Reykjavík Grapevine - 04.03.2016, Side 26

The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 3 — 2016
ArtisAn BAkery
& Coffee House
Open everyday 6.30 - 21.00
Laugavegur 36 · 101 reykjavik
LÓABRATORIUM BY
LÓA HJÁLMTÝSDÓTTIR
HUMANS OF REYKJAVÍK
SMJÖRFLUGA
Three weird tricks
to ensure an elf-blessed
time in Iceland

WORDS: Eli Petzold
PHOTOS: Jói Kjartans & Alisa Kalyanova
Get yourself a Northern Lights timetable: If you've ever
had one of those days where everyone is going on and on
about how beautiful the Aurora were last night, but you
were fast asleep, or busy painting your nails and having a
"me night," then you should report to your nearest tourist
information center and ask for an up-to-date Northern
Lights timetable. This nifty pamphlet provides a pretty
reliable rundown of all the scheduled shows and the best
parts of town to catch them. It can be hard to keep tabs on
the electropseudepigraphacomagnetic waves that bring
about this phenomenon, so it's nice that someone's done
that work for you.

Spend a day at the mall: On a Saturday afternoon, you can
get a really excellent taste of Icelandic culture simply by
walking up and down Laugavegur, but if you want to get the
real inside scoop and brush shoulders with the movers and
shakers of Reykjavík today, spend a day at one of the lovely
malls that dot the outskirts and suburbs beyond 101. I hear
Björk loves to play on the coin-operated Teletubby merry-
go-round thing in Kringlan. Just sayin'.

Order off the secret menu at Bæjarins Beztu: Chances
are you've been told that you'll sound cool ordering “ein
með öllu” at the country's most famous hot dog stand, but
you may have been misled. Not only are you using the nom-
inative “ein” where you should properly use the accusative
“eina,” but you're also missing the lengthy secret menu that
all Reykjavíkings know by heart. Try the lava-dog, a normal
pylsa tucked in a bun lightly dusted with fermented dust
from the 2010 Eyjafjallajökull eruption. Or, if you're feeling
ambitious, there's always the animal-style pylsa! If you ask
nicely, they might give you the full run-down on the secret
menu. Go crazy, buddy! SHARE: gpv.is/tricks01
RVK Tipz
‘n’ Trix
26
The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 3 — 2016
This issue’s human:
Aldís Sif Bjarnadóttir, cashier, 10/11
supermarket on Barónstígur
How long have you been working here?
About three years.
How many bottles of water do tourists buy
here every day?
A tremendous amount.
Have you ever told them they don’t need to buy
bottled water?
Always.
What do tourists usually buy?
It varies a lot. Water, Icelandic chocolate,
liquorice as well. That’s very popular.
What’s the strangest thing you’ve experienced
in dealing with tourists?
A lot of them will buy food from back home,
and would rather make it themselves in
their hotel rooms than go out and try the
local food. I don’t understand that. It’s not
something I’d do if I were traveling abroad.
Who are the best tourists?
Australians. They’re very polite. I mean,
everyone’s polite, but the Australians
especially so. -PF
Every issue, we will interview someone living and working in Reykjavík, so as to share with
you, dear reader, the trials and tribulations of daily life here in the capital.