What's On in Reykjavik - January 2017

JANUARY 2017

IN REYKJAVÍK

REYKJAVIK’S LEADING GUIDE TO INFORMATION, EVENTS, MUSEUMS AND GALLERIES.

24 48

ReykjavĂ­k Art Museum

Choose a card that suits your stay: 24, 48 or 72 hours

#reykjavikloves

visitreykjavik.is

72

Make the most of The Southern Coast of Iceland Book your tour now!

Contact information: Tel. +354 540 1313 | iceland@grayline.is | grayline.is 2006-035

WHAT’S ON

CONTENTS JANUARY 2016

ON THE COVER JANUARY IN REYKJAVIK

EXPERIENCE 6-44 WHAT'S ON

45-49

REYKJAVÍK CITY MAP 50-51

RVK MUSEUM WALK

52-53

EVENTS 54-73

ART & CULTURE

74-81

PUBS & NIGHTLIFE

82-85

SHOPPING & STYLE

86-89

FOOD & DRINK

90-95

PRACTICAL INFO

96-97

As we say goodbye to 2016, I can’t help but hope for a little less eventful 2017. We live in interesting times, that’s for sure, but as the (apparently not) ancient (and apparently not) Chinese curse implies, that’s not as great as it sounds at first.

For now, at least, we’re just content with getting on with the day-to-day business of January. Depending on when you’re reading this magazine, most of Iceland is either getting excited to start their new diet and exercise regimen or have already given up in face of having to leave their comfy homes to brave the elements.

If you’re still reeling from the Christmas season, there are plenty of ways to destress and detox while enjoying yourself to the fullest. Reykjavík is a haven of energy-replenishing activities and everyone should find something to suit their needs. If serene peace and calm bundled with some majestic natural phenomena is what fuels you, taking a tour out of the city to see waterfalls in glorious ice cages, huge craggy mountains, or staring at the Northern Lights, is the perfect way to relax.

For others, energy comes from social interaction and one-of-a-kind experiences. Take a walk around the city centre, go swimming, try some of Reykjavík’s top notch restaurants and go to a concert, either at a bar or the Harpa music hall. Immersing yourself in the Icelandic culture is a revitalising experience, just be careful when trying the Þorri food, rotten shark and pickled lamb’s testicles is not everyone’s cup of tea!

Visit our tourist information centre at Laugavegur 5.

What's On Tourist Info, since 1982.

CONTACT US: WHATSON@WHATSON.IS

4

Layout & design: Stefán Birgir Stefáns, sbs@whatson.is Content writers: The What’s On Team

Map: Kári Gunnarsson

Printing: Oddi, Ecolabelled Printing Company

N

Managing Editor: Hjörtur Atli Guðmunds. Geirdal, hjortur@whatson.is, Tel.: 847-4153.

Editor: Gréta Sigríður Einarsdóttir, greta@whatson.is 141

O

RD

I C E CO L A

B EL

www.whatson.is

Volume 35 – Issue 1 Published by MD Reykjavík ehf. Laugavegur 5, 101 Reykjavik.

Publisher: Sigurþór Marteinn Tel.: 899-2255. E-mail: sm@whatson.is

776

PRINTED MATTER

WHAT‘S ON IN REYKJAVÍK is published monthly, covering events and happenings in and around Reykjavík.

Opinions expressed in WHAT‘S ON IN REYKJAVÍK are those of the individual authors. While every effort has been made to ensure the information presented is accurate, prices, times, dates and other information may be subject to change.

Awesome tours - Fabulous Guides We did two separate tours on our recent trip, Golden Circle and Magical Nights and then the Sólheimajökull Glacier Walk.

Both of them were great.

We can’t recommend these guys more!

Glacier Walks & Outdoor Adventures Book Your Tour Online at www.mountainguides.is

LKS GLACIER WAELL SÓLHEIMAJÖKULL

& SKAFTAF

2016 DAY TOURS

.is taing· Tel:uides 9999 mouninguides.is +354 587

1

info@mounta

M OUNTA I N GU I D ES.I S • IN FO@M O U N TA IN G U ID E S.IS • TE L: + 354 587 9999

EXPERIENCE

THE WHAT’S ON

JANUARY CHECKLIST There are loads of things to do for entertainment in Reykjavik this month! Here are a few “must-do’s” you can try out.

You can find checklists from past months at whatson.is/

While you're checking things off the list, we encourage you to take photos, and tag them with #whatsonrvk, of course!

6

Go swimming! Whether you go to the Blue Lagoon, the Secret Lagoon, or just have a luxurious soak in one of the many thermal pools the city has to offer.

Go hiking on a glacier for that perfect wintery Iceland selfie!

You can’t leave Reykjavík without having some delicious seafood at one of its numerous mouthwatering seafood restaurants!

The Þorri season starts Jan. 20, when Icelanders get in touch with their history by eating some traditional Icelandic food. For what to try and what not to try, check page 47!

Take in a show or a concert at the Harpa concert hall.

Go see the Northern Lights!

CHECK OUT OLDER CHECKLISTS AT WHATSON.IS/CHECKLIST

islenska/sia.is FLU 69193 05/14

EXPLORING ICELAND, THE FAROE ISLANDS OR GREENLAND IT´S EASY WITH AIR ICELAND

ANCHORAGE BOSTON DENVER EDMONTON HALIFAX

Check it out!

MINNEAPOLIS NEW YORK (JFK & NEWARK)

GRÍMSEY

ÍSAFJÖRÐUR

ORLANDO SEATTLE

ÞÓRSHÖFN VOPNAFJÖRÐUR

TORONTO AKUREYRI

VANCOUVER

GREENLAND

EGILSSTAÐIR

WASHINGTON DC

ICELAND REYKJAVÍK

ILULISSAT TÓRSHAVN

ITTOQQORTOORMIIT

NUUK

NARSARSUAQ

KULUSUK

MUNICH

OSLO

LONDON (HEATHROW & GATWICK)

AMSTERDAM

STOCKHOLM

BARCELONA

PARIS

BERGEN

MADRID

ZURICH

STAVANGER

FRANKFURT

GLASGOW

TRONDHEIM

HAMBURG

MANCHESTER

COPENHAGEN

ST PETERSBURG

MILAN

BILLUND

BRUSSELS

GOTHENBURG

GENEVA

HELSINKI

FOR THE BEST PRICE BOOK ONLINE AT: AIRICELAND.IS

EXPERIENCE

#WhatsOnRvk So you‘re in Iceland, enjoying life, seeing the sights and taking in everything our magnificent country has to offer. Why not share it with the world?

Follow WhatsOnIceland on Instagram for more beautiful shots from Iceland!

@ ACH.WAS

8

@ ZITRONENLIEBE

@ GILLM0508

@ SZANDRA_SIEGLER

@ LINELOTTA22

@ WHATSONICELAND

Tag your photos using #whatsonrvk and your photo might be featured in our magazine next month!

EXPERIENCE

on Instagram

@ JOHANNESRICHTER

@ KATIEMACKAYY

@ ELIEXPLORES

@ MANGUSTTE

@ REDUTIS

Follow WhatsOnIceland on Instagram for more beautiful shots from Iceland!

@ ITSLISAHERE_X

9

EXPERIENCE

THE REYKJAVIK SIGHT EXPERIENCE Reykjavik sightseeing has something for everyone! The city is filled with things to do, places to go and stuff to see, but some things are just a little bit more important than others.

1 | HALLGRÍMSKIRKJA Hallgrímskirkja church is one of Reykjavík’s most iconic buildings and is visible from almost anywhere in the city. It’s is the largest church and the sixth tallest architectural structure in Iceland. The church tower offers a fantastic view of the city for the small price of 900ISK for adults or 100ISK for children. It’s named after the Icelandic poet and clergyman Hallgrímur Petursson, author of the Passion Hymns. The architect, Guðjón Samúelsson, designed it to resemble the basalt lava flows of Iceland’s landscape. Construction started in 1945 and was finished in 1984.

2 | PERLAN Standing at 25 metres, Perlan is one of Reykjavík’s most striking buildings.

Up on the fourth level, there is a 360 degree viewing platform where you can get the city's best panoramic views. During the day, the Perlan café is a nice place to get coffee or ice cream. If you come in the evening, the Perlan restaurant has some of the finest cuisine in the city. The restaurant also rotates slowly so you get to see the whole city without even having to turn your head.

3 | TJÖRNIN

Find more articles like this at whatson.is/

Tjörnin (the pond) is the heart of the city centre and offers some of the most amazing views in Reykjavík. There is no better place in the city to enjoy a beautiful sunset and you can watch or feed a huge variety of birdlife that calls the lake home, while you’re at it. When the lake freezes over in winter, geothermal water is pumped in to defrost an area for the birds, and feeding them is a popular family pastime all year round. Those who can handle the cold take to the lake on ice skates.

10

4 | AUSTURVÖLLUR When the sun is shining and the air is hot, Austurvöllur is the place to be.

Surrounded by cafés and restaurants on Vallarstræti and Pósthússtræti, this public square is a wildly popular spot for locals to dine outside, soak up some sunshine or recline in the grass with picnics. In fact, whatever the season, Austurvöllur is the place to be. It’s used for celebrations on holidays, the city’s biggest Christmas tree is located there and due to its close proximity to the Parliament building, Austurvöllur has also a popular gathering place for political protests. At the center of it all stands a statue of Jón Sigurðsson, the renowned figure who led Iceland to independence.

5 | KOLAPORTIÐ Whether you want to sample dried fish and fermented shark, purchase a bag of Icelandic candy or browse through thrifted clothing, Kolaportið, an indoor flea market, open on the weekends between 11am-5pm, is your best bet. The atmosphere is unique and the old industrial building is usually filled with people hunting for books or antiques, grocery shopping at the food court, selling their old garments, buying music and DVD’s or digging through piles of stuff in search of hidden treasures. We recommend bringing cash, or visiting the ATM at one of the entrances, as the majority of stalls don’t accept cards.

The whole 28.000 square meters of Harpa stand at the edge of the Reykjavik Harbour. It houses Iceland‘s biggest concert hall, suitable for a broad range of concerts and cultural events, a conference centre with meeting facilities and in-house catering, as well as a couple of fine restaurants. Harpa also hosts promotions, plays, and public events. It‘s open to everyone, always, and you should definitely visit Harpa, whether it‘s to take in a show, buy souvenirs, go to a concert or have a lovely dinner in one of the fabulous restaurants. Harpa was designed by a Danish firm in co-operation with Ólafur Elíasson, an Icelandic artist, and opened to the public in 2011.

7 | THE OLD HARBOUR It’s the first lasting harbour in Reykjavik, although it’s no longer the city’s busiest one. The most visited area is the eastern pier where you’ll find a community of shops, galleries, electric bike and scooter rentals and guided tour operators. You will also find numerous whale watching companies willing to take you out to sea on unforgettable excursions.

The area is filled with excellent restaurants (sushi and other seafood, tapas, burgers, etc.) and cafés. The atmosphere at the old harbour is friendly, the air is fresh and salty and there’s plenty of interesting activities to check out.

EXPERIENCE

6 | HARPA

8 | THE SUN VOYAGER A beautiful sculpture of a Viking ship located by the ocean on a small peninsula by Sæbraut, close to the Reykjavík centre.

The sculpture by Jón Gunnar Árnason symbolises the Viking past of the Icelanders and is an ode to the sun. It serves as reminder of our history and heritage when the first Viking settlers came sailing to Iceland.

9 | CITY HALL The Reykjavík City Hall is an impressive, modern building, opened in 1992, that sits right on the northern shore of lake Tjörnin. Not only does it house the offices of the mayor and other city officials, it‘s also open to visitors and offers stunning views of the water, bird life, nature and city surrounds. Inside the City Hall, you‘ll find a room-sized relief map of Iceland that took four men several years to make. There are also exhibition halls that regularly host a steady stream of new and exciting art exhibitions, book fairs, arts and crafts fairs and other events.

10 | LAUGARDALSLAUG Every country has traditions when it comes to leisure. Iceland’s big thing is swimming pools. Laugardalslaug is the city’s largest pool with extensive facilities, located in Laugardalur Valley. Its facilities include a 50m outdoor pool, outdoor children’s pool and paddling pool, two waterslides, numerous hot tubs, steam bath, gym and mini golf course.

There really is no better place to be on a sunny day, or a cold one for that matter. Right outside you will find a hot dog stand where you can buy traditional Icelandic hot dogs.

Find these places on the centerfold map.

Check out our centerfold map for the locations of these sights.

Sólfarið looks its best when the sun is setting, at whatever time that may be. The unforgettable view of the sculpture with a backdrop of the ocean and mount Esjan is every photographer’s dream.

11

The concept of the restaurant is "c a s u a l f u n d i n i n g" a n d w e p r e p a r e w h a t w e w o u l d call a simple honest, "feel good", comfort food, where we take on the classics with a modern twist.

S K Ó L AV Ö R Ð U S T Í G U R 4 0 · 1 0 1 R E Y K J AV Í K T E L . +3 5 4 5 1 7 74 74 · I N F O @ K O L R E S TA U R A N T. I S · KO L R E S TA U R A N T. I S

ICELAND‘S SECRET TO HEALTHY LIVING

Legend has it that the Vikings introduced Skyr to Iceland when they settled in the country some 1.100 years ago. Travel back in time to any farm and Skyr would be on the table – essential nourishment for young and old. Generations past may not have been able to measure the nutritional content in the way we can now, but the life-expectancy of the average Icelander was proof enough that something good was going on.

Icelanders have ever since loved the smooth texture of this incredibly healthy dairy product

and today it plays a big role in the modern lifestyle diet. Skyr is high in protein and a virtually fat-free dairy delight. Thick and creamy in consistency, it is also rich in calcium and other nutrients.

Skyr can be found at almost every home and workplace. Enjoyed at breakfast, lunchtime, pretty much anytime, it has also become a healthy „fast-food“ for active people on the go. Delicious in smoothies or energy-boosting drinks, it even features on the dessert menus of many top restaurants, which are bringing a contemporary twist to this established favourite.

EXPERIENCE

THE WHAT’S ON SKYR EXPERIENCE

MS SKYR – PLAIN Skyr was originally only available as plain and was made at every farm in Iceland. Nowadays, there is a huge variety of flavours available but many still prefer the plain one.

KEA SKYR WITH VANILLA

MS SKYR.IS WITH BAKED APPLES Skyr producers have been experimenting with new flavours in skyr while still keeping it as nutritious as possible. One of the more recent additions is the baked apple flavour.

MS SKYR.IS WITH BLUEBERRIES This is a long-time favourite of the Skyr.is varieties. Blueberries are among the few summer fruits that grow in Iceland so eating Skyr with fresh blueberries has a long tradition in Iceland. The taste is very rich and full of blueberries.

For more information on skyr, visit skyr.is

Kea skyr comes from the northern part of Iceland and this is one of the most popular flavours available. The taste is full and creamy with zero fat. It’s mild and creamy flavour also makes it popular as a base for desserts.

13

AQUARACER STEEL & CERAMIC DIAMONDS Cara Delevingne challenges rules. Being free-minded is her motto.

Like TAG Heuer, she defies conventions and never cracks under pressure.

EXPERIENCE

THE ICELANDIC

Although beer and ale have been brewed in Iceland for a long time, beer production was limited during the 20th century, as beer was illegal in Iceland until 1989! Icelanders have more than made up for lost time and the growth in beer production in recent years has been amazing. In just a few years, we‘ve seen many great breweries emerge, filled with ambition and ingenuity, and beer is now the most popular alcoholic beverage in Iceland.

It’s no wonder, as Icelandic beer is delicious, in no small part thanks to the Icelandic water; renowned for its purity and quality.

VÍKING CLASSIC Víking Classic is a Vienna style beer with golden amber colour and taste of roasted malt. It has a good body and medium bitterness with balancing sweetness and a hint of caramel.

The name might seem a bit presumptuous as this classic has only been in production for a few years, but it’s in fact named after the Danish “Classic” style of beer. Víking Classic is available in draught, bottles and cans and is part of the Víking beer family which is the most popular beer brand in Iceland.

EINSTÖK WHITE ALE A clean and crisp start with a smooth mouth feel thanks to the oats. Citrus and spice round out a refreshing finish.

