Since the sea out of Faxaflói bay was a bit rough last nigh we only went to the puffin island and did therefore  not actually see any whales. I appreciate the fact they didn’t drag us out to rough seas if there was a slim chance for sightings anyway and I thoroughly enjoyed cruising around the bay with fantastic people around me.

Special Tours have invited me on proper whale watching tour with them this summer so I’ll be sure to tell you all about it. Meanwhile, I hope you enjoy these photos as much as the boyfriend and I enjoyed the lovely weather and good company.

Hvalur 3 and Hvalur 4 - Whale Hunting boats

Reykjavík Old Harbor

Rósin - the environmental aware and very quick whale watching boat

The Harbor

My beautiful viking man with a hat I knitted him

The group looking at puffins

The sun was with us the whole way

Looking into the horizon

Living the good life

Happy Camper

Harpa and the flag

The Boyfriend

Splash

Different angle of Harpa

Harpa Music Hall

The newest ship in the Coast Guard fleet - Þór

More Harpa

The Lovely Bruno

Víkin Maritime Museum

Follow Icelandic Music Daily on Facebook and Twitter

Hi everyone. My name is Lea. Every Friday I will be posting a round-up of music I’ve posted on my Facebook page throughout the week. I hope this will allow more people to come across and share the pure joy of listening to Icelandic music but it will also be more convenient for my faithful followers to come back and listen to the songs again. Hope you will enjoy catching up with us every Friday.

 

Friday  May 4th

We kicked of this week with the first music video that alternative electro pop band Bloodgroup made. If this was their start you can somehow understand why people still love them and their music now.

Bloodgroup:  Hips again

Saturday May 5th

One of the fans requested a song by Sigur Rós and I was more happy to share one as we did not have Sigur Rós on the page for almost two months which is really shameful. I discovered this beautiful award-winning music video from the year 2001. Sometimes it’s better to look for something a bit older because then you are very likely to discover something that is unknown for many fans or something that is long forgotten.

Sigur Rós: Viðrar Vel Til Loftarasa

Sunday May 6th

This song is rather special. It was shared by one of the fans of Icelandic music from Ireland who went to visit Iceland and then compiled the photos from his trip to one video having song by Gus Gus as the background. That’s what I call a complex Iceland experience.

Gus Gus: Selfoss

Monday May 7th

FM Belfast released a new music video this week and it’s amazing!! It’s inventive, it’s playful, it’s a great fun… as everything FM Belfast creates.

FM Belfast: Stripes

Tuesday May 8th

Push Play… and dream away. That was the message Worm Is Green posted on their facebook page alongside with this song. It really is dreamy. So I only passed their message on to more of their fans and also to those who don’t know this band.

Worm Is Green: Push Play

Wednesday May 9th

This is one of the songs that Johann Johannsson has composed for the soundtrack of Copenhagen Dreams. The whole soundtrack is going to be released in June. I originally posted on the page only link to soundcloud but than I discovered the youtube version as well so this week the people who follow the round-ups will get a little bit more than those who follow me daily on my page

Johann Johannsson: Here, They Used to Build Ships

Thursday May 10th

I was in mood for listening to Amiina for almost the whole week. So I really wanted to share one of their songs and this music video I found was really worth sharing.

Amiina:  Sicsak

Friday May 11th

Útidur are working on their second album and they have published the first single from it. It is a reinterpretation of the song Grasping for Thoughts from their debut album. I really love their music and this song as well but hopefully the new album will contain also some new songs. Anyway, I’m looking forward to the release.

Útidur: Grasping for Air

Saturday May 12th

Snorri Helgason is an Icelandic songwriter and singer who composes his music and writes the lyrics for them all by himself. I haven’t shared anything by him for quite a long time so I decided it is time for his music again

Snorri Helgason: Ólan

Sunday May 13th

The same is true about the rock band Reykjavík! (about not sharing their song for a long time). They create a fine opposition to sensitive song by Snorri shared on Saturday. This one shared on Sunday is full of life and energy. We need to keep the harmonical approach to Icelandic music because it is so diverse.

