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Click on the picture to watch an audio slideshow of a hike to Hraunsvatn lake in Öxnadalur valley in north Iceland, which lies at a height of 490 meters, interlocked between two steep mountains and a small glacier with a view of the majestic Hraundrangar peaks.
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Fjallabyggd (“Mountain Settlement”) is a skier’s dream. Its slopes are perfect for slaloming and there are also tracks for telemark skiing. Winter sporting enthusiasts can also go ice skating or rent snowmobiles. In summer, Fjallabyggd turns into a paradise for hikers. Read this special promotion about one of Iceland’s best hidden gems.
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The Icelandic government is again calling for applications for oil explorations rights in the Dragon Zone, off Iceland’s northeastern corner. There are five permits available. A new international tender offer is also being prepared for next year.
The village of Thórshöfn in northeast Iceland, which might prosper from oil exploration. Photo by Páll Stefánsson.
The Dragon Zone tender offer began in January 2009 and was Iceland’s first tender in the field of oil exploration. Five permits were also available at that time. In May it was revealed that two applications had been received but later both applications were withdrawn, Stöd 2 reports.
“It is open for everyone interested in applying for these permits to send applications to the National Energy Authority. Then they are evaluated in a professional manner,” said Minister of Industry Katrín Júlíusdóttir of the current tender. “Then the plan is to have a new tender next year.”
Icelandic taxation laws were the reason for the original applicants dropping out. When asked whether a change to the taxation in this field is being considered, the minister said it will be looked into in accordance with how Norway decides to tax its part of the Dragon Zone.
“We want to be competitive but we will nonetheless price our natural resources high,” Júlíusdóttir said.
Click here to read more about oil exploration in the Dragon Zone.
Attentive commuters in the capital region have noticed strange behavior among some people on roundabouts lately. Police say these people are likely picking psilocybin mushrooms, which is an annual event at this time of year, and not strictly illegal.
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Singer-songwriter Jónsi of Sigur Rós has been nominated for the 2010 World Soundtrack Awards for the best originally composed song in a movie. The nomination is for the song “Sticks & Stones” which is in How to Train Your Dragon.
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Emails between the management team at FL-Group seem to indicate that assets sold to Northern Travel Holding (NTH) at year end 2006 were overvalued on purpose to deceive stakeholders about the real condition of the companies involved in the transactions. Among the assets being transferred were the Danish budget airline Sterling and Iceland Express.
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On Saturday the state prosecutor was informed that the murder case of Hannes Thór Helgason is now considered closed. A 23 year old man, Gunnar Rúnar Sigurthórsson, has confessed that he is the killer. Evidence at the murder scene and blood stains on the shoes of the suspect lead the police to arrest the suspect.
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The second issue of the print edition of Iceland Review 2010 has just been published. Entitled “Under the Volcano” the magazine dedicates 20 pages, words and pictures, to the volcanic eruption in Eyjafjallajökull glacier which made headlines all over the word. New subscribers will receive the book 2010 Eruptions as a gift and all subscribers are part of a draw to win a trip to Iceland. Click here to subscribe to the magazine.
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REVIEWS
Future of Hope is an aptly named documentary directed by Henry Bateman about what some people are doing to shape the future of Iceland, hoping that above all, the crisis will ultimately strengthen the country.
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There can’t be many novels that are heralded as being “a purification for body and soul” recommended to “those who enjoy experimental cookery” (review of November Rain in DV newspaper) and “as beautiful as a painting from the golden age” (review of The Offspring by Danish newspaper Politiken). However, Reykjavík based writer, Audur Ava Ólafsdóttir, has attracted such attention not to mention literary prizes.
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Have a laugh this week by visiting Hafnarborg, the Hafnarfjördur Centre of Culture and Fine Art, where the exhibition “Humor in Icelandic Art” is currently running. The exhibition consists of works by contemporary Icelandic artists from different generations which deal with humor and irony.
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