Einstök beer is brewed up north, just 60 miles south of the Arctic Circle. You wouldn’t know it when you taste this summery, citrusy white ale. It has the complex flavours of a classic witbier, all brewed with pure Icelandic water for a cool smoothness that is deliciously refreshing. Don’t forget to ask for a slice of orange!

Find more articles like this at whatson.is/

KALDI

16

Kaldi is a very mild and comfortable pilsner, dry, fresh, slightly bitter, with notes of roasted barley and hops, and has 5% ABV. You might detect a hint of sweetness as well.

The brewery on Árskógssandur, makers of Kaldi beer, was the first microbrewery that opened in Iceland, back in 2006. The regular Kaldi is a pure pilsner, with all the ingredients, except the Icelandic water, coming from the Czech Republic. Even their brew-master is Czech! Following its success, the brewery opened Kaldi bar in the centre of Reykjavík, where all the varieties of Kaldi beer are available. Kaldi bar is, of course, the best place to get Kaldi, but it’s available in other bars as well, and in bottles at the liquor stores.

KALDI DARK A dark pilsner, it‘s similar to the regular Kaldi, but the main difference is the use of burnt malt, which provides the beautiful, distinctive dark colour and deepens the flavour.

Most Icelanders are used to drinking light lagers and are even a bit wary of dark beers, at least until they taste Kaldi Dark. As mentioned – the Kaldi beers are brewed by Czech traditions, dated from 1842. Kaldi Dark is brewed using 3 different types of Czech hops.

Kaldi Dark is unpasteurized with no added sugar or preservatives. You can get Kaldi Dark in all liquor stores as well as some bars, but the best place to get it is of course the Kaldi bar in the centre of Reykjavík.

These are our favourites, don’t leave Reykjavík without stopping by a pub or a bar and tasting at least one (or all) of them!

BRÍÓ Brío uses German hops, giving the beer a very distinctive taste and a sweet aroma.

Along with the hops, it uses Pilsen malt and under-fermented yeast.

Bríó is the first beer produced by Borg Brugghús, a brewery that now produces several popular beers all year round along with seasonal beers for summer, Christmas and Easter. Bríó is a pilsner, a style of beer named after the city of Pilsen in the Czech Republic. This style of brewing first emerged in the middle of the 19th century and became so popular that the majority of beer drunk today is a relative of the original pilsner. Brío was originally brewed as the house beer for Ölstofan but due to its popularity, it’s now available in liquor stores as well as most bars in town.

EXPERIENCE

BEER EXPERIENCE

ÚLFUR The aroma is of fresh citrus fruits, especially grapefruit, which can also be found in the flavour, along with a strong bitterness that makes you crave another sip. Úlfur was the first Icelandic IPA (India Pale Ale) on the market. It’s in the same calibre as the best produced on the West Coast of the Unites States and surprised many Icelanders with its distinct flavour and aroma. Only American hops are used in the beer and they are added when boiled and after fermentation; a so called “dry hopping” technique. Icelanders took to the beer immediately and it helped clear the way for smaller breweries to try new things.

VÍKING STOUT This is one of the first stouts made in Iceland. Only brewed from the finest ingredients, Víking stout is unfiltered and has a distinctly smoky aftertaste. It’s recently had its look revamped along with the other Víking craft beers. The labels now carry graphic designs that interpret events and traditions from the Viking age. The pitch black stout’s label fittingly evokes images of the ravens of Flóki, the Viking traveller who named Iceland.

PILS ORGANIC Víking Pils Organic has a distinctive floral hoppiness, medium bitterness and a nice balance.

Pils Organic took the Bavarian production tradition head on and emerged unquestionably victorious. A member of the same Viking inspired line of beers as the Víking Stout, Pils Organic is decorated with a pattern based on the snake’s heads that used to adorn the ships of the Vikings. Contrary to popular belief, these weren’t meant to intimidate opponents in battles on sea, but rather to frighten sea monsters.

Find more articles like this at whatson.is/

Viking stout is pitch black, reminiscent of cocoa and coffee with a smoothly roasted aftertaste.

17

EXPERIENCE

>> Iceland Explained!

Icelanders tend to think that the world revolves around their tiny island, north of almost everything, and get perplexed when people from larger, more heavily populated countries seem to have little to no knowledge of what goes on here. (What do you mean, you’ve never heard of a lopapeysa? How dare you insult the majestic Icelandic horse by calling it a pony!) Luckily, I’m here to help and explain to you the whats, whys and hows of Icelandic culture.

ICELAND EXPLAINED

ICELANDIC INDEPENDENCE

>> What happened there? As you might know, Iceland started out as an independent country in the 9th century. The stories even imply that people were settling in Iceland to escape from the oppressive kings that were uniting the Scandinavian countries under their leadership.

Until the 13th century, all decisions were made by the Alþingi, a parliamentary institution where powerful men had a vote, but all independent men could attend.

Find more articles like this at whatson.is/

This period has been highly romanticised since we gave up our independence in 1262 and didn’t get it back until the middle of the 20th century.

18

>> Why did you renounce your independence in the first place? It seemed like a good idea at the time. The independent community of the time sounds almost utopian, until you realise that they had no way to enforce the laws or the sentences they issued except the revenge of the victim. If he or she was for some reason (like being dead, or a woman, for example) unable to seek revenge for themselves, the victim’s family was also obligated to seek revenge lest they forsake all honour.

This worked for a while but this type of society created the conditions for families and clans to rise to power, ultimately resulting in a mafia-wars type of situation.

Come the 13th century, the clans had started squabbling among themselves and there was nobody to keep them in line because they didn’t have a king. The rest of the nation solved this little problem by just getting themselves one, namely the Norwegian one.

>> How did you get it back? That took us a while.

We submitted to the Norwegian king in 1262 but due to a complicated system of royal marriages and a brief union of all the Scandinavian countries, Iceland ended up as a colony of Denmark.

During the 19th century, Iceland put up the most peaceful, wordy battle for independence you can imagine, mostly made up of emotional poetry romanticising the past. The biggest moment of the Icelandic fight for freedom happened during a meeting in 1851, when Jón Sigurðson, the biggest hero of Icelandic independence, stood up during a meeting and protested.

We finally got our chance in 1944. It was during the height of World War II and Denmark was occupied by Germany and Iceland by Britain.

Iceland sent the king of Denmark a politely worded letter declaring independence. The reaction of the Danish ruler? According to stories, his feelings were a little hurt.

Meet some of Iceland’s finest designers Epal Harpa / Epal Skeifan 6 / Epal Design Kringlan / 568 7733

www.epal.is

Fish • Lamb • Whale • Icelandic cuisine with a twist Icelandic music and nightlife Mix with the locals . .and all the Icelandic beers in one awsome place!

INGÓLFSSTRÆTI 1A

1 0 1 R E Y K J AV Í K

www.islenskibarinn.is postur@islenskibarinn.is sími: 517 6767

Experience real Scandinavian cuisine

Bankastræti 2, 101 Reykjavík Tel: (+354) 551 4430 info@laekjarbrekka.is www.laekjarbrekka.is

Let’s be friends!

/laekjarbrekka

vurl.is/i

The 1783-4 eruption of Laki was history’s biggest volcanic eruption. When it erupted, the ash darkened the sky over all of Europe for years.

The ash’s toxicity caused widespread crop failures and the resulting famine all over Europe was almost certainly one of the causes of the French revolution in 1789, ultimately resulting in the first modern democracy as we know it.

NOT JUST ONE, BUT TWO OF THE BIGGEST ERUPTIONS IN THE RECORDED HISTORY OF THE WORLD, OCCURRED IN ICELAND! Not only was Laki the biggest eruption in recorded history, measured by volume of lava, but Iceland was also the site of the second biggest emission in recorded history, the 2014 eruption of Bárðarbunga.

In just 6 months, Bárðarbunga produced enough lava to cover the island of Manhattan – 85km2.

It still isn‘t close to matching Laki. That eruption produced 370 km2 of lava, the size of the Gaza strip, in only 50 days!

All photos provided by the Volcano House

For more information on Icelandic volcanoes, check out www.volcanohouse.is

AN ICELANDIC VOLCANO IS THE REASON FOR DEMOCRACY AS WE KNOW IT

EXPERIENCE

5 FACTS YOU (PROBABLY) DIDN’T KNOW ABOUT ICELANDIC VOLCANOES

21

EXPERIENCE For more information on Icelandic volcanoes, check out www.volcanohouse.is 22

1/3 OF ALL THE EARTH’S FRESH LAVA ORIGINATED IN ICELAND! When you’re discussing volcanoes, all concepts that have something to do with time get a bit skewed. For instance, fresh lava means lava emissions on earth since the year 1500. The reason for this impressive amount of liquid rock spewing to the surface is because not only does Iceland sit on a crack between two tectonic plates, it’s also on top of a geologic hotspot. Even so, for such a small island, that’s a pretty impressive amount of lava.

ICELAND HAS A VOLCANIC ERUPTION EVERY 4-5 YEARS! This isn’t surprising considering the island has somewhere around 150-200 volcanoes, split into different volcanic systems. About 30 different systems are still considered “active” in Iceland, and 13 of them have erupted since the Viking Settlement in 874. Not all the eruptions are on the

WANT TO GET UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL WITH THE VOLCANOES OF ICELAND? For more information on volcanoes and geothermal activity in Iceland, go visit the Volcano House by the old harbour. Its attractions include a mineral exhibition and an hour-long documentary on volcanoes, which is shown every hour, on the hour. As an added bonus, there’s also a What’s On desk over there, in case you need any information.

same scale as the Eyjafjallajökull eruption though; some are small enough to be considered tourist attractions and some happen underneath glaciers and never even see the light of day.

ICELAND HAS THE ONLY ISLAND SCIENTISTS HAVE BEEN ABLE TO OBSERVE AND DOCUMENT FROM THE MOMENT OF ITS CREATION: SURTSEY Surtsey was formed by a volcanic eruption at the bottom of the ocean and emerged from the water on December 14, 1963.

It was immediately granted protection by law and no one was allowed to set foot on the island. To this day only scientists are allowed to go there, and even they have to get special permission. This means that we have been able to monitor how life settles on a brand-new land from the beginning, and the information gained has been invaluable to scientists.

THE FINEST BEER & WHISKY SELECTION IN DOWNTOWN REYKJAVÍK

Live Music Every Night | Live Sports on 5 Big Screens

EXPERIENCE Need more rainy day acitvities? Visit our information center on Laugavegur 5.

24

THINGS TO DO ON A RAINY DAY If it’s raining outside, and you’re not sure what you should do with yourself, here’s a short list of some activities and places you could visit on a rainy day in our lovely country. Enjoy!

MUSEUMS Reykjavík is a veritable feast of cultural treats.

Whether it’s art, history or science you’re after, the museums in this small Nordic city offer an array of interesting and diverse exhibitions year round, guaranteed to pique your interest. When it starts to drizzle, try visiting the Volcano House or Reykjavík Art Museum. It has three locations, Hafnarhúsið, Kjarvalsstaðir and Ásmundarsafn and purchasing admission to any one of these automatically grants you access to the other two.

COFFEEHOUSE It’s hard to explain why Icelanders have such a deep love for coffee, considering it doesn’t grow anywhere near this Nordic island. Maybe it has something to do with those long dark winter mornings, but whatever the reason, the sheer quantity of cafés in downtown Reykjavík is proof positive of Icelanders’ affection for the black stuff. The cafés range from small holes-inthe- wall with take-away coffee to places with plush couches on which you could stay sitting comfortably for several hours.

DRIVE IN THE COUNTRY SIDE The Icelandic landscape is amazing whatever the weather, but hiking in the rain is a recipe for a cold toes and grumpy moods. Zooming past the dramatic landscapes of the Icelandic countryside from the comfort and warmth of a bus or a car, however, is extremely enjoyable. Be sure to blast some great Icelandic music on your drive, it can only enhance the experience.

SWIMMING You may think that it sounds strange to go for a swim in the rain, but swimming in Iceland is particularly enjoyable in bad weather. Thanks to the geothermal heat, you’ll be nice and toasty in the hot tubs, chatting with the locals, while the rain offers a welcome, cooling contrast.

MOVIE AT BÍÓ PARADÍS Bíó Paradís keeps up an ambitious schedule of internationally acclaimed movies from all over the world. It hosts several film festivals and airs Icelandic movies with English subtitles all year round. It’s also the only cinema in downtown Reykjavík and a great place to keep dry and out of the waterworld outside.

Not only is it a great place to watch great movies, it also has a place to sit down, get some coffee or a beer, before or after the movie.

Pre-booking is required. Book online at bluelagoon.com

PRE-BOOKING IS REQUIRED Book online at bluelagoon.com

EXPERIENCE

TOP 8 TIPS FOR TS! H THE NORTHERN LIG 1

| GET OUT OF TOWN

The city lights block the Northern Lights!

2

| MAKE SURE IT’S DARK

Daylight and Northern Lights don’t go hand in hand!

3

| MAKE SURE THE SKY IS CLEAR

The Northern Lights appear way above the clouds!

4

| GIVE IT TIME AND BE PATIENT!

For more information, check out www.whatson.is/northern-lights/

The Northern Lights don’t come out by order – be patient and you might get lucky!

26

5

| SIGHTINGS CAN NEVER BE GUARANTEED

So we’d recommend a tour that includes some great activity as well as Northern Lights hunt – so you won’t feel disappointed!

6

| WEAR SOMETHING WARM

It can get seriously cold, especially when the sky is clear and you’re waiting for a long time.

7

| KNOW YOUR CAMERA!

Taking photos with a flash won’t work. Ever. A tripod and long exposure are your friends!

8

| ENJOY IT!

Lie down on the ground. Look up. Enjoy!

Different ways to see the Northern Lights:

GOING BY COACH:

GOING BY BOAT:

Cheap and effective – A Northern Lights tour by bus is a good way to see the lights if you’re not too concerned about a lot of people and simply travelling by bus. Perhaps not the best time if you don’t see anything – but it’s the cheapest option to see the lights, and gets the job done!

A great experience regardless of lights – Going by boat and seeing the city from the sea at night, is in itself a great experience. The boat ride is a very good choice for those that want to ensure they get something out of their tour – even if no lights are found.

DO have a relatively good camera with you that allows for easy and quick change of settings.

DON’T despair if you only have the camera on your phone to work with. Most newer phones allow you to change the settings like you would on a camera and if not, there’s an app for that!

EXPERIENCE

NORTHERN LIGHT PHOTOGRAPHY DOs AND DON'Ts

DO have your ISO set to at least 800 and your aperture as low as it goes.

DO keep your shutter speed anywhere between 5 seconds to 30 seconds, although the optimal would be between 5-20 (30 is for very faint lights, basically).

DON’T go by boat! If you’re intent on getting photos, at least. The movement of the boat makes it impossible.

DO consider using continuous shooting so that while shooting the lights you don’t have to keep staring at them through your camera DON’T focus solely on your photographs and forget to be in the moment. You don’t see the Northern Lights every day!

GOING BY SUPER-JEEP:

For more information, check out www.whatson.is or stop by the What’s On information office

Exclusive and thrilling – Going in a specially modified super-jeep on a hunt for the lights is a thrilling experience that’s fun and exciting.

Sights can of course never be guaranteed, but the off-road action of the super jeep make for a great adventure and the lights are just an added bonus. © REYKJAVIK EXCURSION

For more information, check out www.whatson.is/northern-lights/

DON’T forget your tripod! However little you think you move while waiting for your camera to take your picture, believe me, you always move a little and it’s enough to make your photos blurry.

27

EXPERIENCE

ICELAND EXPLAINED

HALLGRÍMSKIRKJA >> What is it? Hallgrímskirkja church is probably the best-known landmark in Reykjavík, along with Perlan. It’s the last work of one of Iceland‘s most prolific architect, Guðjón Samúelsson. His work usually drew inspiration from Icelandic nature in some way and Hallgrímskirkja is no exception, conjuring the mountains and glaciers of Iceland along with the iconic columnar igneous rock. Guðjón started sketching the church in 1937 and they started building it in 1945. It wasn’t completely finished until 1986, although parts of the church had been ready for a long time at that point, even consecrated so the unfinished church could be put to use.

Find more information about Iceland on www.whatson.is

>>Why is there a Viking statue in front of the church? It’s thanks to the Americans, actually. They gave us the statue to commemorate the thousand-

28

year anniversary of Iceland’s parliament, Alþingi.

