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Published: September 30th 2017
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Geo: 64.1353, -21.8952
Tonight's entry will be short as it's almost 1am here and we have a long day tomorrow starting at 8am. We woke-up and saw that Trump won the election and Kamie was in a pissy mood about it all day. I hate politics. I think the American people are greater than any one President and that's all I care about.
We got a few pictures walking downtown today. We did a teeny bit of shopping - and when I say teeny I mean teeeeeeny! Iceland's cost of living is 46% higher than the US's. Everything is expensive. We knew coming here that a burger and fries was $30 but it's all the other items that are insanely priced that surprise us....$4 for a bookmark..... $10 for a tiny Christmas ornament.... $70 for a small hat.....and we paid $11 for two donuts at Dunkin Donuts this morning - no coffee, just donuts. Everything is ridiculous here. I did not buy the hat, btw.... I can use the one I have or get one just like it at Wal-Mart in the states for $4.
It rained off and on all day and it went from cold to not-so-cold back and forth. It was
rather mild really. The weather here changes quick with clouds constantly moving. We learned a bit more about Iceland today (it's about the size of Springfield, MO) and we've seen quite a bit of the of the outskirts of the city at this point. We are staying downtown where the tourist shops and cafes and bars and hotels are but there is A LOT more to the city.
This afternoon we went to the famous Blue Lagoon - a volcanic spa or thermal hot waters that are over 800 years old...about a half hour outside of the city. You have to get completely naked and shower with their special body wash/shampoo/conditioner before you are allowed in the lagoon. Once in the lagoon, it's impossible to get a good picture because the fog/steam is constantly rising. This lagoon is huge and is built at the base of a volcano (obviously). We both had special silica mud masks put on while we were in there. I can't believe I talked Kamie into that! LOL We swam around and under various bridges (the places is huge) and even had blueberry and banana smoothies while swimming and floating around (they have three swim-up bars).
When you leave, you have to go through their gift shop to exit (smart, huh?) and they sell little kits of face masks and creams made from the minerals, silica, and algae in the lagoon..... $100 to $200 for a 2-piece kit. I passed because I already look young, right? Ha Sorry the pictures are dark but its almost impossible to get a good picture. The place is beautiful and relaxing - we loved it!
Oh! Also...... NOOOO Northern Lights pictures even though we spent 4.5 hours looking for them last night - 13 Coach buses driving around the middle of nowhere in Iceland hoping for some Northern Lights activity but it was just too cloudy. We didn't get in until after 1am last night! No wonder Kamie was so pissy this morning. LOL 😊
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Stacy Stark
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Right there with you Kamie (not in Iceland like I wish, but in my frustration). Insomnia last night, sick the morning and SO MUCH ugliness and gloating on Facebook. Over it. Be glad you are on vacation.