Reykjavík Grapevine - 04.05.2007, Side 30

RVK_GV_INFO_ISSUE 05_2007_MISC_B15B14_RVK_GV_INFO_ISSUE 05_2007_ULTIMATE SURVIVAL GUIDE
Services
Useful Numbers
Emergency number: 112
Police: 569 9000
Medical help: 1770
Dental emergency: 575 0505
AA: 551 2010
Information: 118
Telegrams: 146
Tax Free Refund
Iceland Refund,
Aðalstræti 2, Tel: 564 6400
www.icelandrefund.com
Laundry Service
HI Hostel, Sundlaugarvegur 34,
Tel: 553 8110, www.hostel.is
Úðafoss, Vitastígur 13,
Tel: 551 2301, www.udafoss.is
Post Office
Post offices are located around the
city as well as in the countryside.
The downtown post office is at
Pósthússtræti 3-5. For a full list and
info on opening hours visit www.
posturinn.is.
Stamps are also sold in bookstores,
gas stations, some grocery stores and
tourist shops.
Embassies and Consulates
in Iceland
United States, Laufásvegur 21,
Tel: 562 9100
United Kingdom, Laufásvegur 31,
Tel: 550 5100
Russia, Garðastræti 33,
Tel: 551 5156
China, Víðimelur 29,
Tel: 552 6751
For a full list visit Ministry for Foreign
Affairs: www.mfa.is/diplomatic-mis-
sions/icelandic-missions/
Internet Access
Most coffeehouses have wireless
Internet access.
Computers with Internet connections
are available at:
Ráðhúskaffi City Hall, Tjarnargata 11
BSÍ Bus Terminal,
Vatnsmýrarvegur 10
Ground Zero, Vallarstræti 10
The Reykjavík City Library,
Tryggvagata 15
The National and University Li-
brary, Arngrímsgata 3
Tourist Information Centre,
Aðalstræti 2
Icelandic Travel Market: Bankastræti 2
Opening hours
Bars and clubs: According to regula-
tions bars may be open until 01:00 on
weekdays and 05:30 on weekends.
Shops: Mon-Fri 10-18, Sat 10-16, Sun
closed. The shopping centres Kringlan
and Smáralind as well as most super-
markets and tourist shops have longer
opening hours.
Swimming pools: weekdays
06:30-22:30, weekends 08:00-20:30
although some may be open an hour
longer.
The State owned ÁTVR liquor
stores: Mon-Thu 11-18, Fri 11-19, Sat
11-18.
Banks in the centre are open Mon-Fri
09-16.
Getting Around
Public transport
The only public transport system in
Reykjavík is the bus. Most busses run
every 20 minutes and price per fare is
250 ISK for adults and 75 ISK for chil-
dren. Complete route map at: www.
bus.is. Tel: 540 2700
Busses run from 07:00-24:00 on
weekdays and 10:00-24:00 on week-
ends
Rent a bike
Borgarhjól, Hverfisgata 50,
Tel: 551 5653, www.borgarhjol.net
HI Hostel, Sundlaugarvegur 34,
Tel: 553 8110, www.hostel.is
Tourist Information Centre,
Aðalstræti 2, Tel: 590 1550,
www.visitreykjavik.is
Taxi
Hreyfill-Bæjarleiðir,
Tel: 553 3500 or 588 5522
BSR, Tel: 561 0000
For disabled travellers
Reykjavík Group Travel Service,
Brunastaðir 3, Tel: 587 8030, www.
randburg.com/is/reykjavik_group_trav-
el_service/
A useful brochure, Accessible Reykja-
vík, can be found at tourist offices.
Car rentals
Átak Car Rental, Smiðjuvegur 1,
Tel: 554 6040
ALP, Dugguvogur 10, Tel: 562 6060
Avis, Knarravogi 2, Tel: 591 4000
Eurocar, Hjallahraun 9, Tel: 565 3800
A.G Car Rental, Tangarhöfði 8-12.
Tel: 587 5544
Atlas Car Rental, Dalshraun 9,
Tel: 565 3800
Berg Car Rental, Tangarhöfða 8,
Tel: 577 6050
Hertz, Flugvallavegur, Tel: 505 0600
Airlines
Air Iceland, Reykjavíkurflugvöllur,
Tel: 570 3030, www.flugfelag.is
Air Vestmannaeyjar, Tel: 481 3255,
www.eyjaflug.is
Bus Terminal
BSÍ, Vatnsmýrarvegur 10,
Tel: 562 1011, www.bsi.is
Samferda.net
A reasonable choice for the budget
traveller. You log on to the website
www.samferda.net, choose your
destination and hopefully find a travel
buddy to share the cost.
