SAGA SHOP - Haust I Fall 2019

4 Icelandair Stopover LETTER FROM ICELANDAIR: MUSIC FIESTA MÓHEIÐUR GUÐMUNDSDÓTTIR CABIN CREW MEMBER AT ICELANDAIR. ACCREDITATION AND BOX OFFICE MANAGER AT ICELAND AIRWAVES. Dear passenger, welcome aboard! My name is Móheiður and in the summertime I work as a cabin crew member for Icelandair. I have now worked for Icelandair for three summers and each has been an adventure. What I like most about the job is taking part in welcoming travelers on their way to visit Iceland, and also having the opportunity to travel myself. Then in the fall, preparation for the Iceland Airwaves music festival takes over. Traveling to Iceland in wintertime has many advantages. One of them is that in the begin- ning of November, downtown Reykjavík turns up the volume. Live music takes over the city as Iceland Airwaves kicks off. If you walk downtown during the festival days, you can expect to hear music coming from almost every corner, concert hall, bar and restaurant, and it really is an amazing experience. The Icelandic music scene is really thriving and every year the festival welcomes new- comers along with other more experienced local artists. We are also lucky that artists from all over the world want to be a part of the festival. Icelandair has been a sponsor of Iceland Airwaves since it was first established more than 20 years ago, and we’ve helped fly eager festival guests and artists to and from this volcanic island. Being a part of Iceland Airwaves alongside working for Icelandair has given me a great insight into how important the festival is, giving artists the opportunity to find new audiences. This year the festival will take place for the 21 st time, from November 6 to 9, and I urge all music lovers to join this music fiesta! (For more information, flip over to page 22.) Of Monsters and Men played Iceland Air- waves for the first time nine years ago after winning the Icelandic Music Experiments, and now they are the headliners. In the cover interview on page 18, band members Nanna Bryndís Hilmarsdóttir and Ragnar Þórhallsson discuss their new album Fever Dream and some memorable moments from their careers. This year marks the 50 th anniversary of the first Moon landing. But before taking that “one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind,” the Apollo astronauts trained in Iceland. Egill Bjarnason follows in their footsteps and learns more about the training sessions in the desolate Icelandic Highlands (see page 46). Meanwhile, beer competition judge Ben Keene tours Iceland’s microbreweries, presenting a handy guide for beer lovers on page 30, and photographer Benjamin Hard- man shares his magical autumn shots from secluded Highland valley Þórsmörk on page 50. Eygló Svala Arnarsdóttir travels from Langanes to London for the opening of Olafur Eliasson: In real life at Tate Modern (see page 56). Two films are covered in this issue: On page 36 director Hlynur Pálmason discusses his latest feature A White, White Day and the experience of being part of Cannes Critics’ Week, and on page 42 Björn Thors sheds light on the quirky character he plays in dramedy Pity the Lovers . For more travel tips in Iceland, go to page 60. As for travel tips beyond Iceland, we feature Seattle’s love for literature on page 64, the many angles of Chicago on page 66 and the charming English countryside on page 68. Remember that when you fly between North America and Europe, you can add a Stopover in Iceland at no extra charge. If you’re planning a visit in December, you could encounter some of the 13 Icelandic Yule Lads who come down from the mountains at this time of year. Read more about them on page 70. They have also hidden all over this magazine… see if you can find them all! Whatever travel adventures you have planned, we at Icelandair wish you a pleasant journey and hope to see you on board again soon. Góða ferð! Have a good trip. From Iceland Airwaves. Photo by Florian Trykowski.