Reykjavik, ICELAND
Airing Date: Oct 28th, 2002
Reykjavik, the worlds most northerly capital city, is a very social place. Each year on the third Saturday in August the residents get together for Cultural Night, a musical event showcasing the towns finest musicians, as well as a few who are just starting out.
Traditionally Icelanders lived off their fishing produce, but last year the nations biggest export was Icelands most famous daughter, Bjork. Although she no longer lives in Reykjavik, she still owns a local apartment. With a population of 172,000, there are still plenty of creative people to keep the artistic flare alive.
Reykjavik's music is not the only local attraction. Hallgrimskirkja is the town's tallest church. It was designed to look like a mountain of lava, and is visible 20 kilometres away.
The Pearl Restaurant, wrapped in glass and perched on top of enormous water tanks, is another local artistic centre worth seeing. There are six tanks at Oskjuhlid, carrying up to four million litres of water at an average temperature of 85 degrees Celsius. Heating in Reyjavik is cheap, but you won't find much else that is. A cup of coffee costs around $6, a glass of beer $13, and a bowl of pasta with glass of wine costs aroound $50.
To avoid hefty meal bills, try to book a hotel with a package where breakfast is included. For lunch look out for refillable soup bowls. Theyre about $12 and come with as much bread as you can eat.
Don't forget to pack your swimsuit before you head to Iceland. Swimming is the national pastime, no matter what the temperature or wind level is. Laugardakur Pool is one of seven swimming centres in Reykjavik. Like most pools, it is open from 7am to 10pm. Hotpots ranging in temperature from 38 to around 46 degrees are the local way of dealing with the cold, but be warned - even on a summer's day, the temperature is only around 12 degrees.
For a good hearty meal head to Viking Restaurant, 10 minutes south of Reykjavik in Hafnarfjordur. The meals and the music are traditional, and the dinner and show packages are a bargain at around $100.
Gaukur a Stong is Reykjaviks oldest pub. The pub features live bands and all night dancing. An intertesting piece of Icelandic trivia is that when the pub first opened, full-strength beer was illegal. It wasnt until 1989 that thirsty patrons could buy a real beer.
The facts:
Thai Airways International flies to London daily. Prices start from $2015 ex Sydney and $1896 ex-Perth. Includes govt. taxes and other surcharges. Conditions apply.
Thai Airways International
Tel: 1300 651 960
Nordic Travel has five-day packages, including return economy airfares from London with Icelandair, four nights at Hotel Borg and breakfast daily. Prices start from $1357 per person per double. Includes taxes. Conditions apply.
Nordic Travel
Tel: 02 9968 1783
e-mail: nordictravel@optusnet.com.au