Reykjavík!: Sneak

Monday May 14th

This song will please minimalist souls among the listeners. It is so simple and pure. Yet it is full and fascinating becuase Ólöf is an Icelandic wonder.

Ólöf Arnalds: Moldin

Tuesday May 15th

As I am going through the songs shared this week, it seems like I was in mood for silent, peaceful and deep songs. Because here is another one. Mugison is an author of the best Icelandic song from last year and though this song is a bit older, it is still amazing.

Mugison: Salt

Wednesday May 16th

Sindri Már Sigfússon shortened his artistic name from Sin Fang Bous into Sin Fang because he wanted it to be simpler and easier to remember. This song is from the time when he still used the previous name.

Sin Fang (Bous): Catch the Light

Thursday May 17th

This Friday was a global Sigur Rós day. Sigur Rós prepared a global listening party of their upcoming album Valtari for their fans all around the world. In each time zone exactly at 7pm the whole album was streamed and the fans were taking pictures and sharing their listening experience. I think Valtari Hour was a great success. Here is one of the songs from Valtari.

Sigur Rós: Dauðalogn

#1 Whale Watching Boulevard

The Old Harbor is the home to my friends at Special Tours, the lovely people at Elding and the fun Puffin Scooters scooter rental. That alone is a reason enough to go check it out. At Whale Watching Boulevard, or Ægisgarður as it is called in the phone book, you will find numerous companies willing to take you out to sea on amazing excursions and because they are all located at the same place you can just show up and shop around for the best deal.

You can also get guided tours around Reykjavík by scooters or bikes and I can tell you from my own experience that it’s a brilliant way to explore the city.

#2 Yummy restaurants and aromatic coffee

The Old Harbour is home to many fine restaurants such as The Burger Joint, Sea Baron and Tapas Húsið, all of which have been featured on this blog. Another place I’ve heard is great but I’ve never tried myself is Icelandic Fish and Chips but I hear from the staff at the Reykjavík Downtown Hostel that their guests are usually really happy with the food there. I can also recommend the Sushi at Sushismiðjan although it’s a tad more expensive than the sushi places I frequent.

Many swear that the best coffee in Reykjavík is brewed at Café Haiti, which is also located at the old harbour. I’m not a big coffee drinker myself so I can’t confirm that rumor but I do enjoy Café Haiti and should probably visit it more often.

#3 Lots of color

In recent years I feel like new buildings in Reykjavík have been lacking in the quirkiness that makes Reykjavík so unique and charming. Just before the economic collapse we got lost in minimalistic Scandinavian design and we forgot to put some color into our lives. This is not the case with the buildings at the old Harbour which are mostly brightly colored renovated fishing sheds.

I also appreciate the many different “colors” inside those sheds – both in regards to the products on display and the people who run the businesses. Anyone who has seen the Sea Baron’s Kjartan in action knows what I’m talking about.

#4 The sea

When I was young my grandfather made a living by going out to sea to fish. He would spend his summers up in the Westfjords, alone battling the elements, and I would visit my grandmother and keep her company during my summer holidays from school. When his boat was at the harbor I would go visit him with my dad and I remember being quite envious of those who were older than me and got to go out to sea with him. My dad and I would also go on drives on Sundays where we’d stop at an ice cream shop and then drive to the harbor to look at the big ships being painted in different colours and the men who were getting them ready for the next tour.

I think that’s one of the reasons I really love the old harbor area. It reminds me of those good old days when my biggest worry in life was whether I should get chocolate dip on my icecream or not.  I’ve mentioned before that I have a strange attractionto the sea, , maybe I’m still secretly envious of family members that were allowed on my grandfather’s boat,  and the Old Harbor is a great place to get close to it in a fun environment.

#5 Unity and harmony

Iceland has been a weird place ever since the so-called financial collapse in 2008 and it seems like the Icelandic nation cannot agree on anything. Everything is a ground for an argument and no issue is too small to cause a havoc over.  To be completely honest I’m just so very tired of it.

Because of that it is refreshing to see a group of people come together and build up an area like the Old Harbor and set their differences aside for a greater cause. In theory the whale watching companies, for example. should be arch enimies fighting about the tourists wanting to explore the great open seas. I’m sure they are on some level but they have also come together to realize a vision they have for an area they care about. And it worked – the Old Harbor is one of the most exciting new areas in Reykjavík. I applaud them for that.

