Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
1
Until recently, many visitors left disappointed over not being able to size up a human
specimen. However, following the death of Akureyri man,
Páll Arason
, at the ripe old
age of 95, the museum now has its pièce de résistance. In line with Páll's wishes, his
frankly rather unimpressive penis, complete with long wisps of old man's white pubic
hair, is now on public display for all to see - altogether not for the fainthearted. But
it doesn't stop there: the misshapen foreskin of a 40-year-old Icelander donated by the
National Hospital after an emergency circumcision operation and the testicles of an
unknown 60-year-old donor are also available for perusal. After all that, you'll be more
than ready for the erect plaster casts and photos of several former museum visitors from
Britain, the US and Germany, which leave nothing to the imagination.
Öskjuhlíð
If you arrive in Reykjavík from Keflavík airport, it's hard to miss the space-age-looking
grey container tanks that sit at the top of the wooded hill,
Öskjuhlíð
, immediately
south of Kjarvalsstaðir, across Miklabraut and southeast along Bústaðavegur. Each is
capable of holding four thousand litres of water at 80°C for use in the capital's homes,
offices and swimming pools; it's also from here that water has traditionally been
pumped, via a network of specially constructed pipes, underneath Reykjavík's
pavements to keep them ice- and snow-free during winter. The whole thing is topped
by a revolving restaurant,
Perlan
, a truly spectacular place for dinner - if your wallet
can take the strain. The structure is one of Reykjavík's best-known landmarks and is the
best place for a 360-degree panoramic
view
of the entire city; simply take the lift to the
fourth floor and step outside. On a clear day you can see all the way to the
Snæfellsjökull glacier at the tip of the Snæfellsnes peninsula, as well as the entirety of
Reykjavík. Before leaving, make sure you see the artificial indoor
geyser simulator
that
erupts every few minutes from the basement, shooting a powerful jet of water all the
way to the fourth floor: it's a good taste of what's to come if you're heading out to the
real thing at Geysir.
Öskjuhlíð itself was also an important landmark in the days when the only mode
of long-distance transport was the horse, as it stood out for miles across the barren
surrounding plains - and more recently served as a military base for the British army
during World War II. Today, though, it's a popular
recreation area
for Reykjavíkers
who, unused to being surrounded by expanses of woodland, flock here by foot and
with mountain bikes to explore the
paths
that crisscross its slopes. In fact, Öskjuhlíð
has only been wooded since 1950, when an extensive forestation programme began
after soil erosion had left the area barren and desolate. Today the western and southern
flanks of the hill are covered with birch, spruce, poplar and pine.
Nauthólsvík geothermal beach
Café and changing facilities mid-May to mid-Aug daily 10am-7pm • Free
At the southern end of Öskjuhlíð at
Nauthólsvík
, on Nauthólsvegur road close to the
Reykjavík Sailing Club, there's an artificial
geothermal beach
of bright yellow sand
where it's possible to swim in a sea-water lagoon (the water temperature is generally
18-20ºC), thanks to the addition of hundreds of gallons of geothermally heated sea
water into the open-air
pool
next to the beach, where there are also two hotpots
(30-35ºC), one of which is built into the sand.
Sólfar
Sæbraut
From Öskjuhlíð, it's a twenty-minute walk north along Snorrabraut to the seafront
where, of to the left (opposite the northern end of Frakkastígur), the striking
Sólfar
FROM TOP
NAUTHÓLSVÍK GEOTHERMAL BEACH
ABOVE
; HARPA
P.60
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