I celand, the land of fire and ice, is home to Reykjavik, the world’s
northernmost
capital. Home to just a little over
100,000
people, it’s
hardly a giant among cities. But don’t be fooled by its sleepy
1)appearance, there’s a lot more bubbling just beneath the surface.
John Bell (Travel Editor): Reykjavik’s often compared with 2)Reading,
which is rather sad. Iceland, cold, snow, small, 3)insignificant. Whoa,
not on Friday night in Reykjavik!
The Icelandic capital is, without doubt, one of the world’s wildest
party towns, and for a night out the good folk of Reykjavik are hard to
beat.
Gill Williams (Travel Editor): I thought that the Icelanders would
all be fishermen, and wear wooly hats and funny boots, instead they’re
party animals.
But the locals aren’t the only things getting hot and 4)steamy.
Iceland is 5)arguably the globe’s greatest 6)geological wonder,
providing 7)glaciers, volcanoes, and boiling hot 8)geysers, used to
fill Reykjavik’s seven 9)thermal baths where Icelanders are known to
get a
little bit 10)frisky.
Gudrun (Thermal Baths Employee): Sometimes the girls go to the hot
11)tub to 12)gossip about boys, the boys get to look at the girls in
their little clothing, for free, you know?
Sounds like someone needs a cold shower.
Simon Calder (Travel Editor): Anybody who lives very close to the
13)Arctic Circle, thousands of miles from known 14)civilization, or at
least 15)Glasgow, 16)is bound to be just a little bit different from
everywhere else. So part of the fun of going to Reykjavik is meeting
the Icelanders and finding that they’re just a little bit strange.
And you don’t get much stranger than this: Reykjavik lays 17)claim to
being the fairy capital of the world. A 18)whopping 70% of locals
believe in what they call the “Hidden People.” ?
Magnus (19)Elf Expert): This is a typical house of a Hidden People
and elf family. There are two families living here. They usually live
in stone, usually when they have good views, like we can see here. They
have a view over the city. That’s what the Hidden People and the elves
very dearly love. And then we have 20)gnomes, and 21)dwarves and
trolls, and fairies, and a lot of other beings.
Local: I haven’t seen them, but I believe in them.