Atlantica - 01.02.2002, Blaðsíða 23

REYKJAVÍK
PHOTOS BY PÁLL STEFÁNSSON
A T L A N T I C A 21
mate Vínbarinn, right across from the small cathedral in
the centre of town. On the way there we crunch across the
newly fallen snow on Austurvöllur square and observe
the House of Parliament and the statue of independence
hero Jón Sigurdsson. Vínbarinn plays host to a varied
crowd. We see yuppies in their 30s order one of the many
vintages of wine and then subsequently send it back with
a smug look on their faces, saying it was served at the
wrong temperature. All the same, Vínbarinn is a great
place for a chat with some groovy sounds playing in the
background. Because it’s your first night in the country, I
reckon you’ll want to taste some of the famed Icelandic
seafood, so we head off for the traditional and elegant
Humarhúsid. Situated in a beautiful, typical wooden
house from the 19th century, Humarhúsid’s speciality is,
as the name implies, lobster (humar means lobster in
Icelandic). Also on the menu is a wide variety of fish and
lamb, of course, which is a national staple. After a deli-
cious dinner of lobster in champagne sauce, we now go
on the famous Reykjavík bar crawl. Because the city cen-
tre is so small, there are bars literally side by side all along
the main streets, creating an incredible party atmosphere
in the late hours. Now there are two choices, either work-
Getting cosy outside an antiques’ shop.
020-026 ATL601 Reykjavík 14.12.2001 15:34 Page 21