Reykjavík Grapevine - 09.11.2018, Qupperneq 26

BEST OF REYKJAVÍK
Best Place To
See A Movie
Reykjavík Record
Shop
Klapparstígur 35
This tiny record store might of-
fer a more streamlined selec-
tion than other places, but it
has a good selection of old and
new records from both Icelandic
and international artists. The
true pleasure of shopping here,
however, lies in chatting to the
personnel, usually comprised of
DJs, musicians or simply music
know-it-alls. As one panelist put
it: “There are only music nerds
working here, so they can help
you with anything.”
Runners-up:
Lucky Records
Rauðarárstígur 10
Famous far and wide for its end-
less selection of music, Lucky
Records is a library of sound.
Though the stock is organised
by genre and alphabetically, one
doesn’t exactly go to Lucky Re-
cords for the taxonomy: it has a
punky, underground character
that makes all the difference.
Peruse away for an entire after-
noon and go home with an un-
expected gem.
Smekkleysa Plötubúð
Laugavegur 35
The bright green “Bad Taste”
shop on Laugavegur is a long-
running staple of Icelandic re-
cord stores. Also a record label,
they stock the best new and clas-
sic records, alongside a carefully
curated wall of new vinyls from
indie labels around the world. A
must-see store for indie nerds
and audiophiles.
How To Buy
Souvenirs...
… without being tacky and losing the
respect of your peers
Words: Claudia Schultz Photos: Art Bicnick
Going on vacation means diving into
a new culture; a new society, with
different myths and endless unfor-
gettable impressions. It’s natural
to want to take something home to
remember it by. Et voilà—the sou-
venir shop is born. There are many
in Reykjavík’s city centre—so many
that it can be hard to know where
to look and what to buy. Sure, you
can take home the tacky little puffin
statues or a ‘real Game of Thrones
drinking horn.’ But why should you?
You’re in Iceland. Get something that
wasn’t made in China.
No money, no problem
Souvenirs don’t always have to be
expensive or even cost money at all. In
the age of iPhones and GoPros you’ll
be bringing back a bank of Iceland
content to annoy your friends with on
social media. And, well… there are
always good old analogue memories. I
know it sounds like a cliché, but some
things can only be preserved in your
memory anyway.
Woolly warm waist
Instead of buying a hoodie made in
China, why don’t you check out some
handmade Icelandic wool sweaters?
Sure, they might feel like hundreds
of little ants running all over your
body because of the spiky, unspun
“lopi” wool, but if you wear a t-shirt
underneath, they’re warm and long
lasting. Imagine sharing the same
coat as happy Icelandic sheep. The
Hand Knitting Association store on
Skólavörðustígur is best, but If you
don’t want to spend a lot of money,
you should check out the second-
hand stores on Laugavegur. There
are always a few sweaters waiting
for a new home..
Something warm
for the hands
The picture shows some beautiful
leather gloves by VARMA (10,900 ISK
at Hrím, Laugavegur 25). They are
handmade in Iceland and will defi-
nitely remind you of that freezing
cold you got to experience here. Not
only are gloves a great gift (if the re-
cipient of the gift lives in a country
where snow exists), they also last
a lifetime. And OMFG you definitely
don’t want to travel Iceland without
a pair. Pretty and practical!
Salt, salt, salt
For the foodie in your life, get some
of the crazy varieties of different
salts Iceland has to offer. There’s lava
salt, salt with rhubarb, salt salt, salt
with herbs, black beach sand salt,
wild berry salt, Icelandic moss salt…
probably even a salt that makes the
northern lights fly out of your mouth
after eating it. The range of salts
from URTA are worth checking out
(1,490 ISK per 100g).
If being a princess and bathing in
salt is more your thing, well you’re in
for a treat without even looking at
tacky little puffin figurines. ANGAN
produces a sustainable skincare line
made right here in Iceland. Their
bath salts and scrubs are natural,
environmentally friendly and don’t
contain synthetics. The bath salt pic-
tured (3,590 ISK) can be found in Heil-
suhúsið (Laugavegur 20b) and nu-
merous other shops.
Puuuuffins
Puffins are cute, and they have
become the unofficial mascot of
Iceland. Of course, you wanna buy
a little bird to take home. Skip the
ubiquitous plush ones and do it
right. Many stores stock handmade
wooden puffins in different sizes.
And fun fact: DON’T buy polar bear
teddies—there’s nothing less Ice-
landic you could take home.
26The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 20— 2018
We don't monkey around with our money
Best of Reykjavík
“There is probably
even a salt that makes
the Northern lights
fly out of your mouth
after eating it.”
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.