Iceland!

We arrived early in Iceland and had to take a bus to the gate - not something you're dying to do in the cold frigid air. Here's a photo taken by Rosemary - she actually took about half the ones posted here:

We made it through immigration and got our bags with no problems. We also successfully met Christine and her 14 year old son, Liam, who flew from Newark in the arrivals terminal.

After meeting our driver, Robin, and getting some cash, we boarded our private transfer shuttle for the 11 of us. Instead of going directly to the Blue Lagoon, since we were early, we went to the Silica Hotel for a breakfast buffet which included various cheese and herring. Also this the first time I had Icelandic yogurt in Iceland! Icelandic yogurt is much tarter than Greek yogurt as Dresa learned the hard way. After breakfast, we got back on the shuttle for a 5 minute ride in the dark (despite our driver's suggestion we could walk) and arrived at the famous Blue Lagoon! Here's a photo of Christina in the darkness:

The lagoon is a man-made lagoon which is fed by the water output of the nearby geothermal plant. The warm waters are rich in minerals like silica and sulfur and bathing in the Blue Lagoon is reputed to help some people suffering from skin diseases such as psoriasis. The water temperature in the bathing and swimming area of the lagoon averages 99-102°F.

We went through check-in and got bracelets like we do at Korean saunas and got ready for the lagoon. There are different package levels, but most of us purchased Premium. They actually require you to take a full shower (they will inspect you for your cleanliness and adherence to the rules) and put conditioner in your hair as the water can damage it. With flip flops, towel, and robe, we made our way to the indoor entry to the lagoon - there is an outdoor one too, but it was too cold and too dark. As we started to wade in the warm water and meander through caves and under bridges, Shirley yells out "our lifeguards are wearing parkas!" Yes indeed and only in Iceland.

As we made our way to the bar for our included drink, I noticed a group of guys cradling beers and the profile of someone I knew. I said "is that Sean Q.?" And a group of 12 guys turned to look at me and I noticed Willie, Rob, and DJ! All guys I used to volunteer with at the Inner-City Scholarship Fund Junior Committee. They were in Iceland for a bachelor party and I explained I was with some industry folks to see the Northern Lights at its peak time - they were surprised as they didn't know it was peak and hadn't made plans to see them. They had taken the same flight as Christine and Liam from Newark on the low cost airline, Wow.

A bit embarrassed in the dark early morning as I was wearing my old bathing suit from when I was 10 and a shower cap - as the geothermal water could be damaging. But they seemed happy to see me and shocked that I noticed Sean! My friend Athena says I seem to always manage to run into people I know! I guess this would be a prime example!

Us ladies then got our drinks at the bar - most of us got healthy smoothies, but I sprung for the strawberry sparkling wine. We then traversed the lagoon to the mask bar and during this time we passed the guys again who had already tried the silica mask, but were headed back to the bar for their 2nd drink. As we chatted with Christine's son, Willie says "your name is Liam? They are looking for you over there, yelling your name, and using strobes." I thought they were kidding but it was true!

We rushed over to see if we could tell a guard or find Liam's mom (as they had gotten separated during the check-in and locker room process). The guard was able to get word to her and we proceeded with trying the silica mask and then the algae mask.

By this time, the guys had made their way back to try the algae mask - seriously a dozen bros with face masks - a sight to see. Plus when they returned, they just started chanting "Liam, Liam, Liam". Too funny.

Here are some photos of the Blue Lagoon at the entrance taken by Rosemary after the sun started to peak through:

I didn't take my phone into the lagoon, but I asked a nice Chinese masters student from London to take photos of us in the middle of the lagoon and he texted them to me on the wifi. I knew he'd be willing and understood my need as he was Asian and he was holding his phone unprotected (other folks had protective cases and he obviously wanted his own photos badly). Here's one of them with me and Christina:

The whole spa experience at the lagoon includes massages (which I didn't do), a waterfall, steam cave, and sauna. After hours in the water, we finally got prune-y enough and left the lagoon.

After showering and getting dressed, several of us made our way downstairs to the on-site restaurant, Lavo, for our complimentary wine and ordered appetizers (we weren't that hungry) that were fresh and delicious. Others explored the spa shop and relaxed. Here's a collage of our lunch which also included creamy langostine soup, smoked haddock, and Arctic char:

Relaxed and refreshed, we made our way to the parking lot where our driver, Robin was waiting to take us to Reykjavik. Here's a photo of Dresa and Andrea on the walkway to the parking lot - a lot brighter and less scarier than when we arrived this morning!:

The drive to Iceland's capital took about 45 minutes of which we napped for most of it - here's a photo of the sun already setting by the geothermal plant and one of the landscape (this is around 1 pm!):

We were dropped off at our hotel - "Room with a View" which is an apartment hotel located downtown. We have a top floor 4 bedroom, 3 bathroom apartment with a kitchen and a jacuzzi right outside. We thought this would be a nice compromise between a hotel and AirBnb for our large group. Here's a photo of downtown Reykjavik:

We all got settled, learned how to use the confusing dimmer lights, and took naps. However after a few hours of napping, we heard some disappointing news. All Northern Lights tours were cancelled due to poor weather forecast and we had booked a private tour this evening. Despite our disappointment, we rallied and walked down the street to the grocery store, Bonus, for breakfast food and snacks for the trip. At Bonus, there was an entire refrigeration room for all perishables and we picked up ham, cheese, milk, juices, and some fruit. 

We returned to our hotel to drop off the groceries and prepared to head out to dinner - here's a photo in the middle of the street:

For dinner, we chose Sjávardgrilld which means Seafood Grill and is a one minute walk from our hotel. We had contemplated a Northern Lights tour that included a lobster feast near some black sand beaches, but opted to do this instead as it was more affordable and gave folks some flexibility if they didn't want lobster. Shirley, Dresa, and I split a fish feast, grill taste of Iceland feast, and lobster feast and we were not disappointed by one dish. Here's a photo collage of our tasty, but beautiful dinner:

After our satisfying dinner, some headed back to the hotel while some of us decided to walk off the dinner and we ended up walking down to the water. We passed by touristy jaunts, hotels, and several hot dog stands. Here's a photo of some "single gloves" that are available for "speed dating", which we observed on our walk: 

We circled back and we headed to the popular Lebowski Bar (named after the popular movie) which is close to our hotel and where we ran into Cindy and Zack. I drank a yummy White Russian (Lebowski's favorite drink in the movie) and shots of Icelandic Brennavín encouraged by Zack. Brennavín is a clear, unsweetened schnapps and considered Iceland's signature distilled beverage. It has a very distinctive taste!

Afterwards we headed back to the hotel to rest up and crossing our fingers we'll be able to see the Northern Lights tomorrow! It's what we came for....