Cats of Reykjavík - Ófelía

Ófelía - one of Reykjavík's cats

For many people, Reykjavík is THE cat capital of all places - when you walk through the northernmost capital of the world, you can meet the city's cats everywhere, especially in the city center, in Reykjavík city center ( Downtown ) around the Hallgrímskirkja, on the Skólavörðustígur or on the Laugavegur, the city's main shopping street.

Don't worry - the legendary Cats of Reykjavík are not usually poor, neglected animals that have no home - quite the opposite.

Keeping cats in Reykjavík is strictly regulated:

Outdoor cats generally require a collar with the owner's name, address, and telephone number. Furthermore, cat owners in Reykjavík are required to have their cats microchipped by a veterinarian, and the number must be registered with the authorities. All outdoor cats must be neutered by 6 months of age at the latest.

Most of the cats here are outdoor cats, meaning they have a permanent home with people who love them, care for them, and take good care of them. The cats roam the city during the day before returning home in the evening.

In the Icemart souvenir shop at Skólavörðustígur 38, you can often meet one of Reykjavík's most famous cats during the day.

Here you can find many typical Icelandic souvenir items , from puffin tea towels, aprons and pot holders to Iceland glasses, metal shot glasses with Viking motifs and Iceland mugs, as well as rubber puffins for bathing, socks, T-shirts and sweaters - in other words, almost everything that could delight the tourist's heart.

The absolute highlight of this shop, often THE reason why many tourists come to this shop, is Ófelía, the neighbor's cat.

Ófelía is a beautiful cat, she is already 16 years old.

She's probably a Ragdoll cat, at least that's what people who know more about cats than I do say.

She is a beautiful animal, with silky smooth, long fur, a small white spot on her nose and bright sky-blue eyes.

For example, she likes to eat dried fish and has two Instagram accounts of her own, although neither of them is up to date.

Ófelía is not for sale .

She usually comes to the souvenir shop every day and makes herself comfortable on her favorite wool blanket on the large table by the door.

The store even has a sign posted so visitors know who they're dealing with.

Ófelía has also had a leading role in a film, namely in the Icelandic film "Undir Trénu" (Under the Tree) from 2016.

In our encounters in the shop, I have experienced Ófelía as an incredibly patient, deeply relaxed cat who patiently endured all the petting.

Unfortunately, I've also heard of tourists becoming aggressive. Just today, I read in a Facebook group that the cat was apparently grabbed and disturbed by visitors until it left the shop in frustration.

CatWalk

When we visited the shop in April and took our first photo of Ófelía on her wool blanket, a tour guide even came along with a small group and told his group - and us - lots of interesting facts about this special cat.

I then saw online that there are private tours to the "Cats of Reykjavík", special CatWalks, so to speak. The tour I saw was a two-hour walk for small groups of up to six people through the city center, following the trail of Reykjavík's cats. The tour costs from 56 euros per person , but the price also includes a stop at the cat café with coffee, hot chocolate, and pastries. According to the website, a portion of the proceeds is donated to the Kattholt cat shelter in Reykjavík.

The guide of the tour group also asked us if we had already been to the cat café in Reykjavík, just around the corner, maybe 500 m from Hallgrímskirkja...? The "Kattakaffihús"...? Yes, of course, we have been there, we could confirm - at the invitation of the owners, we as food bloggers had already been to this cute café for cat fans in June 2018, which has been in downtown Reykjavík since March 2018 (Bergstaðastræti 10a).

Photos from the Kattakaffihús 2018

With a last look at the deeply relaxed Ófelía on her wool blanket, we said goodbye to the tour group and their friendly guide and moved on.

PS: Winter and summer fur

We first met Ófelía after Easter when we were visiting Reykjavík, and last weekend when we were in town for the Slut March ( Druslugangan ), we paid her another quick visit - and were delighted to find her again in the same spot on the same wool blanket in the shop.

At first, though, I was confused. The cat at Easter seemed somehow much bigger, hairier, and wilder than this little sleeping bundle, which looked so delicate, soft, and fluffy... But in comparison, the ears, the little white spot on the nose, it was exactly the same... So, really, the same cat!

Cat people I know have now explained to me that this must be the difference between winter and summer fur.

Now I know that many cats shed their fur twice a year - the winter fur is much longer and denser, with a thicker layer of undercoat, which allows an insulating layer of air to form between the hairs and keep the cat warm.

The summer coat, on the other hand, is lighter and usually thinner, shorter, and less dense. This means the cat is still protected from excessive UV light, but can more effectively dissipate excess body heat and avoid overheating.

The difference is quite noticeable when I compare these two pictures of Ófelía, one taken in winter (early April) and one in summer (late July). But she's cute either way!

[Translated from here.]

Druslugangan 2025

The Slut Walk 2025

The Drusluganga, the Slutwalk, is a movement that opposes the reversal of perpetrator-victim roles among victims of sexual violence and provides a platform for the victims.

