. : Interesting places for young people to visit
Reykjavik for young people
Kringlan
The biggest shopping center in Iceland
In this big shopping mall you can find about 170 shops, restaurants and
services in 36,000 square meters. There are sophisticated fashion shops
selling the latest designs, hip boutiques, international brand name shops,
jeweler shops, music stores, a liquor store, nutrition centers, book stores,
crystal ware shops, souvenir shops and an art gallery.
And there's more: a newly designed food court contains everything from
fast-food chains and an internet café to brasserie dining and Reykjavik's
Hard Rock Café is located in Kringlan. Entertainment and cultural tastes are
catered to thanks to Kringlan's modern, multi-screen cinema and the City
Theatre, which is only a short covered walk from the cinema. Also located in
Kringlan are banks offering foreign currency exchange, a travel agency, an
airline sales office, doctors' offices and pharmacies.
Kringlan has a good mix of international brands and the country's leading
retailers that are mostly family companies. The anchor stores in Kringlan
are Hagkaup, the leading grocery and department store in Iceland, and
Útilíf, a premiere lifestyle and sporting goods store.
Store owners import from around the world, with emphasis on goods from
France, Germany, Britain, the Netherlands, Scandinavia, U.S.A. and Italy.
Prices on quality labels are quite reasonable. In fact foreign tourists
regularly visit Kringlan looking for bargains.
Every young person, especially every girl should have visited this big
shopping mall.
Downtown
Eat a Hotdog and visit a club
If you want to spend a nice party night with your friends then you should go
to Reykjavik. The capital of Iceland is the party place number one in the
cold north of Europe. The parties in Iceland start really late and the clubs
open late, too. That is why most Icelanders have a little party before the
big party starts. A good possibility to start a long party night is going to
a nice little Hot dog shop. Sit down there and taste a real Icelandic Hot
dog. If you want it even more Icelandic then try a lamb dog, which is served
with special sweet mustard and frizzled onions. The Hot dogs are cheap, only
about 300 crowns, in contrast to the really expensive drinks you, perhaps,
will have later in the evening.
If you can say about yourself that you are a trendy and sophisticated person
then you should go to the Astro café. There is the atmosphere rather like at
a real party place than in a nightclub.
If you are older than 22 years you can gain access to the Kaffi Barinn. This
lively bar is one of the loudest, most popular, and densely visited places
on a Friday or Saturday night. There the DJ's are spinning hip-hop, Latin
and house on weekend nights and the dance floor is burning.
The third place I want to present is Bennslan. If you are not satisfied with
the beer selection elsewhere, than this is the place for you. Brennslan has
one of the largest beer menu's in the city. But this bar attracts mainly a
younger and more relaxed crowd.
But you can not only have party in Reykjavik. We spend a really nice evening
with our new Icelandic friends at a party, with live music in the
countryside.
Perlan
The pearl of Reykjavik
Building
Oskjuhlid is rightly called a natural pearl. More than 176,000 trees have
been planted on the hillside, resulting in a woodland setting rare for the
city and appreciated by natives and visitors alike. The cycling and walking
paths offer pleasant moments and are much frequented-but one can always find
peaceful glades where it is easy to forget the bustle of city life.
Ideas for a grand structure at Oskjuhlid date from 1930 when master artist
Johannes Kjarval had dreams for the site: The sides of the temple should be
covered with mirrors, So the northern lights can approach the feet of men -
the roof should be decorated with crystal of every color and floodlights
should be in the eaves to illuminate the whole area. It should answer to the
light of day and the symbols of the night. It would be difficult to find a
better description for The Pearl, which was only completed some 60 years
later.
The Pearl is a magnificent structure. Formally opened to the public on 21
June 1991, it combines utility and vision. Hollow steel framing supports the
glass dome and walls that link six aluminum-sided tanks, each of which can
contain 4 million litres of water averaging 85°C. As part of The Pearl's
heating system, hot water is pumped through the metal framework in winter,
while cold water flows during summer, thereby producing a comfortable
year-round environment. The Viewing Deck on Level 4 takes full advantage of
the panorama enjoyed from Oskjuhlid; telescopes mounted at each of the six
corners of the deck with recorded descriptions in Icelandic, English,
Norwegian, German and French.
Technical Information
The height of the building is 25.7 meters. The volume is 20,000 cubic meter.
Total floor space is 3,700 square meters. Total floor space of the Winter
Garden is 1,000 square meters. There are 1,176 window panes. 58 floodlights
illuminate the exterior. 105 pole lights illuminate the grounds. Fluorescent
lights light up the Viewing Deck. 1,900 lights illuminate the interior. 942
bulbs create the "star heaven" inside the dome. 12 km of electric cable and
37 km of sound system cable run through the building.
PERSONAL IMPRESSION
We visited the Pearl and went up to the roof. It was a windy day and cold,
but we had such a beautiful view over Reykjavik that weather was not
important. We could see the city, the sea and the biggest church of Iceland.
But this view can even be much better when you look through the telescopes
which are there on every corner. Inside the building we saw water coming out
of the ground and spreading up to the roof. Be careful that you do not
become wet if you visit Perlan. If you are hungry you can have dinner in the
restaurant which is turning around. When you are sitting there for one hour
you have seen the whole city Reykjavik without walking around. But the
greatest things for me to see were the palms because Iceland is cold and
when I saw these plants I suddenly felt warm. In the end I can only say that
when you come to Reykjavik, visiting the Peal is one thing you should not
miss.
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