Fríhöfnin
- Gunnar Birgisson
- Apr 26
- 2 min read
by Gunnar Birgisson
Icelandic Roots welcomes a new guest writer, Gunnar Birgisson. He offers his thoughts about an interesting Icelandic word.
As an Icelander, entering Iceland after a plane ride from abroad, you are tired, perhaps red-eyed after a flight from North America, or at least stiff and tired after a flight from Europe. You exit your plane, walk through the terminal, and then you exit the terminal towards the baggage claim where your bags with all your stuff are waiting. Soon you’ll reach the comforts of your home.
But, before you go get your bag, you ALWAYS go to the Fríhöfnin–the duty-free store. ALWAYS! (If there was a way of making even bigger caps, this is where we’d use them.)
The duty-free store in Keflavik is the last place where you can find reasonable prices on alcohol before you enter the country. It’s not cheap booze; no, very few things in Iceland are cheap. But moderately-priced booze is enough to get people deliriously excited—this is the country where a beer in a bar costs $12.
When in the duty-free store, it's almost like you are still shopping abroad. There’s reasonably priced booze; there’s a variety of chocolates and other goodies. You are insane if you don’t take advantage of this. It’s the last part of your vacation abroad. Enjoy it! Outside the terminal, the howling wind awaits you.
The name itself conveys the near-sacred status of the duty-free store. Frí means vacation, and höfn means harbor. You're in a vacation harbor, about to step ashore to the grim realities of everyday life. Linger and enjoy your last moments at sea.
By the way, one of the unfair facts of Icelandic life is that airline crews get to shop in the duty-free store whenever they return on a flight abroad. It is a colossally unfair advantage! Yes, they get modest wages and deal with obnoxious and drunk passengers on long flights. But they get to buy booze at reasonable prices whenever they arrive in Iceland! Life is so unfair when you focus on stuff like this.
Anyone who skips the duty-free shopping at Keflavik has no credibility in Icelandic society. Even if a loved one is on his or her deathbed, and you flew half the way across the world to see them before they pass away, you are an utter fool if you didn't stop in Fríhöfnin to buy booze and chocolates. You have violated one of the norms that keeps this nation together.
If you aren’t Icelandic, and just on a visit to the island, the above rant should remind you that to avoid those $12 beers, you might consider buying a couple of six-packs in Fríhöfnin.
