A Snowstorm, a Swim, and Finally Home

We awoke this morning to more driving rain and wind and started to question our plans for the day. Our flight wasn't leaving Reykjavik until 5 PM so we thought we'd go to the Blue Lagoon to spend some time. We had a leisurely breakfast, talked to two other couples who both told us to go to the Blue Lagoon, and that we wouldn't regret it, even in the rain. So after getting ourselves together, making sure all the suitcases weighed about the same (didn't want to be overweight going home), and loading it all into the car in the pouring rain, we were off. The drive would take about an hour and half we thought, that is until we hit the snowstorm! That slowed things down a bit. We had to go over a mountain ridge and it was really snowing hard and the roads were snowy/slushy. It's September 15th! But what would a trip to Iceland be without some snow?! I quickly rolled down the window and snapped this photo.

When we arrived at the Blue Lagoon there were other crazy people there too. There were even tour buses with big groups. The tourist attraction was created because originally, the water was used for thermal energy. They had drilled down a mile and a half and hit a core of super-heated 400 degree water. It was used to heat and supply hot water to the south of Iceland and what was left over, they mixed with sea water and it accumulated in this area. The problem was people had discovered it, were bathing in it, and finally the government realized they could build a center there and charge money for the use of it.

The Blue Lagoon water is a bright blue and because of all the minerals in it, you can't see through it at all. When you arrive, you pay the entrance fee and they give you a wrist band and a towel and off you go to the locker room. Here's where I had some trouble. This whole "let's get naked in front of everybody else" thing really isn't MY thing. But I managed to get into my suit somewhat privately, and met Hubby on the outside. We thought we would have to make a mad dash for the water, but we discovered that the pool actually started indoors and there was a door outside from there. Let's remember that it's in the 30's and pouring rain at this point. So out we went. The water was heavenly! It is so warm, so full of minerals that you float with no effort, and because there is so much steam coming off the water, you never feel cold. One woman at breakfast told me not to dunk my head because I'd be fighting with my hair for two weeks trying to get the minerals out. Most of you know me, head dunking wasn't going to be an option anyway! But it was pouring rain....this was going to require shampoo once we were done.

So, after some time of soaking up the warmth and experiencing this really different adventure, it was time to head back to the locker room and the showers.....gang showers. Goodness, even my high school had individual showers! I peeked in all the showers and found one with only one other woman in it....so in I went, lathered up so fast, and was out before anyone else came in. Believe me, it was traumatizing! I managed to find a little privacy to get dressed, and then had to blow dry etc for the second time today. I suppose it was really kind of neat, but I'm not sure it was worth it for me. Too much trouble and anxiety!! Here's a photo I took through the glass window of the actual pool (it was a little creepy to bring my camera out into the water while other people were there)....it's not really a pool as such, as the water is held in my lava rock. The second photo is another pool of the bright blue water and if you look carefully you can see the visitors center in the background. It's really so beautiful and it almost doesn't look real, but it is.



After the Blue Lagoon, we headed to the airport, still in the pouring rain, for our flight home. We saw the little ladies from yesterday and chatted with them a bit, and also talked with the women from Denmark who sat next to us. She was traveling to Worcester to visit her children's au pair who she hadn't seen in 30 years. It was her first trip to the US and she was very excited.

So now we're home, I'm on the second load of laundry, I've gone through the mail, and I'm getting very tired....it's 2 AM where we came from. I plan to post one more time to this blog, with a list of our favorites etc, and reflections of our two weeks of holiday, so check back in a couple of days. And thanks for reading....it's been fun to read your comments and know that others were sharing our adventure with us.