Blogs from Grindavík, Southwest, Iceland, Europe
It's like a pruny United Nations!
Published: August 27th 2010Europe » Iceland » Southwest » Grindavík
August 27th 2010
Just got back from a 3-hour soak at Bláa lónið, the Blue Lagoon in Iceland. It's a big natural pool full of geothermally heated water, silica and minerals, algae, and all sorts of things that are supposed to be very good for you. It's also full of tourists, and old European dudes in Speedos. I'm not convinced either one of those is as good for you. Thanks to my early Icelandair flight from Seattle to Reykjavík, I caught Reykjavík Excursions' first bus from Keflavík Airport, arriving at the Blue Lagoon just at opening time, 9 AM. We had secure storage for our luggage and I opted to rent a swimsuit (€5 or €7 or something) rather than deal with soggy swimwear for the rest of the day's travel. It fit! They give out snazzy plastic wristbands ... read more
Atgaiva nuvargusiam turistu kunui Zydroji Laguna
Published: September 3rd 2008Europe » Iceland » Southwest » Grindavík
September 3rd 2008
Vakar issiruosiau i daugelio liaupsinama ir labai reklamuojama Blue Lagoon. Anot reklamines mediagos, jei jautiesi pavargęs, senstelėjęs ar ištroškęs graziu vaizdu, si vieta kaip tik tau. Mineralu pilnas vanduo suteiks jegu, atgaivins ir apsaugos nuo senėjimo oda, o akis palepins malonus vaizdai. Tiesos yra :) vieta tikrai graiai atrodo ne tik reklaminėse nuotraukose. Atveses vanduo i laguna patenka is salia esančios jegaines ir susimaišo su is zemes gelmių trykstanciu karstu druskingu vandeniu. Todel plūduriuodamas baseine gali pajausti įvairios temperatūros vandens sroviu. Beje, jėgainėje karstas druskingas vanduo naudojamas pasildyti salta gela vandeni iki pakankamai aukštos temperatūros ir tiekti monėms i namus. Vandeni, kuriame visi pliuskenasi ydrojoj lagūnoj sudaro 2/3 ivairiausi mineralai, druskos ir pan ir tik trečdalis gelo vandens, todėl jis yra melsvai p... read more
February 24th 2008
Halló! Hvernig ert þú? Igual que la Tour Eiffel es para Francia o el Big Ben para Londres, el Blue Lagoon lo es para Islandia. Con todo lo bueno y malo que eso conlleva. Quizás no es el sitio más "íntimo" en Islandia pero si uno no se baña en sus aguas se estará perdiendo algo especial. A escasos 40 minutos en autobús de Reykavik, el Lago Azul está situado en una península volcánica modelada por protuberancias de roca negra cubiertas de musgo verde. Bueno, al menos así era en octubre ya que el tiempo cambia y hoy un manto de nieve nos ha acompañado durante todo el viaje. Sinceramente, ya sólo el viaje al lago merece la pena y es que es alucinante el cambio que uno experimenta al salir de Reykjavik. Pronto divisamos la ... read more
February 8th 2008
Day 2 in Iceland was a trip to the Blue Lagoon outdoor geothermal spa. The first time I heard an outdoor pool in the near-Arctic conditions of Iceland I thought the idea was completely insane and was just for those crazy Nordic types - you know, the types who go naked into communal saunas and then flog themselves silly with branches of trees. The setting of the Blue Lagoon in incredible - the frozen, barren tundra near Grindavik on the way to Keflavik Airport. You can see the hot steam rising from a few miles away as you approach it. The water is heated by the nearby geothermal energy plant, which harnesses the naturally produced underground heat to create electricity for the surrounding area. Iceland is predominantly geothermally heated and has no nuclear power. As it ... read more
January 15th 2008
Fantastic weekend in the South West area of Iceland. Normal two wheel drive car £90 from Budget car hire. Stayed in centre of Rykjavik in Hotel fron. Cheap, clean and a good breakfast. Went round the Waterfalls, Blue Lagoon and the Geysers all in one day. It's easy to navigate the area and you can find cheap places to eat and drink. We made our own sarnies from the food available at breakfast time in the hotel including drinks! Take the coast road via Grindavik for the best views of the North Atlantic. The locals are great. Not much to do in Rykjavik apart from wondering around the flea market so get out to the National Park area towards Pingvalla to see the two continental plate ridges. Well worth visiting the area. Hope this helps - ... read more
Farewell to volcanoes, waterfalls and glaciers
Published: August 30th 2007Europe » Iceland » Southwest » Grindavík
August 30th 2007
Hi again. It is now our final afternoon in Iceland and the good weather has ended, but we were very lucky for most of our week here. It is an amazing country for natural wonders and so little publicised compared with many others. Over the last couple of days we have driven around the south of the country, staying last night at Vik, the southern-most town. As we approached it, the rain arrived, so did not get the chance to look at puffin nests, the usual fabulous rock formations etc. But not to worry, as earlier in the day we saw some great glaciers, glacial lake full of floating icebergs where we took an amphibian trip etc. etc. Food again last night was excellent with a fish called Arctic charr which seemed a little like trout, ... read more
April 18th 2006
The Blue Lagoon is a geothermal spa where you can pay to go in and deepen and immerse yourself in a lagoon filled with steamy hot water (about 100 F or 40 C) from nearby Svartsengi power plant. Why blue ? because of high concentration of blue-green algae (cyanobacteria). These bacteria could not thrive as the tempt cool in the air. It claims that the dead algae in the lagoon combined with silica mud can be cured certain kinds of skin condition. On that day in mid-april when I was there, the air tempt is cold (about 45 F) and the water tempt is hot (98 F). Make an appointment to have a silica in-water spa treatment in the open air lagoon. Laying down on a wooden bench subimmersed in hot water, you are pampered with ... read more
