Reykjavík Grapevine - 01.07.2016, Page 54

Open 11:30-22:00
saegreif inn. is
Geirsgata 8 • 101 Reykjavík • Tel. 553 1500 • seabaron8@gmail.com
An absolute
must-try!
Saegreifinn restaurant (Sea Baron) is like none other
in Iceland; a world famous lobster soup and a diverse
fish selection.
Rainy Day:
The Pool
You’re thinking this should be over
on the sunny side. But trust us,
there is nothing better than be-
ing in a warm pool while refresh-
ingly cold drops of rain plunk down
upon you. You don’t have to remain
indoors just because of grey skies
and stormy weather. And when
it comes to finding a convenient
pool, Reykjavík’s got ya covered!
Stofan coffeehouse
Coffee shops—they’re just about
everywhere. But for an overcast
day you want a cosy hide-away.
With its exposed brick walls, hang-
ing tapestries and velvet green
armchairs, Stofan delivers the per-
fect ambience for finally reading
that Russian novel you're always
going on about finishing. Down-
stairs boasts a bar, cabinet of card
and board games and a projector,
which screens football matches.
Bíó Paradís
The eclectic, vintage-inspired mov-
ie theatre is located in the soul of
downtown Reykjavík, making it the
perfect location to duck in quickly,
out of that troublesome rain (I
mean really, who does it think it is).
Make sure to take in the walls dedi-
cated to unique posters of classic
movies. Bíó Paradís (a direct trans-
lation of Cinema Paradiso) tends
to show indie and arthouse films,
and are also currently screening a
series of classic Icelandic movies.
This means that although you may
not be presently experiencing the
culture on the streets of Reykjavík,
you’re still getting a taste of Icelan-
dic cinema history, all the while re-
maining dry and toasty!
Bókin, used bookstore
If you emerge from the movie
theatre with that pesky rain still
hounding you—never fear, just
down the block from Bíó Paradís
sits Bókin, a wonderful used book
store. Meander through rows of
vintage books, minding your step,
as piles of old maps and photo-
graphs tend to jump out from be-
hind stacks of more books. Found-
ed in 1964, it the shop was Bobby
Fischer’s favorite bookstore.
Pretend to be a University of Iceland
Student
Bear with me. Make your way
through whatever hellish down-
pour (be it sleet, snow, rain, or a
concoction of the like with which
Loki has found amusing to trouble
you) is currently taking place out-
side and onto the University of
Iceland campus. Once here, you’re
golden. Check out the National Mu-
seum of Iceland, which gives a solid
historic overview of the country. It
also presently houses the great ex-
hibition ‘A Woman’s Place…’, focus-
ing on the working lives of women
from 1915 up until 2015. Snag some
postcards from the gift shop (and
by snag I mean purchase legally
and in an orderly fashion) and
head to the cafeteria. Here you can
sit and scribble underhanded jibes
to friends who aren’t traveling to
marvelous locales, and watch the
goings-ons of your average Ice-
landic college student (they are
strange yet majestic creatures, if
at first a bit standoffish). The uni-
versity cafeteria has a coffee shop,
bookstore and food market; peruse
at your leisure. After the postcards
are written and you are properly
fed, head around the corner to Stú-
dentakjallarinn (“The Student Cel-
lar”), the campus bar. They have
great happy hour prices and host
ongoing events (from live music
to pub quizzes to popcorn movie
nights), and serve wonderful veg-
etarian options.
Sun:
Picnic places
If the sun is exceptionally good,
we recommend a picnic. Prepare a
lunch at home and bring a blanket
to downtown Reykjavík. If you’re
are interested in people-watching,
Austurvöllur is the best picnic
spot. Stop by the liquor store at
Austurstræti and grab a few beers
(Víking Lite Lime or Sommersby is
recommended) and enjoy the sun.
This is the most inexpensive pre-
party trick in Reykjavík. However,
if you are looking for a more quiet
or private picnic place, Klambratún
should be your pick. It’s close to
downtown as well and has a frolf
(frisbee golf) course, a playground
and a grill.
