Reykjavik, Iceland: Splashing through Geothermal Mineral Pools - November 2015

Guest Blogger: Brenda Wilkerson
Certified Storm Spotter, Devout Memphis Grizzlies Fan & Avid Blogger www.dontstopbelieving.me

When I visited Iceland, I fell in love with its geothermal mineral swimming pools. Most towns have at least one public pool, and many Icelanders go daily if possible. They consider it important to their overall health, and now that I’ve participated, I can see why.

On the first night of our trip, my friends and I experienced local swimming pool culture at Laugardalslaug, which was just down the street from our hotel. (Not yet used to the Icelandic language, we immediately renamed it “LaGuardia” for our own reference.) Laugardalslaug is the largest pool complex in Reykjavik, with pools of various temperatures and purposes, a large water slide, a gym, and play equipment for kids. Anyone can gain entry for about $5, and monthly passes are available for even less per visit.

At the front desk, we were given rubber wristbands which provide access to a locker and were directed to the men’s and women’s locker rooms. There, we were introduced to Icelandic pre-swim procedure. Everyone has to strip down and wash with soap before putting on swimsuits and heading outside to the pool. This step is not optional; there are matrons in the shower room making sure you follow the rules. When you’re done swimming and soaking, you have to shower again, and then dry off to the matrons’ satisfaction before re-entering the locker room. I actually found this practical European attitude toward nudity kind of refreshing, and Bethany and I had a good laugh about it. (“Brenda and I no longer have any secrets,” she reported back to our friend group.)

Laugardalslaug was packed with locals, even late on a Wednesday night. Scandinavian children climbed onto play structures above the water’s surface totally unfazed by the near-freezing temperatures. I felt too cold in the regular pool, so I adjourned to the hot pot and spent a happy hour or so there. It was just what I needed after our red-eye flight and day of touring. Friends and neighbors chatted while steam rose into the air to meet the light sleet falling. I decided if my culture allowed for a daily workout and hot tub in community with my friends, I’d be a much happier person. Let’s get on this, America!

After such a relaxing time, we wanted to visit a public pool every night in Iceland, but they were usually closed by the time we arrived at our nightly destinations. So our final geothermal experience was at the famous Blue Lagoon. This pool is heavily marketed to tourists, and I doubt many locals go there. Like many people, we visited the Blue Lagoon on our way back to Keflavik Airport for our outgoing flight. We arrived around 10 am and walked right up to the desk, where the attendant told us repeatedly how lucky we were to get in without reservations. I thought he was exaggerating, but by the time we left, the line was out the door ... so either pre-book, or get there early!

Given the luxurious reputation of the Blue Lagoon, I was surprised to learn its milky, mineral-rich water is waste water from a nearby geothermal power plant. Whatever its origins, it felt great. We slowly wandered around the lagoon for a while, then found a spot to sit and relax with a smoothie from the swim-up bar. Blue Lagoon’s one free spa amenity is silica mud, available in buckets all around the pool. It’s meant to be used on the face only, but many visitors formed assembly lines and slathered it all over each other, which was entertaining.

While I enjoyed my time at the Blue Lagoon and am glad I went, I preferred the simplicity and earthiness of the public pools. The Blue Lagoon felt like a glossy Disney-fication of Iceland’s wonderful geothermal pool culture. Next time, I think I’ll stick to LaGuardia.

Iceland Encompassed: Glaciers, Lava Fields and Waterfalls - October 2015

Guest Blogger: Brenda Wilkerson
Certified Storm Spotter, Devout Memphis Grizzlies Fan & Avid Blogger www.dontstopbelieving.me

Iceland is a country I'd always wanted to see, but it wasn't high on my priority list until this summer when a friend told me she was going with her sister. Suddenly, I really wanted to go. I offhandedly mentioned it to Bethany, one of my best and most well-traveled friends. Three days later, she had found and booked a cheap fall fare for herself and her husband, and basically said, "Are you coming or what?" So at the end of October, Bethany, Isaac, and I took off for a week in the land of ice and fire.

Our six-day driving tour package, “Best of the South and West,” included all of our overnight lodging and a rental car with unlimited mileage and GPS. We had a list of suggested activities each day, but weren't on a schedule and could do whatever we wanted as long as we ended up at our next hostel stop. To me, it was the perfect balance of freedom and guidance. We appreciated the written itinerary with descriptions, since many of the long Icelandic place names sound similar.

We spent only the first day and night of our trip in the capital of Reykjavik, then headed out to experience nature. In six days, we traveled almost a thousand miles and saw an incredible range of topography and climates. I've always lived in the flat American South, so repeatedly going from sunny, green valleys to snowy mountaintops and back within an hour or two was mind-blowing to me ... as was the sparse population. I'd stand in a majestic valley, or on top of a cliff, and try to comprehend that I was one of very few humans for many miles around. One night, Bethany read from a brochure that we were in a region of Iceland with a population of 500. Without thinking, I replied, "Oh, you mean 500,000?" No. Five. Hundred. People.

