I broke a spell. For four centuries my ancestors have been employed by the state. Not me.
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Icelandic mountaineer Ingólfur Geir Gissurarson made it up the summit of the world’s highest mountain, Everest at 8,848 meters, by the South East Ridge at 1 am Icelandic time last night. At 50, he is the fifth and oldest Icelander to make the climb.
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Watch an audio slideshow of how traditional Icelandic rhubarb stew is made. Rhubarb is one of the few vegetables that grows effortlessly in Iceland and for that reason it used to be a highly-valued addition to the traditional diet of fish and lamb.
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No decision was made at the meeting between geophysicist Magnús Tumi Guðmundsson, district commissioner of Hvolsvöllur Kjartan Þorkelsson and representatives of the Icelandic Road Administration yesterday as to whether the levees to the east of Vík should be raised to fend off a glacier outburst caused by a possible eruption in the volcano Katla, which lies underneath the Mýrdalsjökull icecap.
Mýrdalsjökull glacier, under which Katla lies. Photo by Páll Stefánsson.
“What is clear is that a simulation of a flood down Mýrdalssandur due to an eruption in Katla was made in 2006 after which it was evaluated that the levees were high enough,” Kjartan told ruv.is.
“However, circumstances may have changed since then—there was a flood in Múlakvísl in 2011—and the Road Administration is also reviewing the levees because of the construction of a new bridge across Múlakvísl,” added Kjartan.
“We will therefore review the simulation and reevaluate whether anything has changed, whether there is reason to take any measures. But under the current circumstances, there’s no reason to [raise the levees],” he concluded.
Click here to read more about concerns over the height of the Katla levees.
ESA
This year, Iceland Review celebrates its 50th anniversary. In ‘Cover Story’, the magazine’s first editor, Haraldur J. Hamar, recalls its history and discusses the work of its first designer, Gísli B. Björnsson. The issue is packed with colorful articles, ranging from notable artists and athletes to memorable coffee and pancakes at the Reykjavík wharf. Click here to subscribe to Iceland Review and here to look at a selection of pages from the current issue.
REVIEWS
The 11th Reykjavík Shorts & Docs. Catch it while it lasts!
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Artist couple Nína Ivanova and Ómar Smári Kristinsson explain why they decided to settle in the West Fjords’ capital.
Reykjavík Queer Choir’s annual spring concert takes place on Friday, May 24.
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