Reykjavík Grapevine - 19.11.2018, Blaðsíða 27

René Boonekamp
René Boonekamp is part of the arts
collective ‘The Travelling Embassy
of Rockall,’ which works on “spec-
ulative scenarios for utopian and
dystopian futures.” He is also the
friendly face of IÐNÓ, which been re-
born this year with a new café, music
studio, coworking space and a di-
verse events programme. “It’s quite
a manageable task to have a perfect
day in Reykjavík,” says René. “The
great thing about this town is that all
the good things are very close by, so
you can high five a lot of nice people
during a day. You can mostly find me
in IÐNÓ—it’s truly is a lovely place,
and it’s an honour to be part of a
team making this such a lively public
house. Like I said, living in Reykjavík
is easy, but to have the perfect day
it’s all about timing. So here we go.”

First thing
Waking up is the worst part of life.
Only curling up against my girlfriend,
Lemke, and a coffee can cure my
morning sickness. Lemke makes per-
fect morning coffee, served in the
perfect cup. Bangsi the dog enthusi-
astically greets me, and the day can
start. Before I leave the house, the
rain stops; I’ll put Ragnar Kjartans-
son’s ‘A Lot of Sorrow’ on my head-
phones. Me and the dog go play foot-
ball along Ægisíða. He always wins.

In the morning
By now, it’s 11:00, so let’s have a quick
dip into Vesturbærlaug. Today, locker
210 is still free, the steambath is the
right temperature and the hot pot
doesn’t make that slurping sound. Re-
freshed after the dip, I stop at Kaffi Vest,
the lovely bar in my hood, started by
people from the neighbourhood. Quick-
ly downing an espresso, I get straight
back on the bike, right before the lap-
top army takes over.
Around lunch
I cycle towards the old harbour area
of Grandi. There’s a nice view, with
Snæfellsness on one side, and Esja
on the other. We’ll stop for lunch at
Bergsson RE and look over the har-
bour as we enjoy the fish of the day
and watch the fishing boats come
into the harbour with the eagerly cir-
cling gulls.
In the afternoon
After lunch, we’ll stop at the Marshall
House to sniff up some art. It’s always
a surprise what the Nýlo and Kling og
Bang have put up. Ólafur Elíasson’s
stuff is also very, very nice. Then it’s
about time for an aperitivo. Coocoo’s
Nest is great for that; a cosy and
friendly place. A natural wine and a
little bite later and your mind wan-
ders off to southern Europe.
For dinner
By now I really feel like having a burg-
er. My favourite is BioBorgari, which
makes proper, no bullshit burgers from
scratch. There’s a simple menu choice
between the special of the month or
the classic. Try the vegan one, it’s the
best you can get in Reykjavík.
The heat of the night
Having filled up the stomach, it’s
time for a show. The lovely people at
Mengi put on a quality programme.
You can basically go there any night,
without knowing what’s on and you
won’t be disappointed. And then
later, when it gets dark, we go home.
There’s no better way to end this day
than a stroll along the seaside with
the dog, with the green lights wav-
ing the day away.
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
October 19th - November 8th
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
Words: René Boonekamp
Photo: Timothée Lambrecq
“The great thing
about this town is
that all the good
things are very
close by, so you
can high five a
lot of nice people
during a day.”
handknitted.is
t +354 552 1890
Skólavörðustígur 19 • Borgartún 31
BUY
DIRECTLY
FROM
THE PEOPLE
WHO
MAKE
THEM
shop.gra
pevine.i
s
shop.gra
pevine.i
s
shop.gr
apevine
.is*
shop.gra
pevine.i
s
shop.gra
pevine.i
s
shop.gra
pevine.i
s
Get Grapevine Merch!
Don't Hesitate!
Act Now!
* You only need to type the URL in once