Iceland - Day 2 🩵

This blog is brought to you by Barry.

After such a long day on our feet yesterday my first thought when the alarm sounded at just gone 7am this morning was ‘no lagoon today, only slumbers’. After a few more moments I realised this was a holiday, and therefore no time for relaxing, and up for breakfast we headed.

I’d love to say we were greeted by a beautiful Icelandic morning but it was still pitch black outside. The nights were clearly drawing out even at this northerly latitude but seems no-one had remembered to tell the mornings - it eventually started to get light around 08:30.

Breakfast itself was the usual Nordic fare, I helped myself to a few local delicacies such as rye bread and pastries (passing up on the pickled herring, maybe tomorrow) before having a lovely bowl of yoghurt and fruit, whereas Ellie excitedly set about utilising the waffle iron to create a sweet breakfast treat.

And so with our morning sustenance complete we bundled ourselves up against the bitter wind and jumped in the car with my parents to make the 50 minute drive down to Iceland’s famous Blue Lagoon. Until very recently we weren’t sure this was a trip we were going to be able to make. This part of the country has been doing its very best to explode in recent times and due to the volcanic activity the lagoon and surrounding areas have been evacuated twice. We’d been working under the assumption that it was still closed until checking the website a few days prior to travelling, so everyone in the car was very excited to get the chance to experience it, providing we weren’t boiled alive.

The journey itself mostly followed the same route we’d taken from the airport, hugging the coastline to our right with bleak, dark rocks stretching to foreboding looking mountains in the misty distance to our left. Eventually we deviated from the main road and headed inland where we could start the to see the evidence of the recent volcanic activity through the road signs showing us that we’d be on a deviated route to the Blue Lagoon, and all references to Grindavik (the town closest to the volcano that remains abandoned for safety reasons) crossed out.

Suddenly we realised we could see evidence of the recent lava flows to the right and left of us, as the black rocks which had recently been liquid magma were physically smouldering all around us. It was incredible how quickly this had all been shifted to one side to make the roads safe, and in one area where it had covered the road completely, a temporary road had been formed out of the former lava itself. While it’s been a dramatic event for the rest of the world to watch, the Icelanders seem very well prepared and able to cope in a fashion that almost seems nonchalant, and the fact that the infrastructure in the surrounding area remains up and running was very impressive indeed.

To add to the surreal and otherworldly atmosphere, we soon caught our first glimpse of the blue water we’d soon be bathing in pooling amongst the rocks on one side of the vehicle. It was a very pale milky blue but also strangely bright, like nothing any of us had seen before.

We located the car park (which thankfully only looked half full) and made our way in the icy wind along a path with steep banks of volcanic rock through to the main visitors centre. Once inside things started to feel more ordinary for a while as we trooped off to change in what seemed like a posh gym or leisure centre facilities. However instead of emerging at a swimming pool, we got our first glimpse of the lagoon ahead of us, which looked very expansive and dramatic with the steam from the water rising up into the morning air.

Initially we started off inside to walk down a shallow slope into the warm waters before passing through a doorway with the exciting words ‘To Lagoon’ printed on them. Once outside we were able to fully submerge ourselves for the first time. It was indeed very warm and pleasant and once in the water didn’t feel much different to anything you’d experience in a swimming pool or hot tub. There were definitely patches of hotter and colder water as we began to move around and we soon realised it was better to stay as submerged as possible as it was extremely cold if you lifted your top half out of the water.

After taking a few photos on our phones from within the water (and therefore having to swim around awkwardly with one hand in the air) I volunteered to run them back to our lockers so we could have a better explore. Our first stop within the wider lagoon itself was the station where a member of staff was doling out spoonfuls of sulphuric mud to be used as face masks. Everyone in the surrounding vicinity looked very amusing with various types of goo smeared on them but at least we didn’t feel too self-conscious giving it a try ourselves. It was an odd sensation as it began to dry and crack on our faces but washed off fairly easily.

The next stop was more my speed - the swim-up bar. Mum and Dad tried a Strawberry Wine while Ellie availed herself of a delicious lemonade, with it being 11am on a Tuesday morning I thought it was high time to try an Icelandic beer so I had a pint of Gull (hopefully no seagulls harmed in the production) in the lovely warm waters. Certainly beats working.

Drinks consumed we explored the furthest reaches of the lagoon which was a mobile-free zone and thus very calm and zen. We all felt very fortunate to be there, especially on a relatively quiet day. As we drifted back towards the main building the occasional flurry of snow turned into heavy hail, which hastened our retreat from the waters.

After getting changed we stopped for a quick drink in the cafe and browsed the gift shop before making the drive back to Reykjavik, stopping off at the Kronan supermarket on the way to pick up some supplies for a late lunch. A restful afternoon followed back in the hotel room, only slightly spoiled by either a brief test or false alarm on the hotel’s security system, which certainly put our volcano readiness to the test!

As it was such a roaring success last night we headed back to the Hlemmur Mätholl for our dinner again. This time Ellie and I both tried the Vietnamese restaurant which provided us with a light and refreshing noodle soup and summer rolls respectively. Then after putting on all of our warmest clothes it was time to wait for the bus which would be taking us on our Northern Lights experience. We certainly needed our winter gear as the road we were on was a bit of a wind tunnel and whipped bitterly down the street. It was almost (but not quite) enough to make me break my ‘no hats’ rule. Look, it’s not my fault I have a deceptively large head and therefore always look slightly ridiculous in any kind of headwear.

After a quick transfer at the Reykjavik Bus Terminal we found ourselves on a larger vehicle driven by a gently-voiced Icelander who would be guiding us into the countryside to hopefully witness the atmospheric phenomenon. On the way he described himself as ‘cautiously optimistic’ that we’d see some activity in the skies and spent the rest of the 50 minute journey explaining the history and science behind the lights. As we left the city behind and took smaller and smaller roads into the darkness he almost lulled Ellie and I into a sleepy trance - if he loses interest in watching the skies I’d suggest he has a good option of a second career as a Sleep Podcast Narrator.

Once he found what he determined would be a good spot we hopped out in a lay-by to begin looking up at the gaps in the clouds hoping the show would start. Eventually and almost imperceptibly to start with, the night sky seemed to begin lightening and I heard a cry from Ellie to my right that she could see them. Sure enough, it soon became apparent that there were faint arcs of colour through the skies. Although it wasn’t the most spectacular display it was still amazing to see both via the naked eye and through our cameras.

Sadly almost as soon as they started they were obscured by clouds. After that it became a waiting game where the main source of entertainment was the general idiocy of the rest of the passengers on our coach. We were given two instructions for the evening: 1. Stay close to the coach 2. Avoid bright lights so everyone’s eyes can adjust to the dark. Sure enough, the rest of the travelling party immediately wandered off in the darkness while shining bright phone torches in everybody's eyes. Morons.

As the night wore on the conditions only got cloudier and cloudier, although we could occasionally catch hints of the activity behind the clouds in the thinner patches. Finally at just before midnight the guide decided to call it a night and gather the wandering sheep so we could be bussed back to Reykjavik. We arrived back at the hotel shortly before 1am, tired but happy.

Will Barry finally try Pickled Herring? Will Ellie fall down for the second holiday in a row? At least one of these things has happened so stay tuned tomorrow to find out…