The statue is a likeness of Leifur Eiríksson, or Leif the lucky, the Norse Viking who sailed to North America centuries before Christopher Columbus.

It might seem strange to place a Viking statue in front of a church, but actually, it was the other way around. The statue got there in 1932, but they didn’t start building the church until 1945. >> How do I get to the top of the tower? You take the elevator! It costs a few hundred krónur but you’ll be rewarded with a view to die for. Hallgrímskirkja is the second tallest building in Reykjavík and seeing the rows of the multi-coloured houses in the centre all laid out neatly like doll’s houses, and further away, the bright blue sea and mount Esja, is really something you shouldn’t miss.

ICELAND EXPLAINED

BEER! >> What about it? It’s good and we like it! Beer is the most popular alcoholic beverage in Iceland.

That wouldn’t really be surprising, except for the fact that for a large part of the 20th century, it was illegal to make or sell beer in Iceland! >> Why on earth did you ban delicious beer?

Actually, we started out by banning all alcohol like many countries were doing in the early 20th century. It just didn’t last very long, mainly because we were exporting a lot of fish to Spain and they didn’t like it when we stopped buying wine from them in return. When wine and spirits were legalised, for some reason, beer was left behind and remained illegal until the year 1989. The

arguments against the legalisation are quite funny in retrospect. People thought everyone would start drinking beer at all hours of the day and everyone would be drunk at work. One member of parliament even claimed she was against the legalization of beer since it would mean that beer would replace coffee as the nation’s adult beverage of choice.

Needless to say, that hasn’t happened yet. >> How is Icelandic beer, then? It’s good! There’s been an explosion in craft beer production and microbreweries are popping up all over the place.

Check out our guide to Icelandic beer on page 16-17

EXPERIENCE

Find activities, restaurants and tours on our web, www.whatson.is

29

EXPERIENCE

HOW TO READ THE NORTHERN LIGHTS FORECAST IN ICELAND The Northern Light forecast can be found on en.vedur.is/weather/forecasts/aurora/ but it is a little hard to decipher if you’ve never seen it before. Our handy guide should make things a little bit easier.

THE COLORS

Find more articles like this at whatson.is/

WHITE means NO CLOUDS, while DARK GREEN means VERY CLOUDY. The different shades of green then mean more, or less, cloudy.

30

THE NUMBERS The numbers are a combination of how likely it is for the lights to be active and how active they will be.

Don’t be discouraged if the number looks low, it’s actually very rare for the number to be higher than five. Also, take this with a grain of salt; a low number doesn't mean that they won't come out or won't be impressive, and a high number isn't a guarantee that they will be glorious all through the night.

GOING ON A TOUR? There are many tours taking you out of the bright city lights for a better chance of seeing the Aurora. These tours will be CANCELLED if there is no chance of seeing the lights.

All the major operators can be relied on to do this, first of all because there is a high standard of professionalism in Iceland, but more importantly because they lose money if they take you out needlessly – most of them promise to take you out again for free if you don’t see anything.

ICELANDIC GASTROPUB

3 COURSE

SET DINNER MENU MONDAYS–THURSDAYS

STARTER

OVEN BAKED LOBSTER with garlic butter, lobster mayo, sweet corn-chili salsa

MAIN COURSE CHOOSE BETWEEN

RACK OF LAMB, parma ham & herb crumble, pickled fennel, mashed potatoes OR

LING, mashed potatoes, caper flowers, Dijon-butter sauce

DESSERT

CREAM CHEESE “SKYR” CREAM, blackberry jam, pistachios, lady fingers

5.700 kr.

Served from 17:00

HAPPY

15–18 EV

HOUR

ERY DA All cockta Y ils, be er on e by glass draft and – half pri ce!

house win

SÆTA SVÍNIÐ // Hafnarstræti 1–3 / Tel. 555 2900 / saetasvinid.is

SINCE 1982

i

TOURIST INFORMATION

HAVE QUESTIONS ABOUT ICELAND? OUR EXPERTS HAVE ALL (WELL MOST OF)

THE ANSWERS! ON R NEW LOCATI CHECK OUT OU WN REYKJAVÍK UR 5, DOWNTO ON LAUGAVEG

XT TO VOLCANO HOUSE, NE GVAGATA 11, IN THE ON.IS YG TS TR HA AT @W US D ING FIN OK YOU CAN ALSO CONTACT US AT BO YS WA AL N CA U YO AND THE OLD HARBOUR

EXPERIENCE WHAT TO DO IN ICELAND

IF YOU ONLY HAVE ONE DAY If you only have one day in Iceland, the first advice I will give you is to change your flight and stay for at least a week more. If that’s not an option, my next suggestion would be to use the time you have to the fullest, since Iceland is a unique destination.

IF ICELANDIC GEOLOGY INTERESTS YOU

It’s no coincidence that The Golden Circle is the most popular day tour from Reykjavík. There are three stops on the way that just happen to be three of the most captivating destinations in Iceland, and as an added bonus, the tour doesn’t take up more than half of your day. The stops are Þingvellir, the national park where the Icelandic Parliament congregated since Viking times, Gullfoss, the aweinspiring waterfall which lends its name to the Golden Circle, and Geysir, an erupting hot spring, guaranteed to wow visitors.

Nobody does volcanoes like Iceland, there’s a reason it’s called the land of Ice and Fire. The Reykjavík Erupts! volcano hike takes you to a geothermally active area where the effects of the extreme heat underground are clearly visible on the surface. The colours of the earth are akin to a rainbow and there are bubbling cauldrons of mud everywhere. Lava Tube Caving tour, on the other hand, allows you to visit a cave that was formed during a volcanic eruption. The rock formations alone make this tour worth the trip.

Find more articles like this at christmasiniceland.is/

IF YOU JUST WANT TO SEE THE HIGHLIGHTS

33

EXPERIENCE

IF YOU WANT TO SEE A GLACIER Since you’re visiting ICE-land, you might want to check out some icy tours and it doesn’t get any icier than hiking on a glacier. Glacier hikes are relatively easy and the professional gear is provided so it should be accessible for most people. You get to walk on a glacier, along with guides that know everything there is to know about glaciers and Iceland in general.

Find more articles like this at christmasiniceland.is/

IF YOU’RE IN THE MOOD FOR A LITTLE LUXURY

34

Even if you’re only in Iceland for a short time, that doesn’t mean you have to spend all your time on a bus. If a day of luxurious pampering is more appealing, look no further than the Blue Lagoon.

The turquoise blue waters make for a divinely soothing and relaxing experience. It doesn’t hurt that you can book all sorts of massages and treatments and get drinks straight to the lagoon.

The Lava restaurant at the Blue Lagoon is also first class.

IF YOU PREFER CITY STREETS TO HIKING TRAILS You don’t have to leave the city to experience Iceland. Not only does Reykjavík offer a variety of great museums, restaurants, cafés, and shops, it also has spectacular views of the mountains surrounding the city, right from the city centre. If you’re staying in the city and want to get the most out of your time, invest in the City Card. It gives you access to all the city’s museums for free, as well as access to the thermal pools of Reykjavík, the Reykjavík Family Park and Zoo in Laugardalur, and allows you to use the Icelandic Bus (Strætó) within the Capital Region.

IF YOU READ MOBY DICK AND LIKED IT Marine life abounds in the ocean around Iceland. Of all the creatures that live in these waters, the most spectacular ones have to be the whales. If you’re interested in seeing these immense creatures for yourself, take a whale watching cruise. Even the smallest Icelandic whale you could spot is still the size of a full grown man, and the largest can reach

up to 30 metres in length! If you have a few hours to spare before or after the cruise (or if you get seasick and a cruise is out of the question), check out the Whales of Iceland exhibition for some extra information on these gentle giants.

Whether you are going on tours or staying within city limits, you can be sure of one thing: you won’t have seen enough of what Iceland has to offer. The next time you’re in Iceland (and we’re pretty sure you’ll be back) stop by the What’s On office, or send us an email, and ask the staff to help you plan an unforgettable vacation.

Joe

HAS ARRIVED DOWNTOWN WE ARE NOW OPEN ON LAUGAVEGUR! DROP BY FOR SOME AMAZING JUICES, SANDWICHES AND SHAKES. P.S. WE’RE REALLY GOOD AT MAKING COFFEE TOO!

LAUGAVEGUR | SMÁRALIND | KRINGLAN | WORLD CLASS LAUGAR | KEFLAVIK AIRPORT

The sagas might be several centuries old and originate in a society with completely different values to our own, but the stories they tell are universal and timeless. Just like modern literature, they deal with love, loss, honour, adventure and everything in between. If you want to start reading the sagas but you’re just not sure where to begin, here’s our guide to reading the sagas.

Before you start reading, you should know that…

THE NARRATIVE IS IMPERSONAL The sagas are an exercise in subtlety when it comes to feelings and emotions. Instead of mentioning emotions like anger or embarrassment, the narrator might just mention silence and blushed cheeks. While reading, you have to pay close attention to descriptions and you really can’t skip chapters, because…

EVERY WORD COUNTS When reading the sagas, a lot of the first chapters might seem superfluous. The thing is, if they were, they wouldn’t have been written down. The manuscripts were made of calfskin and were very expensive. Everything they could skip, they did.

The early setup may feel unimportant at first but it’s all a part of the chain of events that eventually set the stage for the plot of the saga to progress.

VALUES WERE DIFFERENT Honour was the basis of society in those days. In a country without law enforcement, people lived highly moral (according to their values) lives or faced the consequences. Family was everything and if someone wronged a cousin of yours, you were not only expected, but required to avenge him, either by money or blood. Last, but not least, there was also a strong belief in fatalism, dreams in the sagas are often prophetic and wise men could see the future.

Find more articles like this at christmasiniceland.is/

The Sagas of the Icelanders, written in the 12th and 13th century and telling the stories of the early settlers of Iceland from the 10th century, are an amazing treasure trove of historical knowledge about the early years of settlement in Iceland.

Better yet, they’re also impressive examples of literary excellence that still hold their own when it comes to enthralling storytelling.

EXPERIENCE

A GUIDE TO READING THE SAGAS OF THE ICELANDERS

37

EXPERIENCE Find more articles like this at christmasiniceland.is/ 38

If you like romance novels and soap operas, start with Laxdæla Saga Laxdæla is the thrilling story of bonds of friendship torn asunder for the love of a woman. The love triangle of the formerly inseparable friends Kjartan and Bolli and the beautiful and clever Guðrún has far-reaching consequences in this heartwrenching story of honour, destiny, love and betrayal. Will Guðrún follow her heart or her pride?

Are they all mere pawns of fate? Will her efforts to overturn destiny prove fruitful? … or fatal!?

If you're a fan of legal dramas and the Greek tragedies, start with Brennu-Njáls saga Njála, as it is affectionately known, is the most revered of all the sagas in Iceland and its main character, Gunnar of Hlíðarendi is probably the most idealised hero in all Icelandic literature. Familial obligations, honour and, most importantly, love, throw him, his best friend Njáll and everyone they hold dear into a whirlwind of theft, lawsuits, murder and punishments. His fate is marked from the moment he lays eyes on the woman he loves and not even Njáll’s sage advice can save him. As an added bonus, Gunnar’s wife, Hallgerður, also happens to be arguably the best female character in all medieval literature.

If you’re into fantasy, start with Völsunga Saga Völsunga saga has it all, dragons, sleeping beauties, magical swords, revenge and a dash of incest. It’s basically Game of Thrones for the 13th century! It’s the story of the Völsungs, a dynasty of kings and heroes. The best-known story from the saga is the story of Sigurður, the slayer of the dragon Fáfnir. After he kills the dragon, he eats his heart because magical birds told him to do it. What more do you need to know?

If you like action movies and adventure stories, start with Egil’s saga Egil’s saga tells the story of the fascinating antihero Egill Skallagrímsson and his adventurous travels all over the north of Europe.

A fierce fighter and clever poet with severe anger management issues, Egil’s saga weaves the stories of the first time he killed a man (at the tender age of 7), his impending beheading which he escapes with the aid of some seriously great poetry, and a drunken feast turned massacre (where our hero at one point cuts off a man’s head before vomiting down his neck), to name a few.

ALL THE SAGAS available in English in bookstores in Iceland. If you’re interested in the sagas and want to know more, head to the Settlement Exhibition where some of the original manuscripts to the centuries old sagas are on display.

If you’re looking for some lighter entertainment, get some tickets to Icelandic Sagas – Greatest hits at Harpa. The comedy show takes on all the Icelandic sagas in 75 minutes.

Additionally, if you’re travelling outside the city limits, we recommend seeking out the areas where the sagas are set. Borgarnes and Hvolsvöllur, for example, each have a museum dedicated to the Sagas of the area, Egil’s saga and Njáls saga, respectively.

A RARE, ONCE-INA-LIFETIME OPPORTUNITY Around, on and deep within the awesome Langjökull ice gap glacier.

Into the Glacier offers various tours to the World's largest ice tunnel. The ice tunnel and caves are located high on Iceland’s second largest glacier, Langjökull.

Daily departures from Klaki base camp, Húsafell center and from Reykjavik.

You can choose from various tours and book online at www.intotheglacier.is Tel: +354 578-2550

Visit us at ReykjavĂ­k City Hall Do you need helpful hints about culture, dining and other activities in our favourite city?

We would love to assist you with planning your stay and booking your adventure!

See you at the official Tourist Information Centre.

Open daily between 08:00-20:00 www.visitreykjavik.is

EXPERIENCE 5 THINGS YOU DIDN’T KNOW ABOUT THE ICELANDIC HORSE The Icelandic Horse is beloved the world over for its qualities, skills and intelligence. Keep your eyes open when driving around the Icelandic countryside, you just might get a glimpse of these beautiful creatures. If you’re lucky, you might even get to see a foal! If you’re keen to learn more, here are some facts about the Icelandic horse that might surprise you.

1. IT’S NOT A PONY!

The Icelandic Horse is the only horse breed in the world that can perform five gaits (ways of walking), while other horse breeds can only perform three or four. The common gaits are called walk, trot, and canter, but Icelandic horses can also do something called a flying pace and tölt. Tölt is the Icelandic word for it but since only the Icelandic horse can do it, there’s not really a translation for it. Tölt is a sped up version of walking, but much more impressive as the horses lift their front legs up high, and only one foot touches the ground at any time. It’s a comfortable gait on the uneven ground of Iceland’s wilderness.

Not all Icelandic horses can do the tölt, and those who have the ability usually need to be trained to do it properly.

3. YOU WON’T FIND ANY OTHER KIND OF HORSES HERE Importing horses to Iceland has been forbidden since as far back as 982 AD, to prevent the degeneration of the stock. This is the kind of thing you can do when you live on an island.

Due to the aforementioned import restrictions, once an Icelandic horse leaves the country, it can never return to Iceland. This means that Icelanders going to riding competitions abroad never take their best horse with them since they will probably sell it after some competitions. The best horses are kept in Iceland to compete or breed.

Find more articles like this at whatson.is/

The Icelandic horse is just how Iceland likes to perceive itself: little but strong. They are squat and muscular and in winter they have long shaggy fur. Despite their (lack of size) they’re not called ponies. Icelandic horses tend to be between 80120 cm tall. Internationally, a horse breed shorter than 1 metre is dubbed a “pony,” so the Icelandic horse is right on the limit. But all our horses are horses because we say they are.

2. WALK THIS WAY

41

ÍSHESTAR

EXPERIENCE Find more articles like this at whatson.is/ 42

4. HISTORY & CULTURE Historically, a quality Icelandic horse was a highlydesired prize, both for practical purposes and as a status symbol. They have a place in Norse mythology, most notably in Sleipnir, Óðinn’s eight-legged horse.

They follow us from our very earliest history, for instance in the book of settlements, where the chieftain Sela-Þórir set up his settlement at the place where his mare Skálm decided to rest. In the Icelandic Sagas, e.g. in Hrafnkel’s Saga, Njál’s Saga and Grettir’s Saga, horses play important roles, for instance in horse fights, as status symbols, and not least as plot devices. For instance, the epic hero Gunnar á Hlíðarenda falls off when his horse trips, looks at his beautiful country and decides to stay rather than be outlawed, which ultimately leads to his death.

To this day, horse breeding and competing are associated with status and wealth – breeding a good horse can generate a lot of wealth and because some wealthy people spend a lot of money on their horses.