You can pick up a handy map of the Old Harbor area all over town which is good because their website is pretty useless.

Basically what they do is that they visit creative people in Reykjavík and get to snoop around their dwellings and their lives by interviewing them and posting photos and videos from their visit. Pretty interesting stuff and they even got the Icelandic web awards 2011 for the best Icelandic blog. One of its editors and columnists also happens to be one of my oldest friends.

The only thing is though that their interviews, good as they may be, are a bit long and I never have the time to really read them. Maybe when I quit my job this fall I can go back and really dig into them while pretending to be studying.

So you should definitely go over there and check them out. That is, if you promise not to stop visiting this blog because you suddenly feel my mobile and point-and-shoot camera photos are not good enough anymore. Just sayin’.

Follow Icelandic Music Daily on Facebook and Twitter

Hi everyone. My name is Lea. Every Friday I will be posting a round-up of music I’ve posted on my Facebook page throughout the week. I hope this will allow more people to come across and share the pure joy of listening to Icelandic music but it will also be more convenient for my faithful followers to come back and listen to the songs again. Hope you will enjoy catching up with us every Friday.

 

Friday April 27th

Just Another Snake Cult is one of the bands I discovered through the Made in Iceland V compilation. I love how many music instruments they use and how it all fits together really well.

Just Another Snake Cult: Strong Enough

Saturday April 28th

There are not many words needed when it comes to Of Monsters and Men. They are one of the most successful young bands in Iceland, they are very well known among the fans of Icelandic music their success is very understandable because their music is just pure magic.

Of Monsters and Men: Love Love Love

Sunday April 29th

Agent Fresco has released new video this week so here it is. If you love rock than you are going to love this song. It sometimes feels like playing rock in Iceland can make you different from other bands because it is almost unusual.

Agent Fresco: Tempo

Monday April 30th

Surely this is the discovery of the week for me. Brother Grass is a band which plays music that is fusion of bluegrass, blues, folk, gospel and old time Hillbilly Mountain music and they do it so well!! Again their sound is everything else but Icelandic. Their songs not only sounds non-Icelandic, they also sound non-present. They can really capture you and take you to the 20th century America. I hope that we will hear more of this band in the future!

Brother Grass: Down to the River to Pray

Tuesday May 1st

It’s May already can you believe that? May reminds me of summer being close so I wanted to post a song which reminds me of summer on the first day of May. And this is what has crossed my mind as the first thing.

Emiliana Torrini: Jungle Drum

Wednesday May 2nd

It was quite a long time ago since I shared a lesson from the history of Icelandic music with you. So here is one. Unbelievably cool video by Björk from the 90′s.
Björk: Bachelorette

Thursday May 3rd

Asonat is another band I think you should get to know if you don’t know them yet. They’ve released their debut album this year and I think it’s worth checking out!

Asonat:  I See Her Face

I’m often asked whether it’s worth it to drive all the way to Jökulsárlón and back in a day from Reykjavík and my answer up until this trip has always been It depends on how much you want to see Jökulsárlón! I always recommend people take their time exploring Iceland and ideally you should spend at least two days on this journey. With that said though, if you only have a day to spare – why not make the most of it? That is exactly what we did.

We rented Kia Ceed for a very good price through my friends at the Reykjavík City Hostel. It was brand spanking new and so technical that it even told me when I should shift gears up and down. So for those of you afraid of driving a stick shift, this feature was really handy. You don’t have to be a guest at the hostel to rent a car through them, you can send them an e-mail to inquire about prices through reykjavikcity@hostel.is.

View Road trip from Reykjavík to Jökulsárlón in a larger map

Enough chit chat and on to the actual trip.

According to Já.is the drive from Reykjavík to Jökulsárlón is 379 km and it takes about 4 hours 20 minutes to get there. Since I had  arranged for us to take a boat trip on the lagoon once we were there, we decided to leave early in the morning and drive to the lagoon in one go and make all our stops on the way back. It was a gorgeous day and it turned out that this was a wise decision since we never felt pressed for time to see everything on our list.