The Intercultural Centre
The Intercultural Centre throws oc-
casional cultural events and confer-
ences but its main purpose is to be an
information and counselling centre
and serve as an advocate for the rights
of immigrants in Iceland.
Hverfisgata 18, Tel: 530 9300
www.ahus.is
Icelandic Travel Market
Bankastræti 2, Tel: 510 5700,
www.kleif.is
Information on day tours, accommo-
dations, car rental and everything else
you need to know when travelling in
Iceland.
Iceland Visitor
Lækjargata 2, Tel: 511 2442,
www.icelandvisitor.com
A travel agency offering travelling
package trips and custom-made tours
as well as car rental, day tours and
accommodations for visitors.
Tourist Information Centre
Aðalstræti 2, Tel: 590 1550,
www.visitreykjavik.is
Offers information for tourists as well
as providing internet access, booking
service, a phone centre, money ex-
change service, tax refund and selling
the Reykjavík Tourist Card. The Reykja-
vík Tourist Card gives admission to city
busses, various museums, Reykjavík
swimming pools, The Family Park and
Reykjavík Zoo, The Culture House and
the National and University Library.
The Icelandic Tourist Board
Lækjargata 3, Tel: 535 5500,
www.visiticeland.com
All information needed before travel-
ling in Iceland.
Goethe Institute
Túngata 14, Tel: 561 5921,
www.goethe.de/island
A cultural institute that offers movie
screenings, lectures and German
language courses.
Nordic House
Sturlugata 5, Tel: 551 7030,
www.nordice.is
The Nordic cultural centre organises
various cultural events, conferences
and exhibitions.
All major tourist spots in Reykjavík also
offer brochures, maps and information
for travellers.
Useful Information
Where to learn Icelandic as a
foreign language
Icelandic on the Internet,
www.vefskoli.is
Mímir Continuing Education,
Skeifán 8, Tel: 580 1800, www.mimir.is
Námsflokkar Reykjavíkur,
Fríkirkjuvegur 1, Tel: 551 2992
Fjölmenning, Laugavegur 59,
Tel: 511 1319, www.fjolmenning.is
The Icelandic College of Engineer-
ing and Technology, Höfðabakki 9,
Tel: 577 1400, www.thi.is
Iðnskólinn í Reykjavík,
Skólavörðuholti, Tel: 552 6240,
www.ir.is
The University of Iceland – Depart-
ment of Continuing Education,
Dunhagi 7, Tel: 525 4924,
www.endurmenntun.is
Religious movements
The national church in Iceland is the
Evangelical Lutheran Church. Masses
are generally held on Sundays at 11:00
in churches all around the capital.
Service in English is at Hallgrímskirkja
every last Saturday each month, start-
ing at 14:00. The Roman Catholic
Church also has masses in English and
Polish.
Other religious movements in Reykja-
vík are for example:
The Muslim Association of Iceland,
Ármúli 38
Ásatrú Association, Grandagarði 8
Bahá’í, Álfabakka 12
The Church of Evangelism,
Hlíðasmári 9
The Icelandic Buddhist Movement,
Víghólastígur 21
Reykjavík Free Lutheran Church,
Fríkirkjuvegur 5
Pentecostal Assembly, Hátún 2
Roman Catholic Church,
Hávallagata 14
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-
Day Saints, Ásabraut 2
Jehovah’s Witnesses, Sogavegur 71
Seventh-Day Adventists,
Suðurhlíð 36

Zen Buddhism in Iceland,
Reykjavíkurvegur 31
Independent Church,
Háteigsvegur 101
The Russian Orthodox Church in
Iceland, Sólvallagata 10
The Cross, Hlíðasmári 5-7
Trade Unions
The Icelandic Federation of Labour,
Sætún 1, Tel: 535 5600, www.asi.is
The Federation of State and Mu-
nicipal employees, Grettisgata 89,
Tel: 525 8300, www.bsrb.is
The Association of Academics, Bor-
gartún 6, Tel: 581 2090, www.bhm.is
Efling, Sætún 1, Tel: 510 7500,
www.efling.is
The Commercial Workers’ Union,
Kringlan 7, Tel: 510 1700, www.vr.is
Union of Public Servants, Grettis-
gata 89, Tel: 525 8340, www.sfr.is
Useful Websites
www.visitreykjavik.is (The official
tourist website of Reykjavík)
www.gayice.is (Information about
the gay scene in Iceland)
www.fjolmenningarsetur.is
(The Multicultural Centre)
www.hostel.is
(Hostel International in Iceland)
www.vinnumalastofnun.is
(Public employment services)
www.gulalinan.is (The yellow pages)
www.leigulistinn.is (Rent a flat)
www.simaskra.is
(Icelandic telephone directory)
Where to get Work and residence permit: The
Directorate of Immigration, Skógarhlíð
6, Tel: 510 5400, www.utl.is.