5. YOU CAN RIDE ONE! There are so many tours you can choose from to ride an Icelandic horse in its natural habitat when you visit Iceland. Even if you’ve never sat on a horse before, not only are the Icelandic horses renowned for their pleasant temperament, they’re also much shorter than other horses – if you fall off, it won’t be far! If you’re a more experienced rider, we recommend taking a whole day tour, or even some longer trips if you’ve got the time.

The Icelandic highlands are stunning and really, exploring them on horseback, just like the original settlers did, is the only way to go.

WARM WELCOME

UNNUR ICELAND 69.990 ISK

Find more articles like this at christmasiniceland.is/

D R E SS CO D E I C E L A N D www.cintamani.is | Bankastræti 7 | Aðalstræti 10 | Austurhraun 3 | Smáralind | Kringlan | Akureyri

Tryggvagata 11 - Volcano house Open 11:30-21:00 www.fishandchips.is

“TWELFTH NIGHT”

Icelanders are so into Christmas that the celebration lasts for thirteen days, ending on Þrettándinn. Þrettándinn literally translates as “The thirteenth” but is more commonly known as “Twelfth Night” in the English-speaking world.

Christmas is a Christian holiday, but in Iceland, Twelfth Night is dedicated to the elves, hidden people and other mythological creatures. Þrettándinn is a very mysterious time of year in Iceland. During this day, which used to be considered the last day of the year, the lines between our reality and the supernatural one are blurred. According to folk tales, all sorts of supernatural events occur; cows can talk, seals shed their skin and become human, the night dew has healing powers, and your dreams can tell the future!

Despite all these truly amazing situations, what most captures people’s imagination about Þrettándinn are the elves. For instance, there’s the belief that if you sit on a crossroad where you can see four churches on this night, you have a chance of meeting the elves, who give you gifts, trying to lure you to their world. If you’re tempted to accept the gifts before dawn, the elves will drive you mad (as you see, we’re not talking Lord of the Rings elves here, this is serious stuff) but if you manage to not speak to them, you get to keep all the loot!

This is also the day the elves move house, (even though they actually live in stones) and many people keep the lights on all night long so the elves don’t settle in any dark corners.

Traditions on Þrettándinn include getting together with your family to have a big dinner, followed by going to bonfires in honour of the elves. The

WHAT’S ON

ÞRETTÁNDINN

traditions are similar to New Year’s Eve and Þrettándinn is sometimes referred to as a second New Year’s Eve. By the bonfire, people sing elf songs, and Elf Queens and Kings often make an appearance. Þrettándinn is also a perfect evening for finishing shooting up the rest of the New Year’s fireworks, as it’s the last day you can do it legally.

Since this day marks the final day of Christmas, there’s also the mundane task of taking down all your Christmas decoration. This is it. Reality kicks in. Now it’s back to work, school and other serious duties. No more eating cookies all day while watching Harry Potter movies. Well, I don’t know what your Christmas vacation looks like, but that’s pretty much all I do.

If you find yourself in Iceland on Þrettándinn, why not join in our Hidden People holiday. Look up the sky for fireworks (and the Northern Lights of course), go dancing around a bonfire, but watch out for the elves, please!

45

taste the best of iceland... ... in one amazing meal

icelandic gourmet feast Starts with a shot of the infamous Icelandic spirit Brennívín Followed by 7 delicious tapas • Smoked puffin with blueberry “brennivín” sauce • Icelandic sea-trout with peppers-salsa • Lobster tails baked in garlic • Pan-fried line caught blue ling with lobster-sauce • Grilled Icelandic lamb Samfaina • Minke Whale with cranberry & malt-sauce • White chocolate "Skyr" mousse with passion fruit coulis

7.990 kr.

late night dining Our kitchen is open until 23:30 on weekdays and 01:00 on weekends

Vesturgötu 3B | 101 Reykjavík | Tel. 551 2344 | www.tapas.is

During modern Þorrablóts, it is traditional to eat some of the oldfashioned foods Icelanders used to eat before they had refrigerators.

Since it had to be preserved somehow, the dominant flavours are pickled, salted, dried and smoked. Some of it is quite good, some is not good at all, and almost all of it will seem very strange to those unfamiliar with it. Here’s a handy guide to some of the most popular Þorri food.

— ON THE MENU —

SÚRSAÐIR HRÚTSPUNGAR PICKLED RAM’S TESTICLES

Yes, you read it correctly; ram testicles. They really did use everything back in the day.

The testes are pressed into blocks, boiled and cured in acid whey. This does not sound very tasty – and to be frank, that’s probably because it really isn’t. There are some who enjoy snacking on these sheep balls occasionally, but my guess is that we mostly keep this dish around because we feel like we sort of have to, because it’s tradition. Either that or we just like freaking out the tourists.

Find more articles like this at whatson.is

In the Old Norse calendar, Þorri was the name of a month that ran from late January to February in the current system. The first day of Þorri is Bóndadagur (husband’s day). During this month, there was usually a blót, or a sacrifice combined with a festival, to appease the god and ensure the return of summer. With the conversion to Christianity, this tradition died out, but was resurrected by romantic nationalists in the 19th century, and Þorrablót celebrations (minus the sacrifice) have today become a firmly established tradition.

WHAT’S ON

ÞORRI!

47

WHAT’S ON

BLÓÐMÖR BLOOD-SUET The name doesn’t sound very appetising, that’s for sure. Still, this blood sausage, a combination of lamb blood and suet mixed with flour, oats and some spices, actually tastes pretty good. Blóðmör is usually boiled and served with mashed turnips and a white sauce closely related to béchamel, or cut in slices and pan-fried. It’s also delicious served cold, with a bowl of cinnamony-sweet rice pudding.

HARÐFISKUR

HÁKARL

DRIED FISH

FERMENTED SHARK

Find more articles like this at whatson.is

Drying fish is a good way to preserve it when you don’t have access to freezers. It also, coincidentally, produces a delicious, salty snack that’s almost pure protein. It’s best eaten with lots of creamy Icelandic butter. Harðfiskur can be purchased in most supermarkets and at Kolaportið flea market. This is one of the few traditional Icelandic delicacies we can definitely recommend.

48

Since fresh shark is poisonous, in order to eat it, you first have to bury it in the ground for 6-12 weeks. After that most of the poison has broken down into ammonia. This explains the pungent odour of ammonia (often compared to the smell of strong, and we mean STRONG, cheese) that this “delicacy” gives off. It’s best washed down with a shot of Brennivín schnapps (an aquavit flavoured with caraway seeds). This pairing is often considered the ultimate test of masculinity.

SVIÐ SINGED SHEEP HEAD Svið are sheeps’ heads, cut in half, singed, to get rid of the fur, and boiled. In centuries past, when there was never too much meat to go around, it made no sense to throw away the head just because it looked icky. Nowadays we recognise that many find it uncomfortable to literally look their food in the eye, but they can always get Sviðasulta, a lamb’s head terrine, which is sometimes pickled in acid whey. If you’re a first-timer, we recommend at least starting with the unpickled variety, since the pickled one is definitely an acquired taste, to put it mildly.

Are you indulging in some Þorri food while in Iceland?

Share your experience with us (and the world) by using the hashtag #WhatsOnRvk.

Try our amazing 3 course dinner menu STARTER

Choose between Langoustine Fried langoustine, green celery, spring onions, lobster butter sauce and mango salsa or Icelandic roll- 4 pcs Gravlax roll with Brennivín (Icelandic traditional Snaps) and dill. Avocado, mango, cucumber, dill mayo, rye bread crumble

MAIN COURSE

Choose between Grilled salmon Mango-cucumber salsa, plantain-chips, chili foam, dill or Rack of lamb Onion purée, slow cooked leeks, chimichurri, baked carrot

DESSERT Skyr Skyr infused with birch, berries, white chocolate crumble, and sorrel granita

5.900 kr.

Our kitchen is open 17.00–23.00 sun.–thu.

17.00–24.00 fri.–sat.

Sushi Samba Þingholtsstræti 5 • 101 Reykjavík Tel 568 6600 • sushisamba.is

WHAT’S ON LOCATIONS

7

6

5

8

4

9

3

1

Check out the article The Reykjavik Sight Experience on pages 10-11 for more information about the places numbered here.

2

REYKJAVIK CITY MAP

10 10 10 10 10 10

WHAT’S ON

THE REYKJAVÍK MUSEUM WALK Reykjavík’s history reaches back for more than a thousand years and the city is rich with culture. This heritage can be experienced in the museums scattered throughout the city. To make life easier for you, here is a proposed Museum Walk that covers the best ones in downtown Reykjavik, all within a walking distance.

1

VOLCANO HOUSE

The museum gives visitors an idea of the life in Iceland, where volcanoes and earthquakes are a constant threat. Icelandic n at u re i s i n a st ate o f constant flux, earthquakes occur daily somewhere in Iceland, and volcanic eruptions are always a possibility. Volcano House lets you experience the world of Icelanders by coming as close as possible to experiencing an eruption or earthquake for yourself. They also have a Volcano Show, which consists of two back-to-back documentaries on historical volcanic eruptions.

2

REYKJAVÍK MUSEUM OF PHOTOGRAPHY

The museum’s main objective is to present both historical and contemporary photography in an artistic, social and cultural context, as well as nurture public and scholarly interest in photography and its culture. The collection’s themes are diverse, you can find family photographs, photos from portrait studios, industrial- and advertising photographs, press photography, landscape photographs and more.

Find more articles like this at whatson.is/

3

52

5

THE NATIONAL MUSEUM OF ICELAND

The nation’s most precious treasures are kept and displayed at The National Museum of Iceland. The museum was established on the 24th of February in 1863 and it’s aim is to increase and relay knowledge of Icelandic cultural heritage from the country’s settlement until now. In the museum you will find a permanent exhibition of objects that provide insight into Icelandic history and culture as well as temporary exhibitions highlighting specific eras or aspects of the Icelandic cultural heritage.

6

THE NATIONAL GALLERY OF ICELAND

The principal art museum of Iceland, established in 1884.

Its art collection consists mainly of 19th and 20th century art works. In its possession are many of the keystones of Icelandic art history, as well as a growing collection of works from other countries. The National Gallery’s main role is to collect, preserve, research and exhibit Icelandic art and offer education about it. There is also a considerable emphasis laid on showing Icelandic art in context with international art.

REYKJAVÍK ART MUSEUM

Hafnarhús serves as the m u s e u m ’s i n s t i t u t e o f contemporary art, where new developments in art are explored through d i ve r s e ex h i b i t i o n s o f Icelandic and international artists. An exhibition of paintings by well-known pop artist Erró is a permanent feature. Don’t forget to stop by the Hafnarhús shop for postcards, art posters and books published by the museum.

4

THE SETTLEMENT EXHIBITION

Archaeological remains were excavated in Aðalstræti in 2001, which turned out to be the oldest relics of human habitation in Reykjavík.The relics are now preserved at their original location and are the focal point of the Settlement Exhibition. The construction of Viking Age buildings is explained using multimedia technology and computer technology is used to give an impression of what life was like in the hall. This one is open late, until 8 pm.

©2013 GOOGLE

The Wonders of the Volcanoes Volcano House features two documentaries that focus on the most famous eruptions of Iceland, including Vestmannaeyjar in 1973 and Eyjafjallajökull in 2010, as well as talking about the causes and effects of Icelandic volcanology in general.

The Volcano House includes a FREE “hands on” geology exhibition featuring many different mineral samples, such as lava from the 2014 eruption of Bárðabunga and ash from the eruption of Eyjafjallajökull.

Reviews from tripadvisor “Friendly staff - excellent documentary”

Due to weather and unfamiliarity with Reykjavik we arrived just after the last show started and were told that we could go in right away and pay after the show. In my opinion everyone should visit and watch this show. - jdsteven, Colorado

VOLCANO HOUSE

Volcano Cinema and Geological Exhibition in Downtown Reykjavik, next to the Old Harbour.

Open Every Day from 10:00-21:00 / Show time every hour, on the hour.

Tryggvagata 11, 101 Reykjavík | (+354) 555 1900 | www.volcanohouse.is

EVENTS

NOTABLE FESTIVITIES & RECURRING EVENTS EVENTS FROM WHATSON.IS/EC

Read more about these exhibitions at whatson.is/ec

January 1st, 2017 @ Harpa REYKJAVÍK CLASSICS NEW YEAR CELEBRATION

54

January 1st, 2017 @ Harpa THE PHANTOMS OF THE OPERA January 2nd, 2017 @ Harpa PEARLS OF ICELANDIC SONG – NEW YEAR’S CONCERTS

January 19th, 2017 @ Harpa SAARIAHO AND SIBELIUS – ICELAND SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA January 20th, 2017 FIRST DAY OF ÞORRI/BÓNDADAGUR January 20th, 2017 @ Bryggjan Brugghús SUNDAY JAZZ - WEEKLY EVENT

January 5th, 2017 @ Dansverkstæðið ROCK’N’ROLL MUSICALITY WORKSHOP

January 21st, 2017 @ Salurinn TÍBRÁ: PIANO QUARTET BY MOZART & SCHUMANN

January 5h, 2017 @ Harpa VIENNESE FAVOURITES – ICELAND SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

January 22nd, 2017 @ Harpa ICELANDIC SAGAS – THE GREATEST HITS

January 5th, 2017 @ x ÞRETTÁNDINN January 9th, 2017 @ Húrra MONDAY JAZZ - WEEKLY EVENT January 13th, 2017 @ Hard Rock Cafe HELTER SKELTER PLAYS REVOLVER January 19th, 2017 @ Tjarnarbíó GRRRRLS!

January 22nd, 2017 @ Harpa SONGS OF LIFE & DEATH January 25th, 2017 @ Græna Herbergið REYKJAVÍK KABARETT January 26th-28th, 2017 @ Harpa DARK MUSIC DAYS 2017 January 31st, 2017 @ Iðnó LISTEN TO ICELAND – ICELANDIC FOLK SONGS

FOR MORE INFORMATION AND EVEN MORE EVENTS, VISIT US ONLINE AT WHATSON.IS/EC SEND US YOUR EVENTS AT WHATSON.IS/EC/ADD OR EVENTS@WHATSON.IS

THE STEAK HOUSE

Steikhúsið simply means “The Steak House” and that underlines our goal, to focus solely on steaks.

Steikhúsið is in the middle of Reykjavík, opposite the old harbor, which has recently formed into a lively neighborhood of restaurants, cafes, artisan stores and work shops.

When you visit us, remember to try our “28-day” tendered meat.

The heart of the place is a coal oven from Mibrasa, Spain. It is only fitting that we use coal for grilling and baking, since the building housed a blacksmith and metal works in years gone by.

THE KITCHEN IS OPEN FROM 17:00 ‘TILL LATE — VISIT WWW.STEAK.IS

Booking: +354 561 1111 & steik@steik.is

EVENTS

DARK MUSIC DAYS 26-28TH JAN Myrkir Músíkdagar or Dark Music Days is a music festival held yearly in the end of January, a very dark time of the year. It’s one of the oldest Icelandic music festivals, established in 1980 and although the name might indicate dark and perhaps heavy music that is not the case. Rather, the festival focuses on new and contemporary music, both Icelandic and international.

Most of the music played at the Dark Music Days is being premiered, since originally, the Society of Icelandic Composers founded the festival as a platform for new musicians to introduce their music to the public. Today it has broadened its spectrum and consists of new contemporary Icelandic music as well as music by international artists.

ICELAND SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA PLAYS VIENNESE FAVOURITES! For years, the Iceland Symphony's Viennese concerts have been among its most popular and best-attended. This first concert of the new calendar year features a stunning array of Johann Strauss' most appealing works, beginning with the overture to Die Fledermaus and ending with The Blue Danube. The pieces played in between range from waltzes and polkas to operatic arias and duets – an unforgettable line-up of long-time favourites. Also on the programme is Kálman's aria Heut' nacht hab' ich geträumt von dir, which has become an unexpected favourite in Iceland in recent years, to an Icelandic text.

If you’re a jazz-lover (and who isn’t?), there are plenty of options to have a good time in Reykjavík. If you come here in August, there’s the Jazz festival of course, but there are also some pretty good jazz nights on a weekly basis if you know where to find them. Bryggjan Brugghús have Sunday Jazz where some accomplished Icelandic jazz musicians get together to play their hearts out. If Sunday nights don’t suit you, there’s also Monday jazz at Húrra, the choice is yours!

