Lupins, lava and lagoons

After a restful night's sleep in Reykjavik the three of us were up bright and early, ready for our trip to the Blue Lagoon. As an aficionado of swimming outdoors and hot springs I have wanted to visit this place for years and it did not disappoint!

The lagoon is set in the middle of a barren landscape of lava and the waters are turquoise blue, full of minerals, and very warm. In the background a geothermal power station belches forth steam, adding to the otherworldly feel of the place. It's large enough that it didn't feel crowded, in fact most of the tourists congregated around the water bar. We were given several wise pieces of advice when we arrived. Firstly, to put conditioner on our hair before going into the water because all the silica in the water is abrasive, so we did that. Secondly, to keep drinking water to ensure that we stayed hydrated, so we did that. And thirdly to put on plenty of sun cream - but, because the sky was light grey rather than sunny, we foolishly didn't bother with that, and ended up rather burned. We swam and floated around happily for about four hours, covering ourselves with mud from time to time and having drinks. Excellent fun. Even though I showered very thoroughly before our flight to Denver, I felt as if I was covered with a fine layer of dust for the whole of the journey! Our last sight of Iceland was the same as our first - fields of blue lupins.