Reykjavík Grapevine - Oct 2021, Page 15

Dance, jive & have the time of your life
Helga Margrét
Marzellíusardóttir
Helga Margrét Marzellíusardóttir is
a musician and the leader of the
Reykjavík Queer Choir. She stud-
ies rhythmical choir conducting
and arrangements at the Royal
Academy of Music in Denmark and
is probably the only person we
know who uses their juicer on a
daily basis.
Note: This is Helga Margrét’s Perfect
Day, and there’s no rules when it
comes to creating it. Thus, telepor-
tation plays a big part in her ideal
day, making her able to move from
Reykjavík to Ísa!ör"ur in a matter
of seconds. Have some imagination,
please.
Starting off with a juicer
My Perfect Day would start by wak-
ing up at home in Reykjavík. I would
make myself a juice…actually, this
is supposed to be a perfect day, so
let’s change that a bit: Someone else
would make me a freshly squeezed
juice made of apples, lemons, fresh
strawberries and raspberries. The
juice would then be blended with a
bit of banana and ice and ready for
me to enjoy.
Hiking in the mountains of Ísafjör!ur
I would then be transported to sum-
mery Ísa!ör"ur, my childhood home-
town. The weather would be perfect,
as it always is there–even when the
weather is horrible, it’s still perfect.
But on this day, it would be sunny and
not at all windy. I would drive to any
of the beautiful mountains and hike
alone while listening to music. Now,
it’s important that I’d be alone, so I
could go at my own pace and not
worry about walking too fast or too
slow.
After my daily exercise in the
mountains, I’d go home to my par-
ents, where my mom would have
made me some kakósúpa. It’s kind of
like hot chocolate, enjoyed with some
tvíbökur, a type of biscotti. I know I
should have something healthy to
eat a#er a hike, but I started my day
o$ with a smoothie, so cut me some
slack here.
Napping and working
I would then head back home to
Reykjavík and take a nap, which I en-
courage all of you to do more. When
I’d wake up, I’d work a bit from home,
composing something new for my
band, the choir or myself. A#erwards,
I’d head to a choir practice, which
we would end by having a toast with
the choir’s own beer, Hinsegin Kórinn
Bjórinn.
Champagne and sveitaball
Dinner would be served in a world-
famous fish restaurant in Ísa!ör"ur,
Tjöruhúsi". I would fill the house with
all my friends, and we would eat well
while drinking champagne and gin
and tonics. After dinner we would
head to a sveitaball, a country dance
party, which would be held in a place
with a similar atmosphere to Kiki’s. I
wouldn’t dance, because I rarely do,
but I enjoy watching other people go
crazy on the dancefloor.
Ending the day mesmerized by the
summer sun
When everyone would be exhausted
from dancing, we’d head to Fjar"ar-
stræti and sit on the rocks facing
the !ord. Because it would be sum-
mer, the sun wouldn’t go all the way
down, and we would be able to see
it just above sea level, painting the
view with beautiful colours.
I would end the Perfect Day by
falling asleep at my parents’ house,
knowing that I’d wake up to the smell
of my mom’s pancakes.
Perfect Day
Vital Info
Reykjavík Map Best Of ReykjavíkPlaces We Like
October 8th — November 4th
In Your Pocket
Useful Numbers
Emergency: 112
On-call doctors: 1770
Dental emergency: 575 0505
Taxi: Hreyfill: 588 5522 - BSR: 561 0000
Post Office
The downtown post office has moved to
Hagatorg 1, open Mon–Fri, 09:00–17:00.
Pharmacies
Lyf og heilsa, Fiskisló" 1, tel: 561 4600
Lyfja, Hafnarstræti 19, tel: 552 4045
Opening Hours - Bars & Clubs
Bars can stay open until 1:00 on week-
days and weekends until 4:30.
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 outdoor swimming
pool with hot tubs and a diving board.
More pools: gpv.is/swim
Open: Mon-Thu from 06:30–22.
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, Ingólfstorg, by
Hallgrímskirkja, by Reykjavík Art Mu-
seum, Lækjargata and by Eymundsson
on Skólavör"ustígur. Toilets can also be
found inside the Reykjavík City Hall and
the Reykjavík Library.
Public Transport
Most buses run every 20–30 minutes
Fare: 490 ISK adults, 245 ISK children.
Buses run from 06–24:00, and 7–04:30 on
weekends. More info: www.bus.is.
t
Words: Reetta Huhta
Photo: Birgir Brei!fjör!
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