Reykjavík Grapevine - 15.06.2018, Page 31

Lilja Birgisdóttir
Lilja Birgisdóttir is an Icelandic artist,
which means an all around “þúsun-
dþjalasmiður” (“jack of all trades”).
She’s part of the Kling & Bang gallery,
and a photographer, designer, choir
member and, more recently, a store
owner at Fischer. Here’s how she’d
spend a perfect day in Reykjavík.
First thing in the morning
My perfect morning would be to
sleep in, with no deadlines. I’d wake
up to a breakfast table from Brauð
og Co, the best bakery in town. Sud-
denly my good friend Katla would
bang on the door with hot coffee
from her lovely café Bismút. She’d
give me the good news that it’s the
warmest day of summer. I’d step
onto my balcony into 25 degrees,
and start collecting freckles. Atlas,
the family dog, wakes up, and picks
me up for a stroll—we’re headed
to our favorite place, the Marshall
House!
Around midday
The Marshall House is a culture
space with the most beautiful view
in Reykjavík. It has a lovely restau-
rant, the Living Art Museum, Kling
& Bang gallery, and an exhibition
space by Ólafur Elíasson. Atlas is very
passionate about art, and we get
inspired by all the amazing ideas.
After being so cultural, we head to
the newly opened Grandi Mathöll for
some salmon and champagne at
LAX. They have sparkling wine on tap,
which feels like a never ending sum-
mer. Feeling like a hundred bucks,
I head downtown to my favourite
store and precious baby, Fischer.
In the afternoon
Curious faces greet me when I
arrive, and I have a long conversa-
tion about the underrated power of
smell, and other curiosities. Fischer
is a little bit different from other
stores—its main purpose is not to
sell you stuff. It’s a place where your
senses are triggered with music,
smell, visuals and taste. It’s a whole-
some experience, and everyone’s
invited. Because it’s my perfect day,
my brother, Jónsi, flies in from LA,
and my family gets together for a
toast at Hotel Holt, which is like step-
ping back in time. It has a classic
elegance and beauty.
Around dinnertime
We’re in our neighbourhood, so we
give Snaps a visit. There are so many
new restaurants, but I always end
up going there for the good food,
good price, and friendly staff. After
two glasses of wine, me and my
creative family come up with some
good ideas to prevent pollution, or
to open a Fischer in LA. With those
lovely thoughts, we head over to
Jónsi’s house, open a bottle of wine,
and listen to Frank Sinatra, for we
are old.
In the heat of the night
Talking about being old, I don’t really
go out to bars anymore—they’re
too loud and I can’t have a decent
conversation there. And I found my
first gray hair this morning! Maybe
now more than ever, I need to forget
about life—so I head over to Kaldi
for a locally made beer. When the
beer isn’t doing it for me anymore, I
head to Húrra with my best friends
to dance the night away. Before any-
one notices, me and my boyfriend
sneak out, grab a pizza from The Deli,
and head home to Atlas, who has
missed us dearly. There’s nothing
better than having a dog. If you ever
get lonely in Iceland you can borrow
him for a walk or a snuggle.
Perfect Day
A face of the downtown scene tells us how to spend a perfect day in Reykjavík
Reykjavík Map
Vital Info
Best Of ReykjavíkPlaces We Like
Jun 15th - Jun 28th
In Your
Pocket
Venues
The numbers on the right (i.e. E4) tell you
position on the map on the next page
Austur
Austurstræti 7 D3
American Bar
Austurstræti 8 D3
Andrými
Bergþórugata 20 G6
B5
Bankastræti 5 E4
Bar Ananas
Klappastígur 28 E5
Bíó Paradís
Hverfisgata 54 E5
Bjarni Fel
Austurstræti 20 E4
Bravó
Laugavegur 22 E5
Boston
Laugavegur 28b E5
Dillon
Laugavegur 30 E5
Dubliner
Naustin 1-3 D3
English Pub
Austurstræti 12 D3
Gaukurinn
Tryggvagata 22 D3
Hard Rock Café
