Reykjavík Grapevine - 12.08.2016, Blaðsíða 62

For most people driving north
from Reykjavík, Mosfellsbær is
the last N1 stop before you ven-
ture further along the ring road.
This suburban city is bisected
completely by Route 1, but if you
take one of the exits off one of
the many traffics circles in town
you’ll quickly discover that not
only does Mosfellsbær have plenty
to offer—it might be the perfect
place to take your significant oth-
er on a day trip. The sleepy suburb
is a nice change of pace from the
101, while being just a quick car or
bus ride from downtown.

Art and
(dating) culture

Start your day off exploring the
neighbourhood of Álafosskvos,
which is home to a growing num-
ber of independent businesses
and art studios. Grab some coffee
and kleinur at Kaffihúsið Álafossi,
where you can plan your day’s ad-
ventures surrounded by colour-
ful local art. While you might be
tempted to check out the famous
Álafoss wool store, a bit further
up the street is a local knifemaker
with an open studio, so you can
watch as he welds his wares. He’ll
also probably point out the faces
of Icelandic politicians that he’s
printed on the floor of his studio,
which he proudly tells us is where
his dog likes to sleep.
Our next stop is, of course,
the pool. Hrefna informs me that
pools are an essential part of Ice-
landic dating culture, which is
an idea I’m determined to bring
back to Canada. Although I doubt
the prospect of seeing so much
skin so early on would fly in North
America, there’s something hon-
est and tasteful about it. We opt
for Varmárlaug, the smaller of the
two pools in town. Although it may
have fewer amenities than the other
pool, Lágafellslaug, its spacious
sauna and magnificent views of Mt.
Esja will make you feel like you’ve
stumbled across a secret.
A change of pace
Sandwiches at Varmárlaug are
only 300 krónur, so if you’re hun-
gry after your swim (c’mon, who
isn’t?), here’s your chance to eat
the cheapest meal you’ll find in
Iceland. By now, you and your sig-
nificant other are probably look-
ing for a change of pace, so head
on down to the city library, where
they have a small but wonderfully
curated free art gallery. The cur-
rent exhibition of oil paintings and
mosaics by Steinunn Bergsteins-
dóttir are thought-provoking works
that comment on the impact of
tourism, climate change and geo-
politics on Iceland, so be sure to log
this stuff away as good conversa-
tion pieces for your drive home.
Another favourite Icelandic
dating activity, Hrefna tells me,
is to go for ice cream. A new ice
cream store has just opened in
Mosfellsbær, but to be completely
honest, getting ice cream in Ice-
land makes me nervous because
there are just so many damn op-
tions. Thankfully, the store is
empty when we arrive, giving me
plenty of time to mull over my se-
lection (caramel and liquorice) be-
fore basking in some parking lot
sunshine. Again, I’m not sure how
this dating tradition would fly in
North America (too messy?), but I
don’t think I’d be wrong to claim
that fewer relationships would
end in breakups if there was more
ice cream involved.
Taking it to
the next level

Your day trip to Mosfellsbær is
nearly over, but if you think the
date went well and if you’re feel-
ing particularly ambitious it may
be time to test your commitment.
Back across the highway, just off
Reykjarvegur, there’s a lush and
sweet-smelling plant store tucked
in the bushes. Plants are less work
than a pet, and far less commit-
ment than a child, so if you want to
take your relationship to the next
level this is the perfect opportunity.
And if your plant dies, you can al-
ways make the trip back out to Mos-
fellsbær and do it all again.
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DRIVE-THROUGH TOWNS
Speed Dating
Mosfellsbær
A romantic getaway to a
Reykjavík suburb
Words ISAAC WÜRMANN
Photos HREFNA BJÖRG GYLFADÓTTIR
Did you know there
are over 100 light-
houses all over
Iceland’s shores?
Probably a good
idea, considering
how many ship-
wrecks there have been off Ice-
land’s coast in years past. Despite
being built to take the full brunt of
the Arctic seas, these lighthouses
are in great shape, due in no small
part to the efforts of Ingvar Hreins-
son, a mason who has been working
on the care and upkeep of lighthous-
es for over twenty years. Why not
make a trip of travelling the coastal
road and trying to photograph them
all? You can think of it as Pokémon
Go, only for lighthouses.
There’s one natural resource Ice-
land has that is both renewable,
sustainable, and always in ample
supply: wind. Recent news reports
have brought to light that the char-
acteristic Icelandic wind has been
even stronger in Hornafjörður.
The winds have gotten so bad that
they have in some cases toppled
entire hay bales, and necessitated
the rescue of people attempting to
bicycle in the area. Yet another re-
minder that no matter the season
or region, preparing for any kind
of weather condition is a good idea
when traveling outdoors in Iceland.
Sometimes the Icelandic experi-
ence requires a certainly level of
cognitive dissonance. A great ex-
ample of this is new data that has
come to light, showing that tour-
ists go on the most whale watch-
ing tours, but also eat the most
whale meat in Iceland. We sup-
pose it makes sense to see where
your briney, chewy, unspectacular
dinner meat comes from, but if
you still want whales to see when
you visit next time, maybe skip the
exotic dinner.
Good news, everyone! If you like
Goðafoss, then you’ll be delighted
to learn that they recently made
a bunch of major repairs to the
area around the waterfall. They’ve
built new stairs, put in a new ob-
servation deck, and expanded the
parking lot. There are even toilets
there, something sorely lacking at
a number of sites of natural won-
der around the country. Be advised
that these toilets are solely on the
eastern side of the falls. Don’t get
caught with your pants down in
the west!
TRAVEL
NEWS
IN BRIEF
The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 12 — 2016
60