Reykjavík Grapevine - 03.06.2016, Síða 61

Driving back to Reykjavík from
Hella, we noticed an odd-looking
house on the side of the Ring Road.
It is not unusual to see a geodesic
dome here in Iceland, but some-
thing about this one made us stop
to have a look. It turned out to be a
wise decision.
The house is called “Auðkúla,”
and the charming woman living
there by herself is Gerður Jónas-
dóttir. Architect Einar Þórsteinn,
renowned for this type of build-
ing, designed Auðkúla. Neverthe-
less, it’s Gerður’s personal taste
that has made it into the house it
is today.
After a heartwarming wel-
come, she tells me how she had
the inspiration for her home. “It
was more than 22 years ago, a
month after my husband died. I
was working late one evening. I
was alone, and about to go home,
when it hit me: You have to build
a kúluhús—a bowl house. The idea
came in such a way that I couldn’t
question it.”
When Gerður then told her son,
his first reaction was to ask if she
was crazy. “And I said: I might
just be,” she laughs. “As soon as
someone wants to do something
a little bit different, they are con-
sidered strange. But you shouldn’t
let others decide on what you want
to do. And I don’t mind being a bit
strange.”
Every object in the house has a
story behind it. Some were made
by friends, some by her mother,
and some by Gerður herself. “I
cut the wood,” she says, modestly,
when I compliment her work as I
walk up the stairs.
Today, she enjoys having people
over, which I could feel from her
warm welcome. She’s now on her
fourth guestbook keeping track of
all the people—mostly tourists—
that stop by. The walls crammed
with pictures of smiling faces
show that she’s very proud of her
big family. She has lots of grand-
children and great-grandchildren,
she says: “It’s surprising how
many I have, with just two sons. I
am so rich.”
It has been 29 years since her
husband passed away. I assume
she must have been very young
when it happened, but she laughs:
“I am 87 years old now.” Living in
this peaceful house seems to do
her very well—I wouldn’t have
guessed she was a day over 65.
When I was about to leave she
smiled, told me: “Now you have
some tips for when you live alone.”
I certainly do, and I also know I’ll
stop by her place whenever I’m go-
ing that direction to hear more of
her remarkable stories.
SHARE: gpv.is/audk
Living at Auðkúla
It’s Okay To Be
A Bit Weird
Words JOHANNA PÉTURSDÓTTIR Photos ART BICNICK
As the average
temperature hit a
scorching 9˚ in May,
it’s now time to
wheel out that phe-
nomenal beach bod
you’ve been working on all winter
at Reykjavík’s premier beach re-
sort of Nauthólsvík. Aren’t you
glad now that you didn’t spend the
dark months eating Pringles and
re-watching ‘The West Wing’ on
Netflix? Get your speedos on and
hit the beach already. It’s open
10:00-19:00 daily.
Conveniently located in same the
fjord as Reykjavík, the historic is-
let of Viðey is once more open for
business. It makes a relaxing day
trip for a picnic, a nose around the
church and café, and a stroll under
Esja. The first ferry leaves at
10:15, and then every hour at 15
minutes past the hour, and the
last ferry back to is 18:30.
As always, there are a bunch of
fresh new activities starting up
this summer. Breathe Yoga will
run trips out into the wilderness
for a mindful and relaxing day:
breatheiceland.com. Traustholt-
shólmi is a tiny island where you
can get away from it all, living
from nature, fishing, and trying
not to think about your unread no-
tifications: thh.is. And Sup Adven-
tures are now taking people pad-
dle-boarding around the city’s
coastline: www.supadventures.is.
The highlands are only "kind of"
open. We were in Þorsmörk last
week, and a group of hikers bound
for the famous Fimmvörðuháls
trail returned to the camp early,
saying it was still still snowed in.
However, the crazy high (and crazy
beautiful) Tindfjöll Circle and the
450m Valahnúkur trail are pretty
clear. Just take extra care (and
maybe some walking poles) for
the small snowy sections. Note: if
you’re going to Þórsmörk, you’ll ei-
ther need to take public transport
(via excursions.is), or be comfort-
able crossing glacial rivers.
Words John Rogers
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IN BRIEF
62 The Reykjavík GrapevineIssue 7 — 2016TRAVEL