Traveler Tip: Don't Receive A Handshake In Reykjavik

If a Reykjaviker offers you a "Reykjavik Handshake," don't accept it. 

Iceland, for the tenth year in a row, has topped European countries for the number of chlamydia cases. 

https://www.internations.org/iceland-expats/guide/living-in-iceland-15712/healthcare-education-and-safety-in-iceland-3

According to The Reykjavik Grapevine, "2,179 cases of chlamydia were diagnosed in Iceland last year, marking a 14% increase from 2012" This is in a country of 320,000 people. That's .6% of the country. 

Now.... before you get all scared and keep yourself from having any fun while in Iceland. It may not be as bad as it seems. These high numbers could also be due to the high-quality healthcare and extensive testing done. 

Just remember, better safe than sorry. 

Read More: Iceland #1 in Chlamydia For Tenth Year Running 

Free Trip Courtesy of Reyka Vodka

The free trips to Iceland seem to be rolling in lately. 

This time, courtesy of Reyka Vodka.

http://thecocktailgeek.com/review-reyka-vodka-and-bitters/

Reyka, the small-batch vodka handcrafted in Iceland is offering one Grand Prize Winner:

• 4 day/3 night trip for Two to one Grand prize winner
• Hotel 
• Round-trip airfare from any U.S. airport
• Airport transfers to/from Keflavik

All you have to do is head to Rekyaadventure.com to enter.

Good Luck!

Does Iceland Have A Lot To Learn About Tourism?

Has the service and accommodations during your previous stay(s) in Iceland left you wanting? If you're leaning towards yes, you appear to be in good company.

Iceland, when compared to other tourist destinations, does not offer the same quality for price as other major tourist destinations, according to the recent The Reykjavik Grapevine article "Hotel Industry Harshly Criticized."

http://www.visitreykjavik.is/

In spite of the countries friendly reputation, Renato Gruenenfelder, the managing director of Guðmundur Jónasson Travel found that when,

"Comparing Icelandic hotels to those hotels with the same number of stars in Copenhagen, Paris, Dubai, Paris, Rome, Beijing and New York, he found that in most cases, Icelandic hotels ranked lower when it came to conditions, service, and quality for the same amount of money."

My experiences have been generally very positive. I will say there are times when I thought hotel staff could have been a tad more helpful but nothing really to the point of a complaint. In regards to restaurants and other places, everyone was extremely friendly and nice. 

Has anyone had a bad experience? Let me know. 

Want Free Tickets to Iceland Airwaves '14

Do you like music?

Do you like Reykjavik?

Do you like listening to music while in Reykjavik?

If you answered "yes" to any of these questions then you've probably heard of the music festival, Iceland Airwaves. 

You, may, then be interested to hear that Iceland, Naturally and Fordham-based radio station, WFUV are offering a contest to win tickets with airfare and hotel to this year's festival.

This year's Iceland Airwaves runs November 5-9th, and features artists from around the world including a closing show by The Flaming Lips.

WFUV is using this as a prize for their Spring Member Drive; so if you contribute to them, you'll be automatically entered to win the tickets. Additionally, you may their Iceland Airwaves Contest by filling out an entry form. 

The contest goes until April 30th. and the drawing will be held on May 7th. 

Gain some good karma and donate if you can. It won't help your chances but you'll feel better about yourself. 


The fine print...

Retail value $2,230 USD, donated in part by Icelandair and Iceland Naturally. No purchase or contribution is necessary to enter. WFUV employees, Advisory Board members and Community Advisory Board members and their respective household members are not eligible. Contest begins at 12:01am on April 23 and ends at 11:59pm on April 30. Drawings will be held May 7, 2014. The winner will be chosen at random. Limit one entry per household. Incomplete entries are void.

Searching For Summer Flights to Reykjavik From New York?

Looking to ditch swelteringly sticky New York City this summer for refreshingly cool Iceland this summer?

People may think of Iceland as a cold, desolate place but, during the summer months, it is a vibrant island whose natural beauty is on display the almost unending days and nightlife to match. 

http://www.airlinesanddestinations.com/airlines/delta-to-add-new-service-elements-on-transcontinental-flights/

Whether you're looking to head over for the Summer Solstice in June or Gay Pride in August, your travel options have now increased. 

