Reykjavík Grapevine - jan. 2022, Blaðsíða 15

Elísabet Pálmadóttir
Elísabet Pálmadóttir works as a
specialist in natural hazards at
the Icelandic Met O!ce. During the
course of this year, she has been
busy explaining the acts of Fa-
gradals"all volcano to us common
people. She is probably the only
person whose perfect day includes
a natural disaster.
Woken by the dog
Even though I really love my job, I en-
joy the first day of vacation a lot. So
my perfect day would be the start of
a holiday a!er a long week of shi!s
at the Met O"ce. My dog would wake
me up around nine or ten, beginning
an easy morning. My husband and I
would cuddle for a bit before feeding
the dog. I might also make a celery
juice for myself if I feel like it.
Walking, brunching and napping
When our dog would have eaten,
we would take him out for a walk in
sunny weather. We would either walk
along the shore near our neighbour-
hood, or go for a hike. Our neighbour-
hood is right next to the sea, and we
often walk around the shore since
our dog loves to swim. We would have
a ball with us and we’d throw it to the
sea, and he would fetch it. However,
if we would be longing for a hike,
we would head to one of the many
mountains near Reykjavík, like Úlfars-
fell or Helgafell. Anyhow, the three of
us would be walking outside for at
least an hour before returning home.
After the walk, I would go to the
gym to do some hot yoga. A!er a re-
freshing yoga session, I would have
brunch with my sister and friends—
preferably somewhere within walk-
ing distance from my home, so I
could have a few drinks on the side.
Back home after brunch, I would
enjoy a moment by myself. I would
probably take a nap to recharge my
energy for the evening.
Staycation on the side of an eruption
On a perfect day, my husband and I
would have booked a hotel for the
night, so a!er my nap we would head
there and just chill for a while. We
would have also reserved a table at
a nice restaurant, where we would go
in the evening.
A!er the satisfying meal, we would
travel to see an eruption that would
have started during our dinner—be-
cause naturally the perfect day of
a volcanologist includes a natural
disaster. Ever since I was a kid I’ve
been obsessed with volcanoes and
eruptions, and witnessing them truly
makes my day. We would hike to the
volcano and watch the mesmerising
lava flow together for a good while
before returning back to the hotel
and falling asleep on the comfy bed.

Perfect Day
Vital Info
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January 7th — February 3rd
In Your Pocket
Useful Numbers
Emergency: 112
On-call doctors: 1770
Dental emergency: 575 0505
Taxi: Hreyfill: 588 5522 or BSR: 561 0000
Post Office
The downtown post office is located
at Hagatorg 1, and is 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
Under current pandemic restrictions
bars can stay open until 21:00
Opening Hours - Shops & Banks
Most shops: Mon–Fri 10:00–18:00,
Sat 10:00–16:00, Sun closed
Banks: Mon–Fri 9:00-16:00
Swimming Pools
Sundhöllin on Barónsstígur is an outdoor
swimming pool with hot tubs.
For more pools visit gpv.is/swim
Open: Mon-Thu 6:30–22:00, Sat 8:00–16:00
Sun 10:00–18:00
Public Toilets
Public toilets can be found at Hlemmur
and in the round kiosks on Ingólfstorg,
by Hallgrímskirkja, by Reykjavík Art Mu-
seum, on Lækjargata and by Eymunds-
son on Skólavör#ustígur. Toilets can also
be found inside the Reykjavík City Hall
and the Reykjavík Library
Public Transport
Most buses run every 20 to 30 minutes
Fare: 490 ISK adults, 245 ISK children.
Buses generally run 6:00–24:00 on week-
days and 7:00–04:30 on weekends. For
more info visit www.bus.is
t
Words: Reetta Huhta
Photo: Art Bicnick
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