Tour guides are often asked about the building with the dome roof that sits on top of Öskjuhlíd hill overlooking Reykjavík Airport. It’s a must-see during any visit to the capital city. It’s called Perlan in the mother tongue, or the Pearl, and was built in 1991 as a monument to Iceland’s ever-flowing geothermal waters. Indoors and outdoors, there are art exhibits, musical performances, and fountains that spurt water like geysers. Above six vast water tanks, a viewing platform offers telescopes and multilingual-recorded commentaries, plus a coffee bar and an ice-cream parlor.
The crowning glory is a revolving restaurant under the glass dome where a famous Christmas buffet is served from November 19 through December 30. It’s all you can eat – free range lamb, the freshest cod you ever tasted, delicious reindeer pate, all kinds of amazing, richly decadent desserts (bring your elastic waistband pants), the works – for about $63 per person (less midweek; lower children rates available). The restaurant rotates slowly, providing every seat with a view of the entire capital city.
On the Pearl’s fourth floor, within the Gourmet Shop, lies the Christmas Shop. There you can find all kinds of Christmas related items: statues of the Icelandic Yule Lads based on Brian Pilkington’s drawings, Christmas tree decorations, handcrafted Icelandic Christmas artwork and lots more. For the child in us all. (Take a 360 degree tour right from your desktop at: www.perlan.is)