Starting June 4th, Delta's seasonal service from New York's JFK airport to Keflavík International Airport (KEF) resumes!

Delta will offer daily non-stop flights through September 12th.

The flight details are 
Delta 256 
Departs JFK - 11:32pm
Arrives KEF - 9:10am 

Departs KEF - 10:50am
Arrives JFK - 12:34pm

So bust out those unused Sky Miles and start booking now to explore the stark beauty of Iceland's volcanic landscapes or the lush, verdant coastal towns.

Interested In A Peek At The Final Member?

Did my previous post "Icelandic Films: The Final Member" arouse your interest in the upcoming documentary chronicling the journey of Icelandic Phallological Museum curator, Sigur∂ur "Siggi" Hjartarson, in his quest to add a human phallus to the collection?

You now have another chance to satisfy your desire. 

The Museum of Sex will preview the film, The Final Member, this Wednesday, April 16th. 

The Final Member Screening

Wednesday, April 16th

7-9pm

Museum of Sex

NO COVER!

RSVP:

RSVP@museumofsex.com

or

nathaniel@brigademarketing.com

Looking For A Free Photography Art Exhibit?

Looking for some free culture this weekend?

Check out "Darkness & Light: Contemporary Nordic Photography" at the Scandinavian House this weekend.

"Darkness & Light: Contemporary Nordic Photographypresents over 30 recent works by 10 emerging and established photographers from Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden whose practices demonstrate the breadth and strength of Nordic photography today: Thora Dolven Balke, Tonje Bøe Birkeland, JH Engström, Joakim Eskildsen, Ulla Jokisalo, Bára Kristinsdóttir, Tova Mozard, Nelli Palomäki, Katya Sander, and Pétur Thomsen."

It's Free.

It's 30 works (so you can get culture but not too much culture)

Hours: Tuesday – Saturday, 12 – 6 pm (Wednesday until 7 pm)

Location: 58 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10016

This Is A $10 Latte...

You are looking at a $10 latte from BÚÐIN NYC. 

After reading several articles and writing about the opening of BUÐIN and its distinction of being the most expensive latte in the New York City, I finally made it to Greenpoint to try the nordic coffee sensation, the Lakkrís . 

What is worth the $10? Yes, I enjoyed it. 

Primarily, it tasted really good. Sweet with a after-taste of licorice that lightened the richness of the rich latte. I drank this after a fairly large brunch and didn't feel worse for the drinking of it. 

Secondly, it was well worth the money to see the painstaking effort that went into making it. While others ordered regular coffee and received it within a couple minutes, my Lakkrís took a good 5-10 minutes to make. You can watch as the barista adds each ingredient with care like each latte is a batch of polyjuice potion. 

The wait for your latte is the perfect time to browse the design section of the store. Here you can peruse goods from all over Scandinavia including Iceland. The Icelandic offerings range from herbal beauty products by Soley Organics to Saltverk Sea Salt and handcrafted goods.

I would definitely recommend it. 

Has anyone else been? What did you think?

Looking For Brennivín Recipes?

The wait is over!!! You can now get Black Death in America!

No. I don't mean this Black Death. I'm talking about Brennivín. 

photo via Brennivín American 

You may remember I posted a few weeks back that Brennivín would soon be available in the United States. Well...you need to wait no longer, my fellow Icelandophiles and aquavit-lovers. It was recently announced by Brennivín America that Brooklyn based DrinkUpNY will be selling Brennivín domestically. 

In support of their stocking of Brennivín, DrinkUpNY recently posted on their blog, "Exploring Brennivín - The Icelandic Aquavit", recounting a brief history of the Icelandic aquavit along with a few recipes using the drink. If you'd like to buy some Brennivín from DrinkUpNY, you can do so here

I figured there had to be more recipes than that so I went looking through the interwebs for more ways to consume the caraway-flavored elixir and came up with the recipes below. 

