Greeting
from the new Dateline Iceland. Welcome to an
unabashedly and totally biased look at one of the most
adventurous countries in Europe (yes, indeed, even though
we’re between the U.S. and Europe, we’re
still considered a part of Europe, but without all that
funny new Euro money they’re using over there).
So rather than pack the kids up and fight the crowds
at one of those mouse-themed amusement parks, or getting
yourself caught in a traffic jams watching bears rummage
through garbage out west, take flight for a truly memorable
vacation. Icelandair has a number of off-peak packages
that take advantage of special deals this autumn.
>Time
To Fall For Iceland
>Midweek Madness Offers Insanely Low
Price
>Bright Lights, Little City
>Reyjk Rocks during Jazz Festival 2004
>Take to the Airwaves
>The Christmas Elves Await
>National Museum of Iceland Opens
>U.S. Women's Soccer Makes a Splash
with Iceland Spring Water
>Longest-Publishing Ethnic Newspaper
>Shear Pleasure
>Hotel Budir Ranked One of World's
Top Seaside Hotels
>Icelanders Were Shvitzing This Summer
>Rent a Friend
>Iceland Play Comes to Broadway
>Wall Street Flips for Puffins
>Ice Capades
>Bjork's Saga
>A Nod to the Odd
Time
To Fall For Iceland
Iceland is catching on. Tourism to the country is up
17 percent, compared to the same time last year, according
to the Iceland Tourist Board. A total of 64,275 tourists
visited Iceland in July, setting a new record. Sound
crowded? Hardly. The Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World
in Orlando averages 38,000 visitors per day. Sure, they
have a mouse, but we’ve got trolls and elves …
and a lot more space for visitors to roam.
By the way, you can get there from here. Icelandair’s
international route network utilizes Iceland as a hub
between five U.S. gateways; Boston, New York (JFK),
Minneapolis/St. Paul (MSP), Baltimore/Washington (BWI)
and Orlando (MCO) and these European destinations; Reykjavik,
Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Edinburgh, Frankfurt, Glasgow,
Helsinki, London, Oslo, Paris and Stockholm. More…
More good news: Icelandair has increased capacity by
12 percent during 2004. That means more seats for travel
bargains such as those following below:
Midweek
Madness Offers Insanely Low Price
Those of you with a free spirit and a flexible
schedule may want to check out Midweek Getaways on Icelandair.
Travelers departing on a Sunday, Monday or Tuesday will
find deeply discounted rates to our Ohio-sized nation
in the North Atlantic. Packages start at $359** per
person based on double occupancy. More…
Bright Lights, Little City
Winter in Iceland is all about the nightlife,
because well, they’re not selling many beach umbrellas
then. Conditions are always right for locals and travelers
to pub and club crawl to their heart’s content
in one of Europe’s hottest cities. Party until
the wee hours and then take a trip outside the city
for a chance to glimpse the northern lights -
nature’s equivalent of the lava lamp. Spend two
nights at Icelandair Hotel Loftleidir in Reykjavik and
get a Reykjavik Club card with the package. Packages
start at $435** per person based on double occupancy.
More…
Reyjk
Rocks during Jazz Festival 2004
Fly out of North America on September
30 and listen to jazz on top of the world at the 2004
Reykjavik Jazz Festival (www.reykjavikjazz.com). Van
Morrison headlines on October 2 and bands from all around
the world will take over the bars, clubs and cafes of
Reykjavik. Packages start at $699** per person double
occupancy. More…
Take
to the Airwaves
Get two passes with your airfare and
hotel package to the Iceland Airwaves music festival,
coming to Reykjavik on Oct. 20-24. Iceland's best alternative
and club music festival and multi-day non-stop party
rocks for its sixth year. The price of $474** per person,
double occupancy represents a $75 savings. More…
The
Christmas Elves Await
What was it like to celebrate Christmas in
Iceland a long time ago, when mischievous elves and
trolls left gifts in children's shoes? Here is your
chance to take your family to experience an old fashioned
Icelandic country Christmas. Soak your cares away upon
arrival at the natural spas of the Blue Lagoon. Your
kids will get to meet Iceland's version of Santa Claus
- all 13 Christmas elves - at the Arbaer
Museum, which features an exhibition of 18th century
homes with recreations of Christmas celebrations in
the days of yore. Encounter reindeer, arctic fox and
seals at the Animal Garden. Wake up the next day and
join in making another Icelandic Christmas tradition
paper-thin and deliciously sweet Leaf Bread. Come enjoy
the shopping, lights and life of Reykjavik over Christmas.
