OMMMMM

All is well in Iceland.

Rick is safely here with me here at Hotel Holt in Reykjavik.  Yes, some participants from the first group are still here and the second group has arrived and are, by now, all ensconced in their rooms at Hotel Holt in Reykjavik!  Week II Yoga and Hot Springs Retreat officially begins tomorrow morning with breakfast.

Just got back from the Blue Lagoon.  Even though all I kept hearing about was how long the lines would be or how crowded it would be, the visit to the Blue Lagoon was really worthwhile!  The water was an incredible turquoise blue.  The weather was extremely windy and raining and the water a pampering warm 38 degrees C (100 F).

This was not the best day for photos!  The winds were really strong and so was the rain.  These photos were taken from inside looking out at the lagoon. Actually I CAN’T believe that I forgot to bring my bathing suit (left it behind at Minniborgir Cottages since I will be back there tomorrow night and I only packed a day bag for the city)  and so I nominated myself to be the official photographer for the group…my plan to photograph the group in the Blue Lagoon back-fired because the winds were so strong that the Blue Lagoon was in “Lock-Down”mode, which means there was only one way to get  out to the lagoon and that was to swim to it through a small opening door in the water.  The winds were so strong that if you opened a door, it could fly off the hinges and hurt/kill someone, so every door was locked shut.  I took photos through the windows and at one time, begged a staff member to open a door for me so I could take a photo.  I somehow sweet talked the guy, and, against all rules, he opened the door for me, but the camera almost flew out of my hands and I nearly got swept off my feet!  He never let go of my arm. Quickly inside again. He tugged me back in!  The rain drops on the windows made for blurry photos, but I really wanted to post a little something on the Blue Lagoon!

Had I brought my swimsuit, I would not have taken a single photo, so it was meant to be after all.  I still have next week to go to the Blue Lagoon again, this time to soak in the water!

A few facts about the Blue Lagoon:

Features of the Blue Lagoon include a Waterfall (yes, you can actually sit under a waterfall!), a silica mud bath (you can smear the white silica mud on your face, let it dry and wash it off and rediscover a new face beneath the washed away mud), and a Sauna and Steambath  (how good can it get???).

Facts:

  • The amount of geothermal seawater in the Blue Lagoon is 6 million liters.
  • It takes 40 hours for the Blue Lagoon water to renew itself, in a natural way.
  • The distance below the surface to the origin of the geothermal seawater is 6,500 ft or 1,981 meters.
  • The lava field surrounding the Blue Lagoon is 800 years old.
  • The average temperature of the Blue Lagoon is 100 F or 38 C
  • The active ingredients found in the Blue Lagoon geothermal seawater are algae, silica, and minerals.
  • The deepest the Blue Lagoon gets is 1.6 meters.  Most areas, are very shallow!
The Blue Lagoon

The Blue Lagoon:  yes, the water really is this color…more blue than what my camera picked up through the window and the raindrops

Interior photos of mud masks

Interior photos of mud masks

The bus dropped us off near the trolls, back in Reykjavik

The bus dropped us off near the trolls, back in Reykjavik  (look how smooth their skin looks from the soak at the Blue Lagoon!!)

Very cool mural of Ganesha. The hand with OM is from the same mural.

Very cool mural of Ganesha. The hand with OM is from the same mural. (taken in a dark alley so the photo is not so clear)

Cute red house in Reykjavik.

Cute red house in Reykjavik.