HAPPY 1-1-11

Assuming that "One is the loneliest number that you'll ever do," let us suggest you grab a friend or loved one and visit us in Iceland. Join us for New Year's Eve as we celebrate 1-1-11, a date which, we hasten to add, works whether you're writing it the American or European way.

We might be a tad biased, but consider this: the world's northernmost capital is a new and fun place to ring in the new year. Icelandic law places no restriction on the use of fireworks, and for that reason the most distinguishing characteristic of an Icelandic New Year's Eve are the spectacular fireworks show that the Icelandic people put on. Fireworks go on all night, peaking at midnight. After midnight Icelanders celebrate the new year at home or gather downtown.

To see what we mean about Iceland's love affair with pyrotechnics, search "Iceland fireworks" on YouTube.com.

Icelanders love to party. After all, this is a group that invented a drink called "Black Death." In fact, you can say cocktail hour is a lot longer here than in cities to the south. Come sunset at 3:41 p.m. on New Year's Eve Day, after just 4 hr. 20 min. of sunlight (assuming it's not raining horizontally), hard-partying Icelanders get mighty thirsty.

Local hotels get in the celebration with special New Year's Eve packages. For instance the Grand Hotel Reykjavik's New Year´s Celebration offers:

3 nights stay with breakfast
4-course Gala dinner and party on New Year's Eve
3-course dinner on the first day of the New Year at the hotel.

The price is approximately $532 per person sharing a double.
For more information: http://www.grand.is/Specials-and-packages/New-Years-Celebration/

Another alternative is to celebrate from high atop the famed Pearl Restaurant (www.perlan.is). A local tour operator buys out the entire revolving restaurant and offers a New Year's Eve package that's guaranteed to destroy at least a few brain cells. They will pick you up from your hotel, feed you a festive 4-course gala dinner, then conduct a 1-1/2-hr. "Brenna Brenna" tour to celebrate with Icelanders at the bonfires that are situated all over the city. After the tour it's back to the Pearl restaurant for dessert. At midnight, with sparkling wine, you'll celebrate the New Year by watching the fireworks from the panoramic balcony, followed by dancing. The tour's competent designated drivers then return you safe and sound by 2 a.m. Cost is approximately $313 per person. For more information: Guðmundur Jónasson Travel, [email protected], +354-511 1515,

http://www.gjtravel.is/Individuals/WinterTravel/NewYearsGalaDinneratthePearl/

CELEBRATE JOHN LENNON'S 70TH BIRTHDAY

Want to help celebrate the life of one of humanity's most influential artists? Then make plans to get to Iceland for the "Imagine Reykjavik" festival to honor what would have been the 70th birthday of possible the most iconic Beatle. Yoko Ono and the Plastic Ono Band will be there to light the Imagine Peace tower created by Ono in Lennon's memory on his birthday, October 9. The ceremony of Videy Island will be followed by a concert by Ono in Haskolabio, Reykjavik. For more information, click here.

ICELANDAIR ADDS SEATS TO WINTER DEPARTURES

Icelandair's schedule this winter will increase in scope by 14% over last winter. Icelandair will fly to a total of 15 destinations east and west of the Atlantic. An average of 82 flights will depart from Iceland every week in the period from November through March, 10 more than last winter. Over the five-month period of November, December, January, February and March, the number of flights will be increased by a total of 200. The company will fly to 11 cities in Europe and four cities in North America.

The principal change from last winter is that the number of flights to European cities, including Paris, Frankfurt, Amsterdam and Copenhagen, will be increased, as well as to Seattle, New York and Orlando in the United States.

This winter Icelandair will fly to the capitals of the Scandinavian countries, Copenhagen, Oslo, Stockholm and Helsinki, to London, Manchester and Glasgow in the U.K., and to Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Paris and Munich in continental Europe. U.S. destinations are Boston, New York, Orlando and Seattle.

For more information click here.

HARPA CONCERT HALL NEARS COMPLETION

Music and art lovers can't wait. Situated in the old harbor between Reykjavík city center and the North Atlantic, the new Harpa Concert Hall and Conference Centre, opening in 2011, will stand out as a unique landmark in continuous interplay with its surroundings. The design was influenced by Iceland‘s exceptional and dramatic nature. Situated on the boundary between land and sea, the building is a gleaming sculpture reflecting both sky and harbor, as well as the vibrant life of the city.