Priced from $885** per person. More…
Book on-line at www.icelandairholidays.com
or call 800 779 2899.
** Prices quoted are exclusive of applicable taxes
and official charges by destination of approximately
$100 per person, including the Sept. 11th security fee.
For more details, you can also call 800-779-2899 or
log onto www.icelandairholidays.com.
National
Museum of Iceland Opens
Scheduled to open at the beginning of
the summer, the National Museum of Iceland just opened
this month. With 2,000 square meters of gallery space,
the museum covers all aspects of Icelandic life, from
the time of the settlements to the present day. Featured
at the museum are archaeological finds buried in the
eruption at Mount Hekla in 1106, the first bible printed
in Icelandic, a history of Icelandic witchcraft, and
items such as the census of 1703, with detailed accounts
of not just people but livestock across Iceland. The
museum will be open from 10-6 pm daily on Tuesday through
Sunday during the summer. Click
here for more information.
U.S.
Women's Soccer Makes a Splash with Iceland Spring Water
The folks at Iceland Spring are floating on
cloud nine after the U.S. Women’s Soccer team
netted a gold medal in Athens. Several members of the
team requested the brand in the months leading up the
Olympics to stay hydrated during training and practices.
Striker Abby Wambach, who scored the winning goal in
extra time, wrote the company before the Summer Games,
“I just wanted to write and thank you for the
water you've been supplying my teammates and me. I swear,
I feel better drinking your water. It tastes like it's
really clean and smooth and something that is not just
water, but is good for you.”
In another e-mail, Team Captain Brandi Chastain said,
“Iceland water is exactly what we need before
and after our workouts on the soccer field. It is cool
and refreshing, which helps us on the toughest of our
training days.” Comments Eric Skae, president
of Pure Distribution U.S., importer of Iceland Spring
to the U.S., "We can't take all the credit, but
we are very proud of the U.S. Women for what they have
accomplished. We're happy to have assisted them in the
best way we could."
Following the U.S. Women’s National Team’s
emotional 2-1 gold medal overtime victory over Brazil,
U.S. Soccer has unveiled plans to host a 10-game “Fan
Celebration Tour.” It will kick off Sept. 25 when
the U.S. faces Iceland in the first match of the tour
at Frontier Field in Rochester, N.Y., home to U.S. Olympic
hero Abby Wambach. The time of the event has not yet
been announced. Click
here for more information.
Iceland Spring bottled water is making a splash with
non-Olympians as well. The water springs from a 156-acre
preserve that is so valuable to the country that it
is fenced off and guarded by security. It is then shipped
to the U.S. in award-winning bottles that resemble the
glacial ice that has been feeding the protected spring
for eons. Iceland Spring, distributed by Pure Distribution
U.S., Orangeburg, N.Y., is available nationwide in Whole
Foods Markets, Wild Oats stores, Vitamin Shoppes, and
other fine retailers. It will soon become available
in Walgreens stores in the U.S. Click
here for more information.
Longest-Publishing Ethnic
Newspaper
Did you know that the longest-publishing
ethnic newspaper in Canada, and probably North America,
was founded by Icelandic immigrants? Lögberg-Heimskringla,
written in English, is the only paper for people of
Icelandic descent, wherever they are. Find out who's
making headlines, in the news, business, arts, sports
and everyday life. Visit Icelandic communities from
coast to coast in North America. If you haven't subscribed
yet, read the latest issue for free at www.logberg.com
and see what you've been missing.
