I finally got some good rest last night and slept in – woo-hoo! I had planned a big day at the Blue Lagoon so went to a traditional Icelandic cafe for breakfast/lunch. I had Skyr – which is their yogurt-like food. It reminds me of Greek yogurt and is soooo tasty. I also finally got to try Icelandic rye bread – which is so rich and hearty and really, really good. So I was fueled up and ready for what everyone says is a must-see in Iceland.

I met some people on the flight from Boston who invited me to hang out with them and we hadn´t had a chance to hook up but I managed to get on the same bus to the Blue Lagoon with them. It´s a group of about 15 runners from Boston who planned their trip around the marathon. Very, very athletic people – I believe most of them set a PR during the race and a few of them even placed. They´re pretty impressive and I had no leg to stand on to complain about my crappy half-marathon. Regardless, it was really nice to spend some time talking and getting to know them.

The Blue Lagoon…was…AMAZING! Seriously, I need a thesaurus to find more words to describe this incredible place and the things I´m getting to do here. The Blue Lagoon is a geothermal spa and the most visited attraction in Iceland. It is smack dab in the middle of a lava field. The minerals in the spa – sulfur and silica – give it the blue hue you see in pictures. That, the surrounding lava rocks, and the steam rising from the pools give it the most beautiful, yet eerie look that I´ve ever seen. I´m attaching a picture below to give you some idea of how unique and creepy-cool it is. The silica in the lagoon is supposed to be very good for your skin and people are encouraged to slather it on their skin, let it dry and then rinse it off. So it looks like you´re sitting in a blue pool with white yogurt on your face. Did it feel phenomenal – absolutely! Will it provide my skin with healing powers – I sure hope so! It was a wonderful excursion added to by some new Boston friends who were very kind and accepted me into their group with open arms.

Yesterday I told a story of hearing my name called out in a park in the middle of the city. A similar thing happened to me today. I´ve read that this is a very small town and it seems to be the case. After the excursion, I decided to go to a Haitian cafe that I´d read about. I got my beer and was outside looking at the harbor and talking to a very drunk local man when one of the Bostonians came out to the patio and asked me to have dinner with them! Definitely a small town. We had a nice relaxing meal with wonderful Icelandic fish soup and local beer. They are off to camp for the next few days but I´m hoping to hook up with them when they return to the city. Again, I love, love, love that I get the opportunity to meet these incredible people! It´s why I travel.

Tomorrow I´m off to a glacier. I´ve never seen a glacier so it should be exciting! We´re going ice hiking and rock climbing and then to see one of the beautiful waterfalls this country has to offer.

Stay tuned…and thank you for reading…