Find more events at whatson.is

REYKJAVÍK JAZZ NIGHTS

57

EVENTS

VOLCANO HOUSE WONDERS OF VOLCANOES The Volcano House includes a FREE “hands on” geology exhibition featuring many different mineral samples, such as lava from the 2014 eruption of Bárðabunga and ash from the 2010 eruption of Eyjafjallajökull.

A documentary in English is screened every hour, on the hour, from 10am to 9pm. It focuses on some of the most famous eruptions of Iceland, as well as talking about the causes and effects of Icelandic volcanology in general. The show is also available in different languages by prearrangement

Read more about these exhibitions at whatson.is/museums

»» The Volcano House is fun and educational for people of all ages, and kids are especially welcome. (Free for 0-12)

58

»» The Volcano House is a great stop on your Museum Day. After standing and reading for hours, it’s nice to sit down and watch a movie.

WONDERS OF VOLCANOES

»» Volcano House is a great late-night activity (last show at 21:00), a good replacement if your tour is cancelled, or if the weather is bad (it’s always nice and warm inside). Drop by any time!

For more information see www.volcanohouse.is.

HAFNARBORG THE BUILDING AS A BEING & THE CITY AS THE PLATFORM OF OUR LIVES Until January 17th.

Artist Egill Sæbjörnsson addresses city planning and the importance of magic in our environment in his new installation in Hafnarborg’s main gallery in which he

THE BUILDING AS A BEING...

takes in the architecture of the museum itself and the relationship between man and space. The sculptures’ prototypes are partially based on mineature objects created at Bakery, an event held in Hafnarborg last spring. There, people were invited to shape architectural elements in dough. Those objects were later baked and a few of them were remade in a larger scale and now

have a role in a new exotic environment in Hafnarborg’s main gallery.

Egill Sæbjornsson’s work mixes formal and narrative aspects that references both culturaland art history. It bears witness to a complex background across a range of media and are all at once performance sets, sculptural accumulations and threedimensional drawings.

WEEKLY SYMPHONY CONCERTS IN HARPA CONCERT HALL Harpa Concert Hall sinfonia.is harpa.is (+354) 528 50 50

Main sponsor:

@icelandsymphony / #sinfo

EVENTS

REYKJAVÍK ART MUSEUM ÁSMUNDARSAFN ÁSMUNDUR SVEINSSON AND ÞORVALDUR SKÚLASON: CHILDREN OF THE EYE Works by Ásmundur Sveinsson (f. 1893 – 1982) and Þorvaldur Skúlason (f. 1906 – 1984) both focused greatly on the formalist imagery of their work, thus connecting themselves to modernist traditions.. ÁSMUNDUR & ÞORVALDUR

REYKJAVÍK ART MUSEUM – KJARVALSSTAÐIR KJARVAL – FROM COLLECTION

Read more about these exhibitions at whatson.is/museums

Kjarvalsstaðir is a space where the art of Jóhannes Sveinsson Kjarval, in whose honour it is named, has been presented in diverse ways since it opened in 1973. In that time extensive research has been carried out on his art and his important place in Icelandic art history.

60

HILDUR BJARNADÓTTIR: ECOSYSTEM OF COLORS The works in this exhibition explore the desire to find one’s place in the world, a place of one’s own. Three years ago, Hildur acquired a piece of land in the south of Iceland. hrough this land she positions herself in time and space, personally, politically and artistically. The plants on the land act as recording devices of the place they grow in and the ecological and social system they belong to, collecting information through the soil and the air, as well as their roots, petals, flowers and leaves.

REYKJAVIK ART MUSEUM – HAFNARHÚS ERRÓ: WAR AND PEACE Until January 22nd.

In Erró’s art, scarcely a region exists where life flows by calmly and gently, far from the sound

KJARVAL

and fury of war. Striðið (War) is the title of one of his oldest works. It is a drawing in ink and watercolour that dates from 1950. Its subject is violence, destruction, death. Iceland, the artist’s native country, is represented in the centre and at the top of a small, circular planisphere placed in the middle of the composition and superimposed on the silhouette of a nuclear bomb, equidistant between East and West. From this over-sized globe-bomb emanate lethal rays crammed with skeletons.

YOKO ONO: ONE MORE STORY..

The exhibition ‘One More Story…’ aims to reveal the basic elements that define Yoko Ono’s extensive and diverse artistic career – a voyage through the notion of art itself, with a strong social and political engagement. On one hand there are the ‘Instruction’

YOKO ONO

pieces, which ask questions about the conceptual principles behind the work of art, highlighting its ephemerality while de-sanctifying the object, as well as enlisting the participation of spectators in its material realisation. On the other hand there are the narratives expressing Ono’s poetic and critical vision.

Gourmet Experience

- Steaks and Style at Argentina Steakhouse Barónsstíg 11 - 101 Reykjavík Tel: 551 9555 argentina.is

EVENTS

THE ICELANDIC PUNK MUSEUM The Icelandic Punk Museum is located at Bankastræti 0, an underground location that served as public toilets from 1930 to 2006. The Icelandic Punk Museum honors the music and the spirit that has shaped musicians and bands to this day; people who dared to be different.

Objects, photographs, videos, posters, etc. from those years (roughly 1978 to 1992) are on display with texts in Icelandic and English, as well as the main music from the period is available to guests.

PUNK MUSEUM

MUSEUM OF DESIGN AND APPLIED ART ON PAPER Sketches and drawings by designers and artists An exhibition of a selection of drawings and sketches from the museum collection and from private collections will open on Saturday, November 19th. The pieces displayed provide an idea about the working process of designers and artists when making packaging, advertisements, book covers and of furniture and interior designers from the 1920s until the 1960s.

ON PAPER

KEEPERS Museum collections are collections made up by a number of collected objects and sources that have some meaning to the museum But how are the objects collected? What reasons lie behind certain objects

KEEPERS

being collected and where do the boundaries lie when collecting objects for a collection?

The exhibition KEEPERS focuses on the museums’s collection. It will display the diversity that defines the collection. The title

refers both to the objects themselves, the ones worth keeping, as well as the people who preserved them, kept them and eventually so generously gave them to the museum for safekeeping.

Find more events at whatson.is

The exhibition includes works by Jónas Sólmundsson (1905-1983), Jón Kristinsson or Jóndi (1925-2009), Kristín Þorkelsdóttir (1936), Lothar Grund (1923-1995), Stefán Jónsson (1913-1989) and Sverrir Haraldsson (19301985).

63

EVENTS

REYKJAVÍK MARITIME MUSEUM SEA WOMEN The exhibition is a collaborative project between Reykjavik city museum (of which the Maritime museum is a part) and Dr. Margaret E. Willson, an anthropologist with the University of Washington (Seattle, Washington State).

Dr. Willson discovered through extensive historical and ethnographic research in Iceland that women have consistently worked at sea from the mid- 900s to the present day. In West Iceland, through the 1700s and 1800s, women comprised a full third of the fishing fleet. This appears to be different from any other group of female fishers about whom a study has been done. From the 1970s through the early 2000s.

JOAN JONAS

Read more about these exhibitions at whatson.is/museums

FROM POVERTY TO ABUNDANCE

64

The exhibition portrays the Icelandic fisheries at the turn of the 20th century, and realistically depicts the lives of Icelandic fishermen. During this time, tenant fishermen resided in modest coastal cottages during the fishing season. On display is Farsæll, an original four-person rowboat built around 1900 in the Westman Islands.

NATIONAL GALLERY OF ICELAND VALTÝR PÉTURSSON Valtýr Pétursson (1919−1988) was a pioneer of Icelandic abstract art, a productive painter, an important critic and an active participant in artists' unions and groups. The exhibition be to opened at the National Gallery of Iceland in September 2016 is intended to provide an overview of his rich artistic career.

JOAN JONAS Until January 22nd.

Joan Jonas (b. 1936) is a

SEA WOMEN

pioneer in the field of video and performance art and has a profound impact on artists who have seen her exhibitions in respected art institutions such as MoMA: Museum of Modern Art, The Kitchen, Queens Museum and Dia:Beacon in New York, Dokumenta 11 in Kassel, and Museu d'Art Contemporani de Barcelona. Joan Jonas has received numerous awards for her art and has worked as a professor emeritus at MIT, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, since 1998.

Joan Jonas has made works based on the writing of Icelandic Nobel Price laureate Halldór Laxness, Under a Glacier, and one of the Icelandic Sagas, Laxdæla, neither of which has previously been exhibited in Iceland. The works will now

be presented at the National Gallery of Iceland and the Akureyri Art Museum. Some of Jonas' previous works were exhibited at a group exhibition in the Living Art Museum in Reykjavik in 1985. Joan Jonas represented the US at the Venice Biennale in 2015.

TEXT Until January 8th.

The exhibition T E X T shows a selection of text-based art works by fifty Icelandic and international visual artists. The works all belong to the private art collection of Reykjavík and Berlin based collectors Pétur Arason and Ragna Róbertsdóttir, whose collection of contemporary art has reached over 1.000 works since the early 1960s until today.

rmal Poo Reykjaviks' The ls

A sou r ce of health Therm al swi m m ing pools

Hot t ubs and jacuzz i

Saunas, steambat hs and showers

Se ve n loc at i on s ope n ea rly un t i l lat e

Thermal pools a and nd b baths in Reykjavi Reykjavik k ar are re a source of hea health, alth, relaxation and pureness. All of the city´s swimming pools have several hot tubs with temperatures ranging from 37˚ to 42˚C (98˚–111˚F).

The pools are kept at an average temperature of 29˚ C (84˚ F)

Tel: +354 411 5000 www.spacity.is

EVENTS ASSEMBLAGE

THE CINEMA

SIGURJÓN ÓLAFSSON MUSEUM

Read more about these exhibitions at whatson.is/museums

ASSEMBLAGE

66

Sigurjón Ólafsson is known as a traditional sculptor, modeller of clay and plaster pieces and a welder of iron structures. In addition a large proportion of his later sculptures out of wood can be classified as assemblages, consisting as they do of assorted wooden parts, found or reworked, constructed around a given spatial core.

This show features a selection of these later assemblages, chosen by the artist's widow, Birgitta Spur.

ÁSGRÍMUR JÓNSSON COLLECTION FRIGHTENING NATURE In the magnificent works depicting people and animals fleeing from natural catastrophe, one can sense the artist's inner struggle bringing us closer to his life

THE CINEMA

and work, joy and suffering which goes together with the process of creating as new roads are travelled.

The story of a poor farmer's son, who becomes one of the nation's most respected painters, resembles a fairy tale. The varied treatment of the material shows the artist's continuous search for a suitable way of expressing the different subjects from local landscapes to the

CHECK OUT WHATSON.IS FOR MORE INFORMATION ON MUSEUMS & EVENTS

interpretation of the saga heritage, Icelandic folklore and fairy tales as natural disaster.

THE CINEMA There’s a cosy little movie theatre on the Old Harbour waterfront in the Reykjavik Centre that’s simply called The Cinema. It offers a wide variety of documentaries, made by the renowned Icelandic filmmaker Valdimar Leifsson, on everything from volcanoes to the Northern Lights and glaciers. It has an impressive selection of scheduled shows and it’s also possible to book specially a number of others, including films in German.

Make it’s Eld sure ing!

Call us on +354 519 5000 or visit www.elding.is elding@elding.is

WHALE WATCHING

EXPRESS WHALE WATCHING

NORTHERN LIGHTS CRUISE

VIÐEY ISLAND

WHALE WATCHING from Reykjavík

Check out our Akureyri whale watching tours on elding.is Take part in an adventure at sea with an unforgettable trip into the world of whales and sea birds all year round.

Elding Whale Watching schedule – all year round

13:00

May 9:00

Jun 9:00 10:00 13:00 13:00 13:00 14:00 17:00 17:00 20:30*

Jul 9:00 10:00 13:00 14:00 17:00 20:30

Aug Sept Oct Nov-Dec 9:00 9:00 9:00 9:00** 10:00 13:00 13:00 13:00 13:00 14:00 17:00 17:00 19:00

* From 15 June ** Feb, March, November Environmental Award Icelandic Tourist Board

www.elding.is

Express Whale Watching (RIB-boat) EL-06 – 15 April - 31 May at 10:00 and 14:00 – 1 June - 30 June at 10:00, 12:00, 14:00 and 16:00 – 1. July - 31. August at 10:00, 11:00, 12:00, 13:00 14:00 15:00 and 16:00.

– 1-30 September, two times a day at 10:00 and 14:00.

EL-01 / EL-02 / EL-03

Jan-Mar Apr 9:00** 9:00

Northern Light Cruise EL-09 – 1 Sept - 30 Sept & 15 Mars - 15 Apr at 22:00 – 1 Oct - 14 Mars at 21:00

– 1-16 October at 10:00

EVENTS

NORDIC HOUSE CENTURY OF THE CHILD The Nordic House is proud to present the exhibition Century of the Child: Nordic Design for Children 1900 to Today. The exhibition appeals to visitors of all ages and The Nordic House offers various playful and interactive experiences in connection with the exhibition – both indoor and outdoor. Century of the Child gathers for the first time Nordic design for children from the beginning of the 20th century to the present day.

CENTURY OF THE CHILD

PORTRAITS

REYKJAVIK MUSEUM OF PHOTOGRAPHY PORTRAITS BY HASSELBLAD AWARD WINNERS Until January 15th.

This exhibition at the Reykjavík Museum of Photography featuresa selection of works by Hasselblad Award winners, from the Hasselblad Foundation collection, with a particular focus on portraiture.

POINT NORTH: SIMONE DARCY Point North is a collection of images based on the story of motherhood. Simone had this to say about the project:

ICELAND IN THE WORLD, THE WORLD IN ICELAND Iceland, in both past and present, has been characterised by transnationalism. Iceland has thus been a part of the mobility of people and ideas through the centuries. It is important to highlight this in the present, when current discourse is often based on the idea that in the past different parts of the world existed in isolation from each

other. Prejudices are nothing new in Icelandic society, as for centuries Icelanders' ideas have been influenced by global conceptions of race.

KALDAL'S PORTRAITS AND KALDAL, TIME AND SPACE Exhibition Kaldal's Portraits on his iconic portrait photograhs, amongst whom include portraits of Icelandic artists.

Exhibition Kaldal, Time and Space focuses on the inside of the home, the interiors of dormitories, and workplaces in years 1926-1938.

THE MAKING OF A NATION - HERITAGE AND HISTORY IN ICELAND The exhibition is intended to provide insight into the history of the Icelandic nation from the Settlement to the present day. The aim is to cast light on the Icelanders’ past by placing the cultural heritage preserved

by the National Museum in a historical context, guided by the question: What makes a nation? The exhibition includes about 2,000 objects, dating from the Settlement Age to the present, as well as about 1,000 photographs from the 20th century. The exhibition is conceived as a journey through time: it begins with the ship in which medieval settlers crossed the ocean to their new home, it ends in a modern airport, the Icelanders’ gateway to the world.

THE RE-INVESTIGATION OF A VIKING GRAVE An exhibition based on new research on the bones and grave good found in a settlement-era grave.The grave was discovered in 1938 in East-Iceland. The research can provide answers on the age of the woman in the grave and where she came from, together with indications of how she looked and dressed.

Find more events at whatson.is

THE NATIONAL MUSEUM OF ICELAND

MAKING OF A NATION

69

EVENTS

THE CULTURE HOUSE POINTS OF VIEW The exhibition offers visitors a chance to delve into the collections of six different cultural institutions, the National Museum of Iceland, National Gallery of Iceland, Natural History Museum, National Archives of Iceland, National and University Library of Iceland and Árni Magnússon Institute for Icelandic Studies.

Points of view offers an innovative guide to a nation’s cultural history exhibiting thousand-year-old treasures, e.g. manuscripts, along with the latest in Icelandic art.

SETTLEMENT SAGAS

Read more about these exhibitions at whatson.is/museums

EINAR JÓNSSON MUSEUM

70

A museum in the heart of Reykjavík that houses the work of Iceland's first sculptor Einar Jónsson. The museum contains close to 300 art works spanning a 60 year career: carvings from the artist's youth, sculpture, paintings and drawings. A beautiful tree-clad garden adorned with 26 bronze casts of the artist's works is located behind the museum. The task of the museum is to collect, preserve and display the work of Einar as well as to conduct research on his life and art.