COCKTAIL RECIPES

Northern Lights

• 1 part Brennivín
• 1/2 part Amaretto
• 1 part grapefruit juice
• splash of soda water
• garnish with an orange slice

via DrinkUpNY

Katla

• 1 part Brennivín
• 1/2 part Kahlua or other coffee liquor
• squeeze of lemon
• soda water

via DrinkUpNY

Geir

• 2 oz. Brennivín
• 1 oz. Kahlua liqueur
• Half-and-half

In a rocks glass, add brennivín and Kahlua over ice. Top with half-and-half, stir and serve. 

Nohito via The Grapevine.is

via TheAwl.com

B & T

• Use Brennivín as in a gin & tonic but garnish with lime wedge and dill sprig

via DrinkUpNY

Nohito

• 1 part Brennivín
• 1.5 parts Martini Bianco, 
• 1/2 part dark rum
• slice of lemon
• slice of lime
• Dash of Bols Peppermint
• Top off with 3 parts ginger ale

via The Reykjavik Grapevine

Mountain King

• 2 parts Brennivín
• 4 parts Mysa (whey produced during Icelandic yogurt production. A recipe for homemade Skyr is available here)
• Mountain Dew

via The Reykjavik Grapevine

1972

• 1 Can Coca-Cola, rested on a radiator until extremely warm 
• Combine with three shots of Brennivín

via The Reykjavik Grapevine

Eskimojito (From the Seafood Cellar Reykjavík)

• Muddled together in a long drink glass:
• 8 leaves of fresh mint 
• 3 wedges of fresh lime 
• 2 wedges of fresh green apple 
• Then add: 
• 2 cl. vanilla syrup (50/50 sugar and water with seeds from 2 vanilla pods per liter) 
• 2 cl. green apple pourée 
• 5 cl. Icelandic Brennivín 
• Then fill the glass with crushed ice and top it up with sparkling water. Decorate with the top of a mint branch.

(FYI... 2 cl = 2/3 fluid oz)
via Weinquelle

The Iceberg

• (Makes 2 cocktails) 
• Pulverize 1/4 teaspoon caraway seeds in a mortar
• In a pitcher, stir
• 4 oz Brennivín
• 2 oz dry vermouth
• 2 Tbl fresh lemon juice
• 1 1/2 Tbl wildflower honey, until honey dissolves
• Add 1/2 cup of ice, chopped in 1/2-inch pieces, and stir
• Strain into two cocktail glasses, add heaping tablespoon of ice to each glass and float a few pinches of caraway seeds on top

via The New York Times

Midnight Sun

(makes 1 cocktail)

• 2.5 oz Brennivín 
• 1 oz St. Germain elderflower liqueur
• .75 oz Donn’s Mix #2 (see below)
• Juice of half a lime
• 8 cardamom pods
• 1 slice lime (for garnish)

photo via Steak For Dinner

Pour the aquavit, St. Germain, Donn’s Mix, and lime juice over the cardamom pods in a pint mixing glass. Muddle the ingredients together for a couple of minutes, really working to break down the cardamom pods. Add ice and shake for a few seconds. Strain into an old fashioned glass over ice and garnish with a slice of lime.

DONN’S MIX #2
RECIPE (makes about 1.5 cups):

• 5 cinnamon sticks, broken into small pieces
• 1 cup grapefruit juice
• 3/4 cup sugar

In a small pot, mix the sugar and 1/2 cup water and add the cinnamon. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer, ensuring all of the sugar dissolves. Let simmer for 30 minutes and take off heat. Let the syrup cool and then mix it together with the grapefruit juice. 

via Steak for Dinner

Caraway Coffee

• Pinch of caraway seeds
• Coffee
• Brennivín to taste
• Add caraway seeds to pre-ground coffee or grind with fresh coffee beans. Brew the coffee and add Brennivín to taste.

via Jo's Icelandic Recipes

In addition to cocktails, Brennivín can be used in cooking such as for curing fish and other recipes that call for schnapps or a caraway flavor. 

Of course, you can also drink it how nature intended... as a chaser after eating Hákarl.

Has anyone tried any of these? What did you think? Do you have any ideas for ways to drink/use Brennivín? Let me know in the comments.

Further Reading
Drinking The Black Death - Vice.com