where the locals head to celebrate New Years. With Berlin­­ers’ enthusi­asm for toss­­ing fire­­crack­­ers and launch­­­­­­­ ing rockets from windows this al­­ways is an ex­­pressive, noisy and ventur­­e­­some night were everybody celebrates. What better way to begin your New Year than among thous­ ands of fetzig Berliners!

New Years Eve at the Brandenburg Gate © SpreePIX Media.

Weather: Berlin has an average temperature of ca. 4°C in December but it can go over 10°C on the best days.

How to get there?

WOW air offers flights to Berlin three times a week during autumn and winter.

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WOW autumn cities

Copenhagen Get creative in

by Lilja Björk Haraldsdóttir

Good old Copenhagen with its cobblestone streets, old buildings and cozy atmosphere.

It is a great city to visit during the autumn months. Being a lover of the arts, Copenhagen boasts of artistic and entertaining things to do and see throughout the year.

October – Oh so much to see!

In beautiful October there’s plenty to see and experience, be it con­­ certs, art shows, exhibitions or the good old Tivoli. In the Tivoli they start off with the H.C Andersen fairytale show running for the whole of October where you can en­­counter different characters and stories from the treasure chest of one of Denmark’s greatest writers.

If photography is your thing,

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make sure you catch a glimpse of the World Press Photo exhi­­bi­­ tion (October 4-30) at Pressen, Politikens Hus, where you can review last year’s biggest head­­­ lin­­es and some smaller stories through stunning photography inst­­ead of lengthy articles. From controversial and shocking phot­­os of war and turmoil in the Middle East to inspiring sports shots and incredible moments in nature caught on camera, it is photo­­ journalism at its best. If you are

more taken by the world of film then you should introduce yourself to MIX, (October 4-13) which is one of the oldest LGBT film festivals in the world and is held at sixteen various film venues, bars and caf­­ es throughout the city. The 28th annual celebration should be quite a steamy film festival with plenty of parties and events around town.

Forum in Copenhagen will be taken over by women for three days for the Femina Fair (October 4-6), a special women’s exhibition.

Women of all age groups can go and learn the latest trends in fashion, food, beauty, decoration and culture. Bring your mom, sister, friend or daughter and enjoy the fashion shows, live entertainment and food samples, and while you’re at it why not pick up some new tricks on how to dress, do make-up and live a healthier lifestyle?

On October 11 you can join the cele­­bration of Culture Night and use this chance to spend the whole evening indulging in arts and culture. Up to 300 museums, libraries, galleries, churches, histor­ ical government buildings and ot­her venues will be open from 6pm until midnight or beyond. This is one of the best nights to be a tourist in Copenhagen and gives

you the exceptional opportunity to go see sites that are usually closed to the general public. A pass for only 36 DKK grants you ad­­miss­ion to all the venues and free trans­ portation, so don’t let this night pass you by without getting cultural.

The Halloween celebration in the Tivoli (October 11-27) is a perfect way for the whole family to have some fun together, and possibly a little scare. To set the atmosphere the gardens will be decorated with all the traditional harvest para­ phernalia such as pumpkins and scarecrows and the stalls will have Halloween themed foods and toys.

After 6pm you better watch out

though because the Tivoli will turn into a scare zone for everyone aged 12 and over.

Go search for some treasures as Forum in Copenhagen overflows with antiquities on October 12-13.

Visit one of the biggest second­­ hand markets in the city for a bargain on anything you can think of. There will be over 500 stalls so it’s guaranteed you will find some­­thing you’ve been looking for. When you’re done antiquing you can check out the residence of the Danish Royal Family by vis­­ it­­ing Amalienborg Palace, their wint­er residence since 1974. The palace is actually like a compound of four different palaces because it was originally built for four noble families. After the Christianborg Palace burned down, the Royal Family purchased Amalienborg and moved in.

Weather: In October the daily temperature averages around 10°C but can drop to 7°C. You still get to enjoy the autumn sun as it is expected an average of 8 hours a day.

November – Nice times

Music, dance and good times will prevail in Copenhagen during November. It starts with the annual Irish Festival (November 7-10) cele­­brated by dancing to Gaelic music and having parties with a lots of food and whiskey. In addition there will also be poetry readings, lectures, art exhibitions and show­­ ing of Irish films.

Dansescenen is a thrilling event in early November when dancers from Scandinavian countries de­­ scend on Copenhagen to per­­form their dances. Different styles in modern dances will be per­­form­ed and made the subject of dance workshops, lectures and talks. The inter­action between the artists and people of these countries results in a greater understanding and appreciation for each other’s cultures.

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WOW autumn cities If you are up for some dirty jokes, crazy laughs and a bit of burlesque dancing make sure you don’t miss out on the Crazy Christmas Cabaret (premiered November 7) at Glasssalen Tivoli. This year it’s all about Smartacus - the slave who lived his life like a sandal in the wind! Music, comedy, drama, lavish costumes, amazing dance and an exuberant feast of the greatest hits, it’s been voted the best fun of the season, year after year. However if you’d rather curl up with a good book and a cup of tea in the winter cold we recommend the Book fair in Bella Center (November 8).

