After a poor night's sleep(?) wedged into our plane seats on a 4-hour flight that was intermittently bumpy, we landed in Keflavik ahead of schedule. We immediately got our first taste of Iceland weather, descending a staircase from the plane to the tarmac to board a bus for the terminal. It was dark, chilly and rainy.
We breezed through immigration and customs.
In the main terminal we met our Sagres tour director Marco and our local tour manager Marco. Convenient.
After another slog through the dark, chill and rain we boarded our tour bus. We were told that our first destination of the day would be the famous Blue Lagoon where we would have about three hours to swim and relax.
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| Time Tours |
Yessiree, there is nothing that I look forward more than racing from a warm building into the cold air dressed in nothing but swimming trunks while being beaten on by a wind-driven rain.
Thankfully the water at the end of our dash really was comfortably warm, although I envied the attire of the lifeguards. That's one crossing the bridge.
a good time being had by all - just look at the smiling faces
I promptly took refuge under a bridge.
Pam got some sort of facial treatment and we had drinks at the juice bar, all without having to get more than shoulder-high out of the water.
Our skin having become prune-ish (given the water temperature stewed prune-ish?), we could procrastinate no longer in getting out of the water and dashing back into the building.
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| this couple in the small indoor pool may not have 'enjoyed' the full Blue Lagoon experience |
It having been a long time since dinner even allowing for advancing our clocks four hours, it was nice to get something to eat and drink at the Lagoon's cafe before getting on the bus to head for a whale watch cruise.
Although the weather made our experience sub-optimal, I would be remiss not to note that this Blue Lagoon operation was well run, including being spotlessly clean. [NOTE: If you plan to visit the Blue Lagoon, a reservation is a must.]
The whale watch departed from the harbor in Reykjavik. Many of us used the drive there to 'rest our eyes' until we reached the city. Along the way, the weather got somewhat better.
We boarded our boat, donning the heavy duty foul weather gear provided as we left the harbor.
We were repeatedly warned about the rough seas we would encounter on the cruise. And there were the inevitable disclaimers that there was no guarantee that we would sight whales. It wasn't and we didn't. The most entertaining parts of the cruise were listening to the announcer try to generate excitement at seeing dolphins and (admittedly cruelly) watching people who would disagree with me about the sea state dashing out of the salon to the rail to be sick. It really was not very rough.
Whale sighting-less, we returned to the harbor.
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| outdoor art: Þúfa by Ólöf Nordal |
We were delivered to our hotel - Canopy. Although a Hilton property with 110 rooms, it had a nice, boutique-ish feel that was particularly welcoming to weary travelers.
Pam and I did not dare lay down. We toughed it out until dinnertime...barely.
From the hotel, we walked about 10 minutes to Restaurant Reykjavik. We had a nice dinner, but it was clear from the level of table conversation that everyone was looking forward to returning to the hotel or more accurately, going to bed.
Walking through the bar at the hotel on route to our room we had a surprise: fellow Beverly Yacht Club members Bob & Charlyn Heidenreich were seated there. They were in Reykjavik to visit their granddaughter. Can you guess her name?
Bedtime, at long last!
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