One of the best pieces of advice we got from our AirBNB hosts was to avoid the Blue Lagoon, a geothermal spa trolling with tourists. It’s likely you’ve seen an ad for it, and it was mentioned in nearly every video we watched and every blog post we read while researching the trip.
However, as our host said, you won’t find Icelanders there. It’s a tourist trap, complete with high prices and required reservations made well in advance. Instead, we were encouraged to find a local place, and that’s exactly what we did. We got up early Thursday morning, before the sunrise, and drove north to Krauma Geothermal Baths.
Boiling water coming from the frozen tundra – Iceland really is the land of fire and ice.
Of course, before we arrived, we warned the boys that they’d need to shower before getting in the baths, and we didn’t mean showering with swimsuits on. Nope. Fully naked. In open showers. Because Europeans don’t care about nudity the way Americans do.
Jeremy wasn’t pleased.
Fortunately, we were the only ones there, minus a couple of Icelandic women who were leaving just as we arrived.
It was… a dream.
There are five baths at varying temperatures, including one cold bath that’s pure glacier water. Everyone except me dipped a toe or leg in that bath and reported that it was pins-and-needles cold.
But the warm baths? Delightful.
This photo is currently the screensaver on my phone:
Though it would’ve been a quicker drive to the Blue Lagoon, Krauma was well worth it and confirms what we always believe about traveling: do what the locals do.
Another perk of driving north to Krauma was being able to go in a different direction than we’d already gone (south to Reynisfjara Beach and east to Gullfoss).
The weather wasn’t all that clear north of Reykjavik, so I wasn’t sure what we’d find once we got back to the city. Fortunately, again, it was perfect!
Spotted: Church cat
Finally we could see Leif Eiriksson and Hallgrimskirkja in the daylight.
The views from the tower in Hallgrimskirkja were breathtaking. So thankful for a clear(ish) afternoon!
I approve of Iceland’s love for color!
Back on the ground, we walked around a little longer since it wasn’t raining. I think I’d like grass on my roof too, please.
Spotted: Bookstore cat
Next we drove back to our little town of Hafnarfgjordur to visit Pallett, the coffeeshop owned by our AirBNB hosts.
I ordered a Flat White, which was the best Flat White I’d ever had in my life. I wanted a second one, but it was getting late and caffeine-induced insomnia is not my friend in other time zones.
Our final stop on Thursday was a local mall, mainly out of curiosity.
Prices at the LEGO store were significantly higher than in the States. We definitely window-shopped.
We grabbed dinner for the second time at IKEA and headed home to pack. As expected, the trip flew by. Boo.
Next: Friday and going home.