Iceland

Feb 10, 2010 4:10:31 AM

Love factually: love in a cold climate

Thinking about whisking your sweetheart away on a romantic escape? Sure, there’s always Paris, epicentre of all things amorous and poetic; or innumerable secluded tropical islands where you can turn up the sizzle while wearing very little. Bah. Who needs those worn-out clichés when you can wow your beloved with a trip to racy Reykjavík?

With its colourful architecture, steaming geothermal pools and spirited locals, this most northern of European capitals will convert you to the joys of love in a cold climate before you can say ‘Darling, you look adorable in those mittens.’

Feeling touchy-feely? The curvaceous, occasionally erotic works in the Ásmundur Sveinsson Sculpture Garden are deliciously strokeable. For a more gothic frisson, try the atmospheric Einar Jónsson Sculpture Garden: its dramatic allegorical pieces will get your lover’s pulse racing.

Lake Tjörnin’s echoing birdsong and pretty parkland make it the perfect place for a romantic afternoon stroll; in winter, aspiring Torvill-and-Dean types can hit the ice for a spot of heartfelt figure-skating. Afterwards, indulge in some five-star pampering at the indulgent Laugar Geothermal Spa, where sultry saunas and steam rooms are bound to get you pleasantly hot and bothered.

Before you hole up for the night in your cosy hotel, consider joining Reykjavík’s party people on their famous runtur, a weekly pub crawl. Not only are the locals renowned for their creativity and good looks, but they can drink up a storm and show you a wild time while they’re doing it. By 5am, you and your significant other will be merry, well lubricated and ready to hit the sack…

When you’re done rolling each other in the eiderdown (or if you just like your trysts a little less frosty) why not head to the tropics to try a more steamy brand of love?

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