Atlantica - 01.10.2006, Side 57

AT L A N T I CA 55
CITY SPOTS: Reykjavik
You’ve got to love a guidebook on Reykjavík that includes
useful phrases in Icelandic, such as what to say when
requesting the menu: “Get ég fengid … ad sjá matsedilinn?”.
You can practice the phonetic pronunciation City Spots:
Reykjavík includes until the Icelandic sheep return from the
mossy mountains, but you’ll never be able to speak this lan-
guage. Besides, most Icelanders speak English better than
you. Still, City Spots: Reykjavík is a good purchase. It’s small,
full of clean photos, and there’s a two-page section devoted
to the only truly famous Icelander: Björk.
FOOTPRINT GUIDE: Reykjavík
It’s hard to trust a guidebook writer who admits, when not work-
ing on the city guide Reykjavík, to “chasing elves on Snaefellsnes.”
Please note: Elves do not exist, and Icelanders, despite all the media
hype, don’t actually believe in the little creatures.
At least Laura Dixon, who wrote Reykjavík, actually lived in
town while studying Icelandic. It’s too bad she didn’t learn to spell
Kaffibarinn, or other bars or cafes starting with the Icelandic prefix
kaffi. (She writes “kaffee” on a few different occasions.)
Still, Footprint Reykjavík is a compact pocket guide full of easy-
to-access listings without the annoying anecdotes hogging the
pages.
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