The glass facade, which covers the entire building, was designed by renowned visual artist Olafur Eliasson (creator of the New York Harbor waterfall installation a few years ago). Harpa Concert Hall and Conference Centre, the new home of the Iceland Symphony Orchestra and the Icelandic Opera, has four halls, the largest one accommodating up to 1,800 seated patrons. Smaller meeting rooms are located throughout the building and a spacious exhibition area is nearby. The Concert Hall and Conference Centre also offers state-of–the-art equipment for corporate meetings, in addition to catering services and parking spaces. (For more information: http://www.harpa.is/en/)

SHIMMERING, SHINING, SPLENDID

An incredible look into the visual workings of our solar system wait for travelers to Iceland in the less-sunny months that bracket the summer. For a breathtaking peek into the Aurora Borealis, or Northern Lights, click here, to see a short, high-definition video from photographer Olgeir Andresson that will give you just a taste. A number of Icelandic tour operators offer nighttime guided tours focused specifically on showing you these celestial sights. Hankering for some good volcano eruption images? Olgeir is the man (http://vimeo.com/olgeir).

KATE WINSLET INSPIRED BY ICELANDIC FILM

Inspired by narrating the international version of an acclaimed Icelandic documentary about autism, actress Kate Winslet has set up a new international charity to help people living with the condition. A Mother's Courage: Talking Back to Autism (called The Sunshine Boy in Icelandic) is a moving documentary about Keli, his mother Margret and other family members struggling to make Keli's life as fulfilling as it should be.

Upon meeting Keli's mother Margret, Kate was deeply moved by her far-reaching journey to find a way for her non-verbal son to learn to communicate. Her experience motivated her to set up the Golden Hat Foundation which focuses on establishing innovative living communities that offer people with autism the opportunity to learn to communicate effectively, receive an education, job training and enjoy recreational activities, all within a supportive social network. Watch for the release of the DVD this month across the U.S.

For more information on the Golden Hat Foundation: www.goldenhatfoundation.org.

FASCINATING PHOTO EXHIBITION OF THE "ICELANDERS"

Funny thing about the Icelandic language: the name of the country in Icelandic is "Island." Pronounced "ees-lund". The spirit of this intriguing and bucket-list-worthy island nation comes alive in a photo exhibition at The Culture House in Reykjavik called, logically enough, "Icelanders", now through Jan. 16, 2011.

The exhibition is a selection of photographs from the book of the same name by author Unnur Jökulsdóttir and photographer Sigurgeir Sigurjónsson, published in 2004. Published in four languages – Icelandic, English, German and French – the book was very well received both in Iceland and abroad, and was nominated for the Icelandic Literary Award. Unnur and Sigurgeir set out to capture the spirit of the Icelandic nation in words and images: they traveled all over the country for two years, visiting people, talking to them and taking photographs.

They found that there are two nations living in Iceland – the city-dwellers, and the people who live in the regions: those who live on remote headlands and upland crofts, in isolated valleys and fjords far from the beaten path. These people are attuned to the land and its nature, molded by their environment. For more information about the exhibition: www.thjodmenning.is, 354 545 1400. Admission is only about $3.50 (ISK 400).

JOIN ICELAND ON-LINE

IcelandNaturally's Facebook and Twitter are constantly updated with the latest Icelandic culture, images, video and creative ideas about things to do in Iceland. It's also a great way to find out about chances to win amazing prizes (like trips to Iceland!) and Icelandic happenings in North America. So friend us, follow us, and learn a new Icelandic word each day (we promise they will be easier to pronounce than Eyjafjallajokull).

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/icelandnaturally
Twitter: http://twitter.com/icelandnatural

THEY SAID IT

"For a beautiful outdoors experience married with vibrant nightlife, Iceland is a great choice for the budget-conscious traveler … Reykjavik, the capital of Iceland, has a cool vibe. It's more about nightlife and restaurants than it is about cultural activities. With its lunar-like landscapes and mysterious natural wonders, Iceland's backdrop is a combination of Yellowstone National Park and Montreal."

