Our plan was to stay in Reykjavik, the biggest city in Iceland, for two days and then spend our last few days exploring the south of Iceland where its less populated. Less populated really means less populated since the country has a total of 300,000 people and every single one of them is beyond unbelievably nice.
We checked into our airbnb which was a huge apartment right in the heart of Reykjavik. It gave us the chance to walk around and see as much of the city on foot.
One thing we realized right away-it was freaking cold in Iceland. Super Nel and I both agreed that Amsterdam was colder but this was very comparable and it was wetter. We found ourselves looking for extra layers even if everything in Iceland was extremely expensive (I'm pretty sure I paid $8 for a bottle of water at one place). Our goal for this trip was to see the Northern Lights. I had a feeling I might see my husband cry if we didn't see those lights so we went to the tourist office and asked about any tours that might be available. However, sadly we were informed that all the tours ended a few days before. The lady at the tourist center did recommend one tour called the Floating Tour. It involved a 1.5 hour drive to a "secret lagoon" and then you have the chance to float in a geothermal pool while hoping to see the Northern Lights. We signed up for it and found out that the tour included door to door pick up and drop off. The tour started at 8:30pm so we found some yummy hot dogs for dinner (the people of Iceland love their hotdogs!) and took a much needed siesta before the tour.
Now, Super Nel and I had to decide whether or not we would write about the Secret Lagoon tour on the blog. We were really tempted to keep this secret to ourselves in hope that this place will continue to stay a secret. However, in the end we felt it best to share.
At precisely 8:30pm we were greeted at the apartment by Olafer (which is pronounced "Oliver"). Olafer turned out to be one of the greatest people we met on this trip. He was so passionate about his country's history and stories and he went out of his way to show us an amazing evening. When this tour said that it only booked a small group of people each night we thought it would be 12 or 10 people. Turns out there were a total of 4 people. So it was Super Nel and I and another couple from the UK who were celebrating a birthday. Olafer drove us to the town of Fludir where Iceland's oldest pool is located. He told us that this pool had a cabin renovation last June so that there are heated locker rooms and a mini-cafe are now a part of the pool. The pool is open to the public in the daytime and the owner rents out the pool at night for the Floating Tour company. On the way to Fludir we learned a lot about Olafer.
Olafer used to be a farmer and inherited his father's farm. When his father died, there was a huge earthquake (did you know there are about 400 earthquakes a day in Iceland? Small ones apparently). He said that he thought it was his father saying to him "You make me proud." He eventually went into the pizza making business and used the ingredients on his farm to make the pizzas. He would buy the other ingredients from other local places and one of the grocery stores was one of his biggest buyers. He would drive 1-2 hours every day to deliver these pizzas to the buyers and one time in a really bad storm his vehicle was sliding around on the road. So he used the pizza's to help counteract the weight of his car. He stacked them on the hood and attached them somehow (I'd bet he used duct tape) and it kept his car from sliding off the road. Olafer said the pizza making business was hard work.
The entire ride he shared stories with us about the country or towns we were passing through. He also played a variety of Icelandic music the entire ride. When we arrived at the Secret Lagoon we could see why it's called a "secret." I don't think I could find this place again if I wanted to. It's in the middle of no where and is surrounded by hot springs all over. The pool is dug out around the hot springs and is huge. You have a gorgeous deck and nothing is around for miles. Olafer gave us a quick tour before the sun went down at 10pm (I'm not kidding when I say 10pm) and then said each couple could take a different locker room.
The lagoon
The small shack on the right are the old changing rooms before the new fancy remodel.
The hotsprings right NEXT to the lagoon.
When we came out in our bathing suits, we were given a hat to wear made out of floating material. Then we used two long strips of floating material to wrap around above our knees with velcro. This allows you to float without even trying. The water was perfectly warm, which was absolutely necessary because it was freezing cold outside.
I know it's dark but you can see our floating hats.
So here we are, thousands of miles away from home, floating in the dark in the middle of nowhere in water so warm it feels like a blanket and all I can think is "Is this a dream?" This was more than a magical experience. It was surreal. You almost had to pinch yourself to believe it's true. There was this one moment where Super Nel and I stopped floating and we said to each other that this was hands down the best thing we had ever done. And I was so happy that we were doing it together. Since there were only 4 people on the tour it didn't really matter where you were in the pool you always felt like you had the lagoon all to yourself which added another amazing element to this experience.
As the sky turned black, Olafer said to be on the lookout for any stars through the clouds because this would indicate if we could see the Northern Lights. We floated for about two hours and there were a few moments where we could see some colors through the clouds but they never cleared enough to see the actual lights. After we had showered and dried off, Olafer gave us some hot chocolate and laid out a spread of grapes, crackers and cheese. We talked more about the lights and other places to visit in Iceland while on our vacation. Around 12:30am we set off back to the city.
Olafer was so excited and determined for us to see the lights he drove us a different route back to Reykjavik in hopes of seeing the lights dance across the sky. He would check his app and look up the cloud coverage and drive to a new spot. Olafer said we were "chasing the lights" on the drive. We stopped at an old volcano crater, but it was still too cloudy to see anything. We drove listening to Icelandic music again until around 2am but we were never successful. Olafer was so bummed that we didn't get to see the magic sky light up. However, little did he know that he just gave Super Nel and I the most amazing night of our lives. We would never forget this adventure nor would we forget this amazing man. He dropped us off at our apartment and we fell right to sleep dreaming of the beautiful sights we had seen that day.
