Exploring Reykjarnes Peninsula and Luxuriating in the Blue Lagoon

March 9, Friday:

Exploring the Reykjarnes Peninsula and Luxuriating in the Blue Lagoon 

         Our day began in a fairly leisurely fashion with breakfast of muesli, yogurt and coffee. A little after 9.00 am, we headed out of our Air B and B with our backpacks to Hlemmur Square Bus Station to take the No. 1 bus towards Keflavik airport—as we found that public (Straeto or S) buses are much more economical than the private carriers. At Frydor, we changed into a No. 55 bus that took us to Keflavik airport. The entire journey cost us an economical $19.  It was not long before we called our car rental company, found the spot at which the shuttle driver would arrive to take us to the office (about a five-minute drive away from the airport) of the Green Motion car rental company (which Llew had found off the Internet through Priceline.com). Not long after, an American assistant from New Jersey named Daniel went through the rental formalities and paperwork with us and about an hour later, we were headed in our car, a black Ford, to the next port of call—our hotel for the next night.  We found it in the town of Keflavik—the BGB Guest House that was run by a woman named Sikka.  She arrived in ten minutes to check us in and give us our keys. But, by this time, it was almost 2.00 pm and we had little time to waste lingering in our hotel. Instead we went out to find a quick lunch and ended up having Lamb Subs at Quiznos, the fast food chain that is attached to most gas stations all over Iceland. It was not as good as the one we’d had at Mannabotti, but it would do.

Bridge Over Two Continents:

         Soon, thanks to our GPS system in our car (which we found indispensable during our travels), we wound our way to the deserted, bleak plains of the Hundred Crater Park that is a large part of the Reykjarnes Peninsula that juts out into the water. The land is pockmarked by all sorts of geological activity that has been taking place here through the centuries. There are a lot of natural attractions, should one have the time to visit them. We, however, needed to be choosy about the venues we could visit. We resolved, therefore, to pick out what we thought would be the most interesting: the venue called The Bridge Between Two Continents.

         Basically, it is a man-made, symbolic structure that straddles two tectonic plates—the Eurasian one and the North American one (hence, the quaint phrase, Bridge Between Two Continents).  It turns out that the tectonic plates that connect these two land masses are pulling away from each other at the rate of 1 mm to 18 mm per year. A shallow chasm has been created across two ridges that separate them.  Tour bus loads arrive throughout the day at this venue. There is a parking lot where we parked our car and began the short hike to the Bridge.  The wind was simply furious when we got out of the car and we began to realize, soon enough, that the wind is the most vicious natural element in Iceland.  It became necessary to wrap ourselves cozily in scarves, gloves, fully zipped jackets with hoods in order to be able to withstand its fury. Even though the walk was short, it seemed like an eternity before we reached the site in the midst of the howling wind. It brought to my mind Tennyson’s line about “the wind-swept plains of Troy”.

         On eventually reaching the bridge, we took some humorous pictures under the bridge (pretending to haul it above our heads, etc.) and on the bridge itself as we walked from one continent to the other, i.e. from Europe to North America and back. There are sign posts that provide detailed geological and geographical explanations for what is going on in this region, and we did try to understand the enormity of this unseen motion of the earth.  It is scary to wonder: if this is happening on the earth’s surface, what must be happening beneath it.  No wonder Iceland is riddled by active volcanoes that regularly spew out their ire upon the earth.

         About twenty minutes later, we were back in our car headed to our next port of call—the famous Blue Lagoon.

        

Luxuriating in the Warmth of the Blue Lagoon:

         The Blue Lagoon is Iceland’s most famous attraction.  Being that it is about a twenty -minute drive from Keflavik airport, it is a customary layover spot for people just off a flight or preparing to take one. Our friend Jane, who returned from Iceland last year, told us that it had been simply the most delightful thing to do after their red eye flight from the US had arrived at the crack of dawn in Iceland. We were glad that we chose to do it when we felt more relaxed and less jetlagged.