THE SETTLEMENT EXHIBITION SETTLEMENT SAGAS

EINAR JÓNSSON

The central feature of this new exhibition are the nation‘s greatest treasures, ancient manuscripts that are usually kept under lock at The Árni Magnússon Institute for Icelandic studies. This is a temporary exhibition and a rare opportunity to see these culturally valuable manuscripts that describe the Settlement of Reykjavik.

Written in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, the settlement sagas look back to life in Iceland from the

POINTS OF VIEW

ninth century through to the period of Iceland’s conversion to Christianity (in 1000 AD).

They tell of settlers from Norway and the British Isles and the regions where they settled, detailing their family origins and noteworthy descendants and sometimes giving their reasons for leaving their homelands.

FIND EVENTS IN REYKJAVIK ON WHATSON.IS

SET DINNER MENU

SUNDAYS – THURSDAYS FROM 17.00

6.900 KR.

STARTERS

CHOOSE FROM LANGOUSTINE Pan-fried langoustine, roasted garlic mayo, red pepper sauce, green peas and avocado purée SEA TROUT ON A HIMALAYAN SALT BLOCK Slow cooked Icelandic sea trout, yuzu mayo, truffle mayo, crunchy quinoa, apple

MAIN COURSES CHOOSE FROM

RACK OF LAMB Slow cooked lamb fillet, leeks, pickled shallots, carrots, baked celeriac, dill-spinach cream, mustard sauce LING Pan fried ling, smoked celeriac purée, grilled chorizo, braised fennel, citrus olive oil sauce

DESSERT

SKYR FANTASIA Skyr fromage, Skyr mousse, strawberry & lime gel, lime sponge cake

APOTEK

Austurstræti 16

101 Reykjavík

Tel: 551 0011

apotek.is

Don’t Fight the Power.

Feel It. We could talk forever about how interesting our clean energy production at Hellisheidi is. But, instead, let’s see what some of our guests at the Geothermal Exhibition have to say on TripAdvisor: “A must see activity”, “Bucket List”, “... interactive and inspiring”, “Now I’m impressed!”

We hope to welcome you too on your trip to Iceland at the most powerful exhibition in the world.

Only 20 min. drive from Reykjavík.

A perfect stop on your way to or from the city.

The exhibition is open every day 9am-5pm. Info: exhibition@on.is Tel: (+354) 591 2880 www.onpower.is/exhibition

ART & CULTURE

ÁRBÆR OPEN AIR MUSEUM

THE SETTLEMENT EXHIBITION

REYKJAVIK MARITIME MUSEUM

Kistuhylur, Reykjavik 411-6304 | reykjavikcitymuseum.is Hours: Weekdays guided tours 13:00.

Aðalstræti 16, Reykjavik 411-6370 | reykjavikcitymuseum.is Hours: Daily 9-20

Grandagarður 8, Reykjavik 411-6340 | reykjavikcitymuseum.is Hours: Daily 12-17

REYKJAVIK MUSEUM OF PHOTOGRAPHY

THE EINAR JÓNSSON MUSEUM

Tryggvagata 15, Reykjavik 411-6390 | reykjavikcitymuseum.is Hours: Mon-Thu 12-19, Fri 12-18, Sat & Sun 13-17

Hallgrímstorg 3, Reykjavik 551-3797 | www.lej.is Hours: Tue-Sun 10-17

REYKJAVÍK CITY MUSEUM This unique museum was founded in 1957 in order to give visitors a tangible sense of Reykjavík’s past. It comprises a village-like collection of over twenty “homes,” each creating a very interesting exhibition in itself.

VIÐEY ISLAND

REYKJAVÍK CITY MUSEUM Unspoiled nature reigns on island of Viðey, which has a unique place in Icelandic history. Birdlife abounds on the island, while out­stand­i ng works of modern art also make their mark.

Find more recommendations at whatson.is

Viðey Reykjavik 533-5055 reykjavikcitymuseum.is

74

REYKJAVIK CITY LIBRARY

FREE ENTRY Looking for a place to hang out, browse the internet, get access to Wi-Fi or meet the Reykjavik locals? Then Reykjavik City Library is the perfect place to visit. Have a seat and dip into the latest magazine or relax while checking out their great selection of books.

Tryggvagata 15, Reykjavik 411-6100 | borgarbokasafn.is Hours: Mon-Thu 10-19, Fri 11-18, Sat & Sun 13-17

REYKJAVÍK CITY MUSEUM Experience Viking-Age Reykjavik at the Settlement Exhibition. Multimedia techniques bring Reykjavik’s past to life, providing visitors with insights into how people lived in the Viking Age, and what the environment looked like to the settlers.

REYKJAVÍK CITY MUSEUM/ FREE ENTRY The aim of the museum is to shape a unique vision and to be leading in its field.

The museum preserves various collections from professional and amateur photographers.

HAFNARBORG

FREE ENTRY Hafnarborg has a collection of Icelandic art and regular exhibitions presenting leading Icelandic and international artists. Collection exhibitions are a regular part of the program. Around exhibitions are workshops and guided tours.

Strandgata 34, Hafnarfjörður 585-5790 | www.hafnarborg.is Hours: Wed-Mon 12-17

REYKJAVÍK CITY MUSEUM It is impossible to truly get to know Iceland without getting to know its fishing history. The museum’s main exhibitions illustrate the development from rowing boats to m o d e r n t raw l e r s a n d t h e construction of Reykjavik harbour.

A museum with indoor and outdoor exhibitions dedicated to the work of Einar Jónsson, Iceland’s first modern sculptor (1874-1954). The museum was built in the early 1900’s when Einar Jónsson offered all of his works as a gift to the Icelandic nation.

THE NUMISMATIC MUSEUM

FREE ENTRY A selection from the numismatic collection is on display on the ground floor of the Central Bank’s main building in Kalkofnsvegur 1, Reykjavik.

Kalkofnsvegur 1, Reykjavik 569-9600 www.sedlabanki.is Hours: Mon-Fri 13:30-15:30

GUARANTEED SEATS

FREE WIFI

45 MINUTES

ALL FLIGHTS

The Flybus operates in connection with all arriving & departing flights at Keflavík International Airport. For our flexible Flybus schedule, please visit www.flybus.is BOOK NOW!

ON WWW.FLYBUS.IS

BSÍ Bus Terminal • 101 Reykjavík •

AT YOUR RECEPTION

+354 580 5400 • main@re.is • www.re.is

WWW.FLYBUS.IS

Day Tours - All the most exciting places in Iceland

BOOK NOW!

ON WWW.RE.IS

BSÍ Bus Terminal • 101 Reykjavík •

AT YOUR RECEPTION

+354 580 5400 • main@re.is • www.re.is

WE’LL TAKE YOU THERE!

The National Gallery of Iceland has come a long way from its origins. To begin with, the collection consisted of donated artwork, mainly by Danish artists. Today the museum stands at Frikirkjuvegur in central Reykjavik, displaying both Icelandic and International art.

Fríkirkjuvegur 7, Reykjavík 515-9600 | www.listasafn.is Hours: Tue-Sun: 10-17

THE LIVING ART MUSEUM

An active exhibition space that has organized many exciting exhibitions throughout the years. They put a n e m p h a s i s o n i n t ro d u c i n g young Icelandic artists, as well as showcasing work by better-known Icelandic and foreign modern and contemporary artists.

Offers a state-of-the-art exhibitions on the cultural history of Iceland.

The permanent exhibition, Making of a Nation - Heritage and History of Iceland, gives a comprehensive picture of Iceland’s cultural history through the ages to the present day.

Suðurgata 41, Reykjavik 530-2200 | nationalmuseum.is Hours: Tue-Sun 10-17

THE ICELANDIC PHALLOLOGICAL MUSEUM

Probably the most unique museum you’ll visit on your trip, the Icelandic Phallological Museum is a one of a kind. Here you’ll find a collection of more than two hundred penises and penile part belonging to almost all land and sea mammals that can be found in Iceland.

Laugavegur 116, Reykjavik 561 6663 | www.phallus.is Hours: Daily 10-18

HANNESARHOLT

VOLCANO HOUSE

Grundarstígur 10, Reykjavik 511-1904 | www.hannesarholt.is Hours: Daily 11-17

Tryggvagata 11, Reykjavik 555-1900 | www.volcanohouse.is Hours: Daily 10-21

Cultural center and historic home of Hannes Hafstein, Iceland’s first Minister of State, now houses the non-profit Hannesarholt, dedicated to retrieving cultural memory, and revitalizing cultural roots.

Bordstofan Bistro open daily from 11am – 6pm. Short doc on Hannes Hafstein and early. Reykjavik Guided historic city walks Tue and Thu at 1 pm by appointment.

Shows documentaries that give a good idea of real life in Iceland, where volcanoes and earthquakes are a constant threat. There’s also a geological stone exhibition, which gives a brief overview of Iceland’s geological history and volcanic system, and a boutique, with Icelandic designs, artwork, lava rocks, pumice, bottles of ash and Lava Jewellery.

SIGURJÓN ÓLAFSSON MUSEUM

A museum that Icelandic sculptor Sigurjón Ólafsson’s wife founded as a tribute to his life and work in 1984.

She had his studio in Laugarnes converted to an exhibition space to house his collection of works, including sculptures, sketches, drawings and biographical material.

Laugarnestangi 70 553-2906 | www.lso.is Hours: Sat-Sun 14-17

MUSEUM OF DESIGN AND APPLIED ART

Its objective is to collect, study and present Icelandic design and crafts from 1900 to the present day. This young museum, the only one of its kind in Iceland, holds regular exhibitions of Icelandic and international design during the year.

Exhibitions from the museum‘s own collection are regularly held.

Garðatorg 1, Garðabær 512-1525 | www.honnunarsafn.is Hours: Tue-Sun 12-17

AURORA REYKJAVIK

The Northern Lights Center, Aurora Reykjavik, allows you to experience the Northern Lights in a completely different way, both if you saw them, but as well if they escaped you while in Iceland. The center features information, education and of course stunning visuals of the elusive lights that’ll get your heart racing.

Grandagarður 2, Reykjavik 780-4500 | aurorareykjavik.is Hours: Daily 9-21

Find more recommendations at whatson.is

Völvufell 13-21, Reykjavik 551-4350 | www.nylo.is Hours: Tue-Fri 12-17

NATIONAL MUSEUM OF ICELAND

ART & CULTURE

NATIONAL GALLERY OF ICELAND

77

ART & CULTURE

KJARVALSSTAÐIR

Mainly devoted to paintings and sculpture by well established Icelandic and international artists.

Kjarvalsstaðir offers a permanent exhibition of key works by one of Iceland’s most beloved landscape painters, Jóhannes S. Kjarval, as well as changing exhibitions that explore various thematic and historical aspects of Icelandic art.

Flókagata 24, Reykjavik 411-6420 | www.artmuseum.is Hours: Daily 10-17

GLJÚFRASTEINN LAXNESS MUSEUM

Halldór Laxness is arguably the most famous Icelandic writer of all time, and the only Icelander to have won a Nobel Prize, which he received for literature in 1955.

Gljúfrasteinn was his home until his death, and today it is a museum dedicated to his life and work.

Find more recommendations at whatson.is

Gljúfrasteinn, Mosfellsbær 586-8066 | www.gljufrasteinn.is Closed for repairs in January.

78

ÁSMUNDARSAFN

Opened in 1983, the collection is housed in a unique building designed and constructed mostly by the artist himself from 19421950. The original building served Sveinsson as studio and home; behind it he built a crescent-shaped structure as a work- and exhibition space.

Sigtún, Reykjavik 411-6430 | www.artmuseum.is Hours: Daily 10-17.

THE CULTURE HOUSE

Artifacts and works of art from the varied collections of six institutions provide a reflection of Iceland’s visual art history and cultural heritage in the exhibition Points of View, a journey through the Icelandic visual world of past and present. There are seven points of view to be found in as many wings of the house, connecting what you’ll see, independent from the medium or time.

Hverfisgata 15, Reykjavik 545-1400 | www.culturehouse.is Hours: Tue-Sun 10-17

GERÐARSAFN

SAGA MUSEUM

Hamraborg 4, Kópavogur 441-7600 | gerdarsafn.is Hours: Tue-Sun 11-17

Grandagardur 2, Reykjavik 511-1517 | sagamuseum.is Hours: Daily 10-18

Gerðarsafn is a progressive modern art museum in Kópavogur. It’s dedicated to sculptor Gerður Helgadóttir and it’s the only museum in Iceland dedicated to a woman. The museum collection consists of more than 1400 works

by Gerður, as well as the works of the most celebrated Icelandic artists of the 20th and 21st century.

From the time of the earliest settlers, history is brought to life in a unique and exciting way. The Saga Museum intimately recreates key moments in Icelandic history, moments that have determined the fate of our people and which give a compelling view into how Icelanders have lived for more than a millenium.

HAFNARHÚS

The Reykjavik Art Museum took p o ss e ss i o n o f i t s p o r t i o n o f Hafnarhús (Harbour House) in 2000. Hafnarhús was built in 193239 for the offices and warehouses of Reykjavik Harbor and was at that time one of the largest buildings in the country.

Tryggvagata 17, Reykjavik 411-6410 | www.artmuseum.is Hours: Daily 10-17, Thu 10-20

ÁSGRÍMUR JÓNSSON COLLECTION

One of the pioneers of Icelandic art and the first Icelander to take up painting professionally. Having died in 1958, he bequeathed all his works, as well as his studio home to the Icelandic nation.

Bergstaðastræti 74, Reykjavík 515-9625 | www.listasafn.is Hours: Sun 14-17

WHALES OF ICELAND

The largest whale exhibition in Europe (and perhaps even the world), where guests can learn about the giants of the sea in a calm and modern environment.

The permanent exhibition features whales like guests have never seen them before. It is truly a giant experience.

Fiskislóð 23-25, Reykjavik 571-0077 | whalesoficeland.is Hours: Daily 10-17

Wool & Souvenirs

The viking:info Skólavörðustíg 3 · Reykjavík Skólavörðustíg 25 · Reykjavík Hafnarstræti 104 · Akureyri info@theviking.is

www.theviking.is www.facebook.com/TheVikingAkureyri www.facebook.com/TheVikingReykjavik

Akureyri Reykjavík

TAX FREE

Two Icelandic themed villages

HLI

Ð Á LF TA NE SI

Restaurant & Lodging

The Viking Village is a unique place and it is the only Viking theme Hotel and restaurant in Iceland. We have step by step been developing our facilities over the last 24 years and will hopefully continue to do so in the future. We offer Hotel accommodation and Viking houses. Good for families and groups.

The Fisherman´s village, our newest accommodation is Hlið in Álftanes only few minutes drive from the Viking Village.

Like a country home by the seaside. Such an idyllic place to visit. The restaurant is open for groups in the evenings. Close to the president´s residence.

ve ri re d nt es ce ut ty in ci m e 15 th to

Viking feasts - Souvenirs - Live entertainment most nights “You haven't been in Iceland if you haven't been to us“ Don’t miss it!

Booking: www.vikingvillage.is | +354 565 1213

Welcome to Gló Restaurant AT LAUGAVEGUR Gló is Iceland’s most popular health food restaurant in Reykjavik. Gló offers different set menu everyday: Raw food, chicken, a vegetarian dish and soup. Tasty desserts, coffee, tea and delicious juices are offered as well.

Laugavegur 20b · Open every day 11–22 Tel 553 1111 · www.glo.is · #gloiceland

Named after a legendary Icelandic football player, Reykjavík's premier Sports Bar is nestled in the heart of the city and boasts the biggest array of HD screens in town. Classic bar food is served hot and the beers ice cold. Finally, it’s open 7 days a week so you never miss the game!

Austurstræti 20, Reykjavik 561-2240 | bjarnifel.is

KOFINN

This café/bar is in the perfect spot on the main street. This snug basement used to be a butcher’s shop but has been transformed into a comfy place to relax, have a drink and swap tales with friends. As an added bonus, Kofinn doesn’t just have happy hour, they have coffee hour as well!

Laugavegur 2, Reykjavik www.ktf.is

Best known as Damon Albarn’s hangout place back in the days, this most famous bar in Iceland is a popular destination for the artsy and univer sity crowd. During the week it‘s more of a café, but on the weekend the volume rises and KB becomes one of the hottest bars in Reykjavik.

