Hlemmur Mathöll: From Bus Station to Reykjavík’s Favorite Food Hall
For decades, Hlemmur was where Reykjavík waited for the bus. People stood in the cold and watched the buses come and go. It was also a sanctuary for the down-and-out. Homeless men would hang around, trying to get some warmth while they nursed their moonshine....
Midgard Adventure: Þórsmörk, Highland and Northern Lights Tours from Hvolsvöllur
One of my many valued partners is Midgard Adventure and Midgard Base Camp. They operate in the village of Hvolsvöllur on the south coast of Iceland. Hildur Kristjánsdottir leads this family-run tour company. Her passion for the wonders of the Icelandic highlands and sustainable living...
I’m Afraid of Heights. I Did the Via Ferrata on Mt. Esja Anyway
I am afraid of heights. However, I have challenged my fear quite a bit over the years. I have completed the military-grade death march of the Glerárdalur 24 peaks in 24 hours and trekked up to Hrútfjallstindar, Iceland’s highest peak, Hvannadalshnúkur. I have crossed a...
Want to Celebrate Icelandic Christmas – Here is the Ultimate guide
Icelanders go big on Christmas. Generous gift-giving is a core feature of Icelandic Christmas. The festival lasts 13 days. Like elsewhere in the Western world, Christmas celebrations and preparations start obnoxiously early, but we Icelanders try to extend the ancient solstice festivities for as long...
The 13 Icelandic Yule Lads: Iceland’s Bad Santas
Icelanders have their version of Santa Claus. Actually, we have thirteen versions of Santa Claus. Yes! Iceland has thirteen Santa Clauses, called Yule lads (‘Jólasveinar’ in Icelandic). The global trend of gentrification has caught up with them, and now they are a delight to children....
The Icelandic Christmas Cat: Iceland’s Most Terrifying Yuletide Monster
The horrible Icelandic Yule lads were a gruesome bunch of trolls that terrorized children and stole food from hungry peasants around Christmas. Their parents were the horrible ogre Grýla, who ate naughty children, and her bedridden, lazy, no-good husband Leppalúði. And there was their pet,...
The Lava Tunnel (Raufarhólshellir): What It’s Like Inside
My wife, Hallveig Rúnarsdóttir, and I drove out to Raufarhólshellir on an ordinary afternoon, the way you do when something good sits 30 minutes from your front door, and you have finally run out of excuses. It is a lava tube — a cave left...
New Year’s Eve in Iceland: What Actually Happens, Hour by Hour
New Year’s Eve is the one night of the year when this quiet country completely loses its mind. There is no official fireworks display in Reykjavík. No municipal show, no cordoned-off viewing area, no man on a microphone counting down. Instead, roughly every household in...
