Reykjavík Grapevine - 03.06.2016, Blaðsíða 32

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uno is the perfect place to start
a good day or end a great evening
Reykjavík is full of family-friendly
activities if you know where to
look. So you can avoid asking ran-
dom parents pushing their vintage
strollers for advice, here’s a list to
guide you through the day.
SWIMMING POOLS
You can start your day by going to
one of our wonderful pools. It’s not
only a great way to have fun with
your kids, it also cleans them re-
ally well so there’s no need to risk
an early-evening scream session
by the bathtub when the little ones
are tired after a fun-filled day.
Most pools open at 6:30 in the
morning on weekdays. So it’s a
perfect post-breakfast activity for
early birds. Insider’s note: Icelan-
dic parents sometimes take their
kids to the pool for a quick splash
right after dinner and dress them
in their pyjamas when they leave
the pool, then drive home and put
the kids straight to bed.
To see which pool is closest to
you, check your nearest tourist in-
formation desk.
WHERE TO TAKE KIDS FOR
LUNCH?
Any Icelander will tell you that you
are never as hungry as after a trip
to swimming pool. This is why al-
most every single pool in Reykjavík
has a hot dog stand nearby. While
an occasional hot dog is of course
fine, many parents opt for a more
substantial and healthy meal for
the kids—often while enjoying
great coffee themselves. Where to
go depends on your kid’s age.
Babies and Toddlers: Bergsson
Mathús
The calm atmosphere at Bergsson
Mathús is extremely child-friend-
ly and their weekend brunch is
one of the best in town. Toddlers
playing on the floor is not an un-
common sight and just the sheer
volume of prams outside the res-
taurant should be recommenda-
tion enough.
Preschoolers: Laundromat Café
In the basement at the Laundro-
mat is a large room filled with toys,
books and pillows—so much fun
for the kids to hang out and play in,
while parents have a real conversa-
tion upstairs. The Laundromat is
reasonably priced and is also well
stocked with board games for older
children or adult players.
Schoolkids: Café Babalú
Café Babalú is a charming estab-
lishment on Skólavörðustígur,
filled with gorgeous artefacts
that look like they were found in
a grandparent’s attic. If you want
to see the pillows our grandmoth-
ers sewed in middle school, this
is the place to go. In addition to
serving many great small dishes,
they have—speaking from experi-
ence—the best Nutella cheesecake
in town. Café Babalú has a great se-
lection of board games and just an
overall nice ambiance that anyone
can enjoy.
TJÖRNIN
After a nice lunch, and perhaps a
stroll around downtown, it’s per-
fect to walk down to The Pond
(Tjörnin) and enjoy the birdlife.
Remember that even though some
still feed the birds, the city of Reyk-
javík has asked that we don't, be-
cause bread's not good for them
and it attracts massive numbers
of seagulls, who not only steal the
bread away from the ducks, but
also find their offspring quite deli-
cious.
HLJÓMSKÁLAGARÐUR
If you cross the street that cuts
The Pond in half with a bridge,
you enter one of Reykjavík’s fun-
nest parks, Hljómskálagarðurinn.
Tucked away in the southeast
corner of the park are all kinds of
different outdoor toys for kids—
everything from swing sets for
toddlers to huge rope structures
for bigger kids (and adults!) to
climb in, as well as fields for soccer
or badminton. And if you’re still
in the mood for some food, just
fire up the barbecue! All you need
is some food and coals. The park
boasts a huge barbecue and a great
seating area too.
REYKJAVÍK ZOO AND BOTANIC
GARDENS
Many Icelandic parents visit the
Reykjavík Zoo with their kids. It’s
not your regular zoo with lions and
tigers, it’s a domestic animal zoo
with sheep and chicks and ducks.
They even have a small aquarium
that school kids really like, and
connected to the Zoo is a small
park with rides. Bear in mind that
the Reykjavík Zoo is by no means a
spectacular establishment. While
the rides are not pricey many of
them bear signs of corporate spon-
sorship. The coffee isn’t all that
great either and many opt to skip
the Zoo all together and go to the
Botanic Gardens—where they do
have great coffee, at Café Flora, and
wonderful outdoor picnic areas
surrounded by the gorgeous flora
of Iceland.
REYKJAVÍK CITY LIBRARY
Many of the aforementioned op-
tions work much better in nice
weather, but as we say in Iceland:
There is no bad weather, just lousy
clothing. If you don’t subscribe
to our philosophy, a great way to
spend an afternoon is to hang out
in the children’s department at the
Reykjavík City Library. Take the el-
evator to the second floor and im-
merse yourself in books and edu-
cational toys. And for the toddlers,
there is a huge playpen with all
kinds of toys, so children of all ages
can find something to enjoy.
SHARE: gpv.is/gkids
Guides Where do we go now?
The Parent's Guide
To Spending A Day In
Reykjavík
Words JÓHANNA PÉTURSDÓTTIR
31The Reykjavík GrapevineIssue 7 — 2016