Our plane arrived at the gate at 7:30, an hour before it was scheduled to do so. We went through person control to get our passport stamped. It was the easiest I've ever been through. There were no forms to fill out and all the guy asked was "how long will you be here?" We picked up our bags and headed to customs. If you had something to declare you went one way, otherwise you went a second way. The second way went around a few corners and...we were out. Our new criteria for something being easy is "as easy as customs in Iceland."
We found out that we were in time for the early bus to the Blue Lagoon. We were unable to actually get into the lagoon any earlier, unfortunatly, but it was a much nicer place to wait than the airport. It also gave us some time to take pictures and to walk a little trail.
This was part of the Blue Lagoon by the table where we waited. It was man-made, but by accident. Workers were trying to get rid of some wastewater from the geothermal electricity plant. The water actually sealed the rock, making it air tight. The water gets heated from the lava, brought up, and then permeates back down. (The process takes about forty hours.) Anyway, it means that you have a huge hot tub.
Ok, so we weren't allowed in quite yet so we walked around. It was odd to be walking in a lava field. There were rocks everywhere. Most of them are covered in moss. (Also odd...the countryside has no trees and no visible animals. The city has trees and grass and animals. Don't tell Isaac as he has a communities quiz tomorrow and it'll get him all mixed up.) The land is quite flat, although there are some large hills. Due to the lack of trees, you can see really far.
So we finally got in. The water really was lovely. Some places were hot, some places were warm. The depth was always changing, although never past my neck. My first favorite thing was when it rained. To have the cold raindrops with the hot water was cool. (It started out overcast, but after a while started to do a rain-sun cycle. I loved the rain, but the sun was too bright!) I did get to see a rainbow once when it was raining with sun.
My second favorite part was when we found a spot that was cold on the bottom and hot on the top. The cold was "this is too cold for a shower" cold and the hot was "this is almost a hot-for-Amanda shower". It was fun to move your hands up and down and feel the drastic difference. It also helped you from getting too hot.
We left, checked in at the hotel, and then went to eat. The food was good; I had haddock and Ben had lamb. The we walked through the winter cold wind to see an intriguing building. Harpa is a performing arts center, but has a honeycomb wall.
After warming up and enjoying the odd building, we quickly walked back to the hotel. It's only 8pm, but we are quickly getting ready for bed!
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