Although I usually travel independently, planning and booking my holidays as the ideas roll in, this time I was going on a tour. I hoped it was something I wouldn’t later regret! But it was a small group tour which was quite different to the two tours I’d previously been on so I had my fingers crossed it would prove to be an excellent choice.

It hadn’t all been plain sailing though! Disaster struck a few months before I was due to leave. Flights and accommodation had all been booked for my two months away and all I had to do was decide what clothes to take when I received an email from the Travel Agent to say the tour had been cancelled. I could feel my brain start to fizz! Then I read on – he had booked another which was 7 nights instead of 8. It also started on the day I arrived In Reykjavik which wasn’t really a problem as I’d planned to arrive a few days early and had booked everything with free cancellation. To compensate I was allocated “free” accommodation for one night and a two-day pass on the Hop on Hop off Bus after I completed the tour. Cool, I was happy with that, and I could fill two of the days with day trips to destinations the new tour missed.

So, on the 11th of April 2023 all my planning was coming to fruition. I discarded all the fears I’d had of how to avoid Covid, headed to Brisbane airport for my flight to Heathrow and commenced another trip of a lifetime. After the 24-hour flight from Brisbane to London and staying a few days to recover from jetlag, I boarded my British Airways flight to Iceland’s Keflavik Airport. I’d been waiting for this day to arrive for over a year. A long-held dream of visiting Iceland was about to come true.

It was a great flight with few passengers, a large cup of tea and 2 ginger biscuits for refreshments. Even the struggle I had to remove the top off my water bottle didn’t dampen my spirits. I tried, I really tried till my hands were red and dimpled from my fruitless efforts. At last I admitted defeat and asked the Flight Attendant, a nice-looking young man, to assist – which he did with a happy smile. After a neat landing I made my way through security and caught the bus to my accommodation.

The landscape through which we passed on the journey into Reykjavik seemed barren, harsh and uninviting. But that was before I understood the Icelandic countryside and how it was formed. As my tour progressed I loved what made this country so different to any other I’d visited.

I quickly checked in then headed out to the city. The first few hours of any tourist destination are always filled with anticipation. No matter how tired, lingering in a hotel room is not for me. I was staying in the Icelandair Hotel Reykjavik Natura, a lovely hotel but one which sits on the outskirts of the city. After getting lost, quite an achievement when you consider there’s nothing much around the hotel, I eventually found my way to the bus station and from there up the hill to the city centre. Why, I wonder am I always at the bottom of a hill? Or at the top of a hill so either starting or ending a day of doing touristy things is the equivalent of running a marathon.

Trivia: Construction was started in 1945, but it was 41 years before it was finished. The magnificent organ, consisting of over 5000 pipes is over 15m tall and weighs 25 tonnes. I wasn’t lucky enough to hear it playing unfortunately as I’m sure it would’ve been a wonderful experience and nor was I aware that there was a lift taking you up the tower. Now that would’ve been a view!

So, what was next? I’d booked a visit to Sky Lagoon late in the afternoon hoping I’d manage to catch a sunset. Getting there was easy – another walk, this time just to the bus station! I’d read so many good reviews of the Sky Lagoon before I left home so I’d prebooked both the bus and entry. This was an experience I didn’t want to miss!

I arrived early so before dipping my toes into the waters I treated myself to a traditional Lamb Soup, and while it’s brown colour doesn’t look appetising, I can guarantee it was absolutely delicious. A wander around the shop followed then it was my time to enter the water.

Along with all the other participants I stripped naked and showered. For those who are worried, yes there are doors to the showers. Some reviews I’d read before I booked had expressed concern that there might be a lack of doors on the individual cubicles but at the tender age of 73 I really didn’t care who eyed off my wrinkles and sags, however I do have to admit to a certain amount of nostalgia when I compared my body to the smooth, slim bodies walking proudly from one area to another totally butt naked. I too looked like that – 45years ago!

The water was clear and warm (38-40°C), some areas were cooler than others, but it was all delightful. The Lagoon is quite large and thankfully wasn’t crowded. I’d opted not to do the 7 Step Ritual as I wasn’t keen to put my maturing body to the sudden cold/hot changes of the cold plunge (10-12°C) and the sauna (80-90°C) then into the cold mist (-5°C), although the sea salt scrub would’ve been nice. From the scrub it would’ve been back into steam at 46°C and finally a nice shower. I just satisfied myself with a wander in the warm water and relaxing with a drink from the waterside bar.

No, that’s not me in the third photo! Deprived of the Ritual I stayed soaking until my extremities looked like prunes, then emerged for a while to deprune before sunset. After chilling out (literally) for a while I made my way back into the warmth of the water. It was rejuvenating, wading slowly around the warm pool with drink in one hand and phone in the other, stopping every now and then to take photos, and I highly recommend it to anyone who visits Reykjavik. They restrict the number of entries so there was no crowd, but they advise booking early. Some time slots were already booked out when I decided to go and that was a month or so before I left.

Although there were no clouds to add interest to the sky the sunset was still beautiful, a fitting end to a day which was just the start of my Iceland Adventure. Tomorrow it was onto the bus to travel around Iceland’s Ring Road.

Continue to » Iceland Tour, Day 2