Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson’s Perfect Day In Reykjavík

Icelandic actor Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson is one of the leads in the Icelandic horror movie ‘Ég man þig’ (“I remember you”), now in theatres. He can also been seen in the upcoming ‘Atomic Blonde’, starring Charlize Theron.

First thing in the morning:
My perfect day starts on a Monday. I’m a father of three and the weekends are nice, but can be a bit hectic. On Monday morning you get the best of both worlds—time with the family. and time for yourself. My Monday starts at 7am—I get the kids to school, the wife to work, breakfast for everyone, and walk the dog. At around 9am, it’s time for ME! Coffee, an omelette and some blueberry porridge, listening to the guys on Radio X, Harmageddon with Frosti and Máni.

At noon:
On the perfect day I go for a jog in the Laugardalur valley and finish off with weightlifting at World Class Laugar, my local gym. After the workout I treat myself to an hour in the Laugar Spa. Then it’s time for lunch—I stay in the valley and go to Gló. It’s a vegetarian superfood restaurant, but they also have chicken and that’s what I usually go for. Next I go for a walk and meet someone for coffee and chat at Kaffi Laugalækur. That coffeehouse is right next to Frú Lauga, where I like to go and buy some straight-from-the-farm meat and organically grown vegetables, then head on home. At four, the kids come rolling in.

In the afternoon:
When the kids come home it’s their time. I try and distribute my attention fairly and do something fun with each one. Also get them to do whatever homework needs to get done. On a perfect day the weather would be super nice so we’d go to the local swimming pool, Laugardalslaug, and just have loads of fun there until it’s time for dinner.

For dinner:
On my perfect day I wouldn’t cook. I like cooking but it does demand time that I would in this case want to just spend with the family without thinking about what’s on the stove. So me and my wife would take the kids out to eat at Saffran, still keeping it local. They have great chicken dishes and good pizzas that the kids go crazy for. After dinner we take a walk to Ísbúðin í Laugalæk, and get ice cream for everyone. Never going more than a mile or two from home the whole day. Perfect. So far, pretty damn perfect.

In the heat of the night:
After the kids go to sleep me and the wife have the evening to ourselves. In this case we get a babysitter to stay with them whilst we go out for a walk by the sea. We come back, have a cup of tea in our lovely home and go to bed. Happy as two peas in a pod. Five peas, counting the kids. Six peas actually, counting the dog. That’s it, six peas in a pod. I’m actually writing this on a Sunday, so tomorrow is Monday. I’m going to make it happen. My perfect day. Hold on, checking the forecast… It’s ok, little cloudy. Rainy in the evening. But you know what? I’ll make it work.

Read more Perfect Days here.