Moments before sleep wins out and sends us over the edge of the twisting downside, the mist clears.  more

The credit rating agency Standard and Poor's has decided not to change Iceland's credit rating. "In our view, the referendum outcome does not constitute an outright repudiation of Iceland's international obligations," S&P said in a statement.

The referendum's outcome "merely reflects overwhelming popular discontent with the financial conditions of a bilateral loan offered by the British and the Dutch to finance their claim," it added.

  more

Click on the picture to watch this audio slideshow about Icelandic domestic animals. Many people are familiar with the Icelandic horse, a special breed of small sturdy colorful horses, which have a unique gait called tölt. The Icelandic sheep is also well known, as are the Icelandic cows and the Icelandic sheep dog. However, fewer people have heard of the Settlement Goat and Settlement Hen.  more

Akureyri (“gravel bank field”) promises visitors a lively stay with its many art galleries and museums, outdoor recreation in summer and winter, an awakening of the taste buds at the town’s gourmet restaurants and breathtaking views of natural sites around the corner. Take a look at this special promotion about Iceland’s northern capital.  more

There’s a new breed of traveler roaming the globe these days. Set on doing more than going to location x, snapping a few memorable photographs of the tourist traps therein, and returning home with some knick-knacks for their mantle, voluntourists are spending longer periods of time in their destinations of choice, giving back to their host communities and getting lifelong memories in return.

Published in the No. 1 2010 January-February issue of Atlantica. By Catharine Fulton, illustrations by Lilja Gunnarsdóttir.

When most people think of voluntourism, or volunteer travel, what typically comes to mind is a twenty-something on a gap year equipped with a long-haul backpack venturing out to a remote charity site in rural Africa, or some equally off-the-grid location. While this is one type of voluntourism, the reality is that volunteers are needed everywhere and Iceland is no exception. This country is ripe with opportunities for wannabe voluntourists, keen on spending extended periods in Iceland while working to improve local communities and lending a hand to nonprofit organizations.

SEE BEYOND BORDERS

SEE beyonD borderS (SEEDS) Iceland is one such organization that each year brings hundreds of globally minded people of every age and background to Iceland to work on community infrastructure projects and for such popular events as the Reykjavík International Film Festival. Chairman, Executive Officer and co-founder of SEEDS, Oscar-Mauricio Uscategui, initially came to Europe from his native Colombia as a volunteer in Germany, so founding a non-profit, non-governmental organization that fosters a volunteer culture within Iceland—a country that he has found to be lacking a volunteering tradition—is something that he was, and still is, passionate about.

“There is a lot of work to be done in Iceland and it wouldn’t be done if it wasn’t for volunteer work,” says Uscategui of the importance of SEEDS. “When we started SEEDS in November 2005 everything was booming, unemployment was very low in the country so a lot of things weren’t being done within the voluntary framework.”

The projects that SEEDS typically undertakes are those generated by the traditional tourism industry, for instance the impact of mass tourism on Icelandic nature. “Places where hoards of people are brought by buses are heavily affected—Landmannalaugar, Gullfoss, Geysir, for example. We see this in many places to different extents so that is our first focus of work: conservation work, trying to preserve Icelandic nature and trying to raise awareness of Icelandic resources.”

As SEEDS has evolved it has increased its scope to provide volunteers for long-standing cultural events in Iceland, like Menningarnótt (‘Culture Night’), Reykjavík International Film Festival (RIFF) and the Gay Pride Parade. Projects are selected specifically with the organization’s two key goals in mind: environmental preservation and intercultural understanding. “We try to bring groups of international volunteers with different backgrounds, different ages, and we put them in a project to live and work together. Living together is one of the most important parts of the experience.”

Voluntourists traveling to Iceland to work with SEEDS’ projects typically volunteer for two weeks, but stay in Iceland longer to travel and see the more typical tourist sights. During their volunteer period in Iceland SEEDS provides room and board and often arranges outings, such as excursions on a fishing boat or horseback riding, to keep the volunteers entertained.

This article was published in the No. 1 2010 January-February issue of Atlantica, a sister publication of Iceland Review. Click here to read the rest of the article.

  more

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.  more

There’s a new breed of traveler roaming the globe these days. Set on doing more than going to location x, snapping a few memorable photographs of the tourist traps therein, and returning home with some knick-knacks for their mantle, voluntourists are spending longer periods of time in their destinations of choice, giving back to their host communities and getting lifelong memories in return.  more

Though geothermal energy is considered a novelty in many countries, for Icelanders it is part and parcel of everyday life. In Reykjavík, 89 percent of houses are heated using geothermal energy, and the resource as a whole makes up 63 percent of the country’s primary energy consumption.  more

Amiina’s sound is intimate and rife with mellifluous dialogue. Though lyrics are few and far between, that’s not to say Amiina's new album Kurr doesn’t strike a chord with its listeners. On the contrary, it resonates in the most unexpected of ways.  more

Click on the picture to watch this audio slideshow about Icelandic domestic animals. Many people are familiar with the Icelandic horse, a special breed of small sturdy colorful horses, which have a unique gait called tölt. The Icelandic sheep is also well known, as are the Icelandic cows and the Icelandic sheep dog. However, fewer people have heard of the Settlement Goat and Settlement Hen.  more

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!  more

Icelandic Folk Legends – Tales of Apparitions, Outlaws and Things Unseen is a collection of 12 Icelandic folktales in an English translation. The small and handy book includes both stories that practically every Icelander knows by heart as well as lesser known stories. Although I would have preferred a broader context, this book is a good present for people interested in learning more about Iceland’s past.  more

If you visit Reykjavík Art Museum – Hafnarhús this week you can disappear into the “Neverland” of Katrín Elvarsdóttir, an exhibition featuring the artist’s photographs of caravans, shrubs, trees, buildings, or lanes. The exhibition is part of Hafnarhúsid’s D series.  more