Iceland Part 1



Blue Lagoon waste

After landing in Keflavik airport and once I have finished pleasant, but somewhat lengthy tour of Njarðvík (understand once I found my way out of the town) I have headed towards Blue Lagoon. It's one of the must see places on the island and amongst the iconic places of the island. Once I got there I have discovered that I have managed to pack my lower part of swimming costume, but for some reason I didn't pack the top. It remains a mystery to this day, what my grand plan was taking only bottoms, as going topless certainly was not an option. Not for me and not for the people having relaxing bath. The only reason I can think of why I didn't pack the top, it's because I start packing for my holiday no sooner than 36 hours before the departure.

Even in my naive gay holiday state of mind, going around lagoon fully dressed taking pictures of semi naked people seemed a little off, so I had to find alternative spot to take picture of this iconic place (I'm not even sure if it is allowed, but they do have a webcam) And alternative place to dip my toes in. You can't see it, but it was a top spot for sunset. If it wasn't for the pesky clouds. I had a plan B to go back and re-shoot with better weather, but this was the best weather during my stay. As pretty as it looks, it has to be told, the place reeks. Maybe you already knew it, maybe it comes as a total shock to you, like it did to me. Just to get acclimatised I would recommend to let some eggs age naturally and then boil them for about half an hour crack open and inhale. Trust me, you will be glad you did. You will not be suffering sore nose, headaches, upset stomach and you will look much harder (and prettier) compared to other tourist who keep pulling faces as soon as they stop the car.

Ring road, East Iceland

View of Vík from the church. Very near by is Katla live volcano.

I also take this opportunity to give you another tourist tip: do not waste your money on renting SAT-NAV. Once you work out the road system (eeeeeaaaseee), getting around is doddle. I'm not blowing my trumpet here, but I have navigation skills of a goldfish (just as well the Ring road is circle) and all I had was Rough Guide road map and no major problem at all. I can not recommend the map though, as I have realised that the "Rough" bit is short for "roughly". Once on the island you can buy one of their maps that are really good (I was told at the end of holidays). And you have a very nice souvenir to keep. Personally I love looking at the maps as this reminds me of the places I visited.

The sign posting is really good in Iceland, though do not expect the English system and be told every couple of miles how many miles left to your destination. Usually, you have a sign at the beginning of a road (junction) and when you arrive. When in a new place it can be a little unnerving as every mile travelled feels like 5 miles. But providing you stayed on the same road and didn't turn off, you are on the right track. Sometimes though, you do not have a sign to let you know you arrived at a certain place and you will miss it. Like I did. I'd tell you what place it was, but it didn't have a sign:-) This only happens with places like very ickle, small "towns", that consist of 5 houses and no church. I always thought, that every town had a church. Plus Iceland boasts a ratio one church per 1000 inhabitants. What do people in these places do during the time of worship? Read my blog? ;-)