Reykjavík Grapevine - 15.07.2016, Blaðsíða 54

Reykjavík Grapevine - 15.07.2016, Blaðsíða 54
THE HOUSE AT EYRARBAKKI Árnessýsla folk museum is located in Húsið, the House, historical home of the Danish merchants built in 1765. Húsið is one of the oldest houses in Iceland and a beautiful monument of Eyrarbakki´s time as the biggest trading place on the south coast. Today one can enjoy exhibitions about the story and culture of the region, famous piano, shawl made out of human hair and the kings pot, are among items. Húsið prides itself with warm and homelike atmosphere. The Maritime museum is close by where the beautiful twelve-rower Farsæll is the largest item. A glimpse of the past lives of Eyrarbakki´s villagers is what meets the eye of the guests. Opening hours: May 1st - September 30th daily 11.00-18.00 or by an agreement Tel: +354 483 1504 & +354 483 1082 | husid@husid.com | www.husid.com The House at Eyrarbakki 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. There’s no better way to discover a new city than by foot. Once you get out of the car or bus, everything slows down, but more than that, it gives you more time to think. “I suspect that the mind, like the feet, works at about three miles per hour,” Rebecca Solnit writes in her book ‘Wanderlust: A History of Walking’. “If this is so, then mod- ern life is moving faster than the speed of thought.” In some respects, Reykjavík is a pedestrian’s paradise—the the city is small and can be easily cov- ered by foot. On the other hand, the streets are often winding and lead in unexpected directions, and many Icelanders seem more accus- tomed to driving between destina- tions. Here are some of Reykjavík’s best walking routes that are easily accessible from downtown. The Classics There are some walking paths that need no introduction: the sculp- ture and shore walk by the harbour, for example, or the stroll around Tjörnin. These are perennial fa- vourites, and for good reason. An- other perhaps less well-loved walk is on Öskjuhlíð, the hill most fa- mous for Perlan, the shining pearl on its peak. Take a hike through the wooded area on Öskjuhlíð’s south side down towards Nautshólsvík. Vesturbær The neighbourhood just west of downtown features plenty of cute streets and hidden treasures to discover. From downtown, walk west down Vesturgata before turn- ing left onto Bræðraborgarstígur. Take a gander at the quaint and colourful houses down this street until you reach a beautiful view over the ocean at Faxaskjól. Keep following the road as it turns north and becomes Hofsvallagata, be- fore turning right onto Túngata at the impressive Christ’s Church Cathedral to head back downtown. Along this route you can stop for ice cream at Ísbúð Vesturbær, for a swim at Vesturbæjarlaug, or for a coffee at Kaffihús Vesturbæjar. Beyond Hallgrímskirkja Everyone’s familiar with Skólavörðustígur, the street that leads to Hallgrímskirkja, but the streets around the famous church get a lot less love. Some of my favou- rites for people watching and dis- covering new shops and galleries are Bergstaðarstræti and the more tree- lined Laufásvegur. For the more ad- venturous, turn off Skólavörðustígur onto Njálsgata, and continue across Snorrabraut before turning right onto Rauðarárstígur. After walking a few blocks you’ll hit Klambratún, a big green park that houses Kjar- valsstaðir, a gallery that features the art of Jóhannes Kjarval. Grandi For those with an eye for the more industrial, take a stroll through the up-and-coming Grandi harbour area. If you turn right onto Gran- dagarður after passing through the hubbub of the old harbour area you can wind a big loop through the neighbourhood on foot. Down Ey- jarslóð you’ll find shops and design studios such as Farmers Market, as well as some stunning views of the city and Esjan. For bonus points, stop in at Bryggjan Brughús on your way back downtown for a pint and some good food. Seltjarnarnes This is a bit further out of the way, but the beach, views, and grassy park areas are worth it. If you loop around Seltjarnarnes, a small city on a peninsula just west of Reyk- javík, you’ll find incredible views in all directions. The long, sandy and sheltered beach at the furthest point of this walk is objectively the best place to watch the sun set, and you can cap off your stroll with a trip out to the lighthouse or a soak in the warm foot bath tucked in the rocks on the north shore. The city’s plentiful green space and quirky houses make Seltjarnarnes a fun area to explore. Of course, if you’re looking for less of a choose-your-own ad- venture tour of the city, there are plenty of guided walking tours in Reykjavík. Some favourites include the Reykjavík Music Walk, the city library’s Dark Deeds