Last leg of our 16th Wedding Anniversary Trip

Hey there! Hope all is well. Today we are hanging out in Reykjavík, Iceland. Listen…I won’t lie, I’d never heard of this place before the trip! Our first stop here was at Blue Lagoon. I did not know what to expect, and I wasn’t totally feeling what I assumed was about to be some usual foolishness my hubby gets us into on vacation. LOL! Unfortunately, at the time, my hormones and emotions were ALL OVER THE PLACE!

We go in fully clothed, layered might I add because it was umpteen degrees out there. I DO NOT LIKE the cold weather, except for an opportunity or two to rock some stylish winter clothes. I was really apprehensive about not knowing what was about to take place. As we were standing in line, I was told that we were about to leave our bags with an attendant, and then get further instructions. After handing over our bags/backpacks, they instruct us to follow the path until we reach our next destination. I’m really freaking out at this point because I’m not feeling the best, and I still didn’t know what was going on.

We enter the next building where there are a couple of ladies behind a counter. We give our information, and they get us checked in. I’m still clueless as to what’s going on. They instruct us to go inside where we will find lockers, robes, etc. Now it’s time to slip into our swimwear, and I’m so not ready for this. I remind you that it’s UMPTEEN DEGREES outside, and he wants me in a swimsuit! He is very adventurous, but at this point, I was convinced that he’d totally gone nuts. However, all of the other ladies around were getting suited up, so I thought what the heck. As I changed, I said a quick prayer. I prayed and asked God to please give me patience, help me to trust what my husband has planned for us, and allow me to enjoy the moment. He called and said he was leaving his phone in the locker, and he would meet me outside of the locker room. I slid into my flip flops and tossed on my robe to meet him.

Once we met up outside of the locker room, I noticed a ramp and saw water and a door that led outside. Now I’m really convinced that he’s crazy. All I could think was that it is freezing outside, and he expects me to get into some water. I’m literally going back and forth in my head about how my husband has lost it, but also trying to go with the program. Before I prepare to brave this craziness, we get someone to snap a pic of us. My thoughts were that this may be the last good memory before everything goes haywire, lol. We then remove our robes and hang them on hooks nearby and leave our flip flops beneath them. I begin a light stroll towards the ramp as hubby follows behind me. Remember, he planned this, so he knew what to expect. We were told that the slope was slippery, so I tightly grabbed the railing and began my descent. When my toes touched the water, it was surprisingly warm. Oh…my…goodness! My eyes lit up, and I turned back in complete awe at my husband. HE HAS DONE IT AGAIN!

I opened the door, which led outside to even more water, of course. We came up to this tunnel-like space that we had to walk through, then we went under a bridge. The other side of that had me completely SPEECHLESS! It was a massive amount of water, and people were all over the place. Some were near us, and others were further out. There was a building with lights to our left that piqued my curiosity, so we waddled our way over. The water was no more than about four feet high. When we made it to the structure, we realized it was an in-water mask bar. At the bar, there is someone to explain the different mask options you have to choose from. Once you’ve made your decision, you dip in the clay. Next, you rub the product all over your face and around your eyes. You’re supposed to let it sit a few minutes or so and then rinse it off in the water. Well, I was having such a good time now that I didn’t think to wash my face and hubby followed suit.

This large body of warm water had sucked me in. It was so warm that it would make you forget how cold it actually was out there. Then some areas of the water were close to the generators, and those pockets of water were really, really warm. I tried to stay in those areas a lot. I turned left and right and made complete circles in the water as I was still in complete shock with this massive hot tub. I watched on as others carried drinks, played with towels on their heads (which I was confused by at first), and took pictures. Once I realized why I saw people wearing towels, I wanted in on it. I wanted to be able to capture this moment also. Hubby decided to brave the cold weather to get out of the water and make the dash back into the building. While I think he could have gone back the way we came where he didn’t have to get out of the water, it was much further away. He quickly exited the water, and like the superman he is, he resurfaced shortly after with my phone in his hands.

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We snapped as many selfies as we could with our faces covered in masks, and also had someone take a few pictures for us. Then I decided to go live on Facebook. I wanted my family and friends to see this moment. Some will never have that experience, and seeing us enjoying it may inspire others to go, so I had to share. I walked around, sharing information about the place (the little I knew) and had learned since being out there. Some history about the location was written on a section of the wall near the front of the water, and I shared what I’d gotten from that as well. After ending the live video, we took more pictures in the water.

We moved around so much that we ended up being back near the location where we started. There we found areas that were sectioned off in the water and actually had benches where you could sit. Then we came across a waterfall. Right before I entered it, that’s when I decided to wash the mask off my face, so we both did it together. We played in the waterfall and took more pictures. Then I decided I wanted a picture in my new swimsuit, OUTSIDE OF THE WATER. As long as I’d been submerged in the water, I knew it was not the smartest thing to do, but I just had to. I hopped out, and hubby snapped as many pics as possible until I couldn’t handle the temperature any longer.

Once I got back in, we walked around more and went further out to see more of the location. Unfortunately, because it was dark, it wasn’t easy to see how far this body of water actually stretched, but it was huge. There is a bridge that you could go out on and also an in-water bar. After we talked to a staff member there, they asked where we were from and why we were visiting. We told them it was our anniversary and they gifted us each with a free drink. Don’t you just love the little things? We accepted, and they gave us a wristband to go collect our drinks from the in-water bar.

Our time there was coming to an end, but I was not ready to go. Pretty opposite from when I started, huh? Funny how that works out. He had planned to go see the Northern Lights, but unfortunately, the weather was not cooperating during that time. We will definitely have to plan another trip out there for that experience. Since transportation from that area was going to shut down soon, we had to call it a night and head to our hotel.

The next day we made our way around the small town. This was the last day on our trip before we headed back home, so we didn’t have enough time to see much. We walked the streets from our hotel and took in the culture and the sites. Of course, you know me, the entire time I’m looking for a cool spot to shop! I found a few places on the way, but hubby insisted that we eat first then take in a site before we had to prepare to leave.

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We stopped at a local cafe and ordered an Icelandic meal. It was interesting, to say the least. Of course, my hubby found something that he enjoyed. At this point in the trip, I was ready to find some unique clothing and head back to the United States! I stayed over at the restaurant and waited while he made the trip a few blocks down to see Hallgrímskirkja. It is an Evangelical-Lutheran parish church, and it is one of the most visited places by tourists in Iceland. I didn’t want to be out in the cold and rain again until it was time to shop, but I kind of regretted not going once I saw the beautiful view he had captured. Not to mention that admission is free, but it does cost to go up to the tower.

Until next time I’ll leave you with this…Even if your vacation is short-lived, try to get out and see something different and try something new. Walk the streets with the locals (as long as you feel safe and have done your research on the area) and notice how they may do things differently. As they say on The View talk show, “Take some time to enjoy the view!”

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