Reykjavík Grapevine - 02.12.2011, Síða 60

Treasure chest
Experience Viking-Age Reykja vík at the new Settle -
ment Exhibition. The focus of the exhibition is an
excavated longhouse site which dates from the 10th
century ad. It includes relics of human habi tation
from about 871, the oldest such site found in Iceland.

Multimedia techniques bring Reykjavík’s past to life,
providing visitors with insights into how people lived
in the Viking Age, and what the Reykjavík environ-
ment looked like to the first settlers.
Aðalstræti 16
www.reykjavik871.is
Xmas | Shopping!
12the reykjavík grapevine Xmas special spectacular 2011
Issue 18
Let’s Go Shopping At Christma
stime!
by rebecca louder photography by hvalreki
Winter has tumbled from the sky
and the holidays are nearly upon us.
soon the tree will be up and stock-
ings will require stuffing. families
will be rounded up and you’ll be
schmoozing at Christmas parties
with bosses you barely know. And
presents are tough to buy! Who the
hell knows what to buy for their
spouse’s uncle? We have come up
with a bunch of helpful suggestions
to make your shopping experience
a bit easier and give you a push
to not leave it to the last minute.
(yeah, right!)
Woolly Wonders
Nothing says Christmas like some snaz-
zy knitwear and when it comes to rock-
ing both function and fashion, Icelandic
designers do it pretty damn right. The
handmade birds-of-Iceland sweaters
at Minja (29.900 ISK, Skólavörðustígur
12) have caught our eye this year; light
and cosy and adorned with the winged
fowl of your choice. A great selection of
handmade lopapeysa sweaters at vari-
ous prices can always be found at the
Kolaportið flea market on weekends
(Tryggvagata). In case you’re rolling in
dough this year, definitely treat your-
self or someone you love to one of Vík
Prjónsdóttir’s wonderfully off-kilter de-
signs (13.500-72.000 ISK at SPARK De-
sign Space, Klapparstígur 33 or www.
sparkdesignspace.com).
deCk the hAlls
Gifts don’t have to be big or cost a lot
to get great fun and a long life out of. A
deck of cards is something no respect-
able human being should be without.
Cards carry more weight when they’re
received as a gift anyway! Just make
sure not to break out those bad boys
to play before midnight on December
25, or else you’ll be bringing yourself
bad luck—Icelandic folklore says you’ll
find five Jacks and one of them is THE
DEVIL (under 2.000 ISK, any book or
tourist shop).
lIght up
The dark winter calls for nothing better
than covering your entire apartment in
candles. They are warm and romantic
and make versatile gifts for both close
ones and fresh acquaintances. There
is a great selection of locally designed
candles and candleholders at Minja on
Skólavörðustígur, shaped or decorated
with themes from Icelandic folklore and
nature. Check out the particularly cool
Lady of the Mountain candles in the na-
tional colours (3.000 ISK).
totAlly roCkIng tunes
After mandatory quiet family time on
Christmas Day, it’s time to kick the
party off again in a big way and tear
the shrink-wrap off some new com-
pact discs. The past year has been re-
ally good for new local releases, like
for instance Gang Related’s ‘Stunts &
Rituals’, Of Monsters And Men’s ‘My
Head Is An Animal’, Nóló’s ‘Nology’
and of course the indispensable new
album by HAM, ‘Svik, harmur og dauði’.
If someone you know doesn’t have one
of these, stop by one of your local in-
dependent record shops and pick them
up!
eAt, drInk And splIt your
pAnts
If you’re really at a loss for ideas or don’t
know the recipient of your present be-
yond what cubicle they sit in, you can’t
go too wrong with forking over a bunch
of chocolate and/or booze! Christmas
beer ( jólabjór) is a particularly loved
seasonal treat and a nice bottle of red
wine or two does well to make some hot,
mulled wine ( jólaglögg). Top it off with
an assorted box of Nóa Síríus choco-
lates and chocolate covered espresso
beans from Te & Kaffi? Decadent!
the key to the CIty
If optimal and repeated use is what
you have in mind for the presents you
give, the gift of activity goes a long way!
Great things come in tiny packages with
the City Culture Card (3.000-5.000 ISK,
menningarkort.is) giving a year’s ac-
cess to the Reykjavík Art Museum, the
Reykjavík City Library and the Iceland
Settlement Centre. Throw in a yearly
pass to every pool in town (34.000 ISK,
at any pool location) and your giftee will
be sitting pretty and warm!
And We’ll All floAt on
If your giftee is already covered with
their own pool card, or at least the
kind of pool-goer who does less swim-
ming and more slumping, help them
stay safe and lazy with the stylish new
FLOAT swimcap by designer Unnur
Valdís Kristjánsdóttir (13.900, SPARK
Design Space). It does exactly what the
name implies, comes in three sizes and
is equally fun to use at the pool, in the
ocean or just at home in the tub!
Our best present picks for your near and dear (and totally feared!)