The fair features a large selection of Danish and foreign writers, debates, discussions and book sign­­ings, mixed with a crowd of book loving people.

From mid-November the Christ­­ mas markets start popping up and the streets get filled with heart­­ warm­­ing Christmas deco­ra­­tions.

The Christmas markets in Højbro Plads, Nyhavn and Københagen K are to be recommended as well is the Christmas program in the Tivoli that starts November 15 and runs throughout December with concerts, entertaining shows, mark­­ ets and the like. There is no better place to get into the festive spirit but in the good old Tivoli in Copen­­ hagen.

The Christmas tree at City Hall. Photo: Christian Alsing.

mas tree at City Hall. There’s no better way to inaugurate the joyous season. But Christmas is also about shopping and you are just in time for Copenhagen’s annual Christmas Flea market. The flea market is abundant with precious

Weather: Daily temperature is around 5°C and the sun is not as prominent as in October. You can still expect about 5 sunny hours a day on average in November.

December – Do some shopping Copenhagen may be the best place to go in December if it’s the Christmas spirit and a cozy at­­mosphere that you’re seeking.

The Danes are big on making this joyous season the best there is with shops decorating their win­­dows, people selling sugar al­­ monds and pancakes on the street, choirs singing hymns and just a general spreading of Christ­­mas joy.

If you are in Copenhagen on December 1, make sure you don’t miss the lighting of the big Christ­­

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Photo: Morten Jerichau.

finds at really low prices such as Royal porcelain plates, beautifully preserved clothes and furniture.

Just remember that when shopping at a flea market always bring cash and an extra pair of strong arms to help carry your booty.

Of course you have to take a walk down Strøget, the longest pe­­destrian shopping area in Europe with some of the most fam­­ ous and expensive stores there are. It is a shopping heaven for those in search of the perfect gift, a souvenir or simply to have an

excellent retail therapy session.

Don’t forget to check out the Tivoli in the city center, maybe the most Christmassy place around, and stop by for a cup of cocoa or check out their Christmas program with concerts, shows and markets.

Celebrating Christmas in Copenhagen is a wonderful thing for everyone. Sports fans get some­­thing to tickle their fancy at the Copenhagen Masters, a high ranking badminton tournament that takes place between Christ­ mas and New Year’s Eve. A trip to Copenhagen will never be com­­ plete without seeing the statue of the Little Mermaid, which was sculpted based on the much lov­­ ed fairytale of Hans Christian Ander­­sen. The statue’s head was modeled after a prima ballerina while the body was modeled after the sculptor’s wife when the baller­ ina refused to pose in the nude.

When December comes to its absolute end you can join count­ less Copenhagen locals and visi­ tors at the New Year celebration at Amalienborg, the Royal Palace, and wish everyone a happy New Year. It’s also a great chance to see the Royal Guard Parade in red gala uniforms.

Weather: The average daily temperature is now at 2°C, a clear indication that winter has arrived. On average you can expect 4 sunny hours a day and despite the temperature Copenhagen is buzzing with activity as it celebrates Christmas lavishly.

How to get there?

WOW air flies to Copenhagen 10 times a week.

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The future is now class at the community college but you will soon be kicked out because “I say so and yo mamma is fat” is not a real argument.

Cancer 22 June - 22 July

Aries 21 March - 19 April Try not to attract attention in the weeks to come. Now is a good time to learn the art of disguise.

Just remember that camouflage suits are not to be relied on. People can still see you, even if you crouch and remain very still. You should make some Mexican food and eat it all by yourself.

If your think someone is screwing you over you’re probably right.

The reason why you will not be invited to that party is because you always bring up uncomfortable topics. You know, no one wants to discuss sewage pipes and rats at a party! Your effort to make a career out of staying in bed and do nothing will gain some headway this month or the next, but you will be too tired from the accomplishment to notice the offers you‘ve gotten as a result of it and thus, have to show up at the office for years to come. Sorry!

23 September - 23 October Your high sense of fashion knows no boundaries (in your opinion) and when you try to be a trendsetter later this month you will fail miserably. This will result in you doubting everything you thought you knew about fashion, getting you to the conclusion that you’re better off as a follower, anyway.

Then you will go on a bender and try to explain the difference between café latté and café au lait to everyone.

24 October - 21 November

20 April - 20 May

Leo 23 July - 22 August Trying to evoke shock by pretending that you’re gay, when you’re not, will result in neither sex wanting to hook up with you and so you find yourself having a romantic evening alone, which is what you prefer anyway. While hanging yet another picture of yourself on the wall of your apartment you will accidentally maim your toes. No one will understand how you did it and you will be too embarrassed to tell.

Here’s the message they gave me: “Become a Madonna impersonator - bleep. You can do it - bleep.” Hey, we’re just passing this on. Okay?!

