The
Blue Lagoon is Iceland's most visited attraction, located in Grindavik, it
attracts thousands upon thousands of tourists to Iceland each year. The meet-up
was scheduled to take place at ten past ten past ten. But after a long Saturday
night, the group was unable to get together until after 12:00 noon. Hrafn the
Icelander was kind enough to pick us from our hotel (the Radisson Blu Saga) for
the half hour drive to the Blue Lagoon. I must commend him because, he had
stayed up till 5:00 am from the night before. We were 5 altogether, including
Mark, myself, Sarah, Julie and Hrafn.
The
Blue Lagoon is fed by the water output from a nearby geothermal power plant.
The rather hot, well heated water is vented from the ground near a lava flow
and used to run turbines that generate electricity. After going through the
turbines, the steam and hot water passes through a heat exchanger to provide
heat for a municipal hot water heating system. 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. We did use
some of the white mineral to have a facial workout, fortunately for me there
were about 5 friends with underwater cameras, so I have evidence of me looking
like an alien from outer space. It was quite an experience to remember.
On
arrival, the Grindavik area felt extremely cold in comparison to Reykjavik just
30 minutes away. The temperature was lower and the wind factor much higher. We
went down a narrow and rather rock decorated path to the reception area. Hrafn
being the local helped us purchase our tickets at the locals rate (much
appreciated). We were handed wrist bands and bright blue towels. Everyone is
required to have a shower prior to and after using the Lagoon: a hygiene code.
It is believed that this was implemented after the Lagoon waters turned green a
few years ago, I'm not exactly sure if this is entirely true. We had showers
nonetheless and headed to the awaiting hot/ warm waters of the Lagoon. With the
wind picking up by the minute, it was incredibly cold as we dashed through the
heavy doors from the cafe area into the pool waters. Relief comes over you once
the warm waters cover your body, the blue color of the water is so attractive.
Initially I thought the water was free flowing like in a lake, but it is
controlled in an enclave of sorts. The surround management building and plant
create an enclosure around the waters, but not a good shield against the
chilling winds blowing over. Below the waters at the bottom are dark lava
rocks, the pool is pretty shallow, less than waist high for me.
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