Everything we saw in Iceland amazed me and often seemed too beautiful to be real. It's hard to narrow it down, but here are the five places I enjoyed most and would consider must-sees:

1. Búðir Church and Lava Field. After getting a little lost on the Snaefellsness Peninsula, we found this famous black chapel at Búðir almost by accident. The church was built in 1848 and is one of the oldest wooden churches in Iceland. It sits in the middle of a lava field, now mostly covered with tall grasses, that runs down to the sea. The black rocks and mountain view at the beach strongly reminded me of Hawaii. ("Yeah, exactly like Hawaii," Bethany agreed as she put on a second pair of gloves.)

2. Hraunfossar and Barnafoss. Iceland is full of awe-inspiring waterfalls, but these subtler falls were my favorite. Hraunfossar is a group of small waterfalls resulting from water flow over a lava field and into the glacial Hvítá River. Nearby Barnafoss (which means "children's waterfall") is the subject of an Icelandic folktale in which two boys fell off a natural bridge and drowned. You definitely wouldn't want to fall in or go rafting here - the current is no joke. It's beautiful to look at, though, with such blue water.

3. Þingvellir National Park. Þingvellir (Thingvellir in English) is one of Iceland's most important sites, historically and geographically. As the chosen location for governmental and social gatherings, it was basically the capital of Iceland from 930 AD until the 1600s. The national park is a continental drift site, with several rifts between the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates. I'd expected to see a real crack in the earth, maybe with steam coming out of it or something. But the fault we saw, while impressive, looked more like a big ravine. We saw the most breathtaking fall colors of the trip at Þingvellir!

4. Reynisfjara. Near the town of Vik, Reynisfjara is one of the most unique beaches in the world. It's a rocky black sand beach with tall basalt stacks that edge right up to the shoreline. Puffins nest in the cliffs in summer, but we didn't see any in October. We arrived at the start of a snowstorm and were buffeted the whole time by snow and gale-force winds. That put a damper on my picture-taking, but made the experience even more memorable. We took refuge in the shallow cave and looked out at the Reynisdrangar columns, which according to folklore are three petrified trolls. The surf at Reynisfjara is so powerful and dangerous that even I didn't try to get close. I'd love to visit this beach again someday under better conditions!

5. Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon and Beach. Jökulsárlón is a deep lagoon, formed by the glacier Breiðamerkurjökull, that flows right into the ocean. It was the easternmost point of our trip, and definitely worth the drive. We checked out the "bay" of ice floes next to the Ring Road (and saw a seal pop its head above water!), then wandered around the velvety black sand beach, climbing on pieces of glacier. I'd never known so many kinds of ice could coexist - blue and black ice, glassy ice, frosted ice, Sonic ice. Blocks of ice floated out to sea and sat on the sand. I felt like I was on another planet.

In addition to Iceland's amazing landscape, I really took to several aspects of its culture. Stay tuned for my next post about the geothermal hot tubs including the famous Blue Lagoon.

 

Reykjavik, Iceland: Northern Lights & Glaciers - February 2015

It's after midnight, pitch black and well below freezing in our jeep. I can't feel my toes. After feasting on a pile of garlic and pepper lobsters and hunting for the Northern Lights for hours, we are now stuck in deep wet snow seemingly in the middle of nowhere Iceland.

We've been searching for the Northern Lights, a.k.a. Aurora Borealis, which is a natural light display in the sky most commonly seen in the Arctic and Antarctic regions. I've been told that the "auroras are caused by charged particles, mainly electrons and protons, entering the atmosphere from above causing ionisation and excitation of atmospheric constituents, and consequent optical emissions" or something like that. However it happens, the Northern Lights are a must-see dancing light show with brilliant greens, purples and pinks.

Before long, back in the jeep, there's hope for my little toes. Our guide drops our tire pressure from 30 to 3 psi, and we manage to roll out of the ditch. We keep up the hunt a little while longer before returning to our hotel cold, tired and without having caught the slightest glimpse of the elusive lights.

The next day we saw Iceland in an entirely different light ... daylight. We were picked up by our guide with only a few hours sleep but eager to explore. We hopped into a jeep with tires fit for a monster truck rally and headed to the great mid-ocean divide: the area where the North American and European tectonic plates collide. After taking in the sights and walking the treacherously icy path from one continent to the other, we loaded back into the jeep to warm up and check out the next stops on the Golden Circle circuit. We admired the blow of erupting geysers and inhaled the heavy sulfuric wafts, went off-roading onto the Langjökull Glacier into hurricane-force winds, and witnessed the crashing waterfalls that hid in the gorges aside the snow-covered hills.

 

That night we climbed back into the jeep to resume our search for the Northern Lights. Fortunately, this time, we got lucky.