We arrived at Jökulsárlón with enough time to eat some lunch and enjoy the sights before it was time to gear up and go out to the water. I’m going to tell you more about the boat ride in a separate  post but it was really nice seeing the icebergs from a different angle and we even saw some seals lazily lying about on the icebergs.

Now I have to admit that I don’t drive often so far east, most of the time when I’m travelling I go more north of Reykjavík, and I forgot my map book and my road atlas at home so I wasn’t sure about the locations of any of the places we visited. The first stop on the way back to Reykjavík was supposed to be Svartifoss but since I wasn’t sure exactly where to get to it we first made a small and accidental stop by Svínafellsjökull glacier.

Next we headed to Skaftafell National park where Svartifoss is actually located. Because we had an injured German with us we cheated a little and drove half the way up to the waterfall. According to a sign we saw on the way it’s not permitted to use this road during the high season unless you are disabled so you’ll have to park by the service center and walk the whole way. From where we parked it was about 1 km hike to the waterfall and although it’s a bit uphill most people should be able to do it. Our injured German just walked a bit slower than the rest of us but he got there in the end. Svartifoss is beautiful and well worth the hike.

The drive between Skaftafell and Vík is not the most exciting drive in Iceland with sand and then more sand as far as the eye can see. We did make a stop in Eldhraun though where you can see amazing lava fields covered with  moss. It was soft and cuddly so we sat there for a while before we continued with our journey.

We had dinner at Víkurskáli in Vík and then drove down to Reynisfjara which was my favorite part of the trip. We arrived there just after 8 and it was so warm and the sun was setting, making this beautiful black sand beach even more amazing than I’ve ever seen it. Luckily the puffins had already arrived so my foreign friends got up close and personal with those feathered little goofballs.

Next we attempted to find a plane wreck that is supposed to be somewhere in Sólheimasandur. We had some conflicting directions and a small car so we never actually found it, despite our best attempts. In our defense we met a Swede in a jeep who also couldn’t find it so it’s not just that we are useless.

When we finally gave up looking for the plane we took a short drive to Seljalandsfoss and took the mandatory walk behind it. Of course I managed to fall flat on my ass in the mud on the way back but not before I enjoyed the spectacular view of the sunset behind the waterfall. It really was something else – just gorgeous.

By then, since it was still just April, we had lost the light and decided to drive back to town. On the way we saw some Northern Lights but due to out safety obsessed driver (me) we pulled of the road to late too catch them on film. Oh well, at least we saw them!

The verdict

We drove over 800 km that day and we were out on the road for about 18 hours. That’s a lot of driving. However, the trip was a blast and I couldn’t have asked for a better day. If you have two days to do this trip I would still recommend you spend the night somewhere along the way but if you only have a day, a highlights trip like we did is definitely worth while.

If you are travelling during the summer you don’t have to worry about the light but on the other hand you won’t see the amazing sunset like we did. If you are traveling outside of the high season I do recommend you leave town really early in the morning and drive all the way to the lagoon in one go like we did so you’ll have optimum amount of light on the way back. I also recommend you pack lunch so you don’t have to spend too much of your precious time waiting for a burger at some gas station.

Totally recommended!

All images courtesy of Craig Downing

Kolaportið is an indoor Flea Market that is open during the weekend between 11:00 and 17:00 and occasionally on public holidays. It’s down by the Bæjarins Beztu hot dog stand and next to the Reykjavík Art Museum. It’s not flashy or particularly noteworthy from the outside so just follow the stream of people if you are not sure where to go in.

You can basically divide the market  into three main sections: The stalls that are always there and sell both new and old things, the food court where you can buy Icelandic delicacies such as fermented shark and then everyone else who just did a spring cleaning in their storage room and rented a stall to get rid of their junk. A lot of the stuff you will find there is indeed just junk but one man’s junk is another’s treasure.

