Sauntering Vaguely Downward

I have wanted to hear a concert at the Harpa since my last visit to Reykjavik in 2009, and when I discovered that there was a chamber music recital happening at 4 PM on this day, I asked my companions if they wanted to attend. They were more than happy to go; one of them is an accomplished cellist.

We rocked up at the Harpa after our long shoreline walk from the ferry terminal, about seven minutes before the recital was due to start. Our arrival lowered the average age of the audience by a couple of decades at least, as well as comprising the bulk of the non-Icelandic attendance (there were no printed programmes in English). We settled near the back and the musicians came on stage. The first violinist was an imperious woman with a high thick red ponytail. The second violinist was a much younger woman, the violist wore glasses and a very covetable brown velvet dress, and the cellist was the only man. They played Beethoven for us first, then two modern pieces, one of which was a premiere from a composer in the audience, and finishing with more Beethoven. It was an absolutely top-class performance and we were all buzzing with the delight of it by the end, even if the third piece had been interrupted by the distinctive ringtone of an elderly person’s Nokia.


The Harpa lends itself to selfies at weird angles.


View from the floor on which we heard the chamber music recital, taken during the interval.

The concert finished in time for us to catch the tail end of happy hour at ground floor restaurant, so we stopped in for a celebratory glass of fizz.


The bartender pours us our bubbles at the Bergmal Bistro Bar.


Happy selfie with prosecco includes the ring with the iridescent green stone that I bought at the flea market.

We finished our bubbles and pootled off to find a place that my companions had ended up in the previous night after I’d gone to bed. It was the Bastarður Brew & Food bar, and as soon as I had seen that it served tuna tacos, I knew it was the right place to go for supper on International Women’s Day.


Tuna, pulled pork, and vegan tacos, enjoyed with cocktails.


Best sign for the toilets ever, y/y?

Once we’d feasted on a sampling of all the available puddings, we headed up to Vedur, a small establishment next door to Kiki’s Queer Bar and featuring lots of queer couples on first dates. We drank more cocktails and everything got quite confessional.


Finally, we settled up, made a contribution to Tippo the Hippo, and staggered back to our respective hotels, replete.