Blue Lagoon

Since I started posting about Iceland I'm on a roll! So let me back track and say that even before heading to Reykjavik, we went to the magical land of the Blue Lagoon. In general, the Blue Lagoon is a not to be missed stop on any Iceland visitor's itinerary. There are even shuttles to and from the airport! We had taken a red eye flight so when we arrived at the airport in Keflavik in the early morning hours, we were struggling to stay alert let alone appreciate our surroundings. Thankfully, we planned to head straight to the Blue Lagoon to kill some time before checking in to the hotel and as a means of getting to Reykjavik.

If I didn't think hubby would kill me for posting a picture of him, I would show you a great picture of what happened next. We lounged in the thermal waters, arms on the smooth rocks, with just our heads above the water and took cat naps. It was, perhaps, the most relaxing day of my entire life.

How does that all happen? You get off the bus at the Blue Lagoon and Spa, walk up a long walkway and into a building where you check in and get a locker key. I found the front desk staff lacking in information and charm. If I remember correctly, I tried to pick a fight with one of the guys there. But, as I mentioned, it had been a long night. You change in a very nice locker room and figure out what to bring with you to negotiate the getting into and out of the water. You must remember that the air temperature is not what you want to be in a bathing suit in. Brrrr. So devise your plan and meet your travel partner and sprint to the warm water.

As you can see, it's a good size so you can spend some time exploring different areas. Water temps change slightly in spots. Sometimes there's a bar set up in the same area as this picture but we were there in the morning so it wasn't set up. There's also a waterfall, a steam room and a spot for water massages (which I really wish I had done now, despite the expense...imagine floating in jacuzzi temps, weightless, while someone massages you!).



Isn't the milky blue color just enchanting?? This is just next to the body of water you can go in but the color is the same.



One of the most fun parts is that there are tubs of silica goo stuff on the sides of the water, filled with minerals from the water (and you can actually even scrape some off of the rocks). You go over, scoop some up, and apply it to your face. Your skin feels like fairies resurfaced it afterwards!

Bottom line: Do Not Miss This Attraction if you go to Iceland. I would probably go back to the country just for this experience alone!

Reykjavik, Iceland



It's hard to start posting about my experience in Iceland because, honestly, I can't spell like any of the places I saw. But I can tell you that I 100% recommend a trip to this hospitable country. It is one of the most unique places you may ever see.
This first photo is just a sample of what homes look like in Reykjavik. I loved this red roof. Architecturally, the homes are relatively simple. The remind me of Puritanical homes in early Salem. Hey, we all have a frame of reference!



So this is the statue of Leif Eriksson. The statue was a gift from the United
States in 1930, as Eriksson was an Icelandic/Norwegian explorer who set foot in America before Columbus but gets less glory. Behind him is Hallgrimskirkja, a beautiful church and the tallest building in Iceland. You can ride an elevator to the top and get a glimpse of the whole (small) city. We couldn't figure out how to get in so we were happy to just take pictures outside.

Does this really need a caption? Where's Waldo? Apparently he is visiting Iceland.

One of the activities I enjoy most wherever I travel, near or far, is to visit a local market. On weekends, Reykjavik has an indor flea market so, of course, I had to check it out. This picture shows bags of dried fish. Being an island, the seafood industry is huge here. One of the local delicasies is petrified shark, which they chase down with an alcohol dubbed "black death". I assure you I tried neither, thank you very much. I didn't go home with any dried fish, either but I did score some yummy cinnamon chip rolls at the market. They really came in handy, too, since food prices are kind of nuts there. There was legit no way to have a meal for less than $20 per person so I was happy to have the sweet rolls to tide me over. That and skyr, which I came to love. It's an Icelandic "yogurt". It's actually a soft cheese but it has the consitancy and flavor of a creamy yogurt. It's a nutrional powerhouse, too. Luckily, I can get it here in the States at Whole Foods!

A remarkably clean city, Reykjavik has these free, self sanitizing public toilets. They really amused me.

One of the places I was most eager to see was the "Ice Bar" as one of my life list items is to visit an ice building. I was picturing something more like the Montreal hotel that is built entirely out of ice and melts each Spring. Iceland's version was not that. First, it was pretty hard to find. Even when we asked people, they didn't know what we were talking about. That's hard to believe in such a small city. It turns out it's in a restaurant, actually. And it's only one freezer of a room. You pay a fee, something about $15 to go into the room and get one free drink. I was disappointed that even the room had regular furniture in it and just had blocks of ice stacked up to add ambiance. However, it was still a unique experience, as we slid across the floors trying to navigate and it was a good opportunity to talk to other tourists.


Overall, Reykjavik was a quaint, adorable city. It's super walkable and I always felt safe. The food is pricey, the nightlife starts really late, like midnight late. There are lots of tours you can take out of the city to see more of the country, which you should definitely take advantage of because 1. the landscape is diverse and gorgeous and 2. the city doesn't have so much going on that you need to spend more than a couple days on it, alone.

