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Spend the day hiking Videy island; then kick back with one of 13 varieties of White Russian at kitschy Lebowski Bar.
(Photo: Courtesy of the City of Reykjavík (L); courtesy of Lebowski Bar (R)) |
After indulging your inner aesthete, spend a day exploring Reykjavík’s natural surroundings. Begin the morning with a walk to Hallgrimskirkja, the city’s majestic hilltop church. Across the street, you’ll find Café Loki, where you can split crepes filled with skyr and topped with caramel sauce (from $6) and a cup of birch-leaf tea (from $4) (the café also serves a truly life-changing rye-bread ice cream, from $8). Then head down to Skarfabakki pier and board the ferry for historical Videy (from $11), Iceland’s own Governors Island, complete with grand, dilapidated buildings. Iceland’s glaciers and black sand beaches get plenty of attention, but some of the country’s most untrammeled nature can be found on this uninhabited island about one mile off the coast. Bike around Videy in the summertime with a rental from the Bike Company (from $25 for two hours), located near the pier; the group also has guided tours along Reykjavík’s coastline and across Videy (from $139 for six hours) to see peculiar basalt rock formations and Imagine Peace Tower, an artistic light display by Yoko Ono. Before you set out, pick up a picnic basket prepared by Videyjarstofa, the island’s Hotel Holt�run restaurant, and stop on a rocky outcrop for a picnic lunch of coffee or hot chocolate, cured salmon on rye, and a bundle of sweet treats ($22 per person). After a day of biking and hiking, return to the mainland and dig into a burger and beer at the Lebowski Bar, a kitschy tribute to the Coen Brothers’ classic. �The Donny� is a béarnaise-topped burger with crispy McDonald’s-style fries and a soda (from $18), which you should trade for an Einstök Toasted Porter for $6 more. Or, order the Russian Chocolate Milk: Smirnoff, Kahlúa, and chocolate milk (from $19) and one of 13 White Russians on the menu. Embrace the spirit of Reykjavík’s notorious nightlife with a stop at Kex, a hostel in a converted biscuit factory with board games and live music on weekends; or for a more low-key evening, head to Le Chauteau des Dix Gouttes, a café serving Belgian waffles with rhubarb jam or chocolate and cream (from $12) called Tíu Dropar that turns into a dreamy basement wine bar at night.