Iceland: One big spa

In Adventure, Alaska Travelgram by scott

bluelagoon

We’re going to dig deep into Iceland in the coming weeks, but I wanted to share some photos with you while we’re editing down the video. Above, I stopped at the Blue Lagoon on the way back to the airport for a soak. Note the white silica residue on the lava rocks. Incredible! rosa

Alaskans will notice right away the climate is a lot like Juneau and the length-of-days is more like Fairbanks.

Right: Rosa holds up whale-on-a-stick, which she’s getting ready to grill for me at the Sea Baron Restaurant.

Iceland is a small island in the middle of the North Atlantic. So describing the climate as “maritime” is…well…redundant. And the capital city, Reykjavik, sits on a nice harbor.

So in January, there’s some wind, rain and snow. The mix often generates that lovely sideways spray that gives you a refreshing jolt when you open the car door. HA.

Icelanders make up for that by practicing their national sport. That’s “soaking in the hot tub” according to my guide, Gudmunder “Gummi” Eyjolfsson of Icelandic Mountain Guides.

Indeed, there are hot springs all around the country, since Iceland sits at the intersection of two tectonic plates. That results in earthquakes, volcanoes and hot springs! Even in downtown Reykjavik, the public Laugardalur Swimming Pool features four or five hot tubs, a sauna, a steam bath and an outdoor Olympic-sized swimming pool that’s heated to perfection!

I flew Icelandair over to Iceland (down through Seattle, back through New York). Of course, Icelandair will start flying to Anchorage May 16, 2013. More on that later.

In the meantime, check out some of the photo albums:

Driving Iceland.

Day in Reykjavik.

 

 

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