Reykjavík Grapevine - 18.05.2012, Page 25

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The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 6 — 2012
Step into
the Viking Age
Experience Viking-Age Reykja­vík a­t the
new Settlement Exhibition. The focus of the
exhibition is a­n exca­va­ted longhouse site which
da­tes from the 10th century ad. It includes
relics of huma­n ha­bita­tion 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 environment looked like
to the first settlers.
The exhibition a­nd
museum shop a­re open
da­ily 10–17
Aða­lstræti 16
101 Reykja­vík / Icela­nd
Phone +(354) 411 6370
www.reykja­vikmuseum.is
tel. 578 8555www.gamlasmidjan.is Lækjargata 8
Opening hours:
mon-thu 11:30-23
fri 11:30-06
sat 12-06
& sun 12-23
Heavenly pizzas!
Home delivery
See our menu at www.gamlasmidjan.is
All too often visitors like yourself
can be seen wandering the streets
of Reykjavík in your hiking boots at
around nine or ten o’clock on a Fri-
day or Saturday night. As most stores
have long since closed by that time,
we assume you’re curious to see the
so-called party capital of the north in
action. If that’s the case, do yourself a
favour and read this manual first.
To save money, groups of friends tend to
drink at home before going out on the
“djamm” as they like to call it. In fact, par-
tygoers rarely head downtown before mid-
night so you might as well take a nap and
then come back out later to see what all
those guidebooks are talking about. Then
you might also want to down an espresso
or two because you’ll be up until at least
four; Icelanders like to drink themselves
silly.
WATCH OUT FOR TRúNó
As the night progresses you might find
yourself cornered by a stranger who feels
the need to express their deepest secrets.
This is called trúnó. The female version
of trúnó usually takes place in the bath-
room. Here in the pleasant atmosphere of
a public toilet, women of varying degrees
of familiarity will open their hearts and
tell you things you probably do not want
to hear. You will probably—depending on
your level of intoxication—sympathise and
offer a similar story in exchange or you
may choose to simply agree that yes, he is
a total douche.
The experience is somewhat differ-
ent for men. It can happen anywhere and
involves rare displays of affection and/or
hugging followed by more drinking with
amped intensity. This small window of
time is often used to bring up old grudges
and resolve them. The reason for trúnó is
thought to have something to do with Ice-
landers’ centuries-old tradition of bottling
up their feelings. In fact, you can even find
examples of trúnó in the ancient Icelandic
Sagas. There’s that one time when Gunnar
and Njáll of Njál’s Saga go on trúnó and
bury the war hammer. It’s true! Look it up.
When you find yourself the target of un-
necessary trúnó, don’t panic! Simply wait
until the perpetrator’s beer is empty and
he or she will go to the bar, kitchen or tent
to replenish it, leaving you ample time to
make your escape.
PREPARE FOR dJAMMVISKUBIT
Now if you’re reading this on Sunday af-
ternoon after a night or weekend of wild,
Icelandic-style drinking-till-dawn, you are
probably experiencing a very common
form of hazy depression. The symptoms of
which include but are not limited to: self-
loathing, guilt, regret, and embarrassment.
Basically you feel like shit, yet you lack a
single, perfect word to describe your con-
dition.
Dear readers, we have such a word!
The feeling you are experiencing is what
Icelanders call djammviskubit. This is
pronounced: ( jam-wisk-oo-bit). It is the
combination the Icelandic word for party
(“djamm”) and the word for guilt (“sam-
viskubit”). As if the psychological symp-
toms of djammviskubit weren’t horrible
enough, they are accompanied by physical
symptoms such as pounding headache,
nausea, strange bruises, extreme thirst,
and in rare cases (hell who are we kidding)
the presence of an unknown entity in your
bed.
Do not—under any circumstances—
check your bank account in your frag-
ile condition. Call a friend and eat some
greasy food, or go to the movies or a
swimming pool. These are all popular
healing rituals among Icelanders who will
mostly be fine by the time Monday rolls
around. Then it’s about putting our nose to
the grindstone and just like that Loverboy
song we’re all “working for the weekend”
again. Come Friday, we wash, rinse, and
repeat. Welcome to Iceland, we’ll see you
on the djamm!
Get Your drink On!
B.R. NEAL
JóI KJARTANS
What you need to know about a
night on the djamm
Reykjavík | Nightlife