Iceland

[Bullet]

Anyone know of any squats or communities on Iceland?

 

[Cardboard]

I'll second that... You still here?

 

[Bullet]

I'm back in NC. Just finished hitching to Cali and back. Iceland is still a goal for this year, but gonna hit up some other places first (Pittsburgh for the Crimthinc Convergence, and Maryland for the Richard Brautigan library)

 

[Cardboard]

hit me up when you return. I have found myself deep in the squatter community (which there isn't much of in this country).
But yeah, let me know if you return, and I will put you in contact with those who can help.

 

[EliV]

I'd love to do that. I lived in Iceland for a while, and I so badly want to go back. It's beautiful!

 

[stove]

Wait a minute, there's a squatter community in Iceland? I'm in Amsterdam now, not planning on going to Iceland but I'd sure love to know if there's a decent squat scene for if/when I do visit...

 

[Cardboard]

not much of one honestly. But it does exist.
I just finished moving furniture into an old house we found right in the center of Reykjavik.
Keep in touch stove, I will be mainland soon.
Flying to Denmark on the 27th, traveling the north until December, then returning to Denmark for COP 15.
you should come!

 

[Bullet]

I've got my flight booked to go to Iceland on December 9 thru January 25. I've made a contact or two about Food Not Bombs, squats, etc...Any tips for how to survive the winter in Iceland?

 

[stAn]

I hope you are aware of the fact that in december and january there's polar night in iceland, you will have about 3 hours of daylight per day, it's no problem in reykjavik, but if you wanna see some country its not much.

i don't know anything about existing squats at the time (there was some this summer but police closed them pretty fast), however it's quite easy to find some place if you want live there quiet (if somebody notice you, eviction will be fast).

airport is 40 km from the city and it's in the middle of nowhere, stickers on the door says no sleeping but i think nobody will care if you stay one night. near the airport is abandoned us army base around 3000 apartments, little security some houses are used by university of reykjavik (they have free bus to the city) rest stays empty. easy place to squat but as i said it's really far away from civilization

in case if you don't find anything and you need to warm up (winter under arctic circle can be tough):
in reykjavik you have city bus station which is closed for night and long distance bus terminal open 24h

anarchists are meeting in caffee hjomalind on laugavegur street, and every saturday at 3pm there is food not bombs downtown.

 

[EliV]

I used to live in Iceland for 2.5 years. So, take it from me that it's not as bad as you'd think even during the winter. I mean, I used to sit on the grass and watch the glaciers go by. And they have geysirs, too, which is pretty sweet. Ha ha.

 

[Bullet]

stAn- thanks for the tips. That cafe, however, is no longer in existence. It was shut down recently because of landlord problems.
I have been in contact with someone involved in the radical community there who is helping me out a lot with information about the squats, Food Not Bombs, and the rest of the anarchist community.
What's the deal with staying warm in a squat? I can't light a fire, so what should I do?

 

[finn]

Well, I've only been in Iceland once, so I don't know much, but I can paste something about staying warm in a squat from another post... Anyway, onwards to some tricks for squat winter survival: Squat candles are the easiest thing you can make aside from an open fire. It's basically a tin crammed with cardboard and paraffin wax melted in, and it burns mostly vaporized paraffin. You can use that to heat up water to put into bottles that you can put in your sleeping bag, and that will keep you as warm as a fire without the risk of burning down anything. Scrunched up newspaper can be put into your clothing and bag (it's noisy though) and cardboard is a nice mattress, and if you find a large enough box, a mini-room.

okay, now just remember that insulation you scrounge up tends to be flammable, so it's a bad idea to have a fire or squat candle going unattended. At the very least a chalkboard or piece of sheetmetal or a cookie tin or something unburnable should be put under one that doesn't have a lot of your attention. But remember people tend to notice the flickering light. Pallets can also function as a framework for insulation, since you can cram newspaper (or in moist places, plastic bags) and you can string them together to make a small space. They're also great for raising you off the ground if the floor is wet. Watch for poking nail heads though, since they'll rip holes in sleeping bags and pads. If you have a ridiculous number of blankets, it's a good idea to use corrugated cardboard as a spacer, that way air is trapped between the layers and it'll be warmer. Trash bags filled with newspaper make nice blanket forts with a cardboard roof support. If you have a friend or access to a place with a microwave, you can heat up your water there instead and not even have to make a fire. Piss bottles can also keep you warm if it's really cold out, but keep it in a container that you will never mistake as a water bottle.

There are other materials that may function well here, I don't know if there are milk crates in Iceland, but those can be stuffed with newspaper/bags and ziptied together to make simple structures, but getting that many will probably require a good deal of help.

 

[Bullet]

piss bottles! nice! I wouldn't have thought of that but it's obvious. Thanks

 

[Cardboard]

there is an existing squat that is pretty much for hosting travellers and the likes, on Skoldavastigur, near the church. Should be pretty obvious.
Try to find "Linus", he should be able to help you out. I tihnk you can find him on couch surfing, or PM me for his E-mail address..

 

[Cardboard]

shit, nevermind....
Apparently that one got burned too.
and the next days all of the other squats were raided.
I guess squatting is not really an option in Iceland right now, I have only been gone for 2.5 months, and I just found out last night.
I do know a lot of people in reykjavik that may host cool travellers though, if you need help there PM me with your e-mail address and I will pass it on to the squatters/anarchists...

 

[Hollywood]

i am so sad to find out that coffee shop is shut down. i was there in june.

i stayed with this woman named sabrina that sells jewelry on laugavegur. she is on couchsurfing. her house is incredibly chaotic but she is a good woman and she would put you up if she has room. it shouldn't be too touristy now in iceland so there is a good chance.