If I Were Going...: Iceland -- Travel and Blue Lagoon

A nice stopover

Scott and I just spent two days in Iceland and now we're in Norway.

My favorite

How did that happen?

Well, going back to the name of this blog: the book that inspired it and inspired me to travel was called "If I Were Going."

It was an elementary school reader that featured stories about multiple countries -- countries I desperately wanted to visit after reading the stories. Norway was one. The allure of Norway is the quaint villages and dramatic fjords. Now that I am retired, it was time to go.

Iceland is spelled Island, but it is Iceland

My original plan was to use American Airlines frequent flyer miles and, yippee, American had seats available.

When I needed them.

At a decent mileage level.

So, I went through the booking process and, when I hit "purchase," I received a notice that there would be $700 in surcharges and fees.

Shocked, I called AA and was told that most of the flight was on British Airways and, the $700 was their fee. Well, I wasn't about to pay that much in addition to miles!!!

Then, I remembered that Caty and I had just booked flights to Iceland for next January - direct from Denver for a good price.

A new airline for us; Photo: Icelandair

And, when we booked we had learned that the carrier, Icelandair, was trying build traffic through Reykjavik to Europe by keeping fares low and allowing an up-to-seven-day stopover with no extra charges. So, I booked through them - seven hours to Reykjavik for two days and then on to Oslo for an independent tour.

The flight was fine - on time and pretty efficient. The economy fare is no frills, so you have to purchase food. But, it included two free checked bags and entertainment (I watched "Life of PI") and there were no hassles. Couldn't beat the price or schedules. The plane was completely full, either the result of Icelandair's pricing strategy OR the fact that the Bardarbunga volcano was threatening to erupt (it didn't while we were there).

I would recommend them

Since we didn't know what we were doing, we booked both Iceland and Norway through Nordic Visitor, a travel company based in Reykjavik.

For the first stint in Iceland, that meant hotel, a trip to the Blue Lagoon and a Golden Circle tour.

The airport is about 45 minutes from Reykjavik and our hotel (the Icelandair Natura) was just a little out of town. I would have preferred being in town so we could walk around more and easily reach restaurants. But, the hotel was fine and it was possible to walk from town.

Reykjavik - the capital of Iceland - is actually quite small. It has just 200,000 people in the metropolitan area. So, walking about isn't too difficult.

The town lies on a harbor on the North Atlantic at the end of a massive lava tongue laid out by volcanic eruptions, the most recent about 4,500 years ago. It was settled in 870 AD by vikings. It has gentle hills, lots of lava, a few rivers/streams and virtually no trees.

Reykjavik; Photo: Conde Nast Traveler

The original plan was to drop bags at the hotel and immediately go to the Blue Lagoon, but our room was ready when we got there at 7:30 a.m. and Scott wanted a nap, so we delayed the trip to Blue Lagoon to later. That's where proximity was an issue - I would have walked around town had we been in town. Instead, I napped as well.

The Natura is adjacent to the domestic airport (and Icelandair's HQ). It's a little strange looking since it is next to the tower (it looks like an airport). It can be noisy as planes take off, but it was fine.

We did have to cross this highway to get to town

Then, we took a bus to the Blue Lagoon (about an hour trip after taking one bus to a central area and transferring to another). Of course, Scott decided he wasn't interested in the pools and we hadn't eaten. So, we got pre-made sandwiches at the cafe. Mine was tasty; Scott's not so much.

The Blue Lagoon is a geothermal spa that was created using 400+ degree water that is pumped out of the ground ...

The Blue Lagoon is a milky blue

... and cycled through a power plant.

A very volcanic area

Once it is used to create power, it is in the 100+ degree range and goes into a series of pools. The water is full of silica, making it milky blue.

A vast pool

It has showers and a spa, plus a hotel/clinic.

Enjoying the heated pool on a sunny day

The facilities

A view from the deck

It feels delightful and makes your skin very soft. Plus, the silica makes you very buoyant.

From the balcony

Unfortunately, I learned a tip AFTER I went: put conditioner on your hair BEFORE you go in. Otherwise, your hair is like cotton candy for several days no matter how much you condition it.

After a two-hour bus ride back (I think we would have been better off had we driven), we were starving. We asked for a recommendation for dinner (we had seen an ad for fish & chips, so that's what we asked for). The hotel clerk suggested the Icelandic Bar, a short taxi ride into town. The bar was charming and the food abundant and hot. The fish was a tad mushy, but very tasty.