Reykjavík Grapevine - 18.07.2014, Side 24

Best Biking Tour
Ægisíða – (Nauthólsvík) –
Fossvogsdalur
If you haven’t noticed, Reykjavík is not
the most bike-friendly city in Europe. For
instance, we don’t have one of those great
bike sharing schemes, and bike paths are
few and far between. That said, the route
from Ægisíða to Fossvogsdalur is pretty
damn good. If you’re downtown, find
your way to Landakotskirkja (the Catho-
lic church, which is not to be confused
with the better known landmark church,
Hallgrímskirkja), and then take Hofsval-
lagata (to make use of the city’s unpopu-
lar attempt at a new bike path!) all the
way to Ægisíða. Once you turn left onto
the Ægisíða bike path (which is located
on the ocean side of the street), it’s a car-
free and relatively flat ride all the way
to Fossvogsdalur (a really nice, peaceful
suburb with lots of trees). Keep your eyes
peeled for the Great Auk, which sits on a
rock out in the ocean not far from Nau-
thólsvík (the beach).
2013: Nauthólsvík – Fossvogsdalur
2012: Nauthólsvík – Fossvogsdalur
Best Place to go to a Movie
Sambíóin Álfabakka, Mjódd
For the record, we know that there are
several downtown cinemas that are bet-
ter for art-house film, or for what one of
our panellists terms “proper movies.” We
know. But sometimes, all you want out of
a film-going experience is popcorn. And
maybe some explosions. And if that’s
the place you’re in, then there is no bet-
ter cinema than Sambíó’s VIP Theater
at Álfabakki. Why, you ask? Well. The
VIP cinema—which exclusively screens
coma-brain, Blockbuster-type mov-
ies, BTW—has only forty seats, all Lazy
Boy-style recliners with excellent sight-
lines. More importantly, there is a serve-
yourself bin of fresh popcorn and a soda
machine Right. In. The. Theatre. You’ll
pay 2,000 ISK for a VIP ticket—and there
won’t be any intermission, so no bath-
room break—but if you’re strategic, you’ll
definitely get your money’s worth in
snackage. And since the theatre is locat-
ed next to a bus station in Breiðholt, you’ll
get the added bonus of seeing a bit of the
Reykjavík suburbs. 101 meet 109.
2013: Bíó Paradís
Best Romantic Walk
Grótta
For the third year in a row, our panellists
deemed Grótta the best romantic walk.
Although we don’t know how many of
them have actually taken their signifi-
cant others to Grótta, it’s easy to see why
it keeps taking the cake. Grótta is an is-
land at the tip of Seltjarnarnes, which
features a picturesque lighthouse. If your
timing is good, the tide will be low and
you can stroll over hand-in-hand, take a
seat on the rocks and look out across the
ocean whilst dreaming about what’s on
your horizon. Do note, however, that the
island is off limits during nesting season.
2013: Grótta
2012: Grótta
2011: Grasagarðurinn
2010: Sæbraut
2009: Öskjuhlíð
Best Place To
Go For A Jog
Ægissíða
The path along Ægissíða has run circles
around its competition, earning the po-
sition of being the best place for a jog
for the third year in a row. This coastal
path caters to all types of workouts. If
you're taking it easy, the ocean view and
the charming houses provide a pleasant
backdrop while motivating you to keep
at it. Breaks can be taken at the old fish-
ing station, the ice cream shop, a water
fountain, or at one of the many benches
or picnic tables if the weather allows it. If
you're revving to go, running east along
the long path will keep you off the streets
and afford nice views of Bessastaðir (the
President’s residence), Perlan, and the
Fossvogur bay while you’re at it. You can
then reward yourself with a dip at Nau-
thólsvík before having to head back.
2013: Ægissíða
2012: Ægissíða
2011: Laugardalur
2010: Laugardalur
2009: Elliðaárdalur
Best Place to Enjoy
a Zen Moment
Elliðaárdalur
Step out of the urban landscape and
briefly return to nature in Elliðaárdalur,
a valley smack dab in the middle of the
city. Though not a full-sized forest, this
place instils a feeling of the sublime with
its natural beauty. Climb the waterfall
and watch the sunlight create a menag-
erie of colours on the water. Walk upon
the paths and you feel like you're taking a
stroll through a fairytale land. Host a pic-
nic and keep an eye out for foxes smack-
ing their lips for a bite of your sandwich.
It will be hard to step out of the trees and
back into the concrete jungle, but know
that you will always be able to go back to
it.
2013: Tjörnin
2012: Öskjuhlíð
2011: Húsdýragarðurinn
2010: Alþingi
2009: Reykjavík Botanical Gardens
Best Shock-Walk
5 AM Laugavegur
Maybe this walk isn’t as shocking as a
trip through a haunted house on Hallow-
een with a dude dressed up like Leather-
face chasing you through the halls with a
chainsaw, but we’d like to think it’s better
that way. You can see people stumbling
home, or maybe out to the next bar, and
interesting conversations are sure to
abound. And hey, maybe you’ll shocked
at the relatively common sight of a couple
getting it on in the street, but you should
be used to that now.
2013: 5:00 AM Laugavegur
Best Place To Cheer Up
Tjörnin
Iceland routinely ranks among the top
ten happiest countries in the world, but
that doesn’t mean that we don’t feel down
sometimes. When that happens, it's best
to stroll over to the town pond, Tjörnin.
