SO FAR, YET SO NEAR

We know: Iceland seems so far away. Maybe it's because of the otherworldly images of stark landscapes, majestic waterfalls, and that pesky volcano of ours. In places, the countryside can look like the background scenes in Star Wars. Yet in reality, for those on the East Coast, Iceland is closer than Las Vegas. And coming soon, it'll be easier than ever to reserve the right seats at the right price, with Delta now joining Iceland Express and the flagship Icelandair airlines in providing more service to the country.

Increased capacity is coming just in time. Travel to Iceland is up 12 percent for the year, and that's despite disruptions caused by the volcano (please, don't make us spell it). June alone was up 20 percent in travel from North America; July was even better with a 21 percent increase over the year before.

Come see what you're missing. Let's say you're hankering for skyr and fresh cod and want to travel November 1 to 8, 2010. The fare is only $399 plus tax on Icelandair. Add in a stay at the Hotel Keflavik (www.hotelkeflavik.is). Travelocity.com quotes $68 per night. At those prices it's a sure bet that Iceland is not only closer than Vegas, but a lot less expensive (not factoring in, of course, all the money you can win in Vegas … yeah, right).

DELTA AIRLINES OPENS UP ROUTES TO ICELAND

Delta Air Lines recently announced new nonstop service between New York and Reykjavik beginning June 1, 2011. When service begins, Delta will be the only U.S. carrier to serve Iceland nonstop from the United States.

The flight, between New York JFK and Keflavik International Airport in Reykjavik, will be operated with a 170-seat Boeing 757-200 aircraft with 15 seats in BusinessElite and 155 seats in Economy. The flight will also operate from Delta's hub in Minneapolis-St. Paul, with a stop at JFK.

The addition of Reykjavik also marks the first service in Iceland for SkyTeam, the leading global airline alliance that includes Delta, Air France-KLM, Alitalia and nine other airlines.

For more information, click here.

IMAGINE PEACE TOWER CONCERT

Yoko Ono is planning a series of events in Iceland to mark what would have been John Lennon's 70th birthday. The artist and peace campaigner will light the Imagine Peace Tower illuminated memorial, located on the island of Videy near Reykjavik, on Oct. 9.

A special performance by the Yoko Ono Plastic Ono Band will follow the ceremony. Lennon's widow is also expected to present awards from the Lennon Ono Grant for Peace, created to honor the former Beatle's peace activism. If Iceland doesn't work into your schedule in early October, please see www.imaginepeace.com on Oct. 9 to view a live feed of the lighting of the tower.

SOLAR NIGHTLIGHTS

It should be a stunning few months as the aurora borealis over Iceland ramps up activity heading into the fall. The Geophysical Institute at the University of Alaska Fairbanks has predicted a great season for the famed Northern Lights. Auroras are actually particles from the Sun interacting with the Earth's natural magnetism, called the magnetosphere.

When the Sun's particles, known as solar wind, hit the magnetosphere, they cause some of the gas in the atmosphere to light up, just like a fluorescent light bulb. It's a fairly common sight in Iceland, but it gets even better when the long summer days begin to turn to long winter nights. Scroll down for a great Northern Lights deal from Icelandair.

http://www.enewswire.co.uk/2010/08/17/northern-lights-forecast-expects-increased-visibility-iceland/

ICELANDIC AUTHOR KEEPS US GUESSING

And we're not the only ones. Yrsa Sigurdardottir has been nominated by The Private Eye Writers of America, an association for writers of detective fiction involving professional private investigators, for a 2010 Shamus Award for best hardcover. Her book My Soul To Take: A Novel Of Iceland is her second crime novel to feature attorney Thóra Gudmundsdóttir, and involves a spa being built on haunted farmland. The mystery will continue until October 14-17, when the winners will be announced at the PEWA convention in San Francisco.

For more info click here.

ICELAND'S 100 YEARS OF MUSIC

The end of August marked 100 years since the release of the first Icelandic-language musical recording. The record, Dalvisur, sung by Petur A. Jonsson, is only known to have three copies remaining in existence. One of the records is carefully kept at Recording House, the home of Icelandic public radio and TV station RUV, and is still playable.

Look how far we've come: In other Icelandic music news, British groups Rolo Tomassi, Neon Indian and Everything Everything have been added to this year's Iceland Airwaves music festival, Oct. 13-17. Rolling Stone calls it the "hippest long weekend on the annual music festival calendar."

For more info, click here and here.

www.icelandairwaves.is

VOLCANO? WHAT VOLCANO?

After a particularly warm summer, the air over Iceland cooled down quickly late last month as a northerly breeze took control. This allowed the temperature atop the country's highest mountains to drop below freezing for the first time since the spring. In fact, the top of Eyjafjallajokull is now white again with fresh snow. See for yourself at the hugely popular volcano webcams at www.mila.is (click "English" in the upper right corner).

Visitation to Mila's web cams have reached four million since the first camera was placed at Hvolsvöllur last spring, making this the largest-viewed website in Iceland. Visitors have logged on from almost every country in the world except North Korea and Somalia, which we suspect have their own problems to contend with.

GREENS ON WHEELS

Iceland is such a culinary paradise, sometimes its fun to go where the locals eat. In this case, the Ring Road town of Selfoss, the largest in south Iceland, where a non-descript vegetarian food truck run by Gudmuldur Erlendsson offers a tasty meal of lasagna, bread and hummus for about $11. You can then enjoy your meal on picnic tables in back. You won't find them in any guidebook, but that's why you read Dateline, right?

LEAVE ROOM IN YOUR LUGGAGE

Grab your angel wings: Victoria's Secret products are now being sold in Keflavik International Airport's duty free store – a wide range of Victoria's Secret fragrances, glosses, mascaras and eyeliners along with several travel packages and travel sets.

Keflavik is one of only few European airports that offer duty free products to both arriving and departing passengers. The duty free shopping area hosts two restaurants, three cafes, a bar, a bank and 18 retail stores selling both well-known products and unique Icelandic designs. Confectionary items, liquor, cosmetics and tobacco are also widely available.

In addition, the products in Keflavik's duty free stores are very competitive in price to other European airports, and prices are up to 50 percent lower than in Reykjavik retail stores. So even if you're not staying with us for a night or two, your Atlantic stopover can save you money when shopping at the airport. Or, consider various massages and spa treatments at the Blue Lagoon store. A seafood and health bar recently opened, offering passengers incredible fresh Icelandic fish before their flight. (For more information: www.kefairport.is/English)

ICELANDIC BROTHERS ON JAY LENO ASK: "WOODEN YOU LIKE TO LEARN A NEW TRICK?"

At the expense of making you think we need to get a life here at Dateline HQ, check out this link to a classic wooden spoon trick that aired on Jay Leno's Tonight Show. The video was created for the winter Thorrablot festival in Iceland as a sketch to entertain guests during the country's dark cold nights. Today it's an Internet hit with over 600,000 views. It's in Icelandic, but some things never need translating.

See: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TXPQY_VRP6M

Foward to a friend

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