Click on the picture to watch an audio slideshow of the lambing season at Brimnes, a farm in the north of Iceland. Sheep farmer Arnar Gústafsson and his girlfriend Edda Björk take shifts watching over the nearly 300 ewes and helping them give birth 24/7 for about two months or until the last lamb is born.  more

Fjallabyggd (“Mountain Settlement”) is a skier’s dream. Its slopes are perfect for slaloming and there are also tracks for telemark skiing. Winter sporting enthusiasts can also go ice skating or rent snowmobiles. In summer, Fjallabyggd turns into a paradise for hikers. Read this special promotion about one of Iceland’s best hidden gems.  more

I’m anticipating the arrival of my first visitor to Iceland. The fact that I have not had one visitor to my home on this North Atlantic island during my more-than-two-year stay is pathetic, I know. Why my friends haven’t jumped at the opportunity to visit me in the world’s “best” country in which to live, is no rocket science, though. It is my own doing. Too much talk about how Iceland is (or was, until recently at least) the most expensive country in the world, hasn’t helped.

“Everything is so expensive here... So, when can I expect a visit?” obviously hasn’t worked too well for me.

But, finally, when signs of an economic meltdown started to show late last year it was time to try a different line. In case you missed it, the króna has lost 30 to 40 percent of its value against the euro over last five months, giving way to the perfect reason for foreign tourists to visit. It is now time to trumpet the resulting 30+ percent discount on visiting the Land of Fire and Ice (though inflation rose by 3.2 percent to almost 12 percent in April alone—the highest in 18 years—but let’s keep quiet about that one for now, can we?).

It worked. My friend arrives tomorrow for a one-week stay. Forget the fact that like many other foreigners, I have lost a large portion of my savings due to the depreciation of the currency. At least my friends will come and visit now!

We plan to venture south-east along the well-trodden tourist trail stopping at: Seljalandfoss, Vík and Jökulsárlón. Weather permitting, we will also explore Skaftafell national park in the east. Never mind the exorbitant price of fuel that it will cost to travel the length of the island and back.

In my own interest, I haven’t brought that issue up with my friend yet. She is however planning on bringing her own food, it seems. After hearing repeated stories from me about the lack of variety, freshness and affordable food in this country, my friend has decided to bring some of her own supplies.

When she asked during a recent phone conversation: “Do you have tinned tomatoes in Iceland”, I realized the extent of the impact of my constant complaints over the difficulty in not only finding certain basic food items, but those that were edible, too. But, I never said anything about canned tomatoes!

“Geez, where do you think I am!” I thought to myself, but saying out loud in a calm manner; “Yes, we of course we do.”

“But, are they expensive?” she pressed. “No, they’re not too bad, actually,” I replied only-half certain.

“And, how about chickpeas?” she added. “Yep, we have those too, and they’re also pretty cheap,” I tried to convince her. What have I done? My poor friend is going to pack her own tinned tomatoes!

Unsure whether I really convinced her that we would find something for her to eat; she will probably end up bringing a week’s worth of fresh food.

In my defense, there is a lot more variety in foodstuffs than when I first arrived here two years ago, though it’s not comparable to Berlin, where my friend currently lives. And, I am not usually prone to exaggeration.

But, if my friend catches wind of the new Hagkaup store, which has an outstanding selection of everything from apples to gourmet olives—though astronomically priced (so much so that after just two trips I implemented a self-imposed ban)—she will wonder what all the fuss has been about...

Because, yes, while the choices might not always be fantastic and the prices are among the highest in the world, I admit the situation has improved—we’re really not that bad off, after all.

ZR – zoe_robert3@hotmail.com

Valentines by Ólafur Jóhann Ólafsson contains 12 short stories, one for each month of the year. They all revolve around love and time, “the two most powerful forces in human existence,” as it says on the back of the book. But these bland tales just conclude without a real ending, without an interesting twist and an unforeseen plot.  more

Known throughout equestria for its gentle demeanor, comfy ride and distinctive f ifth gait, the Icelandic horse becomes the belle of the ball at the 18th annual National Horse Show of Iceland this summer. Atlantica managed to f ind one of the show’s biggest names, National Team Trainer Siggi Saemundsson, to get an idea of this year’s event.  more

This week visit the photographic exhibition “Through My Eyes” by Rafn Hafnfjörd in the Start Art Gallery in central Reykjavík. Since 1955, Hafnfjörd has photographed Iceland with the purpose of promoting the country. His photographs have been published in travel brochures, on postcards, calendars, stamps and web sites.  more