Lækjargata 2a D3
Hressó
Austurstræti 20 D3
Húrra
Naustin D3
Iðnó
Vonarstræti 3 E3
Kex Hostel
Skúlagata 28 E7
Kaffibarinn
Bergstaðastræti 1 E4
Kaffi Vínyl
Hverfisgatur 76 E6
Kiki Queer Bar
Laugavegur 22 E5
Loft
Bankastræti 7 E4
Mengi
Óðinsgata 2 F5
Nordic House
Sturlagata 5 H2
Paloma
Naustin D3
Prikið
Bankastræti 12 E4
R6013
Ingólfsstræti 20 E4
Reykjavík Roasters
Kárastígur 1 F5
Stofan Café
Vesturgata 3 D3
Ölsmiðjan
Lækjargata 10 E3
Tivoli bar
Hafnarstræti 4 D3
Tjarnarbíó
Tjarnargata 12 E3
Museums & Galleries
ART67
Laugavegur 67 F7
Open daily 9-21
ASÍ Art Gallery
Freyjugata 41 G6
Open Tue-Sun 13-17
Aurora Reykjavík
Grandagarður 2 B1
Open 09-21
Ásgrimur Jónsson
Museum
Bergstaðastr. 74 G4
July 8-Sep 1, Mon-Fri
Berg Contemporary
Klapparstígur 16 E5
Tu-F 11-17, Sat 13-17
The Culture House
Hverfisgata 15 E5
Open daily 10–17
The Einar Jónsson
Museum
Eiriksgata G5
Open Tue–Sun 10–17
Ekkisens
Bergstaðast. 25b F4
Gallerí List
Skipholt 50A H10
M-F 11-18, Sat 11-16
Hafnarborg
Strandgata 34, 220
Open Wed-Mon 12-17
Hitt Húsið
Pósthússtræti 3-5 D4
Hverfisgallerí
Hverfisgata 4 D4
Tu-Fri 13-17, Sat 14-17
i8 Gallery
Tryggvagata 16 D3
Tu-Fri 11-18, Sat
13-17
The Penis Museum
Laugavegur 116 F8
Open daily 10-18
Kirsuberjatréð
Vesturgata 4 D3
M-F 10-18, Sat-Sun
10-17
Kling & Bang
Grandagarður 20 A4
W-Sun 14-18, Th 12-21
Listastofan
Hringbraut 119
Open Wed-Sat 13-17
Living Art Museum
Granadarður 20 A4
T-Sun 12-18, Th 12-21
Mokka Kaffi
Skólavörðustíg. 3A E5
Open daily 9-18:30
Museum Of Design
and Applied Art
Garðatorg 1
Open Tu-Sun 12-17
The National
Gallery of Iceland
Fríkirkjuvegur 7 F3
Open daily 10–17
The National Museum
Suðurgata 41 G2
Open daily 10–17
The Nordic House
Sturlugata 5 H2
Thu-Tu 11-17, W 11-20
Hafnarhús
Tryggvagata 17 D3
Open 10-17, Thu 10-22
Kjarvalsstaðir
Flókagata 24 H8
Open daily 10-17
Ásmundarsafn
Sigtún
Open daily 10-17
Reykjavík City Library
Tryggvagata 15 D3
Mon-Thu 10-19, Fri
11-18, Sat-Sun 13-17
Árbæjarsafn
Kistuhylur 4
Open daily 13-17
The Settlement
Exhibition
Aðalstræti 16 D3
Open daily 9-18
Reykjavík Museum
of Photography
Tryggvagata 15 D3
Mon-Thu 10-18, Fri
11-18, Sat-Sun 13-18
Saga Museum
Grandagarður 2 B2
Open daily 10-18
Sigurjón Ólafsson
Museum
Laugarnestangi 70
Open Tu-Sun 14-17
SÍM
Hafnarstræti 16 D3
Open Mon-Fri 10-16
Tveir Hrafnar
Baldursgata 12 G4
Open Fri-Sat 13-16
Wind & Weather
Window Gallery
Hverfisgata 37 E5
Venue Finder
Useful Numbers
Emergency: 112
On-call doctors: 1770
Dental emergency: 575 0505
Taxi: Hreyfill: 588 5522 - BSR: 561 0000
Post Offices
The downtown post office is at
Pósthússtræti 3–5, open Mon–Fri
09:00–18:00.
Pharmacies
Lyf og heilsa, Egilsgata 3, tel: 563 1020
Lyfja, Laugavegur 16, tel: 552 4045
and Lágmúli 5, tel: 533 2300
Opening Hours - Bars & Clubs
Bars can stay open until 01:00 on week-
days and 04:30 on weekends.
Opening Hours - Shops & Banks
Most shops: Mon–Fri 10–18, Sat 10–16,
Sun closed. Banks: Mon-Fri 09-16
Swimming Pools
Sundhöllin, the downtown pool at
Barónsstígur, is an indoor swimming
pool with hot tubs and a diving board.
More pools: gpv.is/swim
Open: Mon-Thu from 06:30–22. Fri from
06:30–20. Sat from 08–16. Sun from 10–18.
Public Toilets
Public toilets in the centre can be found inside the
green-poster covered towers located at Hlemmur,
Ingólfstortorg, by Hallgrímskirkja, by Reykjavík
Art Museum, Lækjargata and by Eymundsson on
Skólavörðustígur. Toilets can also be found inside the
Reykjavík City Hall and the Reykjavík Library.
Public Transport
Most buses run every 20–30 min
Fare: 460 ISK adults, 220 ISK children.
Buses run from 07–24:00, and 10–04:30
on weekends. More info at: www.bus.is.
t
gpv.is/perf
For more perfect days
Words: Erling T.V. Klingenberg
Photo: Timothée Lambrecq
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