The aim of the “Slut March” is to avoid shifting the responsibility for sexual crimes from the perpetrators to the victims and to make it clear to people that the victim’s clothing or behavior cannot and must not be a possible excuse for the crime.

Source: Profile picture of the page
Drusluganga on Facebook

Ég er drusla - I am a slut

The movement dates back to a sexual violence prevention event at a university in Toronto, Canada, in January 2011, where a police officer said that women should avoid dressing like sluts to avoid becoming victims.

The Toronto police spokeswoman later stated that the statement was in complete contradiction to everything police officers are taught, and the officer himself apologized for his remark, calling it "ill-conceived."

However, the basic idea that women only have themselves to blame if they dress too provocatively is still widespread worldwide. Women still hear after a rape that it's their own fault because they wore a skirt that was too short, a neckline that was too low, or whatever, or behaved too "provocatively," or drank too much alcohol. The fact that a woman wearing a short skirt doesn't want to be harassed or raped has apparently not yet spread everywhere – and that's precisely what these "slut marches" are about: It's the perpetrators who are responsible for sexual violence, not the victims.

The first Slutwalk took place in Toronto at the beginning of April 2011, the first German Slut March was in Passau, Lower Bavaria, in July 2011, and the first Germany-wide Slut Marches in major cities such as Berlin, Frankfurt, Munich, and Hamburg followed in August 2011.

The first Drusluganga in Reykjavík took place on July 23rd, 2011. Since then, it has been held annually here (except in 2020 due to COVID-19). The parade starts at Hallgrímskirkja and proceeds via Skólavörðustígur and Laugarvegur. The march culminates with a large stage in front of the Parliament on Austurvöllur, featuring music and speeches. Well-known musicians supporting the Drusluganga also perform there, including Friðrik Dór and, this year, Páll Óskar.

Sound rehearsal in front of the Drusluganga

Mætum og styðjum þolendur kynferðisofbeldis

The motto of the Drusluganga is "Let's meet and support victims of sexual violence".

On Saturday, July 26th, 2025, at 2 p.m., the church bells of Hallgrímskirkja rang, followed by the police motorcycles, and then the Drusluganga 2025 started.

This year, Drusluganga was dedicated to the memory of Ólöf Tara Harðardóttir and all those who did not survive the violence they experienced.

Who was Ólöf Tara?

Ólöf Tara was born on March 9th, 1990, and grew up in Hafnarfjörður and Grafarvogur. As a teenager, she was a victim of domestic violence in a relationship, and later lived with violence from her partner for years. Only after a serious illness was she able to escape the relationship in 2018.

The self-employed fitness instructor and personal trainer for women became an activist and, among other things, co-founded Öfgar (= "Extreme") and Vitund (= "Awareness"), a non-profit organization against gender-based violence and for change in this area, both in the legal system and in social awareness. She was also one of the faces of the Icelandic #metoo movement. With Öfgar, Ólöf Tara received numerous awards for her work, including from the Mannréttindaskrifstofa Íslands, the Icelandic Human Rights Center.

In the end, her strength was exhausted, and Ólöf Tara was found dead in her apartment on January 30th, 2025, at the age of 34.

Her funeral took place on February 10 in Grafarvogur Church. The ceremony was presided over by Guðrún Karls Helgudóttir, the parish priest and Bishop of Iceland. Also present at the funeral were Kristrún Frostadóttir, the Icelandic Prime Minister, Þórunn Sveinbjarnardóttir, the current Speaker of the Icelandic Parliament, and Icelandic President Halla Tómasdóttir.

This year, the proceeds from the sale of all Drusluganga merchandise will go to the Minningarsjóður Ólafar Töru, the memorial fund for Ólöf Tara.

Ein af hverjum fjórum

One in four women in Iceland is a victim of sexual violence, or one in four. That's the statistics. In reality, the number is likely higher, because not every woman chooses to report it.

Ólöf Tara's work was also particularly concerned with looking beyond these mere statistics – one in four women is more than just a number, a figure; it's about the person behind it. Ultimately, it's also about the statistics of women who have not survived the consequences of the violence they experienced – sexual assault or rape represent risk factors for later suicide – as in Ólöf Tara's case.

Accompanied loudly by a megaphone, the march began with the cry "Ég er drusla! Ég er drusla!" "I'm a slut!"

Behind the women carrying the banner, the rest of the protest march followed, with a whole host of very different people, many of them carrying homemade signs - from "Fuck Patriarchy" to "feðraveldi hvíl í friði" (= "May the Patriarchy rest in peace") and "skilum skömminni" (= "Let's return the shame") to many different variations of "Ég er drusla".

The march led down the Skólavörðustígur, over the Laugarvegur and finally ended at Austurvöllur.

However, we were no longer present at the closing ceremony there.

[Translated from here.]

