Iceland Day 1

Saturday and Sunday we took a bit of circuitous (and many hopped) path from Austin to Reykjavik, Iceland.  We flew on Delta Airlines, and we have nothing to complain about.  Delta has apparently been flying to Iceland from JFK for all of four days (though our flight was sold out).  The pilot started the flight by telling us this, followed by, “as a matter of fact, I’ve never been there myself, but I’ll do my best to find it.”  He did great; we were about a half an hour early.  After landing and clearing immigration, we had to decide how to get to Reykjavik from Keflavik Airport (about 40 km away).  Catalin had come in on the same flight as us, and I had read about the shuttle service between the airport and downtown that also would add on a side trip to the Blue Lagoon on the way to Reykjavik (which included a discount admission to the Blue Lagoon and luggage storage while we were there).  Since it was 10am, we didn’t want to go straight to the hotel and fall asleep, but since the flight was so short (only about four and a half hours), we were not well rested enough to do much else.  So we went for this option, and it was a great choice (if I do say so myself).  This was something we all wanted to do, and if we’d done it on a different day, it would have taken the better part of the day to get there, enjoy it, get back, and get cleaned up.  So it was the perfect way to enter into Iceland.

The landscape here (at least what we’ve seen of it so far) is unlike anything we’ve ever seen.  The views along the drive were of what we’re going to call “lava flats” (they’re not really flat, since the rocks are so jagged), covered in moss and periodic wild bluish purple lupins.  It’s stark but beautiful.

My understanding of the nature of the Blue Lagoon is this.  Right next door, there’s a geothermal power plant (by the way, it’s also my understanding that all of Iceland’s electricity comes from either geothermal plants or hydroelectric plants and that they have so much excess energy, they’re looking into selling it to Europe).  Anyway, superheated fresh water is apparently a by-product of producing electricity geothermically, and this run off water is rich in minerals.  Around this particular power plant were some naturally occurring craters in the lava rock; when the run-off water flowed into it, people noticed that if they bathed in the water, it was good for the skin.  So now there is a complex of spa and bathing area to relax in and enjoy.  And that’s what we partook of.  We spent an hour or so relaxing in the warm water, then we showered and had a small bite to eat at the café before heading into Reykjavik on the next bus.  We’re checked into our hotel, resting a bit, and then we’re heading out to dinner soon.