Atlantica - 01.02.2002, Síða 28

HIP DINING
Tonight we’re being swish and trendy and if your purse can
handle it we go out to dinner at the stunning Apotek restau-
rant on central Austurstræti street. The beautifully elegant
premises, once a pharmacy, still manage a casual, lively
atmosphere with impeccable service. The waiters, dressed
in suits and white sneakers, arrive with delicious offerings
of fusion cuisine – Icelandic staples such as lamb, game and
seafood served with a twist. Each dish is a mouth-watering
feast for our eyes and taste buds, and we watch the well-
dressed crowd gathered around the bar as we finish our
meal with an invigorating Irish coffee. The place to see and
be seen this year is Hverfisbarinn, which opened last sum-
mer, and that’s of course where we go too. A groovy two-
floor bar with brown 70s-style décor and large tables to sit
down at, it usually has a long queue forming outside so our
best bet is getting there early. Here you’ll find a good mix
of people, from arty, hip types to brokers in suits and young
suburbanites out for a big night on the town, complete with
designer outfit, skimpy top and heavy suntan, even in the
middle of January. The music is usually pretty good, rang-
ing from house to rap and the downstairs turns into a dance
floor when the beat gets going. Hverfisbarinn is a good
place to mingle, going from one floor to the next you’ll
always find someone cheery to chat to on the next table or
at the crowded bar. Come three o’clock though, I’ve had my
dose and leave you behind to continue partying.
The next day we wake up bright (-ish) and early and go
for the best breakfast in town. Grái Kötturinn, a tiny café on
Hverfisgata offers ‘The Truck’, a hearty brunch of eggs,
bacon and American pancakes accompanied by excellent
coffee, orange juice or real hot chocolate. Fuelled by this we
put on our snow gear, grab our skis (or rent them) and head
out into the wilderness.
FROZEN LANDSCAPES
Our destination is Skálafell mountain, about half an hour out of
the city, a small and not too crowded skiing area. The runs are
pretty short but they’re definitely refreshing, and the view from
the top of the chairlift over Thingvallavatn lake is absolutely
stunning. A few runs and two red noses later we warm up in
the chalet and down one of those famous Icelandic hot dogs,
complete with fried onions, mustard and remúladi – a yellow
pickle sauce. We then climb into the car and drive onwards to
Thingvellir, the site of Europe’s oldest parliament. Thingvellir
encompasses that picture-postcard perfect beauty – a deep
cold lake surrounded by mountains – and we drive into the
national park, which in summer blossoms with fragrant herbs,
flowers and birch trees. In winter it holds a different beauty of
pastel colours and frozen icescapes, and we walk through the
impressive Almannagjá, a crevasse created by the Mid-Atlantic
Ridge, which is apparently widening a little each year. We wan-
der up to the Öxará river and stare down at the deep pool
where the Vikings used to drown their unfaithful wives, and
then head for a rather more cheerful pool, Peningagjá, a deep
crevasse filled with water and glittering coins, where people
can make a wish. We walk up to the tiny old Thingvellir church,
lost in a vast canvas of water, sky and mountains, and take in
the total stillness of this place. The only sound is the whisper-
ing of the north wind and the lonely cry of a raven in the dis-
tance. And when we drive back along the glistening roads in
the dimming light, you tell me the same thing that every visit-
ing party animal tells me. You may love the wild Reykjavík
nightlife, the highbrow art galleries or the thriving music
scene, but this untouched, magnificent, other-worldly land-
scape is the reason you’re going to come back. Soon. 
Anna Margrét Björnsson is a staff writer.
26 A T L A N T I C A
REYKJAVÍK
Nature is everywhere you look. Here the Snæfellsjökull glacier looms on the horizon.
020-026 ATL601 Reykjavík 14.12.2001 15:36 Page 26