Atlantica No. 4, 2010, July-August - Iceland Review

aicelandSpecial promotionThe Best-Known Brand in IcelandWhich Icelandic brand is the first to come to mind? If you ask the locals, the answeris 66°North. In a recent survey among executives of 350 of the largest localcompanies, the outdoor clothing manufacturer was selected as the best-knownbrand in Iceland.One of Iceland’s oldest companies, 66°North started in 1926 as a producer ofequipment for fishermen. Today, it is the leading name for innovative, supremequality clothing for sports and leisure, tough enough to meet the most demandingconditions and extreme adventures. With the recent recognition and a business thathas tripled in size over five years, Halldór G. Eyjólfsson (left), CEO of 66°North,has plenty to smile about. From the extensive range of clothing, trekking equipmentand bags, what does the boss swear by? “I was hiking last weekend in Hvannadalshnjúkur,and of course I was wearing 66°North from top to toe… do I reallyhave to pick just one?” Flagship store on Bankastraeti 5, 66north.comThe Treasure ChestA hidden gem just off the main street Laugavegur, the jewelry shop Gullsmidjan isrun by super lady Dóra Jónsdóttir, aged 80. Having started back in 1949, she tookover the shop from her father in 1970 and has been running it ever since. “I’vegot the health and I can see what I am doing, so I cannot stop!” she laughs. AtGullsmidjan, Jónsdóttir specializes in the beautiful historical jewelry that is wornwith the Icelandic national costume, with some models dating back to the 16thcentury. There is also a collection of exquisite handmade filigrees and a lovely lineof figurative silver pendants designed by Jónsdóttir’s father at the beginning of the20th century. With 60 years in the business and a warmth that you will not find ina chain store, a piece of jewelry from Gullsmidjan is more than just a souvenir, itis a genuine treasure. Open 2 – 6 p.m. Monday to Friday, 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. Saturday.Frakkastígur 10.Step Back in Time at Reykjavík’s MuseumsÁrbaer Museum Árbaer is a former farm and now an open-air museum with more than 20buildings which form a town square, a village and a farm.Árbaer Museum gives a sense of the architecture and way of life in late 19th-century Reykjavík.Visitors meet staff dressed in period costumes and many exhibitions and events held at themuseum highlight specific periods in Reykjavík’s history. The museum is open daily in summer.reykjavikmuseum.isReykjavík 871 +/-2: The Settlement Exhibition In 2001, a Viking-age longhouse fromaround 930 AD was found in an archaeological excavation in the center of Reykjavík. The ruinsof the longhouse and a part of a turf wall have been preserved and are now on display at the sitewhere they were discovered. These are among the oldest archaeological findings in Reykjavík.The Settlement Exhibition focuses on the interpretation of the ruins, and through various multimediasources visitors can find out about the lives of the people who lived there and see a modelof the longhouse. The exhibition is open daily. reykjavik871.is70 atlantica