• Homepage
  • Destinations
  • About Me
  • Contact
  • Blogs I enjoy
facebook twitter pinterest instagram

Mum's Gone To …

Travel tales of an empty nester
  • Homepage
  • Destinations
  • About Me
  • Contact
  • Blogs I enjoy
Home  >  Blog  >  Mum’s Gone to Iceland – Day 1 – Blue Lagoon

Mum’s Gone to Iceland – Day 1 – Blue Lagoon

Trish Burgess Posted on08/11/200912/06/2016 Iceland 2 Comments

My bags are packed, I’m ready to go…..Well our bags are packed to the brim to cover every weather combination that might crop up during our Iceland trip. Can’t say I’m ready to go though as I’m still very apprehensive about such a change in holiday style. But the drive to Stansted gives me a chance to look through the brochure again from our tour operator “Discover the World”. If you want to follow our route have a look at their website www.arctic-experience.co.uk/Iceland and look at the self-drive Family Adventure tour. Sounds fab if you’re an 11 year old boy or, if you’re like my husband, a child at heart getting over-excited about trying out lots of activities. Not so hot for a wimp of a woman like me who would rather be doing nothing on holiday!
Our first argument comes at the security desk. We’ve been given a fast-track sticker at the check-in desk because it’s a new service Iceland Express is now offering. The shirty security woman indicates the sticker is only on one boarding pass so only one of us can be fast-tracked. This hits hubby’s “don’t try this jobsworth nonsense on me” button and for a few tense moments I can envisage us not being allowed on the plane. This could be the answer to my prayers but unfortunately the shirty woman backs down and we’re through! Do my usual scout around the departure lounge shops and grab a buy-one-get-one-free bargain at Boots…..suntan cream….to howls of derision from the boys I have to say.
On board the plane what immediately strikes me is the difference in the passengers on this flight. Normally if we’re travelling to Tenerife or Majorca there are lots of families with crying babies, spray-tanned girls in mini-skirts and Ugg boots and a motley selection of shaven-head tattooed blokes reading The Sun. Not so on a flight to Reykjavik. How civilised everybody is: a quiet bunch of travellers in their walking shoes and pastel sweaters, all reading high-brow novels and talking in a whisper to each other whilst sipping their coffee. The calmness continues at Keflavik airport which must be the most beautiful airport I’ve ever seen. Spotlessly clean, wood and stone surrounds, adorned with unusual sculptures and modern stained-glass windows.
Efficiently processed, we eagerly take possession of our hire car for the fortnight, a white Suzuki Grand Vitara.
Hubby decides to drive and it takes some time to adjust to a manual car, having driven an automatic for the last few years, plus the left-hand drive awkwardness of the whole business. After a few bouts of swearing we’re on our way, thankfully for only half an hour to our first stop – The Blue Lagoon, fabulous outdoor hot springs in the middle of a windswept lava field. The pool is geothermally-heated seawater, rich in natural minerals and the temperature of a hot bath. Things are definitely looking up! Slighty nervous in the obigatory pre-bathe shower: lots of chattering naked women of all nationalities with a surprisingly large amount of body hair! I get my bikini on pretty quick and brave the elements before melting into the lovely water. Fascinating outside too; no-one actually swims, they just bob about with white gunge on their faces. The gunge is a mixture of silica and minerals, fantastic for your skin but murder for your hair which I only realise afterwards and explains the gentle bobbing of everyone else in the water!
Our first hotel is only next door to the lagoon, the Northern Light Inn. A quick scan of the room indicates a very simple scandinavian style, gorgeous white duvets but a distinct lack of any complimentary smellies in the bathroom which I find very odd as they could easily give you samples of all the Blue Lagoon products. Only one big squirty tub of soapstuff which I never know is shampoo or shower gel. Use it anyway and now I can’t do a thing with my straw hair. But go to dinner with beautifully exfoliated skin, eat a tasty meal and all three of us collapse under our squishy, duck down duvets. So far….so good……
July 2007

Previous Article Mum’s Going to Iceland
Next Article Mum’s Gone to Iceland – Day 2 – Horse Riding

Related Posts

  • snowmobiling in Iceland

    The Greatest Journey Meme

    10/05/2012
  • The day I walked on Vatnajokull Glacier

    22/05/2011
  • Anyone for pickled penis?

    17/04/2011

2 Comments

  1. Reluctant Housewife Reply
    16/11/2009 at 10:20 pm

    I love the Blue Lagoon. My husband and I had a 4 day stopover in Iceland on our way back to Canada from England. We had a great time, staying up all night to experience the no full-darkness at night thing, admiring the unique countryside and visiting waterfalls.

  2. Trish Reply
    17/11/2009 at 7:40 am

    Great to find another person who has been to Iceland – isn't it a fab place.
    Thank you so much for reading my posts – makes it worthwhile!

