The Blue Lagoon
We had pre-booked our tickets for the Blue Lagoon, arriving just before 8am. We felt like cattle with the rest of the tourists being herded into the spa. We were given bracelets to wear that were both charge card and key for our lockers. Towels were not included and were 700 ISK for one, so I chose to go without.
Wardrobe Mishap
Once in the change room, I discovered the string of my bikini top had come come out. I could not get it in by hand, so got a pair of tweezers from my toiletries kit to try and feed the string through. The tweezers then got stuck and I could not get them out for the life of me. I asked aloud to the change room if anyone had a manicure kit and allow me to use a pair of scissors, but no one paid any attention to me despite speaking English to one another.
Eventually I got a pair of scissors from a change room attendant. I was able to cut out my tweezers and successfully fed the string through by cutting a hole every few centimetres. Finally, I had a swimsuit!
Next was the shower. As forewarned, there were two to three attendants at any given time overseeing the shower station to make sure everyone showered – and did so naked! As advised, I left the conditioner in my hair to protect it from the minerals in the water. Apparently the Blue Lagoon can fry your hair.
The Blue Lagoon Experience
We entered the Blue Lagoon through a small door into the pool. Empty beer cups bobbed in the water from the night before, running up against the black lava rocks caked in white silica. Steam rose up, illuminated by spotlights. What looked like guards wearing neon yellow snow suits overlooked the pool, standing on bridges and inside what looked like a low-lying Watch Tower. What I called the watch tower turned out to be the mud mask station.
Matt and I made our way through the lagoon, exploring the various pools in the dark. The moon shone overhead with the jagged, hard line of lava fields around us silhouetted against the night sky. Stars shone out from wisps of clouds and steam rose up into the cool night air.
Matt kicked up the mud that was under his feet, making it release air bubbles into the water. I bobbed on over to experience it – it was just like fizzy soda water!
During a rain spell, we visited the saunas (they had both wet and dry) and the two steam rooms at the Blue Lagoon. The dry sauna looked out on the lagoon and we watched at the day light grew as we enjoyed the heat of the room.
Come sunrise, Matt ordered a beer from the swim-up bar. The party was really happening over there! We tried to get away from the crowds, but by then the place was hopping!
We left the pool and got ready for our flight. It was a mad house in the change rooms by that hour – people coming and going! I left without drying my hair. It was too hard to get counter space.
On our way out, we asked the staff where the observation deck was for one last look at the Lagoon. She left her post at the cash register and walked us upstairs, past the cafe and meeting rooms and out to a balcony overlooking the water. We really appreciated her doing that – it was a great place to get one last picture!
On our way out, Matt pointed to a small path just outside the Lagoon entrance. It led out to a protected area of the lagoon. No people could swim there, so you could enjoy the sight of the lagoon without distraction: just the pale blue waters, lava rocks, and mountains in the distance! The sight was beautiful! Also good to know that you can witness the beauty of the lagoon without paying to enter it.
We drove towards the airport through green moss covered lava fields. Last night had been snow, early morning sleet, mid morning rain – and now sunshine! It’s very true how the rain brings out the green in the moss – neither Matt nor I had even seen it so vibrant in Iceland.
Returning Our Geysir Car Rental
We returned our car to the friendly staff at Geysir. We were happy to hear there was no damages added to our car with all that driving! We’d driven just over 2000 km!
There was a screen showing the GPS location of the complimentary bus to the airport. We took full advantage of the free hot chocolate and coffee while waiting, watching the progress of the bus on the big screen. When it came time to go out to the bus stop, we saw a huge rainbow spanning the sky ahead of us. What a sight to say goodbye to Iceland
Keflavik Airport
Security was a breeze at the airport. We bought liquorice at the duty free and I went on a mission to find adult sized wool socks to bring back as souvenirs. Sadly, even here they were $74 a pair for 100% wool socks. I wasn’t about to pay that! Postcards will have to do.
Our flight was delayed by a hour. We shared a margarita pizza in the food court and loaded up on water for our flight. Once on the plane, Matt settled into his headphones and I got out my book. Next stop home – Toronto!
Looking Back…
We had some really great times on our trip – some scary ones too! Shared highlights were the Northern Lights and the visit up to the top of the lighthouse – we really had some beautiful moments in Akranes and can thank Himlar for that! The Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon and Diamond Beach were very special experiences for me – it meant a great deal to see icebergs and glaciers in person, and so close!
The New Years Eve (NYE) community bonfire in Selfoss was an incredible experience, and the amount of fireworks Icelanders can put off in Reykjavik is mind boggling! They really love their fireworks – they were still going off last night. NYE in Iceland truly is a unique experience – rivals NYE in Paris under the Eiffel Tower! We feel very fortunate to have experienced NYE in Times Square, NYC, Paris, and now Iceland together.
The grey cap (Matt) and the black beret* (me) look forward to more adventures together in 2018 and beyond!
*although I did wear a white toque this whole trip – it was far too cold to expose my ears while wearing my trademark beret! Matt did wear his cap during the trip (and the new grey toque!)