Category: Reykjavík

In the middle of Reykjavík you will find a pond, Tjörnin. It is said that a long time ago, two women lived on opposite sides of the water. One day the ladies met while they were rinsing off their socks. They started arguing about fishing in the pond, which they both wanted to have for themselves. It ended with curses, and all the trout in the pond were turned into insects. Since then, there has never been fishing in Tjörnin. Constructed with the ‘feet’ in this water, you will find Ráðhús Reykjavíkur (Reykjavík Town Hall). Tjörnin is home to many birds, and feeding them is a popular activity, so popular that Tjörnin is called ‘The thickest bread soup in the world’. We did not bathe there!

Northeast of the town hall you will find the Icelandic Art Center (Kynningarmiðstöð íslenskrar myndlistar). If you are a little interested in art – spend some time there, it is recommended.

After the art, time is just right for a bath. We suggest a good walk along the promenade to Seltjarnanes, if the weather is nice. Just before you reach the pier of the lighthouse (Grótta viti), you can see a small building on the right. Go down to the shore and there you will find Kvika foot bath (Kvika means Magma).

The artwork is made by Ólöf Nordal and consists of a hollowed out stone that is lit and filled with hot water (39 degrees). Four adults can bathe their feet at the same time. An absolutely wonderful experience!

Imagine a hot foot bath in a winter night by Reykjavik with the northern lights dancing in the background! ‘Take off your socks and shoes and let yourself be linked with nature on the beach. You become a participant in the notion of settlement, nature, land, sea, sky and earth. When the feet are warm, the blood flows through the body. Physical and mental health flow together, sensitivity to the environment awakens and a connection is formed with the forces of nature‘. Quotation: The artist Ólöf.

Leifur Eiríksson was the son of Eirík Raude. After his father had been banned several times on Iceland for manslaughter, the family emigrated to Greenland and settled at Brattahlið in Vesturbygð. Around the year 1000 AD, Leifur sailed west from Greenland to search for new land.

First they found a place they called Helluland (probably Baffin in Canada). Then they sailed south and discovered a land of forests, which they named Markland (probably Labrador). Finally they found a land where wild grapes were growing, which they called Vínland (Wine land – Newfoundland). One of the expedition members was a german priest – who actually had seen grapes before (grapes normally don’t grow neither on Iceland nor Greenland…) In Vínland Leifur and his people built houses and stayed there during winter. On the way home the next spring, Leifur rescued 15 people from a reef. After this he was nicknamed Leifur Heppni in Iceland (the Lucky one). One of the shipwrecked was, according to the Grænlendinge Saga, Guðriður, later to be married to his brother, Þorstein Eiríksson.

There is a statue of Leifur Eiríksson in front of the monumental church ‘Hallgrímskirkja’ in Reykjavík. East of the church, in the street Barónsstígur, there is a rather big but quite ordinary swimming facility: Sundhöllin (actually just meaning The Basin), where the prices are very reasonable. In Sundhöllin you will find two big basins (one indoors and one outdoors), and several hot pools. We absolutely recommend Sundhöllin for swimming exercise.

… and after the training, time is just right for a relaxing hot bath. One of the hot pots is obviously mounted after the other pools, the whole room including the stairs. Drain for surplus water was not installed. That means – when someone enters the pool, the surplus water runs all the way down the stairs. It was really surprising to be met by cascades in Sundhöllin!

From the center of Reykjavík there is a fine hiking trail by the sea all the way to Seltjarnanes. On the way you will pass Saga Museum, which we recommend. If you have kids – bring them too! The museum has a variety of clothes you can borrow, to look like a viking. In the Saga Museum you can, among other stories, learn the story of Ingólfur Arnarson, who moved from Sunnfjord to Iceland because he had been banned in Norway.

Ingólfur was the first to settle permanent in Iceland, and the first to live in what is now Reykjavík. According to the Settlement Saga (Landnámabók), Ingólfur threw his high seat pillars in sea, to let the Gods decide where to settle. Then he sent his slaves, Karla and Vífill, to search for them. The pillars were found 3 years later, at Seltjarnanes. ‘Why should we end up here, after passing so much nice land first?’ they asked. Reykjavík’s coat of arms images Ingólfur’s two chair pillars in sea.

After the museum visit, it’s time for a bath, and you should do it at Seltjarnanes. There you can find a charming, shallow bay just within the lighthouse, with grey sand, and plenty of little flounders swimming away as you enter the sea. The place is a popular destination, especially in the evenings. The sunsets here are beautiful!

South of Seltjarnanes you can see the old volcano Keilir, or maybe smoke from the new volcano in Geldingadalir/Fagradalsfjall. North-westwards you can see all the way to Snæfellsjökull if the weather is good.

We have had several very nice baths at Seltjarnanes. Always crystal clear water and beautiful ocean views. In the bay, however, one must expect to wade through mounds of semi-dry seaweed at low tide. And after a storm – yuk! Yes, we did.