The second morning after breakfast, it was time to pack up and leave for Blue Lagoon.
The Blue Lagoon system is one more proof of how Icelanders have geared up to make it easier for tourists and, along the way, earn some bucks. They create a tourist attraction and then adjust their offerings to make it easier for the tourists to visit.
For example, because Blue Lagoon is located between the international airport in Keflavik airport and the capital, the Lagoon has lockers to store your luggage. After all, what better to way to enjoy the country just after having got off the plane, or do a last minute visit to complete the memories of the country before heading out than by dipping into the silica, minerals and algae-infused geothermal waters of Blue Lagoon?
Blue Lagoon, Iceland
We belonged to the last group. Mrs Edda was kind enough to offer us a lift again to the bus halt where the Blue Lagoon-bound bus picked us up.
Blue Lagoon – an Enjoyable Tourist Trap
Blue Lagoon is not only teeming with healthy minerals but is also a high tech system. Once you pay the entrance fee, you are given a bracelet which contains the vital information such as your credit card details, so you don’t have to carry your valet all the time. You just swipe the bracelet and you are charged – and they do charge for everything from towels to bathrobes and drinks.
Blue Lagoon, Iceland
But Blue Lagoon is a worthy tourist trap.
There was a chill in the air but the water, at different depths and temperatures in different places within the lagoon, was a heaven in a northern European country.
The blue colour of the water is caused by the way silica reflects the sunlight. And the water is purified every 40 hours.
According to the Blue Lagoon website, the public bathing facilities were launched in the eighties after ever more people started bathing in the lagoon, created by the operation of a nearby geothermal power station. The popularity increased as, according to the website, the bathers noticed improved skin conditions as well as an alleviation in psoriasis patients.
The lagoon, which was featured in The Amazing Race and other TV shows and documentaries, also includes a sauna and steam bath both of which I enjoyed. The Lagoon premises also holds, as expected, souvenir shops and eateries.