Iceland Part II- Blue Lagoon

The next day we went to the Blue Lagoon. This is a geothermal spa, where the blue water, rich with silica and sulphur, is 37 - 40°C. 

It was snowing so heavily. The surreal combination of snow and steam made for such an awesome experience. Snow on our heads, warmth neck-down!

We did not realise (until we were about to leave!) that there was a way into the lagoon from a portion that was indoors. We walked, bare-footed, on the snowy deck to get into the water, leaving us with what can only be described as a burning sensation. Just imagine: Ouch! on the snow; Ahh! in the water. A day of extremes!

The bottom of the lagoon was filled with silica mud. This made for a squishy wade around the pool. The feeling was that of stepping on firm jelly. They also had containers around the lagoon filled with purified silica mud, which we could apply on our faces for smoother skin. In fact, the lagoon has properties that help improve and heal skin conditions. Also, thanks to the high content of suphur, there was a strong rotten-egg smell. Surprisingly, though, it was not off-putting at all.

After spending 4 hours at the Blue Lagoon, we were taken back to our hotel. The constant heavy snow and our hunger dissuaded us from walking around too much, so we decided to have lunch at the first cafe we saw - an Italian restaurant.

Everything there was so yummy! Perfect cakes...

and authentic home-made mains!

It kept snowing well into the evening, and so the Northern Lights tour was cancelled. This was slightly disappointing, given that the package we signed up for was called 'The Northern Lights Tour'. 

However, there was a blessing in disguise. On the day before, while we were having dinner, my mother-in-law struck up a conversation with a local. She had heard of the Icelandic delicacy, the Skyr cake (cheesecake-like), and wanted to know where to get it. She was told that the best in town could be found at a restaurant which was 10 minutes' walk from the hotel. Hubs and she decided to brave the 8" snow for the cake. They soon realised that it was a restaurant called the Hamburger Factory. They brought back two burgers, and they were the best burgers we had ever tasted in our lives. They were so good that we nearly went back out to the restaurant for more. Only the now-10" snow made the warmth of our beds slightly more appealing, especially since we had to wake at 4am the next morning to catch our return flight.

And so 4am came. We had our breakfast and headed for the airport. As if the airport authorities knew how beautiful Iceland is, they had set up a little hut in the departure hall with a computer for tourists to 'Tell Us Your Story from Iceland'. We happily obliged, but unfortunately an error with the computer meant that our story could not be recorded. Oh well.
(See, too, the shelves made out of drawers. How creative!)

And so it was Goodbye to Iceland - to one of the best trips of our lives!

A poem printed on the pillows on the return flight.

Jetting off into the pink sunrise...