Shear
Pleasure
September harkens the arrival of one of the
most popular events in Iceland, the Sheep ("Rettir"
in Icelandic) and Horse Round Up. In a fascinating and
entertaining process that can take up to a week, farmers
set off on horseback to gather sheep and horses that
have spent the summer grazing in the highlands. With
the advent of the fall season, the sheep and horses
are herded into pens where they are identified and sorted.
This most festive Icelandic occasion warrants a country
holiday and is a major event on the farming calendar.
Don't be sheepish (sorry, couldn’t help ourselves).
Join in this lively community celebration in September.
Click
here for more information.
Hotel
Budir Ranked One of World's Top Seaside Hotels
Hotel Budir (www.budir.is)
is one of the top five "modern seaside hotels"
in the world, according to an article published in the
U.K.’s Independent. Located on the Snaefellsnes
Peninsula, the hotel has a view of not only the ocean,
but of lava fields and the Snaefellsnes glacier. Snaefellsness
is the area of Iceland written about by Jules Verne
in his novel "Journey to the Centre of the Earth."
Also in the top five were Hotel J Sweden, The Caves
Jamaica, Portixol Mallorca, and Deseo Mexico.
What’s to do at Budir? Plenty. There are a variety
of daytrips by sea from Arnarstapi, Olafsvik and Stykkisholmur.
You can go sightseeing around the isles of Breidafjordur
or shellfishing from Stykkisholmur, or you can try your
hand at deep-sea fishing. Lately whale-watching has
become extremely popular in the surrounding waters -
the sea is teeming with pods of whales.
Icelanders Were Shvitzing
This Summer
In Iceland, which is no stranger to cold weather,
businesses declared a holiday on Aug. 12 when Reykjavik
recorded an all-time high of 77 degrees F. (24.8 degrees
C.). It doesn’t sound like much down here, but
Iceland is up there, remember, close to the Arctic Circle.
The high temperatures and unusually gentle winds were
a result of a slow moving low front from the Hurricane
Alex weather pattern that struck the U.S.
Rather than fret about global warming, citizens of
Reykjavik took full advantage of the weather, lest they
start shvitzing in air conditioning-free offices.
Local beaches and swimming pools were filled to capacity.
At Nautholsvik, a geothermal beach where the ocean water
is heated to allow for bathing in the typically chilly
summer days, officials reported at least 7,000 visitors
in one day. The usual number of visitors for a nice,
sunny day is 500. The highest temperature ever recorded
in Iceland is 87 degrees F. (30.5 degrees C.) in eastern
Iceland in 1939.
Rent
a Friend
Feeling a bit shy when you land in a
new country? Well in Iceland, you can rent a friend
to take you around. Jon Kari Hilmarsson is the Icelandic
“Nightlife Friend” - the perfect icebreaker
in this land of fire and ice. Called by Frommer’s,
“a tremendously jolly blond giant in his late
30s,” Hilmarsson is a fixture on Reykjavik's nightlife
scene. He knows all the clubs in town, and most of the
people you'll meet in them. And for a mere $350 for
a group of up to four people, he'll show you a full
night on the town, from 8 p.m. until you drop.
Of course, you can go it alone anytime, anyplace in
Iceland, but for $350, you get past all the lines at
club doors, and you get to dodge cover charges at the
Pravda and NASA discos. More importantly, though, you
get taken around to places where you're guaranteed to
find interesting locals to meet. And you get introduced
to Jon Kari's friends. Most of Reykjavik seems to be
Jon Kari's friends. Click
here for more information.
Iceland
Play Comes to Broadway
For those hankering for a bit of Iceland without
getting on a plane, Plums In New York is an off-Broadway
play from Iceland that examines the fine line between
madness and creative genius. It runs through Sept. 26
at Theatre Row (The Clurman Theater), 410 West 42nd
Street.
