Reykjavík Grapevine - 21.09.2007, Side 21

4_REYKJAVÍK_GRAPEVINE_ISSUE 15_007_THEN & NOW REYKJAVÍK_GRAPEVINE_ISSUE 15_007_DESTINATION_5
Everyone loves the mall. This has already
been established and the video evidence
made available by Kevin Smith. In the greater
Reykjavík area, there are two malls worth
visiting: Kringlan, located just outside Reyk-
javík city centre and Smáralind in Kópavogur,
which has acquired some international noto-
riety for resembling male genitalia when seen
from the air. (Guess which one is Smith’s fa-
vourite?)
Like elsewhere in the world, in Iceland
the mall is a world full of opportunities. With
sufficient funds (or credit) there is no limit to
how much fun there is to be had. Obviously
there is a plethora of stuff to buy: clothes,
electrical gadgets, CDs, or whatever else the
mind desires. Even more important is the fact
that shopping greases the wheels of econ-
omy, so really buying that awesome new
phone that simultaneously allows instant text
messaging, taking photos and talking while
driving eventually serves the greater good.
But going to the mall to shop is to miss
the point entirely. The most exciting thing any
mall has to offer is not the merchandise for
sale, but the people who are there to buy it.
The mall is the modern day equivalent of the
ancient market square, where people gath-
ered to enjoy each other’s company, make
conversation, or in the case of Socrates, solve
the riddles of philosophy. Many of his ques-
tions are still raised in the halls of the malls.
So, go to the mall: it is your duty as a
citizen and as a moral being.
Kringlan
Kringlan 4-12, 103 Reykjavík
Tel.: 568 9200, www.kringlan.is
Smáralind
Hagasmári 1, 201 Kópavogur
Tel.: 528-8000, www.smaralind.is
A Day at
the Mall
Photo by Gulli
Two unique exihbitions:
The Settlement of Iceland
and
Egils saga
Open daily from 10 am to 7 pm
R E S T A U R A N T
Open from 10 am to 9:30 pm
Tel: +354 437 1600
www.landnamssetur.is
A must do
for the visitor...
SetTlement
centre
the
I N B O R G A R N E S
Old buildings in Aðalstræti were renovated and new ones built in the same style at the beginning of the century. 2000/2007