Travel With Me: A layover in Iceland
June 28: Blue Lagoon, Iceland
When Mary and I first considered taking this trip, we noticed that the cheapest flight we could find had an 18-hour layover in Iceland. Most people would see an 18-hour layover and think, Heck no, but we saw it and thought, Heck yes. Iceland? Without much extra planning at all? How could this get any cooler?
So when the time came around for us to actually book our flights, we immediately looked for ones that included Iceland in the itinerary. Luckily, even though our original flight had increased in price, we found a deal with WOW Air that was inexpensive and would still give us enough time to go to the Blue Lagoon.
For those of you who don't know, the Blue Lagoon is a spa located on a lava field in Iceland. The warm waters are rich in minerals like silica and sulfur, and it was created accidentally from runoff when they built a geothermal power plant nearby. Ever since then, tourists have flocked to the site to bathe in the supposedly healing waters and relax in the unique environment.
For us, it was more about relaxation than anything else. We arrived in Keflavik International Airport the night before, at about 11:30 p.m. During the summers in Iceland, the days are incredibly long, so it was still light outside when we arrived (sunset is around midnight, and sunrise is around 3 a.m. late in June). Our main concern was where to sleep. Since our connecting flight was at 3:30 the next afternoon, and we had a bus ticket to the Blue Lagoon scheduled for 6:30 a.m. in the morning, we didn't see the point in getting a hotel. I'd read plenty of horror stories about the airport's "no sleeping" policy—even guards shaking you awake—so I was anxious to say the least.
It seemed like our worst nightmares were coming true when we sat by the departure gates downstairs and had a guard approach us. However, she just asked us why we were there, and when we told her that we had a connecting flight the next morning (sorry for the white lie), she prompted us to wait upstairs in the main departure hall. There, we were able to find two rows of seats across from each other that had no armrests, so we could lay down and catch some shut eye. All in all, I didn't get an excessive amount of sleep, but it wasn't the worst spot I've ever slept in. The only real complaint I had was that when I sat up to check my phone in the morning (wanting to go back to sleep afterwards), some middle-aged woman hurried over and sat where my feet had been seconds earlier, preventing me from getting any more rest.
From there, it was smooth sailing. We picked up our bus tickets and ended up sitting across from an American guy who had quit his job to travel the world for several months (including doing the famous month-long walk of Camino de Santiago in Spain). The landscape was foreign and fascinating—unlike anything I'd ever seen. There were waterfalls and mountains, moss and lava fields, wildflowers and barren roads.
Finally, we saw the steam of the lagoon rising from a valley. Upon arrival, the workers attempted to make us pay to check our bags, but we luckily refused (all of our swimsuits and changes of clothes were in them). After the clinical process of being given our electronic bracelets to maneuver around the spa, we discovered the lockers were perfectly equipped to fit a standard carry-on size luggage. Then, we showered—and let me tell you, the Icelandic people do not value modesty. The shower stalls were translucent, didn't lock, and there was only one changing room per locker area, which meant lots of middle-aged women getting tired of waiting and stripping butt-naked in full view of everyone.
Eventually, we were suited up, conditioner coating our hair with a greasy sheen (to prevent damaged hair from the silica-heavy water), and we grabbed our towels to brave the outside air. We were extremely lucky that it wasn't unbearably cold (it was around 45-50 degrees), so a brisk jog from the building into the water didn't do us any harm.
And then we were swimming in a milky white-blue pool sunken into the lava fields. There were magnificent mountains in the distance, and the water was the perfect temperature. It was so thick with minerals that you couldn't see your body underneath its surface. We got our complimentary silica mud mask, which left our skin baby-smooth, and Mary picked up her free smoothie and algae mask (as a part of the upgraded package).
Then, we swam over to a man who was taking complimentary photos off to the side. This was really our only exposure to an Icelander, and it was very interesting. He told us about how their culture is becoming anglicized, that less and less children are growing up speaking Icelandic and more are speaking English. Another interesting fact was that Icelandic children are given different last names depending on whether they are a boy or a girl: the son would be Father's First Name-Son (Jónsson) and the daughter would be Father's First Name-Daughter (Jóndóttir). He also explained that all Icelanders are related—their population is only 334,252 (only about 15,000 larger than Lexington, KY), all of whom are in a database of traced ancestry. This database prevents Icelanders from committing incest, and they have to check it before dating someone, etc.
Unfortunately, the man had other people to take pictures of, so eventually, we had to abandon our conversation. Too soon, we found ourselves going inside to take a shower and change before heading back to the airport for our flight back to the U.S.
All in all, Iceland, even for the brief time we were there, was an unforgettable experience. I would love to go back and explore off the beaten path and discover more of its natural beauty.
Bonus: We flew over Greenland on the way to New York!
If you've missed any installment on our journey, click here! Thank you for keeping up with our adventures this summer!