Iceland - Blue Lagoon

These are some pictures from our visit to the Blue Lagoon, Iceland's famous geothermal spa.  In the middle of a lava field, the waters are naturally heated to 37-39 degrees.  On this day it was raining sideways and wind was whipping at our exposed heads, so we hunted down the warmest spots in the water and found a rock to shelter us from the winds.  You'd find yourself floating easily in some areas and not as much in others.  The water, rich in sulphur and silica, had this odd weight to it and of course this amazing blue colour.  We stayed in the water for a couple hours, met some other nice visitors and sampled the buckets of silica mud mask.  Didn't venture to the steam baths or sauna as is was unbearable to walk in the cold rain even for a few metres.  I brought a waterproof camera, but have yet to finish the roll of film, so I'll have a surprise one day when I finally get those photos developed.

(On the right side of this photo, you can see people clustered around the in the pool beverage bar.)

Heating and hot water in Iceland is almost completely generated by geothermal power.  You can see the one of the country's plants in action adjacent to the baths of the Blue Lagoon. I dozed off on the way there, so it really seemed like we were in the middle of nowhere when I woke up.  Loved the rolling hills in the distance and the texture of the green and black volcanic landscape.

I'm sure it would be an even more beautiful sight on a clear day under blue skies, but we still enjoyed our visit!  In the afternoon we caught our bus back to Reykjavik, all relaxed from our spa day.

Reykjavik wandering

Iceland was cold and rainy during our stay, but it didn't dampen our mood.  We eased ourselves in on our first day by checking out the town of Reykjavik by foot.  Our guest house was very conveniently located and we were able to walk to everything we wanted to see in the city.  We poked around some shops and saw some sights. Stopped often for warm drinks in cute independent cafés as our sleep deprived selves were in need of breaks and shelter from the incessant rain!  Every place we went to seemed to be simply and charmingly decorated with new or vintage Scandinavian design.  Seemed to be no fuss everywhere.  Shops were filled with carefully curated beautiful things... People were kind and helpful yet nobody bothered us.  

Above is the oldest house in Reykjavik.  It's two storeys now house Kraum, a shop filled with up-and-coming Icelandic designers.

Here's our cosy spot at Stofan Café

 roaming the city sites... 

 antique shopping...

 walking up to Hallgrimskirkja, the beautiful church and landmark a few streets up for our place.

Here are some photos from the sculptural ribbed interior of Hallgrimskirkja...

and some of the colourful overhead view complete with a rainbow!  The rain cleared up for a moment as soon as we emerged from the elevator to the viewing area.

Sorry for all the pictures -- posting all the views as I couldn't pick just one.  I had fun playing with the camera apps on my phone.

At the end of the afternoon, we caught a bite to eat and there went a day in Reykjavik. 

The Sister and I took off to Iceland and Denmark for a little vacation!  We jetted out of Toronto in the darkness of night and landed in Reykjavik on the red eye.  Took this photo from the plane (one of many plane pics taken over the trip) as we took off.  Traded the glow of busy Toronto and for the peaceful calm of Iceland and the charm and style of Copenhagen.

I'm exhausted as it is now close to 6:00 am Copenhagen time.  Off to sleep, but will post some pics from our trip tomorrow!  Get ready for an onslaught of photos in the days to come as I took many... as in hundreds.

Doodles!

Had fun doodling on paper lanterns for a home decor project for KK.  Dug out the old gouache set! I can't wait to see them lit up in her gorgeous home!  Hope you had a nice weekend!

Nuit Blanche at Made You Look

Can't believe the annual all night art event, Nuit Blanche has rolled around again!  Here's a massive necklace I put together for the installation at Made You Look.  It's over 2 feet long and made for a larger than life being.  I enjoyed crafting with glitter!  You should see some of the other amazing pieces that some of the other designers made!  Check 'em out if you are in Parkdale.  Enjoy this night!