Libra

Scorpio

Taurus Make sure to compliment your friends whenever you meet them. If you can‘t think of anything really nice to say, tell them they‘re looking “very buff“. That will please them but also make them slightly uneasy resulting in added time in front of the mirror.

Your social convention defiance will soon reach new heights as you‘ll refuse to wear clothes in the “normal“ fashion (if at all) and start speaking like a Rastafarian, even at the office.

vice your obsessive-compulsive cleaning will get you into trouble.

So try and stop it, OK?

Trying to cheat at the lottery again? That’s not good. Your resentment over never having been abducted by aliens grows worse in the coming weeks, so much so that you start writing letters to politicians asking them for contacts. When you get that call from outer space … (Sorry the government asked me not to disclose any specifics, this is top secret stuff.) Let’s just say you will finally see that everything you’ve imagined about this is right, plus there’ll be a few surprises.

Capricorn 22 December - 19 January Please stop organizing everything and start living your life, meeting your friends and having some quality time. And NO! Don’t organize it! Put down the calendar, and delete the organizing apps on your phone and your tablet. Don’t try to organize this at all! The stars have some fun in store for you but they can already see that your planning will ruin it if you don’t stop right now!

Aquarius 20 January - 18 February At a very sad wake you will meet the person of your dreams. Try not to drive them away with your affinity for being naked in public and discussing your out-ofbody experiences. While eating breakfast one morning Jesus will appear in your Fruit Loops. No one will believe you so just say hi to him and then let it be.

Pisces 19 February - 20 March

Gemini

Sagittarius

21 May - 21 June Mooning people at a wedding is clearly no way to win points, especially if it’s your own wedding and the “people” are your in-laws. You will pick a fight with a small child and lose because the child has better arguments. After that, you sign up for a debate

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22 November - 21 December

Virgo 23 August - 22 September Stop cleaning everything! And stop sorting your laundry by color and fabric, the washing machines have a program for that, you know. Unless you heed this ad-

Your love for adventure has probably resulted in you coming across this magazine. And while it may not look like it, you‘re surely one of the lucky ones, Sagittarius-wise anyway. This shows how the stars have a chance to influence your future.

Your friend will ask you for your honest opinion on his artwork and if you don‘t want him committing hara-kiri on the floor – lie! This will result in you becoming the owner of a 2x3 meter painting of cow dung that your friend insists that you take to your place and hang in your living room. Well maybe you won‘t lie to him then. The choice is yours.

Disclaimer: This horoscope is total and utter nonsence. Any accuracies, real or imagined by readers, are purely incidental.

Open

Sunday - thursday 9pm to 1am Friday and saturday 9pm to 4:30am

Ármúli 7 | 108 Reykjavík | Sími 537 1330

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

Benedikt Erlingsson is a man of many trades. He’s one of Iceland’s best known actors and has appeared in numerous works both on stage and screen. He has been awarded the Icelandic Theatre Awards (The Edda) for his theatrical performances, both as a director and an actor and as he puts it, he’s a storyteller who tells the stories of others as well as writing his own. Benedikt is also a husband and a father to three girls which according to him is a full job in itself. This winter he will be perform­ing in a play called Jeppe of The Hill by Ludvig Holberg who Benedikt says was both Norwegian and Danish, and the 2300 year old play Aristophanes called “Assemblywomen”. The Traveling Inquisition apprehended Benedikt the other day and managed to ask him a few questions before he escaped through the bathroom window.

Of horses,

men and travels

by Dísa Bjarnadóttir Photo: Eggert Jóhannesson

R

ecently Benedikt added the title film-director to his résumé when his directorial debut in film was released, a film called “Of Horses and Men” (Hross í oss). He says this film is one that foreign visitors can easily enjoy as there is very little of the spoken word in the film and it can be universally understood.

“It’s stories of untamed people.

I guess you could say that it’s about Icelandic horses and a horse. Sometimes in Icelandic we use the expression that

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some­­­one is a horse (hross) if we think they’re primitive,” explains Bene­­dikt.

Benedikt’s favorite place in Iceland is Möðrudalur á Fjöllum.

“That’s the place I would most recommend for foreigners to visit as well, to experience the complete silence up in the high mountains of Iceland.” His favorite place abroad is San Sebastián in the Basque Country. “I’ll be taking my film there to compete in a film festival in September. What I love about San Sebastián is definitely the

“It’s stories of un­ tamed people. I guess you could say that it’s about Icelandic horses and a horse.” food, the culture and, of course, all the people who will be app­­ lauding me for my film,” he adds jokingly. It is obvious from his travel stories that Benedikt loves talking to people. “There was this one time I was on a train from Sevilla to Barcelona. For six

hours I chatted with a Catalonian tomato-farmer about Spanish and Icelandic agriculture,” says Benedikt and admits that he would love to travel to Tokyo and Lubeck. “I think we’re the last generation who gets to travel with airplanes all over the world. We should enjoy it and appreciate it. No other generations in the history of humankind have had the freedom that our part of the world has had for the past fifty years. This might not last and should not be taken for granted.”

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