Bergstaðastræti 1, Reykjavik 551-1588 www.kaffibarinn.is

AMERICAN BAR

Laugavegur 20b, Reykjavik 581-2200

Austurstræti 8, Reykjavik 571 9999

B5

DEN DANSKE KRO

One of the coolest bars in Reykjavik these days is Kaldi Bar. In close cooperation with north-Icelandic micro-brewery of the same name, Kaldi offers you a selection of craftbrewed beers on tap. Great happy hour and great fun, Kaldi is a place not-to-be-missed!

B5 bar/bistro has become a very popular establishment with the locals of the capital. With its very contemporary and stylish interior, b5 is laid back during the day, while as night falls, the lights dim and the atmosphere changes accordingly.

Bankastræti 5, Reykjavik 552-9600 www.b5.is

American Bar is named appropriately since it’s an American Bar in Reykjavík, of the kind you’re probably familiar with from other countries: there are dudes, chicks and random university students partying to the latest MTV tunes. They specialize in American culture and entertainment.

There is live music playing every night at Den Danske Kro and sometimes there are live football games, pub quizzes, beer bingo, darts and happy hours. Den Danske Kro is a casual place in the heart of Reykjavik where everyone is welcome.

Ingólfsstræti 3, Reykjavik 552-0070 www.danski.is

BAR ANANAS

THE ENGLISH PUB

Klapparstígur 38, Reykjavik

Austurstræti 12, Reykjavik 578-0400 www.facebook.com/enskibarinn

Ten seconds from Laugavegur, you'll find Iceland’s one and only BeachBar/Tiki Bar in downtown Reykjavík.

There, most things are made in the shape of a pineapple. Pillows, glasses, chandeliers, candlesticks and more. At weekends city's best DJs will make guests feel sunny while they enjoy some of the best cocktails in town.

In the mood for a pint? English Pub offers over 35 brands of beer and Whiskey. Whatever your preference – you will find it here. This is also a great place if you would like to catch some football (soccer). Inside they have 3 big screens and 2 TV’s so that you can catch all the action as it happens.

Find more recommendations at whatson.is

KAFFIBARINN

KALDI BAR

PUBS & NIGHTLIFE

BJARNI FEL SPORTSBAR

81

PUBS & NIGHTLIFE

HÚRRA

Dark and raw, this large bar/club opens up its back room to make a concert venue, with live music or DJs most nights. They’ve got six Icelandic microbreweries on tap and happy hour runs till 21:00. One of the coolest and hipster friendly places in town and your best bet of catching the next big thing from Iceland.

Naustin, Reykjavik www.hurra.is

DRUNK RABBIT

Find more recommendations at whatson.is

Every city needs to have a friendly neighbourhood Irish pub and in Reykjavík, that bar is the Drunk Rabbit. It doesn’t matter if you’re going in for a snack, to enjoy the live music they have every night, people-watching in the lively bar, or just enjoying a beer or five in good company, the Drunk rabbit has got everything you need.

82

Austurstræti 3, Reykjavik 553 1041

LOFT HOSTEL

This hostel café/bar is bright and spacious; the perfect place to start the night. The hall hosts events most nights and on summer afternoons, the balcony is the best place in town for a beer in the sun.

Last but not least, Loft has the best foosball table of all the bars in the city centre.

Bankastræti 7, Reykjavik 553 8140

LEBOWSKI BAR

The Big Lebowski by the Coen brothers is not only a film, it has now become a lifestyle. With the emergence of the Lebowski Bar in Reykjavik, everyone can now be a part of The Dude’s peculiar world.

They even offer a whole White russian menu!

Laugavegur 20a, Reykjavík 552-2300 | www.lebowski.is

AUSTUR

O n e o f t h e h o t te st c l u b s i n downtown Reykjavik, and has been since it first opened in 2009. Austur is located in Austurstraeti, one of the main bar- and shopping streets downtown, and even though the surrounding area is filled with clubs and bars, Austur seems to be the center of attention.

Austurstræti 7, Reykjavik 568-1907

KIKI - QUEER BAR

Kiki is the only queer bar in town these days but it is also the best one! If you’re worried you won’t find the place, don’t be. The rainbow coloured street entrance, stream of people in a dancing mood, and the far off sound of dance-heavy beats should lead you where you want to go!

Laugavegur 22 www.kiki.is

MICROBAR

Beer enthusiasts look no further!

In a cellar underneath Restaurant Reykjavík, just off Ingólfstorg square, you will find Micro Bar. This ambitious bar serves only beer from microbreweries! Carrying an impressive 140 different kinds of beers from all over the world, this is definitely the go-to place for beer fans.

Vesturgata 2, Reykjavik

LOFTIÐ

Some nights, you just want to get all dressed up and go downtown for a cocktail or two. When you’re in that kind of mood, there’s no place better to relax than in the comfortable leather chairs at Loftið, with a delicious drink crafted by the skilled mixologists tending the bar.

Austurstræti 9, Reykjavík www.loftbar.is

CAFÉ RÓSENBERG

There’s always something happening at Café Rósenberg! The concert and event programme is impressive, ranging from intimate concerts, to stand-up shows to a blues or jazz band taking the stage. It doesn’t hurt that the food there is delicious!

Klapparstíg 27, Reykjavik 551 2442

There are many places worth checking out in Iceland and even though we feel that our 21 stores should be up there with the waterfalls and geysers, we’re not completely mad.

That’s why we offer free delivery right to your door.

Reykjavik area

Akureyri

Akranes Reykjavik Keflavik Selfoss

TEL. 58 12345

FREE DELIVER Y r ight t

o your

d oo r

SHOPPING & STYLE Find more recommendations at whatson.is 84

ANNA MARÍA DESIGN

For over twenty years, jewelry designer Anna Maria has created her things of gold and silver, a design that is both pure and timeless. Exceptional attention to detail and craftsmanship create the elegant simplicity that shines through Anna Maria’s products.

Skólavörðustígur 3, Reykjavik 551-0036 www.annamariadesign.is

LISTVINAHÚSIÐ

The oldest ceramic workshop in Iceland established 1927. Three generations of artistic potters.

U n i q u e h a n d m a d e ce ra m i c s , Viking masks and various ceramic potteries decorated with lava, made

by Gudmundur Einarsson. Located right next to Hallgrímskirkja and the statue of “Leif the Lucky”.

Skólavörðustígur 43, Reykjavik 551-2850 www.listvinahusid.is

HRÍM

Icelanders are known for being a stylish people, whether you judge from their clothes, their homes, or just their lifestyles. At the heart of their stylishness is Scandinavian design, whether it‘s Icelandic or from our neighbouring countries.

The Hrím stores offer you the chance to decorate your home (or even yourself) with the classic style of the Scandinavians!

On Laugavegur, in the heart of Reykjavík, you’ll find the very unique Little Christmas Shop— which is dedicated to the spirit of Christmas, all year round. There you’ll find Icelandic decorations and everything needed for that festive spirit. Should not be missed as it is definitely one of the most special and fun stores to visit.

Laugavegur 25, Reykjavik 553-3003 | www.hrim.is

Laugavegur 8, Reykjavik 552-2412

ÁLAFOSS

METAL DESIGN

One of Iceland’s major woollen industry shops, the Álafoss store.

Situated in old factory premises that for decades were the leading manufacturers and exporters of Icelandic woollens, Álafoss is a company that strives towards offering the newest wares along with the traditional Icelandic wool sweaters.

Laugavegur 8, Reykjavik 566-6303 | www.alafoss.is

JÖKLA

IGLÓ&INDÍ

Laugavegur 90, Reykjavik 696 6604

Skólavörðustígur 2, Reykjavik 445-2020 | www.igloandindi.com

If you‘er interested in getting some Icelandic design to take back home , be sure to stop by Jökla on your way down the Laugavegur shopping street. You can get Icelandic design for you, your children, or your home and the best thing is that you‘re buying straight from the designers

THE LITTLE CHRISTMAS SHOP

Loved by parents and children alike and praised in the media for boldness and creativity, Ígló&Indí has offered both parents and children an ever growing collection of clothes with a fresh take on children’s fashion since 2008— representing the best childhood has to offer.

The jewellery forms which Metal design is known for are inspired by the Icelandic flora. But what stands out the most is the shape “The Coast” that is inspired by the waves of the Icelandic coast.”The coast silver jewellery line is for ladies and gentlemen.

Skólavörðustígur 2. Reykjavik 552-5445 www.MetalDesignReykjavik.is

CINTAMANI

Nowhere in the populated world does the weather change as fast, or as often as here. Thus Icelandic d e s i g n e r s h ave to m e e t t h e requirements of consumers who have to go out all year long in harsh conditions. That‘s where the label Cintamani comes to the rescue.

Their goal is to keep us warm, dry and comfortable, whatever the weather may bring.

Bankastræti 7, Reykjavik 533-3800 | www.cintamani.is

BY BOAT

ALSO TRY

NORTHERN LIGHTS

BY BOAT

SEP OCT NOV DES JAN FEB MAR APR** 22:00 21:00* 21:00 21:00 21:00 21:00 21:00* 22:00

WHALE WATCHING FROM REYKJAVIK

PRICE: Adults 9.900 ISK Children (7-15) 50% OFF Children (0-6) FREE

*Departing at 21:00 from 16th Oct-14th Mar **Until 15 April

WHALE WATCHING SEP OCT NOV DES JAN FEB MAR APR 09:00 09:00 09:00 09:00 10:00* 13:00 13:00 13:00 13:00 13:00 13:00 13:00 13:00 14:00* 17:00** Price: Adults: 9.900 ISK Children (7-15) 50% OFF Children (0-6) FREE

*Express tour ** Until 15th September

WE GO THE EXTRA MILE! Book online www.specialtours.is / info@specialtours.is Call us +354 560 8800, or visit our ticket sale at the old harbour

SHOPPING & STYLE

GALLERY GALLERA

MICHELSEN

Inside their spacious shop in downtown Reykjavik, Michelsen Watchmakers offer you to browse one of Iceland’s best selection of watches. Along with their own design they also have a wide selection of well-known brands including Rolex, Armani, Dolce & Gabbana, Diesel, Movado, Swiss Military and more.

KRAUM

If you walk up a flight of stairs from the city‘s main shopping street, you‘ll come across this hidden gem of a space, Gallery Gallera. This workshop/gallery/store is run by a group of up-and-coming artists and sells everything from hand-printed t-shirts to books and posters, perfect to keep for yourself or as gifts for family and friends back home!

Laugavegur 33, Reykjavik 773-3550

Laugavegur 15, Reykjavik 511-1900 | www.michelsen.is

Bankastræti 7, Reykjavik 517-7797 www.kraum.is

I8

KIOSK

GEYSIR

Don‘t leave Reykjavík without stopping by one of the city‘s most ambitious galleries! I8 is one of the mainstays on the scene and constantly offers new and exciting works by Iceland‘s best-known artists. Stop by to take a look at the cream of Icelandic art today!

Find more recommendations at whatson.is

Ingólfsstræti 6, Reykjavik 552-4700 www.studiostafn.is

86

THE HANDKNITTING ASSOCIATION OF ICELAND

Renowned for its excellent products and quality. Offering the widest selection of traditional hand knitted Icelandic sweaters, the range of products also includes special designs and a variety of woolen products from leading Icelandic manufacturers.

Skólavörðustígur 19, Reykjavik 552-1890 | www.handknit.is

Taking some Icelandic design home is the best possible souvenir of a great trip. Luckily, Icelandic designers are known for their inimitable style! Try stopping by Kiosk, a co-op shop owned by 8 different designers. Not only are the clothes to die for, but the designers also take shifts behind the counter so you get to meet the people behind the design as well!

Laugavegur 65, Reykjavik 445 3269 | kioskreykjavik.com

EPAL

Their main goal has been to increase Icelanders interest and respect for fine design by introducing and providing top quality design products from all over the world, particularly Scandinavia. Epal has always been very supportive of Icelandic designers and done what they can to help them promote their design around the world.

Laugavegur 70.Skeifan 6, & Harpa Reykjavik, Keflavík Airport 568-7740 | www.epal.is

Natural light floods the wooden floors and the fresh white walls of this stunning design hub and retail outlet, which already attracts some of Iceland's top talents. More than 70 designers are contributing to a huge selection of products that include children’s puzzles, fish skin lamps and exquisite jewellery.

Rustic, vintage interior, intertwined with the latest fashion in outdoor and woolen clothing. Add some puffin, reindeers and other iconic animals and you‘ve got one of the coolest shops in town. This is one place you‘ll have to visit, if only for the experience.

Skólavörðustíg 16, Reykjavík 519-6000 www.geysir.com

KRINGLAN

Kringlan Shopping Centre is conveniently located close to downtown Reykjavik. Standing at 50.000 sq.m. and equipped with 150 shops and services, including a multiplex cinema, a seven-outlet food court and three themed restaurants, it has something to suit every need.

Kringlan 4-12, Reykjavik 517-9000 | www.kringlan.is

Pub quiz Bingo

Dj lounge

over 20 flatscreens 5 projectors

HD Y

QUALIT

soccer, nba, nfl, nhl, ufc, golf, tennis, formula 1 track and field, nascar, winter sports... we have it all live events every day Hamburgers, sandwiches, salat, steaks, icelandic food, and ice cold beer www.bjarnifel.is - tel. 561 2240

TS ALL SPOR

FOOD & DRINK

FORRÉTTABARINN

Tasty tapas with an Icelandic twist.

With a new spin on traditional Icelandic cuisine and an extensive selection of local beer, Forréttabarinn – “The Starters Bar” – is worth seeking out when you need a bite to eat or a place to start your night out in Reykjavík. Whatever you choose from the refreshingly creative menu, you’re in for a treat!

Find more recommendations at whatson.is

Is a centrally located and affordable restaurant that boasts an extensive international menu with an emphasis on Tex-Mex, Italian, Indian and many light meal options. One thing you can be sure of, when you visit Vegamót is that the place will be crowded. It's usually filled with locals for lunch, dinner and during evenings.

BRYGGJAN Bryggjan is not just a restaurant where you can get fresh Icelandic seafood overlooking the old harbour, it also doubles as a brewery. For beer enthusiasts, Bryggjan also offers an evening of beer school, where you can learn all about the beer and how it’s made, while tasting it with the appropriate courses.

Nýlendugata 14, Reykjavík 517-1800 | www.forrettabarinn.is

Vegamótastígur 4, Reykjavik 511-3040 | www.vegamot.is

Grandagarður 8, Reykjavík 456-4040 | bryggjanbrugghus.is

AUSTURLANDAHRAÐLESTIN

ARGENTÍNA STEAKHOUSE

HAMBORGARABÚLLAN – BURGER JOINT

An excellent Indian restaurant, focusing on quality take-away, with the option of eating in. This means that while it‘s technically “fast food”, it’s definitely of restaurant q u a l i t y. T h e m e n u i n c l u d e s everything you could expect from an Indian restaurant, with the Chicken Tandoori being especially recommended.

88

VEGAMÓT BISTRO

They offer some of the finest cuisine there is to find in the whole city.

Grilling meat and fish of all kinds Argentinian style using wooden coal is what they do better than any other restaurant and frankly, you won‘t believe your own tastebuds.

Barónsstígur 11a, Reykjavik 551-9555 | www.argentina.is

Lækjargata 8, Reykjavik 578-3838 | www.hradlestin.is

SNAPS

A new restaurant in Iceland situated at Odinstorg. Snaps is a classic french bistro using local Icelandic ingredients. The location could not be better. Snaps is literally a few steps away from downtown Reykjavik, close to the National Theatre, The National Gallery of Iceland and the two main shopping streets of Reykjavik. Óðinstorg, Reykjavik 511-6677 | www.snaps.is

UNO RESTAURANT

Uno is a relatively new, modern Italian restaurant in downtown Reykjavik, where original Italian culinary customs and Icelandic ingredients come together to form a delightful treat. Whether you're in the mood for a light lunch or a dinner feast, Uno is the place to be!

Hafnarstræti 1-3, Reykjavik 561-1313 | www.uno.is

Since 2004, the Joint has kept it simple, fun and delicious. Sitting right by the Old Harbour, in a small, iconic house, the atmosphere of the Burger Joint is hard to find elsewhere. You can feel the joy of the staff, as they serve you juicy burgers, exploding with great taste.

