Reykjavík Grapevine - 24.08.2018, Page 54

Travel
The best of Icelandic produce
with a nod to Japan and South
America. Modern Icelandic
flavours, share plates and award
winning cocktails.
Sushi Social
Þingholtsstræti 5 • 101 Reykjavík
Tel. 568 6600 • sushisocial.is
Our kitchen is open
17.00–23.00 sun.–thu.
17.00–24.00 fri.–sat.
SOCIALIZE
WITH THE
LOCALS
ICELANDIC
SEAFOOD
makes world’s best sushi
Located next to a grand fjord in
the northern Westfjords, the
small town of Þingeyri is known
to many Icelanders for hosting
the Dýrafjarðardagar festival
during the first weekend of July.
This festival offers up festivities,
including music, a beach volley-
ball tournament, and activities for
children. In recent years, Þingeyri
has also opened its doors to tour-
ism, which has served as a way for
the town to boost its economy. Lo-
cals now welcome those adventur-
ous individuals who wish to expe-
rience the ruggedness of Icelandic
nature in a remote location.
Eat:
Simbahöllin Café
From its beautiful exterior to its
old-style coffeehouse interior, the
newly renovated Simbahöllin Café
screams “time for a tea break!”
The cozy, intimate café serves up
coffee, tea, and hot chocolate, as
well as an array of home-made
cakes, soups, and light meals. The
owners of the café, Janne Kris-
tensen and Wouter van Hoeymis-
sen, also offer guided horse riding
tours and rent mountain bikes for
self-guided adventures.
Stay:
Hótel Sandafell
One of the hot spots in town
is the Hotel Sandafel l. Open
throughout the summer months,
the hotel offers rooms with spec-
tacular views of the fjord, and
has a restaurant which serves
locally-sourced meat dishes. The
kitchen is also happy to accom-
modate any vegan requests.
Hike: Svalvogar
Lighthouse
At the edge of the town, you’ll find
a 4-hour hiking trail that leads to
a small lighthouse. On this walk
where How to Train Your Dragon
meets Game of Thrones, the sound
of beating waves against cliffs ac-
companies you as you make your
way along dramatic, rocky paths
and through grassy fields—nature
untouched at its finest!
Swim: Þingeyri
Swimming Pool
If you’ve ever been frustrated
that you couldn’t read and swim
at the same time, this swimming
pool answers your prayers: book
recitals are regularly performed
for visitors to enjoy while they
enjoy a swim. Since it is located
indoors, the pool is open all-
year-round and every so often,
it turns into is the local meeting
hub for the elderly generation of
Þingeyri.
Visit:
Jón Sigurðsson’s
Instrument Exhibition
This small, intimate space dedi-
cated to music is not your regular
museum—here, visitors are al-
lowed to touch the musical arti-
facts and even play a few tunes!
The display consists of a mixture
of musical instruments that were
either hand-made or collected
from across the world by the
founder and music-enthusiast,
Jón Sigurðsson. His personal fa-
vorite—the “langspil,” a tradition-
al Icelandic drone zither.
TOWN GUIDE
Þingeyri
Music Museum, Cozy Café, Rugged Cliffs &
Views Of The Fjord In Þingeyri
Words: Christine Engel Snitkjær Photos: Art Bicnick
Distance from Reykjavík: 405km
Car provided by: hertz.is
Acommodation provided by: hotelsandafell.com