The family and I visit Kolaportið often and we usually buy something when we’re there. We buy dried fish and flatkökur at the food court and some shark for the princess. Then we’ll stop by at one of the book stalls and let the princess chose a book or a Donald Duck comic and finally we make the mandatory stop at the candy outlet and buy a chocolate/licorice combination in some form, which we eat on the way out. It’s a bit of a ritual.

What I love most about Kolaportið is the fact that to me it’s so essentially Icelandic somehow. You get people from all walks of life buying and selling stuff and everyone is there just looking for a great deal. It’s charming in an unpretentious and a little bit weird sort of way.

So if you are looking for something to do on a lazy weekend afternoon, Kolaportið is the place to be.

Follow Icelandic Music Daily on Facebook and Twitter

Hi everyone. My name is Lea. Every Friday I will be posting a round-up of music I’ve posted on my Facebook page throughout the week. I hope this will allow more people to come across and share the pure joy of listening to Icelandic music but it will also be more convenient for my faithful followers to come back and listen to the songs again. Hope you will enjoy catching up with us every Friday.

 

April 20th – Friday

The recently introduced compilation of contemporary Icelandic music – Made in Iceland V (http://www.icelandmusic.is/music/made-in-iceland/made-in-iceland-5 ) has been quite an inspiration for me this week. One of the songs that you will find on the album is Qween by Retro Stefson.

Retro Stefson: Qween

April 21st – Saturday

Then the weekend came. It was active and full and in the evening when I choose the songs, I suddenly wanted to listen to some older tracks by Múm which I haven’t heard yet. This is what I found. It’s long so that you can just enjoy the great music Múm makes. Btw. Múm is releasing a compilation of rare songs from 1998-2000 called Early Birds this summer. Who is excited?

Múm: The Land Between Solar Systems

April 22nd – Sunday

This week has been full of the bands I absolutely adore. Múm on Saturday followed by Seabear on Sunday. First video this week that is actually a video. And it’s made by KEXP which you can always rely on to make simply fantastic live videos.

Seabear: Cold Summer

April 23rd – Monday

The music news of the week. It is that kind of news that is all over the internet (if you know where to look) because everyone is so excited. Icelandic Music Daily cannot miss news like these. Sin Fang is releasing new EP and he introduced first song that will be part of it. We are all looking forward to the whole EP for sure!

Sin Fang: Only Eyes

April 24th – Tuesday

Another inspiration from the Made in Iceland V compilation and a premiere of Helgi Jónsson on our page. Plain and simle. Black-and-white, guitar and a great voice. Perfect and classy.

Helgi Jónsson: Dry Run

April 25th – Wednesday

I’ve got to admit Gus Gus is not one of my top Icelandic bands, their music just isn’t my style. But then I listened to Barry and I simply enjoyed what I was hearing. Maybe I should change my mind about Gus Gus.

Gus Gus: Barry

April 26th – Thursday

The last video of this week’s round-up is also quite new and is totally worth checking out. This song will be part of the LP The Heavy Experience is releasing this summer.

The Heavy Experience: Hiatus

I’m sure that judging from the pictures you would think that Elliðaárdalur Valley is in the outskirts of Reykjavík but it’s actually in the middle of the city, nestled between the neighborhoods of Árbær, Breiðholt and Fossvogur and neighboring town of Kópavogur. From Downtown Reykjavík it may take you 10-15 minutes to drive there, depending on traffic, and there are plenty of city buses that will take you there too.

I find it pretty unique to have wild berries, salmon fishing, semi-wild rabbits and a waterfall all within the city limits but Elliðaárdalur has all that and more. It’s also next to Árbær Museum, a fun museum for children and adults alike that displays the history of Reykjavík and it’s inhabitants. You can spend a whole day exploring the two with your kids.

For more information about Elliðaárdalur Valley, you can check out this information pamphlet made by Reykjavík Energy

Svartifoss Waterfall in Skaftafell

Jökulsárlón Glacial Lagoon

Reynisdrangar in Vík

Lava and moss in Eldhraun

Reynisfjara by Vík

I will be sharing a more detailed post about this trip later when we’ve finished weeding through all the photos and video footage we have. Meanwhile, if you want to enjoy a, more or less, daily photo update from Iceland – Follow me on Tumblr or look up iheartreykjavik on Instagram.