Grindavik (21)
Today is our last day on the road. Rather than driving directly back to Reykjavik, we head out toward Grindavik. There's a neat lighthouse and another geothermal power plant.
This is another incredibly brutal road which eventually winds around the little peninsula, past Keflavik airport and back to Reykjavik. Time to turn in the rental car. As a note, no Suzuki's were harmed in the making of this vacation.
We stop for the afternoon at the Blue Lagoon. The Blue Lagoon is a prime example of making a tourist attraction out of nothing. A geothermal power plant is a very clean affair. Essentially you pump clean water down into the earth until you find a hot spot, let the hotspot warm the water to boiling, use the high pressure steam to turn a turbine which turns a generator. Out comes electricity and Bob's your Uncle. You also get hot water which flows down a stream to wherever ti goes. In this case, it goes to a lagoon ... the Blue Lagoon.
These clever Icelanders have built a spa there centered around swimming, massage, beauty products and sky high tourist prices. Couple it with incredibly effective marketing, it has become a de rigueur stop on all tourist agendas ... including ours. It was fun. The hot water soothed our backs, tired from sitting in the car too long.
Read MoreThis is another incredibly brutal road which eventually winds around the little peninsula, past Keflavik airport and back to Reykjavik. Time to turn in the rental car. As a note, no Suzuki's were harmed in the making of this vacation.
We stop for the afternoon at the Blue Lagoon. The Blue Lagoon is a prime example of making a tourist attraction out of nothing. A geothermal power plant is a very clean affair. Essentially you pump clean water down into the earth until you find a hot spot, let the hotspot warm the water to boiling, use the high pressure steam to turn a turbine which turns a generator. Out comes electricity and Bob's your Uncle. You also get hot water which flows down a stream to wherever ti goes. In this case, it goes to a lagoon ... the Blue Lagoon.
These clever Icelanders have built a spa there centered around swimming, massage, beauty products and sky high tourist prices. Couple it with incredibly effective marketing, it has become a de rigueur stop on all tourist agendas ... including ours. It was fun. The hot water soothed our backs, tired from sitting in the car too long.