Gönguferð að eldfjallinu

Hike to the volcano (July 22nd, 2024)

Since last Wednesday (July 16th), the volcano on Reykjanes has been erupting again, the 12th volcanic eruption in the area since March 2021.

On Tuesday, we had a friend over for dinner, who showed us photos of a colleague who had hiked to the volcano the day before... oh, the pictures were great! And the wind was (relatively) favorable.

Ultimately, it happened as it had to, and my husband and child no. 4 (who's actually not a child anymore, but is now bigger than me!) left by car around 8:30 in the evening, as they also wanted to see the eruption and the lava. I didn't go with them; after my fall on the terrace, I'm not yet fit enough to tackle a hike of more than an hour over uneven terrain, and then back again...

You can now park at the paid parking lot P1 at Fagradalsfjall and then hike along a more or less good jeep track to the lava, to the fresh lava.

At 9:46 p.m. my husband announced: "Let's march!"

And at 9:55 p.m. he sent the first photo, full of enthusiasm: "We can already see him!"

Here is another section of the picture, with the active volcanic crater at the end of the path.

This trail to the volcano is currently not closed, but visitors are encouraged to closely monitor air quality and gas pollution forecasts on the Icelandic Meteorological Office's website. Veður, and to abort a hike if conditions change. Masks have been distributed to emergency personnel on site.

Police repeatedly post signs explicitly warning that you are now entering the hættusvæði, the danger zone. Everyone enters at their own risk.

It took my husband and child about 75 minutes to walk from the parking lot to the fresh lava. Around 11 p.m., my men finally reached the fresh lava.

When you stand there, pleasantly warm, maybe four meters away from the glowing, clinking lava, it's still something very special, even if it's not the first time! But it's always amazing!

But you have to be careful - the lava is really red-hot and even though it looks dark from above, inside it is still liquid and moving.

And you never know where something might burst open, and fresh lava will flow, setting the grass at the edge of the lava field ablaze again and again. At least it's wet enough right now that there's no need to issue wildfire warnings.

Child no. 4 had to do his daily Duolingo lesson before midnight to keep his streak going - and what better place to do that than sitting comfortably in the grass with good internet somewhere in the middle of nowhere on the edge of a fresh, still fiery lava field with a view of an erupting volcanic crater...?!?

My husband raves about it - he's experienced something like this a few times before. But it's still amazing every time. The hot wind. The clinking sounds the lava makes. The billowing air over the hot lava. The smell of burnt moss at the edge of the lava. The erupting volcanic cone in the background. And all the people happily sitting in the moss, fascinated by this natural spectacle...

At 11:26 p.m. my husband reported that they were on their way back, and at 12:42 a.m. he wrote that they were in the car and about to leave.

[Translated from here.]

Súrmjólkurbúðingur

Sour milk pudding

Today I have a recipe for sour milk pudding for you - in the past this dish (sometimes also known as Áfabúðingur) was actually a very popular Christmas dessert in Iceland.

The dessert was usually served with jam, fresh fruit or raisins and chopped almonds .

It is a traditional Icelandic dish - online you can find a recipe for sour milk pudding in an Icelandic weekly magazine from December 1939, in an article about milk and milk dishes by Helga Sigurðadóttir (1904 - 1962).

Helga, along with her aunt Jónína Sigurðardóttir (1879-1962), was actually the most famous Icelandic cook, cooking teacher, and cookbook author. Both revolutionized Icelandic cuisine in their own way, encouraging Icelandic housewives to grow their own fruit and vegetables and use them more frequently in the kitchen.

Helga was also the first director of Húsmæðrakenneraskóli Íslands, the Icelandic Teacher Training Institute for Housewives, founded in 1942. From 1930 onward, she published numerous Icelandic cookbooks, including "Matur og drykkur" in 1946. For decades, the book became the "matarbiblía okkar Íslendinga", the Icelanders' cooking bible and the most important reference work for recipes and home economics.

By the way, the cookbook was reissued in its original form in the summer of 2009 - I have a copy of it at home, too!

Ingredients for 4 servings

500 ml sour milk

80 g sugar

1 pinch of vanilla / vanilla sugar

3 - 4 Tbsp cold water

7 sheets of gelatin

150 ml whipped cream

2 - 3 Tbsp jam

2 Tbsp chopped almonds

Preparation

Soak the gelatin in cold water for about 10 minutes.

Then squeeze the gelatin leaves well...

.... and heat gently in a water bath or in the microwave.

In a bowl, mix the sour milk with the sugar and the ground vanilla or vanilla sugar.

Add the sour milk mixture to the warm gelatin spoon by spoon, stirring thoroughly.

Finally, whip the cream until stiff...

... and fold into the sour milk mixture.

Pour the sour milk pudding into the dessert glasses and let it set in the refrigerator for 4-5 hours.

Then heat the jam until it melts, then decorate the pudding with the still-liquid jam, the chopped almonds, and, if desired, some fresh fruit.

Bon appetit!

[Translated from here.]