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Click on the picture to watch an audio slideshow of a hike to Hraunsvatn lake in Öxnadalur valley in north Iceland, which lies at a height of 490 meters, interlocked between two steep mountains and a small glacier with a view of the majestic Hraundrangar peaks.
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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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The Icesave dispute was discussed at the Dutch parliament yesterday, during which Minister of Finance Jan Kees de Jager indicated that the next step was in the hands of Iceland. Other parliamentarians called for blocking Iceland’s loan from the IMF.
“This is what we knew. The situation in the Netherlands is difficult,” Icelandic Finance Minister Steingrímur J. Sigfússon told Morgunbladid in response to the Icesave discussions in the Netherlands, adding that he doesn’t interpret his counterpart’s words as if the situation has toughened.
“They are in a tight position because in the Netherlands there are influential powers who are not friendly towards us, to put it mildly. But it hasn’t kept them from participating in talks,” Sigfússon said. He added that it doesn’t help that an interim government is currently at the helm and that parliamentary elections are coming up in the Netherlands.
The House of Representatives agreed to demand a quick solution to the dispute and to increase pressure on Iceland. Moreover, the majority of MPs agreed that Iceland’s application for the EU would be out of the question during the current circumstances, Morgunbladid reports.
“If Iceland doesn’t honor its international obligations we don’t know why we would give Iceland a positive review when the country applies for membership to the European Union. That is the first issue,” said Frans de Nerée tot Babberich, spokesperson on economic affairs for the political party Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA).
“The second issue is that we don’t know why we should review Iceland’s application for a loan from the International Monetary Fund favorably,” de Nerée added.
However, it was also agreed that the Dutch state should not profit from the loan deal with Iceland, which could be considered as an offer of lower interest.
Dutch news web Z24 reported that the People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) would like the dispute to take a legal course and to submit a claim on Iceland.
Former Dutch Finance Minister Frans Andriessen and Sylvester Eijffinger, the advisor of Dutch Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende, believes there is flexibility for concession in the Icesave dispute.
Click here to read more about Icesave.
Iceland’s cabinet met at the presidential residence Bessastadir at noon today where new ministers were announced: Gudbjartur Hannesson of the Social Democrats will lead a new Welfare Ministry and Ögmundur Jónasson of the Left-Greens a new Ministry for Internal Affairs.
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The average temperature of the three summer months, June, July and August, in Reykjavík this year was 12.2°C (54°F), which makes this the warmest summer in the capital since temperatures were first recorded in 1871, according to meteorologist Trausti Jónsson.
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The comedy sketch show Spaugstofan, which has been shown more or less continuously for 21 years on the Icelandic national broadcaster RÚV, has now been relocated to the private television channel Stöd 2.
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The crew of the sailboat Santa Maria from Hamburg, Germany, called for assistance when they ran out of fuel 140 nautical miles west of Reykjavík last week. The guard post of the Icelandic Maritime Administration contacted ships that were nearby and as it turned out the whaling ship Hvalur 9 was located closest to Santa Maria.
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The second issue of the print edition of Iceland Review 2010 has just been published. Entitled “Under the Volcano” the magazine dedicates 20 pages, words and pictures, to the volcanic eruption in Eyjafjallajökull glacier which made headlines all over the word. New subscribers will receive the book 2010 Eruptions as a gift and all subscribers are part of a draw to win a trip to Iceland. Click here to subscribe to the magazine.
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REVIEWS
Dadi Gudbjörnsson's art with its smiley faces, Aladdin's lamps, gleaming hearts, blue mountains and psychedelic flora of unearthly origin reminds me of the cheesy R.E.M. song “Shiny Happy People”. The sugar-sweet naivety fails to amuse me but I must admit it infects my mood with delirious joy.
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Former President of Iceland Vigdís Finnbogadóttir turned 80 on 15 April this year and Mayor Hanna Birna Kristjánsdóttir—in making her an Honorary Citizen of Reykjavík to mark the occasion—observed that Finnbogadóttir’s life was interwoven with that of Reykjavík. In June 1980 Finnbogadóttir made history when she became the world’s first democratically elected female head of state.
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Today, August 30, and tomorrow is your last chance to visit the exhibition “Eau De Parfum” by Andrea Maack at the Spark Design Space in Reykjavík. In the exhibition space, Maack introduces three perfumes that are the result of her collaboration with French perfumery apf aromes & parfums.
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