Insurance and benefits: The State
Social Security Institute, Laugavegur
114-116, Tel: 560 4400, www.tr.is
Icelandic citizenship: Unless you
come from a Nordic country, foreign
citizens have to have had an unre-
stricted residence permit in Iceland for
at least seven years in order to get an
Icelandic citizenship although some
exceptions exist to that general rule.
Applications are at the Ministry of
Justice and Ecclesiastical Affairs,
Skuggasund, Tel: 545 9000,
www.domsmalaraduneyti.is
Unemployment benefits: Director-
ate of Labour, Public Employment
Service, Tryggvagata 17, Tel: 515 4800,
www.vinnumalastofnun.is
Icelandic social security number
(kennitala): National Register, Bor-
gartún 30, Tel: 560 9800,
www.hagstofa.is
Driver’s license: Those who have a
foreign license don’t need an Icelandic
one for the first six months. After that
time you have one month to apply for
an Icelandic driver’s license. Applica-
tions are at police stations.
Tax card: Tax office, Laugavegur 166,
Tel: 563 1100, www.rsk.is
Rent subsidies: Social Service Office,
Tryggvagata 17, Tel: 411 9000 www.
felagsthjonustan.is
Facts on Iceland
Iceland is a constitutional repub-
lic with slightly more than 300,000
inhabitants. Reykjavík has been the
country’s capital since 1786 and today
almost two-thirds of the population
live in the greater capital area.
The 17th of June 1944 Iceland
became an independent republic.
That day is the national holiday and is
celebrated all around the country.
Alþingi, the national parliament,
is the oldest assembly in the world,
established at Þingvellir in 930 but
restored in Reykjavík in 1844. The par-
liament is comprised of 63 members,
who are elected by popular vote every
four years. Icelandic citizens over 18
years of age have the legal right to
vote.
Parliamentary elections were last
held in 2003 with 33.7 percent of
votes going to the Independence
Party. The Social Democratic Alliance
got 31 percent, the Progressive Party
17.7 percent, the Leftist-Greens 8.8
percent and the Liberal Party 7.4 per-
cent. The Independence Party and the
Progressive Party formed a coalition
and together lead the government.
Iceland has 12 ministers with the
prime minister and head of govern-
ment being Geir H. Haarde, who is
also chairman of the Independence
Party. The President of Iceland is Ólafur
Ragnar Grímsson, who has been in
office since 1996. He is the Chief of
State although his duties are mostly
ceremonial.
Time Zone: GMT 0
Currency: Íslensk króna (ISK).
International Dialling Code: +354
Weather: Average temperature dur-
ing summer is around 10ºC and winter
0ºC. For information on weather in
Iceland visit www.vedur.is or Tel: 902
0600.
Cultural Centres and
Tourist Offices
23. February 2007 – 26. May 2007
DAMIEN PEYRET
swim and steam
JO DUCHENE
colours of the housescape
MADE IN ICELAND
What´s on? www.getrvk.com
Lögrétta, the Law Students’ Association at
the University of Reykjavík, in cooperation
with the University’s Faculty of Law and the
Intercultural Centre, recently started offer-
ing legal counselling for immigrants and
people of foreign origin living in Iceland.
The service is open to all free of charge and
is run by law students who volunteer their
time and assistance.
The project was initiated on March 21,
after a group of students had been discuss-
ing the idea of providing free legal aid to
those who might need it the most. By help-
ing immigrants with legal problems, wheth-
er they are seeking advice on work permits,
need someone to explain their legal rights
or are reporting criminal violations, the stu-
dents want to welcome new residents set-
tling in the country by helping them protect
their rights.
“With this project we want to give back
to the society and, in the meantime, we are
earning experience in the practice, by com-
municating with the people and finding
ways to assist them,” Árni Freyr Árnason,
the project’s manager, tells the Grapevine.