– Arabella Bowen, editorial director of Fodor's Travel http://www.cnn.com/2010/TRAVEL/09/17/savvy.luxury.traveler/index.html?iphoneemail

"The 60-foot sloop rocks and sways in the black waves of northern Iceland's Isafjardjup Sound high in the North Atlantic. Cloudy skies and dark basalt cliffs color the horizon scales of gray. Gulls circle and cry overhead while the bow of the Aurora cleaves the shadowy water, sending salty mist across my face. … We've joined Siggi Johnsson and Runar Karlsson – together, Borea Adventures – to sail from the historic fishing town of Isafjordur to the dramatic fjords of Hornstrandir Nature Reserve in the western fjords of Iceland, where we will climb and ski from sea to sky, sky to sea."

– Jeff Burke, Backcountry magazine, October 2010

Q. "Of all the places you've been, what's the best?"

A. "Iceland. Based on my expectations, I thought it was going to be miserable. Instead, it was beautiful. The air was clear, the scenery was spectacular and the people couldn't have been more friendly."

– Michael Clemente, senior vice president for Fox News interviewed in the New York Times, Sept. 13, 2010. See it at: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/14/business/14flier.html

A band of green-minded entrepreneurs in Iceland are planning a makeover for the country's transportation fleet.

"With an environmentally friendly population of just 300,000 souls clustered around the capital city, plus abundant geothermal and hydro electricity potential (10 times what the country could actually use), Iceland is uniquely positioned to plug in."

– Jim Motavalli, Fairfield County (Conn.) Weekly, Sept. 23, 2010

"I'm back from Iceland where the talk on Jim Jarmusch went very well and before I flew out I was treated to a personal tour of geysers, water falls, and kilometer after kilometer of vistas that looked like nothing I'd seen on this planet. I did not have time to eat hakarl, largely because no restaurant I visited would serve it. (The stench is legendary.) I also did not get a chance to eat puffin, which I'm told tastes like something halfway between game and fish – but I doubt I would have anyway because some things are too cute to choke down."

– Film critic David Edelstein, "The Projectionist," blogging on NYMag.com (Sept. 28, 2010).

See the entire blog here: http://nymag.com/daily/movies/2010/09/not_so_vulture-eyed.html

TRAVEL DEALS OF THE MONTH

Golden Circle Getaway for $499 to $529 From Seattle, New York or Boston

Air, Hotel, and the famous Golden Circle tour are all included in this money-saving package that will make you question why you spend so much time at home. Start by visiting Nesjavellir, a powerful geothermal area in the scenic landscape of Lake Thingvallavatn. Next, visit Thingvellir National Park, where the Icelandic parliament was founded in the year 930 AD. Continue to the beautiful Gullfoss, considered by some to be the loveliest waterfall in Iceland. The journey continues to the spouting hot springs of Geysir and Strokkur. Seattle travelers take note: you have the best deal of all. Oh, and we should mention is an ideal time to witness the Northern Lights. Book now, because this offer will not last long.

From $499* per person based on double occupancy. This includes roundtrip airfare, two nights accommodations at Hotel Loftleidir with an indoor swimming pool and sauna, airport transfers, the Golden Circle Tour, and daily breakfast. Valid Nov. 2 to Dec. 14, 2010.

Click here for more info.

Winter Wellness Spa Getaway

Now at both Loftleidir and Hilton Nordica Hotels, this trip allows travelers time to slow down and get back into balance. Revive yourself with a visit to Reykjavik, with its clean and crisp air, geothermal pools and dynamic people. Relax and recharge your body and soul and at the same time allow yourself to enjoy the spectacular nature Iceland has to offer. Stay at the four star Hotel Loftleidir, the only hotel in Reykjavik to guarantee check in from 9 a.m. (certainly welcome after flying all night to get there) and which has an indoor geothermal pool.

From $799* per person based on double occupancy.

Click here for more info.

*Prices quoted are exclusive of applicable taxes and official charges by destination of approximately $100-$270, per person including the Sept. 11th Security Fee.


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