Blue Lagoon - Reykjavik

My Happy Holiday to Iceland has come to an end.  Before flying out, I spent a couple of hours in the ever-popular Blue Lagoon, located not far from the airport.  The Blue Lagoon is one of the most visited sites in Iceland and was named by National Geographic as one of the Wonders of the World.  This is only partly accurate, however, as the pool itself is not exactly 'natural', but was created as a by-product of a nearby geothermal power plant.  

"In 1976 a pool formed at the site from the waste water of the geothermal power plant that had just been built there. In 1981 people started bathing in it after its purported healing powers were popularized. In 1992 the Blue Lagoon company was established and the bathing facility was opened for the public."  (Wikipedia)

Although I very much enjoyed the experience, they were completely disorganised with their system of checking in luggage.  The Blue Lagoon really hypes up the option of visiting the facility either after landing at or before departing from Keflavik Airport.  They make a strong point of saying they are set up to store your luggage for a small fee.  I'm not sure if my experience was typical but it all fell apart when 3 large busses arrived at once from the city and there was only one person checking in the bags.  I had to wait in line for over an hour, much of it while standing outside in heavy snowfall.  Since I thought I was going to be indoors (or in the water) all day, I had not piled on the warm clothing I'd been wearing the rest of the visit.  No one in the line was happy, especially since we'd all paid a lot of money and we were on a tight schedule with flights to catch in the afternoon.  It wasn't a good first impression at all and I hope that is not a typical experience, but I doubt I'll choose to visit again on my way to a flight.  It would be better done as a day-trip.

Having said all that, the spa experience was definitely worth it.  The whole place is surreal!  Although this spa is man-made, it fits in well with the geo-thermal features in volcanic Iceland.  Because they limit the number of guests, the large pool did not feel crowded.  This view is probably the most crowded area, as the building to the right is the swim-up bar and so a natural congregating point.  You can even see the queue forming if you look carefully!

My trip to Iceland was a huge success - and it fulfilled a long-time dream.  I hope it will only be the first of many visits.  It's only 3 hours from the UK and 5 hours from the East coast of the US and Canada.  Iceland Air seems to be a very affordable option from North America to Europe and they allow up to 7-days for a stopover for no additional charge.  So if you are looking for something a little bit different for a vacation, then I highly recommend this beautiful and interesting island!