blue lagoon

if you ask anyone who has been to iceland, the one thing they will tell you that you MUST do is go to the blue lagoon. i have been looking forward to it for the past couple of months, and today we finally went. i thought it was going to be nice, but it exceeded my expectations so much that i can honestly say that it was one of the best experiences of my life.

first of all, the drive out there was beautiful.

parts of iceland look a bit alien -- there is so much volcanic rock!

the blue lagoon is a geothermic spa. the water comes form 6500ft below the earths' surface and has all sorts of minerals in it that are supposed to have health benefits. the water was around 113F despite it being -2C outside.

i was excited about going to the lagoon, but, since i hate all things touristy, i was a little concerned that it was going to be a tourist trap -- kind of dirty, heavily chlorinated, and not very authentic. i was completely wrong! first of all, like everything in iceland, it was immaculate. the locker rooms, showers, sauna were all spotless and tastefully decorated. second, all icelanders go to the spa. it is a very important part of icelandic life. we got to the lagoon around 2pm and stayed until about 6. by 5, the lagoon was full of icelanders drinking beer in the lagoon and unwinding after the work week. it was so social! lastly, the water is not treated with any chemicals. it's totally natural.

there was a nice area to relax after being in the water:

it was freezing by the time we left:

anyway! the blue lagoon is amazing and certainly not to be missed! we might go back on sunday before our flight leaves....