Perlan

Perlan (English: The Pearl) is a landmark building in Reykjavík, the capital of Iceland. It is 25.7 metres (84.3 ft) high. It was originally designed by Ingimundur Sveinsson. Perlan is situated on the hill Öskjuhlíð where there had been hot water storage tanks for decades. In 1991 the tanks were updated and a hemispherical structure placed on top. This project was largely done at the behest of Davíð Oddsson, during his time as mayor of Reykjavík.

Winter garden and viewing deck

Perlan has 10,000 cubic meters of exhibition space on the ground floor, known as the Winter Garden. It has hosted concerts by artists such as Gus Gus and Emiliana Torrini as well as various expos and markets.

There is a viewing deck on the fourth floor. It contains panoramic telescopes at each six corners of the deck with recorded descriptions in five different languages.

Shops

There are three shops in Perlan, all on the fourth floor. They are the Gourmet Shop, the Souvenir Shop and the Christmas Shop.

Gourmet Shop: In the Gourmet shop you can buy a variety of foodstuffs, amongst them oysters, langoustine, mushrooms, world jams, beef fillets, wild game fowl and smoked salmon.

Souvenir Shop: The Souvenir Shop is located behind the cafeteria and sells items including playing cards, statues, t-shirts, postcards, Viking helmets, wool sweaters and original Icelandic art.

Christmas Shop:The All Year Christmas Shop is located within the gourmet shop and sells Christmas related items such as statues of the Icelandic Julelads, Christmas tree decorations and handcrafted Icelandic Christmas artwork.

Food and drink

The top floor (fifth floor) of Perlan houses the revolving restaurant. There is a cafeteria and gourmet shop on the fourth floor.

Cafeteria: Perlan cafeteria sells breads, coffee cakes, and pastries. You will also find hot soups, sandwiches and assorted salads. It also offers home made Italian ice cream.

Restaurant And Bar: On the top glass domed part of Perlan there is a revolving restaurant and cocktail bar. The revolving floor does a complete turn in two hours. It offers a good view of Reykjavik and the nearby areas.

The Saga Museum

One of the water tanks at Perlan has recently been cleared out in order to hold the Saga Museum there. It tells you about the Icelandic sagas as well as some other history. It also shows you how Icelanders used to live and how they live now.

External links

* [http://www.perlan.is/ Perlan Official Website]
* [http://www.sagamuseum.is/enska/museum.html Saga Museum Official Website]