Walk and the Haunted Walk of Reykjavík. Guides Where do we go now?54 The Reykjavík Grapevine Issue 10 — 2016 What if you could start over, and build a new society from the ground up? That’s the central question posed by the Travelling Embassy of Rockall, a new art installation on the Reykjavík waterfront. To the unwitting passerby, the collection of empty shipping containers that form the installation might not look out of place in the harbour area, but the project has goals that extend far beyond Iceland. “What it has a lot to do with is combating cynicism,” says Allart van der Woude, one of the project’s organizers. “A lot of people that I know, of all age groups and all na- tionalities, have lost faith in politi- cal and spiritual and social narra- tives.” At the Travelling Embassy of Rockall, visitors can image new narratives in a space that is free of any restrictions posed by existing structures or traditions. Rockall is a small, uninhabitable rock off the west coast of Great Britain, and the island has caught many people’s imagination due to its isolation and harsh condi- tions. Over the years, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Denmark and Iceland have all claimed sovereignty over the landmass. “Rockall is, in a way, sort of a game,” Allart says. “We pretend to be this embassy because we want people to imagine a differ- ent kind of place, a different kind of nation, where things can be started anew without them having to proj- ect that onto a space they know.” The “embassy” is composed of eight old shipping containers that have been arranged in an empty lot between downtown and Grandi. In some cases, these containers have been turned into a library, work- shop, bar or art gallery for people to visit from Wednesday to Satur- day. Allart says they plan to host film screenings every Wednesday throughout the summer and week- ly concerts on Friday, as well as other workshops or events as they come along. “We want to offer an accessible level of inspiration,” Allart says about how they curated the event programme. “You want to be able to really identify with the person who is delivering the lecture or or- ganizing the workshop.” In the end, Allart says he hopes people leave the installation feel- ing inspired to tackle the social issues in their communities. “A lot of people want to feel like they have some sort of control or some sort of crafting ability in regards to their environment,” he says. “It re- ally just takes a humble little thing to get people to feel better about themselves and feel as if they can contribute to the community.” The artists behind the Travelling Embassy of Rockall come from all over Europe, from Portugal and the Netherlands to France and, of course, Iceland. Allart says Reykja- vík was chosen as the first location of the installation because it has faced problems relating to resourc- es and economic structures in re- cent years. “These are the themes that we would also encounter if we were to start a society in Rockall,” he says. After Reykjavík, the em- bassy will be travelling to Rotter- dam and Aarhus. The Travelling Embassy of Rockall will be open on Mýrargata until the end of September. For a full overview of their summer programme, visit www.rockall.is. Combating Cynicism On Rockall “We want to offer an accessible level of inspiration.” Words ISAAC WÜRMANN Photo EMBASSY OF ROCKALL A Pedestrian’s Guide To Reykjavík Words ISAAC WÜRMANN Photo ART BICNICK
Blaðsíða 1
Blaðsíða 2
Blaðsíða 3
Blaðsíða 4
Blaðsíða 5
Blaðsíða 6
Blaðsíða 7
Blaðsíða 8
Blaðsíða 9
Blaðsíða 10
Blaðsíða 11
Blaðsíða 12
Blaðsíða 13
Blaðsíða 14
Blaðsíða 15
Blaðsíða 16
Blaðsíða 17
Blaðsíða 18
Blaðsíða 19
Blaðsíða 20
Blaðsíða 21
Blaðsíða 22
Blaðsíða 23
Blaðsíða 24
Blaðsíða 25
Blaðsíða 26
Blaðsíða 27
Blaðsíða 28
Blaðsíða 29
Blaðsíða 30
Blaðsíða 31
Blaðsíða 32
Blaðsíða 33
Blaðsíða 34
Blaðsíða 35
Blaðsíða 36
Blaðsíða 37
Blaðsíða 38
Blaðsíða 39
Blaðsíða 40
Blaðsíða 41
Blaðsíða 42
Blaðsíða 43
Blaðsíða 44
Blaðsíða 45
Blaðsíða 46
Blaðsíða 47
Blaðsíða 48
Blaðsíða 49
Blaðsíða 50
Blaðsíða 51
Blaðsíða 52
Blaðsíða 53
Blaðsíða 54
Blaðsíða 55
Blaðsíða 56
Blaðsíða 57
Blaðsíða 58
Blaðsíða 59
Blaðsíða 60
Blaðsíða 61
Blaðsíða 62
Blaðsíða 63
Blaðsíða 64
Blaðsíða 65
Blaðsíða 66
Blaðsíða 67
Blaðsíða 68
Blaðsíða 69
Blaðsíða 70
Blaðsíða 71
Blaðsíða 72

x

Reykjavík Grapevine

Beinir tenglar

Ef þú vilt tengja á þennan titil, vinsamlegast notaðu þessa tengla:

Tengja á þennan titil: Reykjavík Grapevine
https://timarit.is/publication/943

Tengja á þetta tölublað:

Tengja á þessa síðu:

Tengja á þessa grein:

Vinsamlegast ekki tengja beint á myndir eða PDF skjöl á Tímarit.is þar sem slíkar slóðir geta breyst án fyrirvara. Notið slóðirnar hér fyrir ofan til að tengja á vefinn.