Exploring Iceland

The World’s Best Airport Layover – Reykjavik, Iceland

Keflavik Airport terminal building

Normally when I’m booking flights, I look for those without layovers. There’s nothing worse than waiting around an airport for hours, for your next flight, unless it’s running, breathless, from one terminal to the next, before your gate closes. But this summer, when flying from Brussels to Halifax, Canada, we had an incredible layover. In fact, it was so good, we’re hoping to do it again on our next transatlantic flight.

What could be so great about a nine hour layover? Well, for starters, we spent it in a thermal pool, surrounded by incredible scenery, with access to a swim-up bar. Where was this magical airport you ask? Reykjavik, Iceland – my new favourite transatlantic layover destination.

Andrew and I always look forward to our trips home to Eastern Canada. What we don’t look forward to are the flights. Normally we fly with Air Canada and on a good trip we fly from Brussels to London to Halifax. But, you know how it goes when you’re trying to save money. The more direct the flight, the more expensive it is. Often we end up flying from Brussels to Frankfurt to Montreal to Halifax. By the time we arrive, we feel like we’ve been travelling for weeks.

Usually our airport layovers look like this…

This year, I heard that Iceland Air was reviving its flight to Halifax and, as I had always wanted to go to Iceland, I was curious how much more expensive it would be. I was shocked to discover it was slightly cheaper than Air Canada and we would only have one layover. Nine hours is a doozy of a layover, so I started researching what we could do with our time at the Reykjavík-Keflavík Airport. That’s when things started looking even better.

You see, Icelanders are smart. They knew they had a captive audience and decided to make the best of it. They did two really smart things to attract transatlantic tourists and their tourism dollars and Euros.

First, the company Reykjavik Excursions will pick you up at the airport and take you and your carry-on baggage on one of two trips. The first trip will deposit you in central Reykjavik, where you can spend the day sight-seeing. The second trip, the one we opted for, took us to the Blue Lagoon.

But what if they all could be like this…

The Blue Lagoon is an incredible thermal spa, I will be writing more about in my next post. To whet your appetite, here’s a little video Andrew made of our day there.

One of the great things about these layover excursions is you don’t have to worry about your luggage, as it is all safely checked through to your final location. Your carry-on bags can either be stuffed into your locker in the changing room of the Blue Lagoon, or a separate locked storage facility run by Reykjavik Excursions.

But I said the folks at Iceland Air did two smart things. Here’s the second. You can turn your layover, into a stopover of up to 7 days – for no extra cost. So, on our return flight to Brussels, from Halifax, Andrew and I were able to stay in Iceland for 4 days of sight-seeing before we continued on our way home.

So with cheaper flights than Air Canada, the Iceland Air flight must have been pretty bad right? Wrong! We had better service, food and more space than we normally do with Air Canada. The ground crew at Reykjavik Airport were efficient and helpful too.

In fact the only hiccup of the entire layover was a bit of confusion about the Reykjavik Excursion buses. Our only complaint was it wasn’t entirely clear where to wait and which bus to take. Luckily we asked a few of the drivers and found where we had to be.

Needless to say, after a day at the Blue Lagoon, we felt relaxed and renewed. Because the flights were divided into four hour segments, our bodies had more time to adjust to the time difference too. It was the first time we flew transatlantic and didn’t suffer from jet-lag.

So if you’re a North American Expat who travels home regularly, a business traveller or you’re taking a transatlantic holiday, consider flying with Iceland Air and making a layover or a longer stopover in Iceland. Just remember your friends at CheeseWeb when you’re soaking in the Blue Lagoon!

Details:

• Iceland Air flies from Brussels direct to Reykjavik-Keflavík International Airport and from Reykjavik direct to: Seattle, Boston, Minneapolis, Washington D.C., Halifax, Orlando, New York and Toronto and has connections to other North American cities.
• Reykjavik Excursions operates many tours of Iceland including the airport transfer packages mentioned in this post. They also have a Flybus service that will drop you at your hotel in Reykjavik.
• The Blue Lagoon package  included bus fare to and from the airport and admission the Blue Lagoon for 6300 ISK (roughly 40 euro).

The Blue Lagoon Geo-Thermal Spa, Iceland

A few weeks ago, we told you about our favourite air-port layover ever, The Blue Lagoon, geo-thermal spa, in Iceland. Today, we want to give you a peek inside the spa, and tell you why you can’t miss this travel destination, in Iceland.

Icelanders love their geo-thermal waters. And so they should – 87% of their buildings are heated by this natural resource, with plans to make Iceland 100% fossil-fuel free in the near future.

While hot water powers the nation, it also powers the people. Icelanders spend a large percent of their leisure time soaking in the many geo-thermal pools dotted around the country.  If you visit Reykjavik, you should definitely check out some of the local pools, for an authentic taste of Icelandic bathing. But don’t rule out the Blue Lagoon, as a great way to spend the day.

It’s true; you’ll find way more tourists at the Blue Lagoon, than locals. One of the main reasons for this is the ease with which you can visit, while transiting through Keflavik airport. But don’t let the other tourists scare you off. After all 400,000 visitors a year can’t be wrong. The Blue Lagoon is legendary in spa circles for good reason.

First of all, the facilities are incredibly clean and well maintained. The change-rooms are huge, with plenty of space to store your belongings. Products from The Blue Lagoon’s own line are available in the showers and it is possible to rent towels, bathrobes and even bathing suits, if you don’t have your own.