Locals are very friendly. We made friends all over the place! One guy even gave us his phone number in case we needed to call for directions or tourist tips. Thanks to some inside connections, we even had some local friends and friends of friends become greeters and tour guides. I will share more of the off the beaten path photos and experiences that yielded but suffice it to say that everyone from the hotel staff to strangers were gracious, helpful and welcoming. I really can't say enough good things about this fabulous city and it's people!

Ode to 2011: 11 Events that defined my 2011

So I'm a week late with my farewell salute to 2011.....well, I'm late in actually posting it. As part of my job I run a Speaker's Bureau and we met on Thursday night. My coworker provided a writing prompt that helped me to reflect on what I wanted to say to summarize the year. It was a take on something that had been posted somewhere else onlline that highlighted the 11 events that defined 2011. I decided to make my own top 11 events of the year.

1. Glaciar Hike in Iceland.

2. Flamenco Show in Seville, Spain

3. My first trip to classic Europe.

4. Traveling with my parents for my mother's first trip out of the country to Bermuda.

5. Swimming with the Dolphins.

                                     

6. Canyoning in Costa Rica.

7. Seeing the Tower of London after all my reading about it.

8. Hiking Rio Celeste.

9. The New Kids on the Block Concert at Fenway Park.

10. Accidentally biking 72 miles on the Cape Cod rail trail and beyond.

11. Making my first from scratch apple pie to be served at Thanksgiving dinner.

Ultimately, 2011 was a huge year for me. I got to travel for 6 weeks out of the year and see some truly awe inspiring sights and, more importantly, have some life changing experiences with people I love. It will be a year I never forget. Can't wait to see what 2012 will bring....

Iceland: Off the Beaten Path

We had the unique opportunity while in Iceland to actually connect with a friend of a friend who lives there. Overall, my experience was that the people of Iceland were extremely welcoming and glad to have you visit their stunning country. This guy, though, went above and beyond. He visited our hotel before we even arrived and left us a note along with local treats (which we appreciated even more once we realized how much food and drinks cost there!). Then, he offered to pick us up on our final day in the city and drive us to the airport, stopping to show us some less seen sights along the way. It was so gracious but also an amazing opportunity to see the Iceland that the tours don't show you: the raw natural landscape, hidden gems and daily life of it's citizens unfolding.

There are geysers or hot spring activity spots along the more touristy routes, as well, but it's very cool that they are actually everywhere! These pictures are just from a spot along the side of the road in the middle of nowhere.

Outdoor swimming is actually one of the most popular recreational activities in this cold spot. Pretty much every community has a local pool that is fed with the geothermal, naturally heated waters. Going to these spots is an absolute MUST DO on your trip to Iceland. They are shockingly cheap to access, as well. I liked this one because of it's elaborate slide, of course.

I thought it was adorable that our guide brought us to this beach; it is a hotspot for them because it is their only white sand beach! While this is the norm for most of us, black volcanic sand is the norm for them so this is a rare beauty that he wanted to show off.

Glacier Hike and Climb

During a week in Boston where the temps have been hovering around 90, I am slightly fascinated by these pictures from my trip to Iceland. I have never really shown pictures from that trip here and I think it's about time they start surfacing! Trouble is, trying to spell any of the places I saw there is near impossible. The combinations of letters is way more than my simple English only brain can comprehend.

This ice arch was dripping ferociously and the guide said it probably wouldn't be there the next week. He pointed out the fissure, which you can see in on the right, sloping down from the top. He then proceeded to walk us under the arch:)

The black lines are from volcanic ash. We drove by the volcano that had erupted the year before (and I think just had another, less major, eruption in May, perhaps).

These black lines, again volcanic ash, show all of the volcanic activity that has occurred during this ice's lifetime.

I strongly suggest you use a guide if you plan to hike the glaciers. Sink holes and other crazy crevices like this one can be lurking under what you think is snow. Isn't this pretty, though?

I had only wanted to do a glacier hike but one of the tour companies offered a climbing experience as part of the hike for about the same price. This was seriously one of the coolest things to do!!

Rappelling down was even more fun, though!

Blue Lagoon this weekend?

How magical does this sound??? A Midsummer Night Walk and Live Music on a Mountain and at the Blue Lagoon? An easy moutain hike, a campfire, live music and the amazing blue lagoon (which I will post pics of asap from a different computer). If you are even remotely considering a trip to Iceland....GO!! The landscape is just magnificent. It's such a unique place. It was green before being green was cool and the natives are all so proud of their country, which I adore. More to come on Iceland soon but I wanted to get this out in case you still need to make your weekend plans:) I will be hiking Mount Greylock, the highest point in Massachusetts this weekend so stay tuned.