The Lögrétta legal service is located on
the fifth floor at the Intercultural Centre on
Hverfisgata 18 and is open on Wednesdays
from 17-21. Five to six students are work-
ing each time and treat everyone who might
need legal help. The service has operated for
six weeks now and during that time they’ve
taken on plenty of cases, both small claims
as well as serious problems.
“We handle all issues, for example those
regarding the process of starting a company,
settling conflicts with the landlord or how
to get citizenship or work permits,” Árni
explains. “What we can do varies from cli-
ent to client. Sometimes we write letters,
explaining the clients’ legal rights, but on
other occasions, the claims have been more
complicated and we have had to recom-
mend that the client hire a lawyer to work
on the case. We’ve also been working on
one very spiteful human rights violation, in
which case we advised that person to go
straight to the police and file a report.”
Árni emphasises how urgent it is to
provide this kind of free assistance to im-
migrants as, when moving to a new coun-
try, you can be faced with various problems.
“Many immigrants don’t know their legal
rights, don’t know where to go to get all
the information they need or where to seek
help if they’ve been mistreated. It can be
hard to start a new life in a foreign country,
especially if you don’t speak the language,”
he adds.
Asked what is done if the individual
who needs help dealing with legal problems
doesn’t speak Icelandic or English, Árni says
they will hire an interpreter to work on the
case with them. No one is warned off, and
seeing how many claims the students have
taken on in such a short period of time, it’s
clearly an important matter. The legal service
will operate every week in the future, and as
long as the University’s Faculty of Law exists,
Árni says the Lögrétta legal service will be
run by the students.
Free Legal Counselling
Text by Steinunn Jakobsdóttir Photo by Skari
Rachel Moloney is a series editor for
Wallpaper* City Guides, a travel book series
published by the Wallpaper* magazine and
Phaidon Press.
Launched in November 2006, the
Wallpaper* City Guide series provides
insights and tips for design-conscious
travellers on excursions through cities like
New York, London or Buenos Aires. This
May, ten new Wallpaper* City Guides will
be published, bringing the number of cities
covered so far to 40. Next October, Reykjavík
will be one of ten new cities added to the
series.
“Everything is very confident and full
of attitude here in Reykjavík,” Moloney
said when a Grapevine reporter met her
on a recent scouting trip for the guidebook
in Reykjavík. “There is a confident café
culture and bar culture, except maybe for
the design bar culture, people seem to lack
a little confidence in that area. It is such a
developed scene in London and New York
and I guess we are just used to it. But it is
a recent phenomenon in Reykjavík and it
looks like people are still getting used to the
glamour of it. People just seem very self-
conscious. There is a little fish-out-of-water-
feeling to it.”
Moloney spent a week in Reykjavík and
the surrounding area in preparation for the
Reykavík guide, getting acquainted with
the city and the culture. Among the places
that impressed her most was Hótel Búðir, a
small country hotel, located on Snæfellsnes,
about two-hours out of Reykjavík. “It was
absolutely fantastic, I can’t recommend it
enough,” Moloney describes it. “A lot of
people do think that Iceland is this backwater,
not so much Reykjavík, but the country,
and they don’t realise how sophisticated it
is. At Búðir, you are literally in the middle
of nowhere, but judging from the interior,
you could be in the middle of a modern
city. It is very, very cool. There is this unique
mixture with the design and looking at the
[Snæfellsjökull] glacier out the window.
There is a very unusual atmosphere or vibe
to it.”
While Hótel Búðir was one of the nicest
surprises of her trip, she was also duly
impressed with the Hótel Home Apartments,
a studio apartment hotel that emphasises
chic décor and design. “It is very designed,
it was probably the high point of my trip.”
When asked for advice for places to visit,
Moloney suggested Hallgrímskirkja and the
surrounding area, such as the swimming
pool Sundhöllin, the ASÍ Museum, and
the Einar Jónsson Museum, all located
within a hundred metres of each other on
Skólavörðuholt. “I met two young kids
from Edinburgh by Hallgrímskirkja and I
asked them what they most enjoyed about
the city. For them it was really just walking
around and doing a bit of everything. That
is what is so great about this city, you can do
a bit of everything right here in the centre.
Take a swim, enjoy a coffee, go to the shops
and a museum and then go to club. You can
do a hell of a lot here in one day and that is
what is so enchanting about this city.
The Design Guide to Reykjavík
Text by Sveinn Birkir Björnsson Photo by Skari