There is a large and airy cafeteria, on site.  While you enjoy a drink or snack, you can watch the activity in the thermal pools.  Or you can dine in the LAVA Restaurant, where local ingredients are featured in fine dining menus.

LAVA Restaurant, Blue Lagoon

From the roof-terrace, you can see the lava field around the Blue Lagoon

For me though, the Blue Lagoon is all about the water. First, let me say, it is really that blue. The colour is the first thing you notice, when you arrive.

The clear blue water in front of the Blue Lagoon spa

Second, there is very little smell. I had expected it to be rather sulphurous but that wasn’t the case.

The water averages 37–39 °C (98–102 °F), which feels perfect compared to the brisk outside air. The bottom of the pool is sandy in places and smooth lava, in others. As you float around the pools, there is plenty of room to escape the other bathers, as the irregularly shaped lava formations have plenty of nooks and crannies.

Bird’s Eye View of the Blue Lagoon

The six million litres of water are incredibly clean. Water is renewed every 40 hours and bacteria can’t thrive in the silica and sulphur rich water.

Speaking of silica, wooden boxes filled with the Blue Lagoon’s silica mud are scattered around the pool-side. Slathering this on your skin and letting it dry, is supposed to exfoliate and rejuvenate your skin.  Our skin did feel softer after the process, even if we felt a bit silly. (If you want to see proof of our silliness, make sure you check outAndrew’s video from The Blue Lagoon)

If floating around in the pool isn’t enough to keep you entertained, you can also spend time in the sauna, steam bath, waterfall, relaxation area or visit the swim-up bar. You can also get in-water massages and other treatments.

For us, visiting the Blue Lagoon was one of the highlights of our trip to Iceland. It helped us conquer our trans-Atlantic jet-lag and rejuvenate after a stressful summer. We can’t wait to return.

Exploring Iceland’s Golden Circle

If you’re looking for dramatic landscapes and incredible natural phenomena; if you crave wide open spaces without another person in view; if you want to be inspired and haveza your breath-taken away, all without venturing too far from the comforts of a capital city, Iceland’s Golden Circle is the place for you.

The Golden Circle is a popular tourist route in the Southwest of Iceland. It covers the three most popular tourist attractions in the country: Thingvellir National Park, Gullfoss Waterfall and the geysers of Haukadalur.

We visited the Golden Circle, last summer, as part of our four day stop-over in Iceland. We chose to rent a car, for flexibility, but there are many guided day-trips running from Reykjavik. Despite the popularity of the Golden Circle, however, we still found many beautiful vistas to ourselves.

Nearly Empty – Despite its popularity the Golden Circle still has wide open spaces.

Thingvellir National Park

Our first stop was Thingvellir National Park; written as Þingvellir, in Icelandic. This park is roughly 240km2 and was added to the UNESCO World Heritage Sites list in 2004 for its historical, cultural, and geological importance to Iceland.

Thingvellir was the site of the original Icelandic parliament in 930. It is also the spot where the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates meet and is home to the largest natural lake in Iceland.

Thingvellir National Park’s majestic vistas

Driving on the main roads in Thingvellir is easy and the route around the Golden Circle is clearly marked. Of course, Andrew wanted to venture off onto some of the side roads, where we found ourselves virtually alone. Around every bend, we found beautiful scenes which kept my camera busy working overtime.

Clearly marked – It’s easy to find your way around the main sights in Iceland

The Geysers of Haukadalur

The next stop on our Golden Circle adventure was to see the geothermal activity at Haukadalur. Haukadalur is home to several geysers; one of which, Geysir, is where we get our English word for thermal waters erupting from the ground.

There is nothing more mesmerising than watching a pool of water bubble and boil until it finally erupts and jets into the air. This happens frequently, about every 5-10 minutes, with Geysir and Strokkur, the two main geysers at Haukadalur.

There she blows! Geyser erupting in Haukadalur

The landscape around the geysers is eerie. Steam rises from the ground and puddles bubble and boil. It is easy to see why Icelanders are such strong believers in fairies, trolls and other magical creatures.

Meeting a new Icelandic friend

But extreme practicality comes into play in Iceland as well. The same geothermal activity that gives Iceland its geysers also provides 26% of Iceland’s power. It provides 87% of the heat and hot water to Iceland’s buildings. The rest of the country’s power comes from hydro with only 0.1% coming from fossil fuels.

Hot stuff – run-off from the geysers

Geothermal activity in Iceland

Gullfoss Waterfall

Speaking of hydro power, the final stop on our tour of the Golden Circle was Gullfoss, one of Iceland’s most spectacular waterfalls.

Called the Golden Falls, in English, Gullfoss is one of the most dramatic waterfalls we’ve ever seen. The Hvítá river drops 32 metres into a crevice in the earth, dumping between 80 and 140 m³/s of water over the edge.

Gullfoss Waterfall – Words and photos don’t do it justice

One of the strange things about Gullfoss is you can’t see it until you are standing right above it; the river seems to vanish into the earth. Hiking down the steps to stand beside the waterfall, is well worth it, even though you eventually have to climb back up!

From the top of Gullfoss, on a clear day, you can also see another of Iceland’s natural wonders in the distance, the Langjökull glacier. We were lucky enough to have clear views of Iceland’s second largest glacier.

Langjökull glacier visible in the distance

We spent a full day travelling around Iceland’s Golden Circle and although we saw the major sights, we barely scratched the surface of what this spectacular area has to offer.

For the more adventurous, you can rent off-road vehicles and explore Iceland even more in-depth – something we’d definitely consider doing next time.