Leave a Reply

Cancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Follow Me

Follow me on Bloglovin’

Follow

mumsgoneto

What complimentary goodies do you like to receive What complimentary goodies do you like to receive in your hotel room? Bottles of water, ginger biscuits, chocolates on the pillow? We loved this idea at Rudding Park Hotel - keeping their guests safe with free reusable masks 😊Great design, featuring the hotel itself - clever marketing!
Highly recommend the Anish Kapoor exhibition at Ho Highly recommend the Anish Kapoor exhibition at Houghton Hall, Norfolk. Fabulous contemporary art including the beautiful Sky Mirror which reflects the sky above. @houghton_hall #anishkapoor #skymirror
The gorgeous library at Rudding Park Hotel, Harrog The gorgeous library at Rudding Park Hotel, Harrogate. So colourful! #library @ruddingparkhotel #harrogate #books
Loved our stay at @ruddingparkhotel #harrogate las Loved our stay at @ruddingparkhotel #harrogate last week. Delicious food at @hortorestaurant . Favourite dish? Can’t decide between the lamb rump and the kitchen garden tomatoes with lobster.
I’ve always wanted to visit Brimham Rocks and at I’ve always wanted to visit Brimham Rocks and at last, during a trip to Harrogate last week, we picked the perfect day to see the incredible rock formations. @nt_brimhamrocks #harrogate #brimhamrocks
What a brilliant time we had on Friday afternoon l What a brilliant time we had on Friday afternoon llama-trekking near #Harrogate Dougie was paired with cheeky Barney and the two of them bonded thanks to Dougie’s llama-whispering techniques. My match was Trevor, a llama with excellent posture and temperament, if a little bit of a haughty diva. Highly recommend @nidderdalellamas - such a professional, caring set-up ❤️🦙
Athena by Simon Gudgeon in the gardens of @dodding Athena by Simon Gudgeon in the gardens of @doddingtonhall. A spectacular sculpture exhibition this summer until 6 September. @simongudgeonsculpture #sculptureatdoddington  @visitlincoln
New on the blog today - our short stay in #osaka d New on the blog today - our short stay in #osaka during the Rugby World Cup. A fun, foodie, bustling city. We noticed a lot of art - public sculptures everywhere. #japan #sculpture #art
When we were in Kobe we visited the Kobe Nunobiki When we were in Kobe we visited the Kobe Nunobiki Herb Gardens, a fantastic attraction rescued by cable car. Thousands of flowers, a spice museum and a replica of Germany’s Wartburg Castle. You can read about our morning at the gardens and what other attractions are on offer in Kobe - new blog post (link in profile) 🇯🇵🌺🌸🚡
View from Mt Misen on Miyajima island. I’ve just View from Mt Misen on Miyajima island. I’ve just written about our day trip from Hiroshima- one of my favourite days in Japan. Wild deer, cake, cable cars and beautiful temples. There’s a link to the new post on my profile today.
When you’ve been searching for the rooftop cafe When you’ve been searching for the rooftop cafe for hours....
Sign outside the M&S in Dublin. 😂 ☘️
*Dublin* All visitors have to get a photo of The T *Dublin* All visitors have to get a photo of The Temple Bar - I think it’s the law! #dublin #templebar #ireland
Load More… Follow on Instagram

Random Visits

  • Gosau lower lake Austria
    Inntravel Lakes & Mountains walking holiday in Austria: Gosau lakes 22/11/2017
  • The Gallery – Before and After – The Money Shot! 16/11/2010
  • Mum’s Gone to Copenhagen – Part One – Cock up in Camelot 26/04/2011

Meta

  • Register
  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.org
facebook twitter instagram pinterest youtube

Recent Posts

  • Dotonbori River, Osaka
    Mum’s Gone To Japan: Things to do in Osaka 12/03/2020
  • Kobe at night
    Mum’s Gone to Japan: Kobe 19/02/2020
  • Itsukushima shrine and pagoda, Miyajima
    Mum’s Gone To Japan: Miyajima Island 11/02/2020
  • Cenotaph in Peace Memorial Park, Hiroshima
    Mum’s Gone To Japan: Finding peace in Hiroshima 16/01/2020

Recent Comments

  • Trish Burgess on A visitor’s guide to toilets in Japan
  • Tilly Jaye Horseman on Miniatures in bronze: The sculptures of Joseph Hillier in Spalding
  • Tilly Jaye Horseman on A visitor’s guide to toilets in Japan
  • Trish Burgess on A city break in Cork at Christmas
  • Trish Burgess on A city break in Cork at Christmas
  • Trish Burgess on A city break in Cork at Christmas
  • Trish Burgess on A city break in Cork at Christmas
  • Trish Burgess on A city break in Cork at Christmas

Contact Us

To contact me, please visit my Contact page.
I take great interest in what all my readers and followers have to say.
You can email me at trish@mumsgoneto.co.uk

I'm on Twitter. Find me as @mumsgoneto
I'm on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/mumsgoneto
Instagram - mumsgoneto
Pinterest - Trish Burgess
Google plus - +TrishBurgess

To contact our website administrators:
79design logo
79DESIGN Websites

Website by 79DESIGN, Lincolnshire Web Designer