Einar Steinn Valgarðsson
Zertifizierter Reiseblogger
Meine Blogs
Meine Blogs
Happy Summer!
Anyone visiting Iceland at this time of year might be surprised to hear about festivities in town, celebrating the first day of summer, April 25th. Wait, what? What‘s with the snow today? And what happened to spring? At best, this seems to imply a lot of wishful thinking. Indeed, weather in Iceland in April seems like it‘s trying to make its mind up whether to stay in winter mode or turn to spring mode. The darling buds of April are appearing and sometimes the weather is warm and cosy, while at others cold and windy, adding the occasional rain, snow and frost. Then again, that‘s typical Ic
Hekla: Old & new pictures, music & tours
I am an avid reader of the Icelandic website Lemúrinn, which can be described as a website about pretty much everything. Today I stumbled upon a great article featuring old pictures from Hekla volcano, taken by English photographer Frederic W.W. Howell somewhere in the years 1890-1900. I thought it ideal to share this, and you can thus access the article and the pictures here. I also thought I'd share a great piece written by Icelandic composer Jón Leifs, called Hekla, Op. 52, inspired by the volcano. The video features more pictures from the volcano: The legendary Hekla is definitely T
University Choir Concert on April 11th
The University Choir ('Háskólakórinn' in Icelandic), where I sing 1st bass, will have it's spring concert in Neskirkja in Reykjavík on Thursday, April 11th at 20:00. We'll be performing Icelandic choir works, among them works by our conductor, Gunnsteinn Ólafsson, Jón Leifs, and Jón Ásgeirsson along with works by Johannes Brahms and Felix Mendelssohn. Special guests will be Söngfjelagið and Helga Margrét Marzellíusardóttir. The common ticket price is 2000 ISK, 1500 for the elderly, children and invalids. In an earlier post I shared a few works performed by Háskólakórinn. Below are some mo
Seven of My Favorite Songs About Reykjavík
I was born and raised in Reykjavík and still live here. As with probably every place where you grow up, it has its share of the good, the bad and the ugly. It is a part of you and always will be. There will be times where you can‘t wait to get away from it and others where you miss it so much you‘ll think you‘re heart is going to burst. I thought I‘d share with you seven of my favorite songs about Reykjavík, celebrating the high, the low and the in-betweens. Björk & KK: Ó borg, mín borg A beautiful and romantic ode to the city, praising it‘s low houses, lights and streets. It also has t
Great Icelandic Songs That Aren't Icelandic
While Iceland certainly has an abundance of great original music, (see the section Music of Iceland for example), many songs have been borrowed through the years, as things go, adapted and arranged. Similarly, lyrics have either been translated, adapted or the songs have gotten entirely new lyrics, and may not even have anything to do with the original. It might be argued that in order for a cover to be successful, the artist has to put his/her mark on it, ‘make it theirs’ so to speak. This has certainly been common in Iceland, to the point of many Icelanders not being aware of the origins
Wacken Metal Battle at Harpa. Special Guests: Skálmöld
Wacken Metal Battle, the live band competition that sends the winning band to Wacken Open Air, will be held at Harpa, the new Reykjavik Conference and Concert Hall on Saturday 6. April. The hall in question: Eldborg (meaning "Fiery City" or "Fiery Fortress") is the grandest of 4 halls in the complex and home of the Icelandic Symphonic Orchestra and the Icelandic Opera. The evening will be headlined by Iceland's biggest metal band at the moment: SKÁLMÖLD. Skálmöld have never played before in Eldborg and will be performing a full set. This concert comes hot on the trails of their recent near
The Easter Platypus
I‘ve never really understood what rabbits or hares have to do with Easter eggs. It‘s not as if they hatch eggs or anything. I have a theory, however, that the origin for this connection lies with the platypus. The platypus is a furred mammal like the hare, but unlike the hare it does indeed lay eggs. Furthermore it has an important advantage over the hare: As a defense mechanism, it spews poison. How cool is that? The most natural explanation as to why the platypus was pushed away in favor of the hare would lie in the simple fact that hares are way cuter and pretty harmless, or so I believ
Free Icelandic Film Weekend
Those in Iceland this weekend might want to check out Icelandic films for free, as there will be free film screenings of Icelandic films from today, March 22. and throughout Sunday, March 24th. In Reykjavik the screenings will be at the excellent Bio Paradis in Hverfisgata. More screenings will be held in various towns and villages in Iceland. More on the film weekend here: Icelandic film weekend. Being a great fan of getting cool stuff for free myself, I just thought I'd let you know. ;)
A Concert for the Rebuilding of the Kulusuk Music School
Recently, the Kulusuk music school in Greenland burned down. As a part of the fundraising for its restoration, there will be a concert at Iceland's largest concert hall -Eldborg in Harpa - on Saturday, March 23d. The concert is free but any free donations for the cause will be much appreciated. The concert starts at 14:00. Some of the biggest names in Icelandic music have agreed to play for free in support of this good cause. If you're not in Iceland, or for some other reason can't attend, please spread the word and support a good cause. Sharing is caring. ♥
Coming Up: The Reykjavik Blues Festival 2013
In his book A Man Without a Country, Kurt Vonnegut quotes his friend, the writer Albert Murray, as claiming that the blues may not be able to drive depression clear out of a house, but can drive it into the corners of any room where it’s being played. The Reykjavik Blues Festival will be celebrated from March 23. to March 28, sure to drive any depression to the furthest corner. Eh? What's that? Icelandic blues? Indeed. One of the greatest gifts America has given the world is the blues, and the torch is carried widely and proudly, as the feeling and need for expression is universal. The
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