Bára Halldórsdóttir’s Perfect Day In Reykjavik

Bára Halldórsdóttir is perhaps best known for being the whistleblower in the notorious Klausturgate scandal, but she is also an activist for disabled people’s rights and an artist. Here, she details what her perfect day in Reykjavík would be like; “a world where I am not chronically ill and can just do whatever”.

Morning

Freyja, my old cat and friend, gently nudges me awake to feed her breakfast. I have slept so well and am feeling rested and ready for my perfect day. I hug my wife and give her a light kiss and then we get up and feed the animals, I eat two toasted breads with bananas. While I am chomping down on the toast I make some coffee with a dash of cocoa almond milk. I then sit in the living room and do a short media browse while I finish the coffee.

Mid-Morning

After I drop Hrafna of at her work, I take my dog, Kíra, on a long walk at Geldinganes. It is sunny and bright with a slight breeze. Kíra finds all sorts of interesting new smells and meets fun doggos to play with. On the way home from the walk we stop at Gæludýr where Kira gets to go in and snoop around while I buy pet treats for all my pets and also buy extra food to be given to Villikettir and Kattholt. We drive home and I take off to grab lunch.

Lunch

I meet my oldest and closest friend Sunna at coffee Kaktus on Vitastígur, Sunna orders a yummy sweet potato soup with bread, and I have the delicious scones and a latte. We talk about nothing and everything for about an hour.

Afternoon

Sunna heads back to work and I take up my computer and keep developing my art show for this summer’s Reykjavík Fringe Festival and do a little writing. I also check my email and see an invite from Stephen Fry to a lovely weekend at his summer cottage in the south of England, he tells me that Sandi Toksvig, Alan Davies, Hannah Gadsby, Terry Pratchett, Neil Gaiman, Douglas Adams and Eddie Izzard will be there, along with some other friendly intellectuals and thinking people. I hurry to accept, of course! Once in a while I take a pause just to look out the window and around me. It is an effortless relaxed afternoon.

Evening

I pick Hrafna up from work and tell her about the invitation, she is over the moon. We stop by Jömm at the foodcourt in Kringlan and get ourselves some juicy vegan food. I love their burger and there must be something illegal in those potatoes.

We decide to take an evening drive like we love. Kíra joins us, she loves driving. We drive an illogical route to Krísuvík and Kíra gets to fetch frisbees we throw out into the lake.

Then we drive to Reykjanesbær and drop in for a while to visit my angel of a grandchild and the family.

Night

It’s closing on eleven when we arrive in Reykjavík and decide to catch the end of a Drag-súgur show at Gaukurinn. It is perfect as usual. On our way home we stop at the roundabout on the westpoint of Seltjarnarnes. We walk on the shore for a while and I find an interesting stone When we are just about at our car we see a large owl perched on a manmade hill close by us. We watch in awe and Hrafna sneaks a few brilliant pictures. The owl glides away after a short while, but we are elated. At home we finish packing for the trip to New York tomorrow (it will be another perfect day). Alarms set and we float into dreamland, endlessly satisfied.