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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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Initial research of the carcass of the polar bear that was shot in Thistilfjördur, east Iceland, on January 27 show that the bear was a healthy female.
The polar bear probably came from east Greenland. Photo by Páll Stefánsson.
Even though the bear was young, it had become independent from its mother, as reported by Keldur, the University of Iceland Institute for Experimental Pathology this week.
Polar bear cubs follow their mothers the first 27 months of their lives. They are born in the bear’s lair in winter, usually in December or January, Fréttabladid reports.
Detailed research of the bear’s teeth will determine its age accurately, but when its size—the bear was 173 centimeters long and weighed 138 kilos—is compared with measurements of polar bears from east Greenland, it appears to have been four years old.
Further research, which is undertaken in cooperation with Danish scientists who have studied Greenlandic polar bears for years, will also determine whether the Thistilfjördur bear was infected by parasites.
The animal’s skull and bones will be cleaned and preserved at the Icelandic Institute of Natural History.
Click here to read more about the polar bear.
Today, a conference will be held at the Icelandic Pavilion at the Shanghai World Expo regarding energy solutions and ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
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The new banks, or those profiting from purchasing the assets of the old banks’ money market funds, could be forced to reimburse to the state the amount they spent on the purchases.
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The turnout was massive at the meeting of citizens’ organization Bót, held last night at the Reykjavík City Hall. The organization was founded to fight poverty in Iceland.
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Herjólfur will be sailing between the Westman Islands and its former harbor Thorlákshöfn today and the coming days.
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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 Puffins 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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