Atlantica - 01.06.2002, Page 70

i-site EVENTS❍
68 A T L A N T I C A
Reykjavík’s crowning moment each year must be its Culture
Evening, or Menningarnótt. This summer, on the evening of
the 17th of August, culture will be sophisticatedly spilling
from every nook and cranny of the city.
On that night, artists will glow with anticipation and inspira-
tion and the shops and cultural institutions will get the
chance to go a bit crazy in an arty and intellectual kind of
way. Every year, the most unlikely people crawl out of hiber-
nation to take part in the city’s annual birthday celebrations.
Basically, it’s the night of all nights in Reykjavík. The atmos-
phere will be electric; the firework display this year is
expected to be the best yet; and, most importantly, the city’s
cultural life will be allowed to run wild. A good plan for the
night is to tour down Laugarvegur or Skólavördustígur, with
a few stops at the cultural destinations of your choice, end-
ing at a coffee house filled with soft tunes bouncing from
wall to wall. From there you can visit the many museums,
art exhibits, plays, performances, concerts and the endless
cultural activities on the programme. Or you can savour the
culture all around you by simply enjoying a red wine or cap-
puccino while watching the culture-struck swarms pass by.
The Crown of Culture
Marathon Madness
Looking for something exciting to do
on your summer vacation? Here’s an
idea: load up on carbohydrates, drink
some Gatorade and run the Reykjavík
Marathon.
Yes, it’s that time of year again.
Runners will lace up their Nikes and
line up in the centre of downtown
Reykjavík for the start of the 19th
International Reykjavík Marathon,
Saturday, 17 August, at 11:00 am.
But first, there’s the pasta party on
Friday night at Laugardalshöll, the
national sports hall. You don’t wanna
miss out on the oodles of noodles.
If you’re not an exercise machine, but
still want to compete, sign up for the
half-marathon or the 10 K. And for
those non-exercise junkies who would
rather eat junk food than sweat, you
can always enter the Family Fun Run, a
short 3 K. Why not? It’s summer and
you’ll get a cool tee-shirt. EW
The registration deadline is 12 August,
2002. For more information on the
Marathon, call (+354) 588-3399 or e-mail:
rmar@toto.is
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