On a beautiful day, the lake's surface
glistens as it reflects the sky above. The
ducks break the illusion of a second sky,
but they are adorable little quackers, even
when fighting for the bread people throw
at them. (Please don't do this! It's really
bad for them.) Even when the weather
is feeling gloomy, too, the pond has a se-
rene calm to it that soothes the nerves.
Whether to watch the ducks or just walk
the edge to ponder (heh) your innermost
thoughts, every visit will leave you in
greater spirits.
2013: Húsdýragarðurinn
2012: Tjörnin
2011: Nauthólsvík
2010: Húsdýragarðurinn
2009: Húsdýragarðurinn
Best Place to Read a Book
The National/
University Library
For those of you who want to read your
book with some background noise and
chatter, there are many fabulous cafes
around the city for you to choose from.
But if you need a distraction-free zone
to finish that last chapter, we suggest
you make the radical choice to read in
a library. The National/University Li-
brary, in particular. Its windowed corner
nooks have loungers and foot rests so you
can get comfy, and none of the students
will look askance at you if you kick off
your shoes (pretty much everyone goes
around in their socks). There’s also an
extensive A/V collection with Icelandic
and foreign music, sound recordings,
films and documentaries that you can
use on-site and a café downstairs if you
get peckish.
2013: Stofan
2012: Stofan
Best Day Trip
from Reykjavík
Snæfellsnes
Often referred to as “miniature Iceland,”
Snæfellsnes contains all of Iceland’s great
natural sights, just on a somewhat small-
er scale. You could easily spend days or
even weeks exploring the area (and we
recommend that you do!), but if you only
have time for a day trip, the peninsula is
just a few hours’ drive from Reykjavík
and it certainly has a lot to offer. “Snæfell-
snes is an awesome day trip because you
can see so many things in a short period
of time: fjords, the amazing glacier, fish-
ing villages where you can buy fresh fish
right off the boat, lots of lava, and hot
springs. Not to mention, there are some
great hikes,” one of our panellists sums it
up succinctly. “All of that makes Snæfell-
snes the best day trip of all!”
2013: Reykjadalur
2012: Mosfellsbær and Esja
Best Place To
Watch The Sunset
Perlan
This was not an easy choice, as Reykja-
vík is filled with picturesque locations to
watch the sun go down, such as the park
benches at Ægissíða or the footbath at
Grótta, but ultimately Perlan was select-
ed as the winner. Why? Because it sits on
top of a hill, has a 360° deck and big glass
windows, making it suitable to see the
sunset, no matter the season or weather.
Best People-Watching Spot
Second Floor Window Seats,
Eymundsson on Austurstræti
Most of us like a good session of people
watching occasionally, but no one likes
that moment when you’re staring at
strangers walking by and then they
turn and catch you creeping on them.
It’s totally awkward. But there’s an easy
solution: do your people watching from
an elevated vantage point, such as the
second-floor window seats in the Ey-
mundsson Bookstore on Austurstræti,
where you can spy without fear of discov-
ery. You can compliment your voyeurism
with a hot drink from the bookstore café,
but our panellists point out that you can
do your spying for free, too. “You don’t
have to buy anything,” said one. “And
there’s WiFi and magazines.” Sounds like
a nice little Saturday afternoon to us.
2013: Booths at Hressó
Best Graveyard
to Hangout In
Hólavallagarður Cemetery
Consecrated in 1838, Hólavallagarður is
all twisting pathways and moss-covered
stones, rambling roots and crumbling
obelisks. As well as being the final resting
place of notable Icelanders, such as na-
tional hero Jón Sigurðsson and beloved
expressionist painter Johannes Kjarval,
memorials to Faroese and French sailors
lost in Icelandic waters can also be found
there. It’s beautiful no matter the season,
with tulips and seasonal blossoms plant-
ed around headstones in the spring, and
memorial candles placed on the graves at
Christmastime.
2013:Hólavallagarður Cemetery
Best Cheap Thrill
Sea Swimming at Nauthólsvík
Going sea swimming in Iceland will make
for an amazing story to tell your friends,
and dedicated practitioners agree that al-
ternating between the icy ocean and the
toasty hot pot has numerous health ben-
efits. In the wintertime, you can borrow
neoprene boots and gloves from the ser-
vice desk (these make a huge difference),
and you can treat yourself to a cup of co-
coa from the snack bar afterwards. Fact:
it gets worse before it gets better.
2013: City Library
Best Place To Spend
Outdoor Time With Kids
Húsdýragarðurinn
Reykjavík’s ‘zoo’ (and the attached fam-
ily fun park with its zip lines, trampolines
and rides) is basically where happiness
was born and where it returns periodi-
cally to get jazzed up all over again. There
are bunnies. There are horses. There are
sheep and cows and roosters and arctic
foxes and reindeer and enormous pigs
and some random cats that seem to kind
of live there. And, of course, there are
goats (our favourite!). It’s a magical place
to go in the spring when the place is just
lousy with tiny, baby cute things, but
there’s fun to be had year-round, such as
horse rides for kids on weekend and holi-
day afternoons. Make sure to check the
day’s schedule to find out when all the
animals will be fed (watching the seals
catch the whole fish that are flung at
them is a total, unfettered joy), as well as
the ‘running of the pigs’ from their hold-
ing pen to a nearby field. Dee-lightful. If
you don’t have a kid to take with you (and
can’t borrow one for the day), we won’t
judge you if you go alone.
2013: Fjölskyldugarðurinn
2012: Lynghagaróló Playground
Best Of Reykjavík! 24
The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 10 — 2014