It is said that when Scandinavian explorer Ingólfur Arnarson and his wife Hallveig Fróðadóttir threw some wooden masts from their ship in 878 AD, they swam towards a bay covered with steaming springs, hence the name Reykjavík, or “stormy bay”, and Arnarson decided to go there as well. settle I’m here researching women in the Icelandic sagas for my next book, and our two young children accompany me, their father sharing the childcare.
We do the usual tourist tour around the Golden Circle and the kids feed Icelandic horses, swim in Iceland’s oldest geothermal bath and see the northern lights. But Reykjavík itself is a quaint, child-friendly city and has a lot to offer. Our children especially enjoy learning about trolls and Viking history at the National Gallery of Iceland and the Saga Museum.
Iceland is the third happiest country in the world and it’s easy to see why
On a folklore tour, they wander through the fascinating Hólavallagarður Cemetery, learning how to awaken zombies with 11th-century magic. Many prominent Icelanders are buried here, including Ingibjörg H Bjarnason, the first female member of parliament, and Jón Sigurðsson, the father of Icelandic independence. One afternoon, we take a taxi to Bessastaðir, the Presidential residence on the Alftanes Peninsula. I have a meeting with First Lady Eliza Reid, and the kids are coming to tour the buildings, too. This area was first settled in 1000 AD as the farm of Snorri Sturluson, author of the famous Icelandic sagas. Consecrated in 1796, Bessastaðir church is one of Iceland’s oldest cemented stone buildings, with its beautifully painted three-piece altar and stained glass windows.
We walk several times to Sundhöllin, one of the many swimming pools in Reykjavík. It’s full of families and free for children under 15. Children learn that showering naked is completely normal and that bodies do not need to be sexualized: a valuable lesson all teenagers should learn.
A few months before arriving here, I discovered that May Morris, an advocate of the Arts and Crafts movement and youngest daughter of William Morris, had been to Iceland many times, first in 1922, and sketched and wrote about it. I read about his travels as I wander around Reykjavík, and I also try to give language to my memories by drawing many sketches of buildings. One of the most elegant new buildings is the waterfront Harpa concert hall, designed in collaboration with Danish-Icelandic artist Olafur Eliasson. The glass-fronted building reflects the colors of the sky and sea around it, like towering basalt shards. Not far from here is the historic Höfði House, the famous place where Mikhail Gorbachev and Ronald Reagan met in 1986 to decide the end of the Cold War. Some say this place is haunted.
Even when the entire lake is frozen, heated water is pumped into one corner for more than 40 species of ducks and swans
Rainbow Street, or Skólavörðustígur, is five minutes from Óðinsgata, where we rented a small apartment. The street has been painted in rainbow colors to support the Reykjavík Pride Parade, which has been held here every year since 1999, and the Eymundsson bookstore, the largest in the country, is also nearby. Just above this corner is the distinctive Hallgrímskirkja church, named after the 17th-century priest Hallgrímur Pétursson, whose stepped concrete facade is reminiscent of the Icelandic topography. We ascend the 74-meter tower, one of the tallest structures in all of Iceland, to the observation deck for a magnificent panoramic view of the city and its colorful corrugated iron houses.
A small boat takes us across the bay to the eerie island of Viðey, which has an area of only 1.6 square kilometers and has been uninhabited since 1943. It’s home to Yoko Ono’s Imagine Peace Tower, which is illuminated every year on John Lennon’s birthday, and Milestones, an art installation. by sculptor Richard Serra. Gunnar Gunnarsson, a well-known novelist, is buried in the church here.
According to the 2023 World Happiness Report, Iceland is the third happiest country in the world. It’s easy to see why. Most mornings I cross the bridge over Lake Tjörnin to work at the National Library. Even when the lake is completely frozen, heated water is constantly pumped into one corner for more than 40 species of ducks and swans. This fact alone makes me so happy that I may have raised Reykjavík’s happiness score by a few points. That and the cardamom buns from BakaBaka bakery on Bankastræti are the best I’ve ever had. We mostly shop at the Krónan supermarket and cook simple meals in our small kitchen. But it’s hard to miss the colorful Café Babalú, which serves excellent breakfast crepes, and Reykjavík Roasters serves the best coffee.
I read the letters of Louis MacNeice and WH Auden during their travels to Iceland; MacNeice writes quite wistfully here: “Here’s a different rhythm, juggling balls/ Hang in the air – the pause before the soufflé falls/ Here we can take a breath. “I definitely feel like the city has a different rhythm and I can breathe easier.