I can't say enough amazing things about the Secret Lagoon. This place won't stay a secret for long. They take up to 15 people a night to their pool and each and every one of them is lucky to float under the sky in Iceland. If you plan to visit Iceland or were thinking of it-I can't recommend this tour enough. If you're lucky enough to have Olafer as your guide, I promise you won't be disappointed. His enthusiasm and dedication to making your night one to remember is unbelievable.
Now, Super Nel and I had to decide whether or not we would write about the Secret Lagoon tour on the blog. We were really tempted to keep this secret to ourselves in hope that this place will continue to stay a secret. However, in the end we felt it best to share.
At precisely 8:30pm we were greeted at the apartment by Olafer (which is pronounced "Oliver"). Olafer turned out to be one of the greatest people we met on this trip. He was so passionate about his country's history and stories and he went out of his way to show us an amazing evening. When this tour said that it only booked a small group of people each night we thought it would be 12 or 10 people. Turns out there were a total of 4 people. So it was Super Nel and I and another couple from the UK who were celebrating a birthday. Olafer drove us to the town of Fludir where Iceland's oldest pool is located. He told us that this pool had a cabin renovation last June so that there are heated locker rooms and a mini-cafe are now a part of the pool. The pool is open to the public in the daytime and the owner rents out the pool at night for the Floating Tour company. On the way to Fludir we learned a lot about Olafer.
Olafer used to be a farmer and inherited his father's farm. When his father died, there was a huge earthquake (did you know there are about 400 earthquakes a day in Iceland? Small ones apparently). He said that he thought it was his father saying to him "You make me proud." He eventually went into the pizza making business and used the ingredients on his farm to make the pizzas. He would buy the other ingredients from other local places and one of the grocery stores was one of his biggest buyers. He would drive 1-2 hours every day to deliver these pizzas to the buyers and one time in a really bad storm his vehicle was sliding around on the road. So he used the pizza's to help counteract the weight of his car. He stacked them on the hood and attached them somehow (I'd bet he used duct tape) and it kept his car from sliding off the road. Olafer said the pizza making business was hard work.
The entire ride he shared stories with us about the country or towns we were passing through. He also played a variety of Icelandic music the entire ride. When we arrived at the Secret Lagoon we could see why it's called a "secret." I don't think I could find this place again if I wanted to. It's in the middle of no where and is surrounded by hot springs all over. The pool is dug out around the hot springs and is huge. You have a gorgeous deck and nothing is around for miles. Olafer gave us a quick tour before the sun went down at 10pm (I'm not kidding when I say 10pm) and then said each couple could take a different locker room.
When we came out in our bathing suits, we were given a hat to wear made out of floating material. Then we used two long strips of floating material to wrap around above our knees with velcro. This allows you to float without even trying. The water was perfectly warm, which was absolutely necessary because it was freezing cold outside.
So here we are, thousands of miles away from home, floating in the dark in the middle of nowhere in water so warm it feels like a blanket and all I can think is "Is this a dream?" This was more than a magical experience. It was surreal. You almost had to pinch yourself to believe it's true. There was this one moment where Super Nel and I stopped floating and we said to each other that this was hands down the best thing we had ever done. And I was so happy that we were doing it together. Since there were only 4 people on the tour it didn't really matter where you were in the pool you always felt like you had the lagoon all to yourself which added another amazing element to this experience.
As the sky turned black, Olafer said to be on the lookout for any stars through the clouds because this would indicate if we could see the Northern Lights. We floated for about two hours and there were a few moments where we could see some colors through the clouds but they never cleared enough to see the actual lights. After we had showered and dried off, Olafer gave us some hot chocolate and laid out a spread of grapes, crackers and cheese. We talked more about the lights and other places to visit in Iceland while on our vacation. Around 12:30am we set off back to the city.
Olafer was so excited and determined for us to see the lights he drove us a different route back to Reykjavik in hopes of seeing the lights dance across the sky. He would check his app and look up the cloud coverage and drive to a new spot. Olafer said we were "chasing the lights" on the drive. We stopped at an old volcano crater, but it was still too cloudy to see anything. We drove listening to Icelandic music again until around 2am but we were never successful. Olafer was so bummed that we didn't get to see the magic sky light up. However, little did he know that he just gave Super Nel and I the most amazing night of our lives. We would never forget this adventure nor would we forget this amazing man. He dropped us off at our apartment and we fell right to sleep dreaming of the beautiful sights we had seen that day.
I can't say enough amazing things about the Secret Lagoon. This place won't stay a secret for long. They take up to 15 people a night to their pool and each and every one of them is lucky to float under the sky in Iceland. If you plan to visit Iceland or were thinking of it-I can't recommend this tour enough. If you're lucky enough to have Olafer as your guide, I promise you won't be disappointed. His enthusiasm and dedication to making your night one to remember is unbelievable.
No comments:
Post a Comment