         Pre-booking is essential for a soak in the Blue Lagoon and tickets are not cheap. Since it is such a popular tourist attraction, it has become enormously commercial and now boasts a well-stocked bar, a gourmet restaurant, a spa and a gift shop as part of its services.  We had chosen the mid-price level package that included a towel, a silica mask and a drink of our choice. Tickets provide timed entry and we were scheduled to enter at 5.00 pm. We stood on line for about fifteen minutes and were then shown the ropes.

         There are sophisticated changing rooms and showers that are gender-segregated. Showers before entering the lagoon are mandatory and bath products (shower gel, shampoo and conditioner) are provided. Llew and I went towards our separate showers and met ten minutes later at the ground level at the entrance to the lagoon. As we were getting in, a British woman who was getting out told us not to miss the steaming waterfall and the sauna rooms—she said that the first was like having a massage and the second was simply heavenly.

         The Blue Lalgoon was vividly green! And steaming—which seemed a bit intimidating as one wondered whether or not it was scalding.  But this is entirely an optical illusion.  The steam that constantly emanates from it is a result of its hot vapors coming in contact with the ice-cold air. Indeed, given that it was so cold, it felt simply divine to slip into the water.  And once in, it is impossible to think of getting out.  Good job one’s tickets are valid until closing time--10.00 pm.  We luxuriated for a long time as we took in the excited energy of the huge crowds of people around us (entry is timed so that the lagoon is never overwhelmingly crowded). Because it is so large, it never really seems packed—there is plenty of room to wade through the various ‘pools’ that comprise it.

         In due course, Llew and I went to the ‘bar’ that served us our silica masks (a thick white paste) and slathering it over our faces, we waited for it to dry before rinsing it off in the water.  A little later, we made our way to the drinks ‘bar’ where we elected to have a glass each of strawberry sparkling wine which was the most refreshing and delicious thing amidst the steaming waters. There was an extensive drinks menu and much to choose from, including red and white wine, beer, and prosecco. We were very happy with our choice and did a lot of people-watching through the evening. Our guidebook had also informed us that the lagoon is magical when twilight falls softly over the land and night closes in.  We were thrilled, therefore, that our timings allowed us to see the place while there was still daylight and then to stay on long enough to see the soft lights come on and throw romantic shadows all over the area.                 

         We thought of the advice given by the woman we met and after finishing our drink, we headed towards the waterfall.  This turned out to be a massive wall of water with a thunderous velocity and volume. People turned with their backs towards the water so that their necks and backs received a massage. We did the same and found it to be amazingly relaxing. Next, we headed to the steam rooms, where we sat in the sauna for about ten minutes and thought about the Romans who introduced the idea of communal bathing, hot (solarium) and cold (frigadarium) bathing, a couple of thousand years ago. Ten minutes later, we left the sauna and took our places under the hot waterfall again.  It was all so wonderfully relaxing and luxurious that it was with difficulty that we dragged ourselves from there at about 8.00 pm to start our return drive to our hotel at Keflavik. The Blue Lagoon had been a thoroughly unique experience and one that we would highly recommend if one is willing to splurge and ignore the sheer commerciality of it.

         We reached Keflavik at 9.00 pm and set out to find a place for dinner. Using Lonely Planet, we chose to eat at the very end of the main street in the town that ended up in a picturesque harbor that had boats bobbing in the water. The restaurant was called Kaffi Duus and it turned out to be run by an Indian woman and so, rather incongruously, served continental dishes and Indian food. We chose to have a Greek Salad and a Seafood Pasta which included a lot of cod, salmon, shrimp and scallops in a thick and very tasty cheesy sauce. It really did hit the spot as we brought the curtain down on a very 

relaxing day in Iceland. Alas, there was no sign of the Northern Lights but we were still optimistic.

         Until tomorrow...goodnight.