(This is part twelve of a
series of posts about our trip to Iceland. Here are the first, second, third, fourth, fifth , sixth, seventh , eighth,
ninth,
tenth,
and eleventh
posts.)
Mineral pool at the Blue
Lagoon
Even in the somewhat sheltered bowl of cliffs and between
two massive volcanic boulders, the wind still thundered over/past/through our
tent all night long[i]. The
nonstop sounds of nesting seabirds in the morning didn’t help much either[ii].
As fantastic as our short time on
Heimaey had been the previous day, I was not looking forward to the early
morning rush to the ferry. While Kate got ready I took a quick walk past the
golf course down to the rocky coastal cliffs.
Eurasian Oystercatchers,
Break in the rock, Leaving Heimaey harbor.
We reluctantly left the Islands[iii]
behind and bordered the ferry. The return journey was equally fascinating, as
we stood in the bracing wind up top[iv]. The Ferry stirred up a flock of Northern Gannets, large soaring sea birds, who paced
the ship for some time, hovering directly over me. It was quite a sight.
Golden water, Heimaey
harbor morning, Northern Gannet in flight.
We had been a bit remiss in planning this day, but we knew
we had to end up in Reykjavik. After a quick breakfast on the road, we stopped to look through possible options. We were being really indecisive[v],
and were pretty worn out from the trip, so we decided to give in to the
ultimate tourist trap, and hit the spa at The Blue Lagoon[vi].
The Blue Lagoon is an odd fusion of the traditional geothermal baths[vii]
found throughout Iceland, European spa culture, and modern power generation. The “Lagoon” is a massive, manmade set of
interconnected pools located in the middle of a bare lava field. It’s fed by
the effluent from an ultra-modern geothermal plant of shining steel located
nearby. Having just been to a volcano
island with secret harbor, it was starting to feel like we had signed up for a
tour of Bond villain lairs. The pools are a milky blue from minerals and
biological activity[viii]
and the facility is very modern with luxury everything. I usually detest that
sort of luxury spa experience, but after the long week and windy night, soaking
in hot water[ix]
for several hours was worth putting up with the pretentiousness.
Geothermal
Plant/Potential Global Domination Machine, Mineral water pool, Blue Lagoon main
pool.
When our skin turned the proper degree of prune, we finally
hauled ourselves out of the water and headed back to Reykjavik. We had only seen bits and pieces of it on the
way in, and didn’t have time to properly explore it, but downtown seemed very
nice. It reminded me a bit of the style and design of Amsterdam or other
similar cities. We went out for a nice walk around town[x]
after checking into our hotel on the waterfront, and had a fantastic dinner at
a little asian-icelandic fusion restaurant[xi].
We wandered around a bit afterwards, and happened upon a café that was still
open. It ended up being a fantastic place, cozy and warm, a Parisian sort of style and
ambiance, packed with people, and serving amazing deserts[xii].
It was a nice way to end the trip, as we would be flying out early the next
day.
Reykjavik streetscape, Café
Paris, Dessert!
NOTES
[i] Miraculously
enough, we did not wake up out to sea, though there were times I’m pretty sure
we were physically moved about by the force of the winds on the tent.
[ii] Though
it was quite a surprise to open my tent and get quizzical looks from a trio of
Eurasian Oystercatchers (new bird species) a couple feet away.
[iii]
As small a place as it was, there were other hikes, including up an active
volcano cinder cone that we wanted to take. The early ferry ride really threw a
monkey wrench in our plans in general.
[iv] While
the Icelanders watched endless loops of Friends episodes in the video room
below.
[v]
While I
[vi]
The idea was to relax after a long week of camping and hiking. Getting an
unfortunately expensive speeding ticket on the way only served to accent what a
good choice some relaxation would be.
[vii] Iceland
is known for its geothermal power, and almost every small town has geothermal
baths/pools (though we had yet to actually go to one).
[viii]
I think they said there was some sort of symbiotic bacteria or something?
[ix]
Part of the experience was hunting around for the warm spots…it was a bit
chilly out, so finding a good hotspot was key. It must be quite an awesome
thing come winter, with snow and ice all around, to be immersed in hot water
outdoors.
[x] No
one threw pipes at us. It was very refreshing.
[xi]
It was a nice find, it hadn’t been our first choice, but we found a listing for
it in the guide, and it looked pretty decent on the street. I had an amazing
red snapper with various other seafood accouterments. The place felt like a jungle, lots of bamboo
and green and wood. A bit out of place in the austere modernistic Icelandic architecture.
[xii]
I had this warm, soft flourless chocolate cake served with large shards of
shaved chocolate and fruit, and an amazing cup of coffee.
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