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The al fresco nap is standard practice here and Icelanders clearly have it down to a science.
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Click on the picture to observe how to prepare a traditional Icelandic meal of roe and liver (hrogn og lifur). At this time of year, egg pouches are harvested from female fish, mainly cod and haddock, and sold in fish stores around the country along with the liver. The egg pouches may not look appetizing; just remember that caviar is fish eggs too.
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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.
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On June 17, 1944, the Republic of Iceland was formally established and Iceland became independent after being under Danish rule. The day has been celebrated as the Icelandic National Day ever since.
The National Day in Reykjavík in 2003. Photo by Páll Stefánsson.
The National Day is celebrated across the country with parades led by marching bands and scouts following as color guard. Prominent people in society address the public in town and city squares.
Traditionally, a woman dressed as the Fjallkonan (“The Mountain Woman”), wearing Iceland’s most festive national dress, reads a poem. The Fjallkonan represents the Icelandic spirit and nature and became a symbolic figure in Iceland’s fight for independence.
Face painting is popular among children on June 17. Photo by Páll Stefánsson.
After the formal celebration is over, bands play for the crowd and children are treated to cotton candy and balloons, and are given rides on carousels.
In Akureyri, in northeast Iceland, students traditionally graduate from the local junior college Menntaskólinn á Akureyri on June 17 and parade through the streets at midnight sporting white hats.
Click here to watch an audio slideshow of the June 17 celebrations in Reykjavík in 2007.
A water leak at the storage facilities of the Icelandic Institute of Natural History (NÍ) on Saturday night didn’t cause significant damage, thanks to an employee’s decision to come to work early on Sunday morning.
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The Ministry of Finance proposed in December that the Icelandic state acquire Byr savings bank and that claimants be compensated by 40 percent, paid out with bonds issued by the state.
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There are speculations that some members of the Social Democrats are interested in forging a new coalition government with the Progressive Party in addition to the Left-Greens. The current Social Democrat-Left-Green coalition is described as fatigued.
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The song “Je Ne Sais Quoi” by Örygur Smári and Hera Björk Thórhallsdóttir received the most votes in the Icelandic Eurovision song contest final on Saturday and will be Iceland’s entry in the main contest in Norway in May.
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New subscribers to the quarterly Iceland Review magazine will receive the photography book Puffins, which contains a wealth of information about this colorful bird, as a gift. Additionally, all subscribers will enter a draw to win a trip to Iceland. Click here to subscribe to Iceland Review. The new issue will be out next week!
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REVIEWS
When I first heard of the photographic book Legend by Fiann Paul, portraying people dressed in Viking-style in Icelandic landscapes, I imagined it would depict scenes from Norse mythology. However, the idea with the book is to tell a story of how “The Seeker” finds “The Legend” and it feels like a wishy-washy self-help book.
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Fresh back from Brazil, where she was one of 28 international judges at the ‘Cup of Excellence’ awards, Kaffitár founder and owner Adalheidur Hédinsdóttir sat down with Atlantica’s Mica Allan in Kaffitár’s Bankastraeti cafe to talk about her passion and delight: coffee.
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“Lucy” is a video and music installation by Dodda Maggý (1981), the 15th artist to exhibit in Reykjavík Art Museum’s D-gallery project in the Hafnarhús exhibition hall. In “Lucy” the artist explores the idea of the “acousmetre,” a film character portrayed only by voice, never in body, omniscient and ubiquitous.
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