Atlantica - 01.05.2007, Page 91

icelanda
At Home in the Poet’s House
In a nation of readers, Halldór Laxness produced what Icelanders love more than genealogy, more than beer,
even more than fish – he wrote their stories. Today Gljúfrasteinn, the residence and workplace of Iceland’s
Nobel prize-winning author for over half a century, has been made into a museum, representing a kind of
literary sacred ground for the nation. The museum offers a tour of the home, a multimedia exhibit with
information on the writer’s life and works, and a number of hiking paths through the surrounding coun-
tryside. Audioguides are available in several languages and a souvenir shop is on the premises. This summer
Gljúfrasteinn will host a living room concert series every Sunday at 4 pm. 586 8066. gljufrasteinn.is
Ultimate Icelandic Getaway
Located on the banks of the East-Rangá salmon river with views of the active Hekla volcano, snow-capped
mountains, glaciers, and the Westman Islands, Hotel Rangá is situated in one of the most beautiful spots on
earth. And it’s about to get even more beautiful: this spring the cozy, deeply romantic hotel is adding ten new
deluxe rooms and one Royal Luxury suite to its property. And that’s not all. In the fall the hotel will be adding
up to 13 more rooms, including a Presidential suite.
And these rooms don’t even include the Italian architect-designed new spa and rooftop pool that will open
in the winter. Themed “Fire and Ice,” the facility will combine natural elements of wood and geothermal
water with stones and glass. After a leisurely dinner at its restaurant, which serves some of the most innovative
Nordic cuisine in the country, head to the new rooftop pool where you will be able to check out the Northern
Lights while casually sipping a glass of champagne. Spa facilities will include massage rooms, a fitness area and
sauna, making your experience that much more relaxing. The only problem: you may not want to leave.
487 5700. icehotel.is
Connecting Through Culture
Goran Bregovic has been praised as the Mick Jagger of Balkan rock. Of Serbian and Croatian heritage, Bregovic
and his “Wedding and Funeral” band have been entertaining crowds with their rock-accented gypsy music
throughout the region for decades. Bregovic and his band will be getting Icelanders to their feet with his upbeat
tunes at a special concert in Reykjavík on May 19, held as part of the city’s annual Arts Festival.
The concert, one of the Arts Festival’s most heavily promoted events, is sponsored by leading generic phar-
maceutical company Actavis. About 40 percent of Actavis’s 11,000 employees are based in the Balkan region.
“Part of our strategy is to sponsor cultural exchanges between the countries in which we operate,” says
Jónas Tryggvason, Executive Vice President of Central-Eastern Europe and Asia Sales at Actavis. “Actavis
employees are really excited about the concert. We feel it’s very enriching for us as a company to support
projects which help promote cultural awareness.” actavis.com

Special promotion
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