Geirsgata 1, Reykjavik 511-1888 www.bullan.is

ICELANDIC FISH & CHIPS

This is not your run of the mill fish and chip shop! Not only does the restaurant use the freshest fish and ingredients, they serve their fish with delicious skyr-based sauces,.This fast-food upgrade is much more nutritious than you‘d think! After eating, we recommend visiting the Volcano House, it‘s in the same building!

Tryggvagata 11, Reykjavik 511 11 18 | ww.fishandchips.is

SKÓLAVÖRÐUSTÍGUR 14 - 101 REYKJAVÍK - TEL: +354 571 1100

Sundays are live jazz nights at Bryggjan Brugghús,

Bryggjan is an Iceland’s first Microbrewery &, Bistro Bar situated on Reykjavik harbour, that

You can expect some jazz standards, warm spirits and very good beer!

ENTRANCE IS FREE

emphasizes fresh ingredients and various styles of high-quality beer, pumped directly from the brewery itself. Bryggjan can accommodate up to 280 guests and is open from 11.00 to 01.00, every day of the week. k Fis

Mý

rar g

ð

isló

ata

ur

arð

ag

nd

Gra

REYKJAVÍK HARBOUR

B R Y G G J A N B R U G G H Ú S * G R A N D A G A R Ð I 8 1 0 1 R E Y K J AV Í K * 0 0 3 5 4 4 5 6 4 0 4 0 * W W W. B R Y G G J A N B R U G G H U S . I S

SEAFOOD

BUFFET Every day from 17:30

Salted Cod With almond and chive butter, fig and potatoes

3.855

IKR

+3 5 4 5 1 7 4 3 0 0 geysirbistro.is

A restaurant opposite the old harbour that offers traditional steak dishes along with some exciting and fairly unorthodox choices. The pride and joy of The Steakhouse is the Mibrasa charcoal oven, a rare oven that is designed to cook the perfect steak by mixing modern technology with ancient tradition.

Tryggvagata 4-6, Reykjavik 561-1111 | www.steik.is

AUSTURINDÍAFJELAGIÐ

The spices used to season the food at Austur-Indiafjelagid are imported directly from India and blended on the spot by their team of highly experienced chefs. The Tandoori dishes on the menu must be mentioned, as the chefs have truly mastered the art of Tandoori grilling.

Hverfisgata 56, Reykjavik 552-1630 | www.austurindia.is

JOE & THE JUICE

THE ICELANDIC BAR

Ingólfsstræti 1a, Reykjavík; Smáralind, Kringlan, World Class Laugum, Keflavík Airport www.joeandthejuice.is

Ingólfsstræti 1a, Reykjavík 517-6767 | www.islenskibarinn.is

Joe & The Juice is an on-trend coffee shop / juice bar. The concept answers today’s busy people’s needs for a quick pick-me-up in the form of great espresso drinks, freshly pressed juices, and variety of sandwiches prepared on the spot.

The Icelandic Bar is very aptly named: it is an Icelandic bar. But more than that, it is a bar that aims to preserve the essence of being Icelandic by combining the historical and cultural heritage of this ancient land with the very hip and cutting edge culture of modern times.

HLÖLLI Hlölli has been serving up delicious subs, with his secret-ingredient sauce, for more than 30 years. Whether you’re in the mood for a lunch on your way about town or a late night snack after a night of dancing in the Reykjavík clubs, Hlöllabátar is the way to go. The bread is baked fresh every day and topped with fresh Icelandic ingredients.

Ingólfstorgi, Reykjavik 511-3500 | www.hlollabatar.is

PYLSUHÚSIÐ

Hot dogs are the perfect fast food.

They’re quick, portable and they taste great!. The classic Icelandic hot dog with all the fixings, raw and fried onions, ketchup, remoulade and mustard is of course available here, but they also offer more adventurous “dogs”, like chilli dogs and a French hot dog. If you’re not in the mood for a hot dog, they also serve ice cream!

KAFFITÁR

ESSENSIA

Vesturgötu 3b, Reykjavik 551 2344 | www.tapas.is

Bankastræti 8, Reykjavik 420-2700 www.kaffitar.is/en

Hverfisgata 4-6, Reykjavik 517-0030 | www.essensia.is

A chain of cafés and espresso bars with over 30 years of experience in serving and roasting high-quality coffee. They operate cafés in 8 locations in Iceland, promising a highly knowledgeable staff and a great cup of coffee procured in a responsible and fair way.

If you’re looking for top-notch Italian food, look no further than Essensia. Using only the best ingredients and preparing them in a way that showcases their quality, the good people of Essensia make sure our whole dining experience is one to remember. Don’t forget about their delicious Italian wines!

Find more recommendations at whatson.is

Ingólfstorgi, Reykjavik 842-2800

TAPAS BARINN

This Spanish-themed tapas bar is one of Reykjavík’s most popular restaurants and has been for a while! Their extensive menu gives you a chance to sample a host of Spanish cuisine made with Icelandic ingredients and best of all, the kitchen is open late! Don’t forget the Sangria!

FOOD & DRINK

THE STEAK HOUSE

91

FOOD & DRINK

KITCHEN AND WINE

Situated inside the stylish 101 hotel downtown, Kitchen and Wine is a luxurious bistro with a relaxed atmosphere. The cuisine is seasonal and focuses on simplicity and finesse. The cocktails are also excellent!

Hverfisgata 10, Reykjavik 580-0103 www.kitchenandwine.is

Not only does Smurstöðin have some of Reykjavík’s best new Nordic smørrebrød, it also has the added bonus of being inside the stunning Harpa concert hall. The delicious, beautifully decorated open-faced sandwiches are best washed down with an icy glass of the house-made schnapps.

Harpa Austurbakki 2, Reykjavik 519-9750 | www.smurstodin.is

GRILLHÚSIÐ

73 RESTAURANT

Tryggvagata 20, Reykjavik 527-5000 www.grillhusid.is

Laugavegur 73, Reykjavik 555 7373 www.73.is

HARD ROCK CAFÉ

FISH COMPANY

KOLABRAUTIN

Lækjargata 2a, Reykjavik 5600 800 www.hardrock.com/cafes/reykjavik

Vesturgata 2a, Reykjavik 552-5300 | www.fiskfelagid.is

Kopar is a restaurant by the old harbour in Reykjavik which has an emphasis on adventure and experience in a brasserie setting.

Their menu is composed of various locally sourced ingredients from sea and land, and aims to give you a taste of Iceland in a single evening.

Geirsgata 3, Reykjavik 567-2700 www.koparrestaurant.is

Find more recommendations at whatson.is

A restaurant in prime location in Reykjavík‘s old harbour. The menu is inspired by South-American and southern-European cuisine and the restaurant designed to deliver fresh and uplifting dining experience, unique to the harbour area. MAR is an interesting choice for individuals and groups alike.

SMURSTÖÐIN

Geirsgata 9, Reykjavik 519-5050 | www.marrestaurant.is

KOPAR

92

MAR - SEAFOOD RESTAURANT

Hard Rock Café really doesn‘t need any introduction! You can get the food, drinks, and music you know and love at their recently opened three story restaurant/bar/shop in the heart of the city centre. Their cellar even doubles as a concert venue, so get ready to enjoy yourself!

A fun restaurant, with the look and feel of an American Diner.

Reasonably priced, offering delicious food and a very good service, you‘ll definitely get great value for your money here. They put a special emphasis on using only high quality ingredients, making for a terrific meal.

Quality, fusion and fun are the Fish Company’s main characteristics.

The interior is stylish and the quirky tableware fits in wonderfully. The menu is a world of adventures from starters to deserts. It’s designed to take you on a seafood journey and not only a journey of the Icelandic culinary waters but a trip around the world.

Offering a great selection of Icelandic brews and one of the most Epic Burgers this country has ever seen (300gr!), 73, a family-owned and operated restaurant is the place to go for those seeking great food at good prices. Take note that the outdoor seating area is a special treat!

Harpa is not only home to the Icelandic Opera and the Orchestra, it is also the location of one of Reykjavik‘s newest fine restaurants.

The kitchen is in the middle of the room, where the fiery furnace gives the dinner guests a warm welcome.

An ideal choice for people who appreciate fine cuisine combined with unique architecture and elegant atmosphere.

Harpa, Reykjavik 519-9700 | www.kolabrautin.is

Choose Vodafone Iceland With Vodafone , you gain access to an extensive 4G network in Iceland with excellent 3G/4G roaming connectivity, no matter whether you’re on sea or land. Share your memories by using Vodafone’s prepaid mobile starter kit with voice and data.

Vodafone Power to you

Buy your prepaid SIM card at Keflavík Airport, What’s On at Laugavegur 5 and Tryggvagata 11, Macland, Vodafone stores, N1 fuel stations all around Iceland, and at our network of resellers.

FOOD & DRINK

RESTAURANTS OUTSIDE REYKJAVIK CENTRE

NAUTHÓLL

Looking out over the Nauthólsvík beach, this charming Scandinavianinspired bistro is the perfect oasis from the stress of the everyday.

Whether you’re there for a light lunch, a glass of wine on a sunny afternoon, a cup of hot coffee on a cold one, or a lovely dinner with a loved one, Nauthóll is the place to go.

KRÚSKA

What’s the only thing that’s better than a feast of Icelandic langoustine? A feast of Icelandic langoustine in a charming restaurant by the seaside in a tiny, picturesque fishing village. Their langoustine soup alone is well worth the 45-minute drive from the city.

Krúska serves delicious, nutritious meals, both for people on the go and those who want to linger over their vegan, fish, vegetarian or chicken dishes. Everything is made right in their own kitchen from first class ingredients with no additives or preservatives. Krúska also serves coffee and cakes.

Nauthólsvegi 106, 101 Reykjavík 599 6660 | www.nautholl.is

Fjöruborðið Eyrarbraut 3 A Stokkseyri 483-1550 | www.fjorubordid.is

Suðurlandsbraut 12, Reykjavik 557-5880 | www.kruska.is

VON MATHÚS

BORÐIÐ

KRINGLUKRÁIN

Just a 15-minute drive from the city centre, in the charming town of Hafnarfjörður, lies Von mathús.

Looking out over the Hafnarfjörður harbour, this gem of a restaurant serves delicious food made from local and seasonal ingredients in a charming rustic environment.

Personal comfort and professional service come together to create the perfect atmosphere for a night out.

Borðið is a hidden gem in 107 Reykjavík. A slow-food takeaway and gourmet store serving the busy locals, where guests are also welcome to dine-in, for lunch, dinner and brunch (weekends). Borðið has a strong personality and while the menus and gourmet selection vary, all is rooted in passion for tasty and authentic dishes and appreciation for seasonality and traditions.

Strandgata 75, Hafnafjörður 583 6000 | vonmathus.is

Ægisíða 123, Reykjavík 655 1230 | www.bordid.is

MATHÚS GARÐABÆJAR

BIKE CAVE

Mathús Garðabæjar, the newest addition to the restaurant flora in Garðabær, has been delighting its customers ever since they opened their doors. Serving everything from fish to pasta to vegetarian fare in exquisite dishes, Mathús Garðabæjar is the perfect place to bring the whole family!

Garðatorg 4B, Garðabæ 571 3775 | www.mathus.is

94

FJÖRUBORÐIÐ

Bike cave is a hidden gem in Skerjafjörður, a neighbourhood not far from the city centre. Whether you’re interested in having a meal, a quick snack, renting a scooter, or even just fixing your bike, Bike Cave has got you covered. Also, while their burgers will satisfy every meat-eater out there, the also have an impressive selection of vegan offerings!

Einarsnes 36, Reykjavík 770 3113 | www.bikecave.is

For almost three decades, Kringlukráin has built their reputation on serving good food in a pleasant atmosphere and that’s not about to change. The menu has everything from pasta to steaks as well as a lovely menu of Italian-style pizzas.

Perfect for dinner before a night at the theatre!

Kringlan, Reykjavík 568 0878 | www.kringlukrain.is

LAUGA-ÁS

Lauga-ás is an established restaurant close to the city centre and has been run by the same family for almost four decades. The focus is on Icelandic cuisine with quality Icelandic ingredientsserved in a cosy atmosphere. Don’t miss the sauce béarnaise, it’s delicious!

Laugarásvegi 1, Reykjavík 553 1620 | www.laugaas.is

We´ve got the car to make your day We go out of our way to bring you the vehicle you want - at a price you like. To complete our service, here´s a really great offer for you.

BOOK ONLINE

DISCOUNT PER RENTAL*

#enterpriseiceland

*Book online and use the coupon code FLYBUS1 to claim your discount

BSÍ Bus Terminal • 101 Reykjavík Keflavík International Airport Info@EnterpriseRentACar.is www.EnterpriseRentACar.is • Tel. +354 519 9300

NICE

GREAT FOODGOOD DRINKS ATMO HAPPY HOUR EVERY DAY 17-19

KITCHEN IS OPEN Weekends 11.30–24 Other days 11.30–23

UNO at Ingólfstorg | Tel. 561 1313 | www.uno.is

Enjoy the freedom of riding ÍSHESTAR offers horseback riding tours through the spectacular Icelandic landscape. Whether you join our tours into the wilderness of the remote highlands, through the lush countryside or, all year round, for a short ride from our Riding Centre near Reykjavik, riding with Íshestar is a great experience.

For further information check out our website www.ishestar.is, call +354 555 7000 or be our friend on Facebook.

For over 30 years Íshestar has given people an opportunity to ride the Icelandic horse, the most versatile gait horse in the world. Horses are our partners and our passion.

Got a question about Iceland? Wondering if it’s safe? (It is). Who the president is? (Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson). Maybe you’re wondering about where to find some original Icelandic Igloos? (Just stop.

Don’t.). We have the answers to these questions and plenty more at our website: www.whatson.is.

If you can’t find your answer there, just visit us on Laugavegur 4 in Reykjavík, or drop us an e-mail at whatson@whatson.is.

MUST KNOW PHONE NUMBERS

IMPORTANT STATISTICS

112 – The only number you need to have in your arsenal. If you get hurt, robbed, set on fire or accidentally set something on fire yourself, this is the number you call. Memorize it. Luckily, it isn’t complicated.

330.000 The population of the country. Yes, we know, it’s not a lot.

5885522 – Thanks to a catchy jingle this company had in the early nineties, every Icelander knows this number. There are other taxi companies, but ask any Icelander for a number for a taxi, this is probably what you get.

0 Number of people living in Igloos in Iceland.

99.5 Percentage of Icelanders who speak English. Although we of course encourage you to check out the beautiful Icelandic language, if only for the always hilarious Eyjafjallajökull joke, you’ll be perfectly safe conversing with locals in a more international language.

11 The street number of the Tryggvagata location of the Volcano House, which also has a What‘s On information desk.

5 Number of post offices in the Reykjavík area. Also the street number of our Laugavegur office! Stop by in case you have more questions, or just want to chat!

230 Number of volts Icelandic electricity uses. Converters are needed for people from the UK and the USA, at least for those who like their phones charged and their hair dry and/ or curled.

PRACTICAL INFORMATION

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS: NUMBERS YOU SHOULD KNOW!

1818 – If you forget the emergency number, want to call a different taxi company or you met some nice Icelanders last night and want to call them up, this is the only number you need, the Icelandic phonebook. +354 – The country code to Iceland.

Add this to the seven digit phone numbers in Iceland and you can telephone to your heart’s desire, so long as you’re calling people in Iceland.

CHECK OUT MORE ANSWERS TO FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ONLINE AT WHATSON.IS/FAQ

97

Make a toast with Iceland’s no. 1 beer Pour a glass of the number one beer in the country, raise your glass to a friend and say “scowl fyrewr thyer!” You should fit right in.

Skál fyrir þér!

Enjoy responsibly

THE HARDEST HARD ROCK ON THE PLANET ©2015 Hard Rock International (USA), Inc. All rights reserved.

Rock on at the northernmost Hard Rock Cafe in the world.

Cool, tough, intense, exciting, powerful – just like the weather.

Hard Rock Cafe Reykjavik is now open in the City Center

TD S U J PENE O

V

k

boo

ace

nF

so

u isit

HARD ROCK CAFE REYKJAVIK

HRCREYKJAVIK

#THISISHARDROCK

– Visit our stores: Skólavörðustígur & Kringlan, Reykjavík. Hafnarstræti, Akureyri. Geysir, Haukadalur. geysir.com –