The Blue Lagoon - staring Claire and Susan

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Most people don't need air conditioning in Iceland, and normally we wouldn't either, but our room is hot even with the windows open and the 50 degree air blowing in. And yes, we checked to make sure the heat was not on. Anyway, it made for a hot night's sleep. We headed out in the morning to the spectacular Blue Lagoon. There we donned our swimsuits and joined in the fun. The water is hot water from the ground and is full of minerals and sicilia. It is very milky looking. We made our way to the bar in the lagoon where we were able to get a free sparkling wine. It was relaxing and beautiful. We came back for lunch and then toured a museum of some of the oldest houses in Iceland. They were moved to this site when progress happened. We are glad they were saved. We then went to The Pearl, a museum with a viewing area on top. We were able to see all of Reykjavík. Afterwards, we saw the famous Lutheran church and you see in all of the pictures. It is made out of concrete and very lovely. Everything in Iceland is made of concrete, aluminum, or lava rock. There were no trees in Iceland until some of the people started planting them. There still are not many, so they certainly wouldn't cut them to use in building. In fact, wood is a luxury and it must be imported or gathered from driftwood. Our guide told us that the hot water here in Iceland, used in houses and also for heating purposes, is pumped from underground. We finished our day with a bus tour of the government buildings and other important places, and made a stop in the old town. We left the tour and ate dinner at a very nice restaurant and walked back to the hotel. It was a long walk, but it was nice after a big meal.

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Photos

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Enjoying a glass of sparkling wine while soaking in the blue lagoon

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the walkway through the lava rocks

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Look at the lava flow beside the mountain

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cracks in the lava field where the 2 crusts of the continents pull apart. This is what causes all the volcanoes and hot springs....

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The president's house

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art of the village that was moved - houses from the 1800s

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turf house

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little church

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Susan sitting on the ladies singles bench inside the church. Old timey - match.com

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Susan trying to convince the knights

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the famous church and Leifr Ericsson's statue

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5200 pip organ

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Man carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders

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Parliment building. The leaders of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania were meeting inside the building today.

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The exact moment that I realized I left my cap somewhere. She the expression on my face

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our dinner tasting menu. We had it all

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dessert