In retrospect, it was good that there was no chance of seeing the Northern Lights last night due to cloud coverage- we really needed a good night’s sleep. So sleep we did. We woke up refreshed, though getting a later start than we would have liked. We headed straight to the capital city, Reykjavik. Iceland has a population of around 320,000 and around 120,000 of those live in Reykjavik. Unfortunately, that meant busy roads with plenty of stop lights and roundabouts. As I mentioned yesterday, Anthony isn’t exactly an experienced stick-shift driver… thus, I nearly had a heart attack multiple times, and once we finally parked and I was able to take a breath, I immediately started crying due to my frazzled nerves. I took a few more breaths and headed into Hallgrímskirkja, a church in the middle of the city with fantastic views.
Outside of this church, I encountered the strongest winds I have ever felt and am amazed I managed to stay upright. We wandered across the street to downtown. Reykjavik is a beautiful city with a vibrant, quirky downtown.
We ate at a cute seafood restaurant for lunch, called Sjávargrillið. As a ginger and a blonde, we blend in well in Iceland which caused the the server and others to try speaking Icelandic to us. We just give them a confused look, and they quickly switch to English, and we quickly feel guilty for not knowing Icelandic. We both ate the grilled catch of the day which was delicious and reasonably priced. Afterward, we wandered the main streets, stopping at different shops along the way. After awhile, we headed back to the car and drove home (after Anthony practiced in a parking lot for awhile).
For the evening, we grabbed our bathing suits and hit up the Blue Lagoon, a geothermal spa with milky blue water set within a beautiful lava rock landscape.
The Blue Lagoon is the biggest tourist attraction in Iceland, which is obvious by the number of people there (even at 6 in the evening on a windy, rainy day).
We explored every area of the lagoon which was an experience. For the most part the water is warm, but there are areas where it is extremely hot and areas that are a bit too cold for weather like today. In wide open parts of the lagoon, the wind and rain pelted us, so we learned to walk backward when heading in the direction of it. There were a few different areas where you could get silica mud out of a bucket to exfoliate your skin. We were sure to make use of that.
If you wanted to spend some extra money, there is plenty to keep you busy at the Blue Lagoon. They have two nice restaurants, a swim up bar in the lagoon, and spa services. We are trying to stick to a budget, however, so we just relaxed in the water for awhile and left.
If you do decide to visit the Blue Lagoon, some things to keep in mind:
–Be comfortable with your skin. You must shower naked in a locker room with many other people (of the same sex). Everyone minds their own business, and it’s not a big deal.
-Put tons of conditioner in your hair and leave it in when you head to the lagoon. The mineral water dries it out like crazy.
-Use the silica in the buckets. DO NOT just pick it up off the floor of the lagoon because that’s disgusting. It has hair and who knows what else mixed in.
We had a great time while we were there and are glad we went. It is something unique to Iceland and something you have to say you did while here. However, if we ever come back, we won’t make another visit (it’s quite expensive).