Bicycle rental
If you have no driver’s licence or
are not fond of any horsepow-
ers other than your own, you can
also explore Iceland by bike. You
can either stay in the city area or
pedal out to glimpse the country’s
wilderness. Cycling is a perfect
way to see interesting landmarks
and sights around Reykjavík—es-
pecially the ones outside walking
distance from downtown. What is
more, with bicycle ride you have
exploring and training 2 in 1!
Sunbathing
The average July temperature in
the southern part of the Iceland
is 10–13 °C (50–55 °F). Warm sum-
mer days can reach 20–25 °C (68–77
°F). Icelanders are happy for every
sunny day that their cold oceanic
climate provides them, as they en-
joy themselves laying on the grass
in parks and wearing thin sum-
mer clothing. Though tourists,
commonly dressed in winter jack-
ets, watch with amazement, they
should really try to adapt to the
conditions and enjoy the nordic
summer. There are many beautiful
parks and pools in Reykjavík where
you can just relax and enjoy the
sun. However, if the weather hap-
pens to be amazing (might happen
once a year), Nauthólsvík beach is
the spot.
Day tours
When it comes to day tours, Ice-
land can provide something for
everyone. Start by riding towards
sunset in the saddle of an Icelan-
dic horse, or watching gigantic
whales bathing in the ocean, and
finish with the classic Golden Cir-
cle tour. The ones who are looking
for something more extreme can
climb down to a volcano’s belly,
dive between tectonic plates, do
some glacier hiking or explore ice
caves.
Tinder dates
Tinder isn’t JUST for looking for
one-night stands. It is actually pos-
sible to use Tinder to meet some
pretty cool and friendly people who
can show you around and take you
to fun and cool places only known
by locals. You can add information
to your Tinder profile and mention
that you are not into meaningless
relationships but rather looking
for new friends and fellow adven-
turers, that way there will be no
misunderstandings. But if you, by
any chance, are looking for love
then what would be more romantic
than a date under Iceland’s mid-
night sun?
SHARE: gpv.is/guide9
Guides Where do we go now?
What to do on a
rainy or sunny day
Words KELLEY REES
54The Reykjavík GrapevineIssue 7 — 2016
WORDS OF
INTEREST
Áfram
Ísland!
Words & Images: EUNSAN HUH
The Icelandic football team has been front and centre of every sports sec-
tion lately for their record-setting feat in the Euro Cup. An estimated
20,000 Icelanders are registered in football clubs, making it the most pop-
ular sport in the country.
But before soccer took centre stage, the most recognized Icelandic
sport was handball. There are fewer registered handball players (around
10,000), but the men’s handball team took home the silver medal at the
2008 Olympics, and the bronze medal in the 2010 European Champion-
ship.
Despite their popularity and accomplishments, neither soccer nor
handball are the national sport of Iceland. That honour goes to “glíma” or
“wrestling.” While not as many people actually partake in “glíma,” it has
deep roots in Viking tradition. It came over with the first Norwegian set-
tlers, and according to the Sagas, a man’s physical strength was not only a
necessity for survival, but also a source of pride and respect.
It’s no wonder then that Iceland holds the record for most number of
championships won in the World’s Strongest Man competition. Magnús
Ver Magnússon and Jón Páll Sigmarsson crushed it in the 90s, claiming
four victories each. And who can forget Hafþór Björnsson, “The Moun-
tain” on ‘Game of Thrones’, who, earlier this year, broke a 1000-year-old
record for carrying a colossal log weighing 650kg (1433lbs).
#Icelandsmites indeed.
Every Single Word in Icelandic (http://everysingleword.is) is a pictographic ex-
ploration of the Icelandic language. I find an interesting compound word, then
deconstruct and illustrate it as icons. The goal is to express how Icelandic can
be deadpan literal and unexpectedly poetic at the same time.