Blue Lagoon
Our Blue Lagoon tour began with a long walk to the pickup point. It was cold. There had been several attempts to work out either a bus or a taxi, but I just couldn’t figure out the scheme. The bus wouldn’t get us there any faster. I even asked at Cafe Loki, and they dismissed all other options as either no faster (bus) or too expensive (taxi). This is the only place where I failed to figure out the public transportation. The taxi option seemed particularly obtuse, for example, Hopp. I looked at their website, and it seemed simple: download the app. The app gave me options for renting a scooter. Cindy looked at me like I was daffed. In fact, later in the day, we not only saw scooters but also taxis.
We made it to the pickup and were the first four passengers. Our guide, Siggie, was unbelievable. Once a nationally ranked handball player and a school teacher, but he gave up teaching to be a guide, and he is a natural, funny, smart, and learned all 18 names right away. He said it was his ‘magic power’. 
As we headed out of Reykjavik, Siggi stopped to buy candy, and we had a lesson on Icelandic preferences. He couldn’t find his favorite, a licorice candy, but passed around an alternative. He pointed out the wealthy section of town, then remarked that almost everyone in Iceland is wealthy compared to the rest of the world, with one of the highest per capita incomes. Fishing, green power sales, and tourism drive the economy. Aluminum companies from Canada have set up foundries here. Cheap geothermal energy is used to heat roads, sidewalks, and houses. Icelanders always keep a window open for ventilation and humidity control. He said that at his house, he even keeps the dryer running for background noise (a joke, I think).
On the approach to the Blue Lagoon, Siggi showed us a recent volcanic event. At a pullover, we saw where the road had been covered and the difference between new lava (dark/black) and old lava. Siggi showed a video of him approaching the lava flow when it occurred several years ago and covered parts of the town of Grindavik, but the entire town was abandoned. During the eruption, people would come out from Reykjavik to watch. Insurance covered the damaged houses, and the government bought all the abandoned ones. 
We could see the Blue Lagoon’s steam in the distance. The Blue Lagoon is not natural but a pool created by wastewater from a geothermal plant. It has been revamped and modernized to be a major tourist attraction. Siggi said he prefers other natural places but always brings people here because the blue water is unique. In the end, Icelanders use local pools, and there are ten in Reykjavik. Socializing in a hot pool is key to their socialization.
After the Blue Lagoon, we headed back to Reykjavik, and the group went on. We are already planning a summer trip to Iceland. We had a great supper and a relaxing evening.
This featured blog entry was written by Deuxenvacances from the blog Fire and Ice.
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