The most anticipated landmark for my Iceland trip, the Blue Lagoon, is considered one of the 25 natural wonders of the world and has many interesting factoids. Its geothermally heated seawater benefits the skin in numerous ways because of its rich minerals. After all of the excursions on our itinerary that were out in the cold, windy, earthy Iceland terrain, being in a hot body of water definitely was calling out to me!
This lagoon’s water comes from the geothermal plantation (Svartsengi) next to it. Changes and improvements in bather’s skin started to occur when people bathed in the “waste” of the plantation. It is said to have healing powers from the algae, silica and other extremely healthy minerals thriving in the water. Heated at 100 degrees Fahrenheit all year long, the Blue Lagoon is said to be Iceland’s most famous attraction.
The photos of the lagoon are vivid sapphire, lapis lazuli, etc….because of the reflection of the sky and the contrast of the 800 year old lava but actually, the water is milky white. When we were there, it was night so we enjoyed an entirely different aspect of its allure. With a charcoal sky and one beam of light and a lit up bar in the lagoon, I noticed mostly teal and blue waters. We transitioned from fur hats, puffer jackets, layers of clothing, gloves and weather proof boots to bathing suits.
The dark walk from the bus to the restaurant named Lava was eerie and divine. It definitely created a build-up of intense excitement. Being winter time, there’s a possibility in the forecast for the northern lights (Aurora Borealis) to be seen at the same time you’re at the Blue Lagoon. Two phenomena at once. 
Dinner at Lava was pretty delicious. I loved the effect of seeing the lava outside our window. Lamb fillet with potatoes, sourdough bread and the sumptuous Dark Horse Merlot wine was ideal for an Icelandic dish. The Icelandic lamb have been free roaming since 874, reportedly, and is a rare speciality of the wild pastures and it’s hormone free.
What a system for entering the lagoon! You get an electronic bracelet which lets you into your locker. You shower before and after you enter the extremely clean lagoon. On the 45 minute bus ride to and from the lagoon, I didn’t even snooze because I wanted to be wide awake and I kept looking at the sky hoping for the Aurora Borealis on our last night . (Our tour for that had been canceled the night before; the only hiccup of our trip.) I look forward to seeing it someday in another location, perhaps. Also, it gave us the chance to enjoy an amazing meal at Geiri Smart , a fabulously decorated mid-century modern restaurant next to our hotel in Reykjavik. The decor was mesmerizing and the food was insanely delish—-duck with sunchokes, kale, drizzled plum….sunchokes are the root of the sunflower. Surreal and quintessentially Icelandic.
As we gabbed away, I received a text from my sister who cleverly coined a phrase for our trip when she said, “I love all this koumbara kumbayaing you’re doing.” We laughed out loud. What a great play on words and totally what we were doing. For the non-Greek speaking readers, a koumbara, (female) koumbaro (male) or koumbaroi (plural, couple ) are the people who you’re “related to” by either baptism or marriage sacrament. They are either the Godparents of your children, or you baptized theirs, or they exchanged your bridal crowns on your head during the wedding ceremony. In this case, Melissa is my koumbara because she baptized our youngest son. This Iceland trip was definitely a Koumbara Kumbaya.
The lagoon was very somber and relaxing…and oh so quiet; oh so still (as Bjork sings in her famous song). I tried the silica mask they give you in the lagoon as many of us were bobbing around with white silica masks on our faces.. (They also offer an algae mask).My friend and I took photos and then I heard Greek being spoken. “Melissa, do you hear that? They’re speaking Greek!” I introduced myself to three tourists from Greece and started conversing in Greek with them. They knew English, too, and they knew a few of our fellow Greek Oklahomans who were well known back in Greece. Small world. Big world.
We never saw the Aurora Borealis but we joked about it with this postcard.
Being our last night in Iceland, we drank a toast in a tavern in a booth surrounded by quirky, framed vintage photos and holiday music watching customers do a beer sampling. One last stroll through the illuminated, sparkly, chic town square, taking it all in before a long flight the next day. We powered through our trip and my friend’s plan to save the lagoon for the last night was a great idea to soothe us before the long travel day ahead. A trip that started in the somber dark bus ride from the airport to the hotel ended in the dark, too. Melissa planned everything seamlessly. It was nice to be invited on a trip where someone else planned the itinerary.
Last summer, as we celebrated our respective milestone birthdays, my koumbara Melissa told me, “we are going somewhere epic for our next milestone birthday.” I answered, “where? Mars??” Little did I know that a few days later, she’d send me the itinerary and we didn’t even wait for the decade to go by before going. We’d depart in four months. My caption for this trip is: “When your koumbara tells you you’re going somewhere together that’s epic, you should believe her.” Fire and Icelandia……you were a lovely adventure. Now, every Bjork song I look up has new meaning to me because I can identify with the earthy lyrics symbolizing to me the unique aspects of her homeland. It’s enriching to rediscover or discover an appreciation for an art after you’ve toured a new destination. Art imitating life …..imitating art….
“Underneath our feet
Crystals grow like plants (listen how they grow)
I’m blinded by the lights (listen how they glow)
In the core of the earth (listen how they grow)
Crystalline internal nebula (crystalline)
Rocks growing slow mo (crystalline)
I conquer claustrophobia (crystalline)
And demand the lights…” (Bjork, songwriter, Crystalline)
© Gina Michalopulos Kingsley