In Plums In New York, playwright Anna Rosa Sigurdardottir
plays Gudrun, a young woman exploring Swedish playwright
August Strindberg through her own writing. One night,
she dreams of deep purple plums ready for harvest in
New York City. This leads her on a pilgrimage to the
Big Apple, in hopes of finding meaning behind her dream.
Through her desperate attempt to make sense of her vision
and her writing, Gudrun loses a tenuous grip on reality
and with it, her ability to separate fact from fiction,
dreaming from waking. Hungry for clarity, Strindberg’s
spirit literally inhabits her body, leading Gudrun to
question the very nature, definition, and reality of
reality.
Plums In New York opened in Reykjavik last year earning
rave reviews and critical acclaim. Click
here for more information.
THEY
SAID IT
Wall Street Flips for
Puffins
Wall Street now knows a thing or two about
Iceland’s puffin rescue, a familiar event to faithful
readers of Dateline. Page one of the Sept. 1 Wall Street
Journal featured a story detailing the annual puffling
rescue in the Westman Islands off southern Iceland.
The story, printed in the Journal’s prestigious
“A-Head” center column, was titled, “In
Iceland, Kids Go Out at Night to Pick Up Chicks.”
Reporter Ellen Schultz followed children on their nocturnal
quests to save the puffin chicks from roving cats, traffic
and other dangers the wayward birds face when they become
distracted by the lights of civilization and deviate
from their migration routes. Every August, puffins begin
their migration and head out to sea. As a result, the
“puffling round-up” has become a yearly
tradition passed down through generations of Icelanders.
The fact that Icelanders care for their natural surroundings
has never been more simply demonstrated than the sight
of children holding pufflings, only too happy to see
them flap their way back to sea.
Ice Capades
“As its name implies, the (Kaffi Reykjavik’s)
Ice Bar - which probably began life as a giant
walk-in freezer - shimmers with ice walls, ice
tables, ice stools, ice sculptures and yes, an ice bar.
Before entering the bar, a hostess distributed white,
hooded down-filled capes that made us look like extras
from a "Star Wars" movie. Soon we were handed
shots of a special Icelandic liquor called Black Death
that caused my throat to lose all feeling and allowed
me, for a brief shining moment, to say Reykjanesfolkvangur
three times, fast.” - Judy Leand, Sporting
Goods Business, July 2004
Bjork's
Saga
“Her appearance, last week, at
the opening ceremonies of the Athens Olympics, singing
an ornate new song called ‘Oceania,’ confirmed
her status as the ultimate musical cosmopolitan …
Though she now spends much of her time in New York,
she keeps coming back to Iceland, where she lives for
several months of the year. The relative simplicity
of the place is reassuring to her. Once, she translated
a local news headline for my benefit: ‘TIRE TRACKS
IN FOOTBALL FIELD.’ A look of pleasure crossed
her face as she studied the photographic evidence of
the catastrophe. ‘This is so Iceland,’ she
said.” - Alex Ross, The New Yorker, Aug.
23, 2004
A
Nod to the Odd
“Just a little odd. And that's
why we love it. England, France - been there,
done that. But you probably haven't added an Iceland
stamp to your passport unless you took a free stopover
on Europe's long-standing low-cost airline, Icelandair.
Well, it's time to take another look at this Atlantic
island.
Iceland seems almost a perfect place. There is a high
standard of living, friendly people, good food, no pollution
(the heat and hot water are supplied by the natural
heat of the earth), outdoor activities and a small,
manageable, sophisticated capital city. But it's a bit
odd, too. Things seem normal, yet they're a bit skewed,
like a twilight dream: It's noon and the sun seems about
to set; dolphin is on the menu, but it's really dolphin,
not mahi-mahi; and nobody has a last name (the old Norse
patronymic system is still in use; all the names translate
as ''Bob Son-of-Michael'' and the like).” -
Miami Herald, Aug. 22, 2004
