Blogs from Southwest, Iceland, Europe - page 67

Sunday, May 28, 2006 On Sunday we get up around 10:30 and put on the warmest clothes we can find. We head to Segafredo one of the many coffee shops in downtown Reykjavik to order breakfast and some much needed java. The breakfast sandwiches are just variations of the same food you would eat all day long. None of the standard American ingredients of eggs, bacon, etc….and many of the orders come with a small side salad. Interesting but good. After breakfast, we hit an internet café and have a grand time searching the keyboard for the @ symbol. We highly recommend that you locate this crucial keystroke before you plop down your money and start paying by the minute! Once we checked our email we headed back to the guesthouse to prepare for our horseback ... read more

Saturday, May 27, 2006--Temperature, Hi 50°F and Lo 37°F. On Saturday, we sleep in due to our late night out. Some of us were perkier than others and you can probably guess who based on yesterday’s blog. But, we all rallied and got ready to go to the Blue Lagoon to test whether it was true that it can cure a late night out. The Blue Lagoon is basically a big lake of geothermal waste but it is oh so pretty and relaxing. Although it was only 50°F, we change into our swimsuits in a very European dressing room (don’t worry, we wore flip flops and didn’t touch a thing) and venture outside to the Blue Lagoon. The internet explains: Due to the proximity of the sea that seeps into the underground water system, the water ... read more

I really cannot explain how amazing Iceland is so I will be brief and let my photos tell the story (although, the photos do not do it justice would you believe!) From exploding geysirs to spectacular waterfalls, driving over 1000 year old lava to snow mobiling on a glacier, Iceland has everything... except nightfall as it is light pretty much 24hrs at this time of year. It honestly never really got dark the whole 4 days we were there! The first day we explored the sights of Reykjavik (all 3 of them!) and managed to get kicked out of a church for no reason other than we were not part of the graduation ceremony! The real fun started though when we picked up our hire cars (4WDs) and departed for a 3 day road trip. Day ... read more

New York is known for many things but not its' Danish. I longed for the inanely decadent mille-feuille pastry I had in Scandinavia, layers of sheer pleasure. Plus a visit to Iceland is crucial to escape the distractions of Manhattan. So this "Lover of the Arctic Circle's" search for ephiphany abroad brought me to the northernmost capital in the world. "Reykjavik" named by the first settlers, the Vikings in 800AD, the "Land of Smoke" (which is actually the steam rising from the ground in underground geothermal hot springs with 300-700 degree F. waters.) I consulted the U.S. State Dept. website to check for travel warnings before I left. There are no terrorist or crime threats here, but I would have to deal with frequent volcanic eruptions, earthquakes and they warn that several tourists per year fall ... read more

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