The most popular tourist attraction in Iceland is the Blue Lagoon. I had heard and read about it, and decided it was a "must see" on our visit. Because we were only scheduled to be in port until 1:00 PM on our second day in Reykjavik, I decided not to take the chance on independent arrangements and had booked the HAL "Bathing in the Blue Lagoon" tour. We didn't leave on the tour until 9:00 AM and it was scheduled to get back at the "all aboard" time of 12:30 PM. Since it was a HAL tour, we didn't have to worry about being late.

It was a beautiful sunny day with temperatures in the 50's when we left the ship . It was about a 40 minute drive to the Blue Lagoon and on the way our tour guide did an excellent job of describing what we were seeing as well as talking about life in Iceland. In reality, it was much more than I expected and was a nice way to fill the time on the bus. Before we arrived at the Blue Lagoon, we could see the geothermal power plant that created it. The power plant creates electricity from geothermal steam driven turbines and they dumped the condensed water from the process onto the lava field next to the plant. At first the water just filtered through the porous lava rock back into the ground, but over time the minerals in the water filled the pores in the rock and a lagoon formed. The water in the lagoon is cloudy, filled with fine mineral particles (similar to glacial waters) and is a blue-green color. People thought that because the water came from the plant, it was bad and the lagoon was originally called the "Poison Pond". Its therapeutic properties were discovered by a man with psoriasis whose skin improved dramatically when he bathed in the lagoon . Now people come from around the world to bathe in the waters and slather themselves with the white mineral mud. There is also a whole line of Blue Lagoon mineral skin products you can buy and a spa hotel on the property.

When we got to the lagoon complex we were given electronic bracelets that allowed us in and gave us the ability to lock a locker. Karl and I were directed to the separate men's and women's locker rooms. I found an empty locker for my bag and clothes, and after a few tries, figured out how to lock it with the bracelet. After the required shower, I headed out to find Karl and try the warm waters of the lagoon. Karl arrived outside about the same time as I did and we entered the water together. The bottom of the lagoon is natural lava rock and sand and was not always easy to walk on. I had brought a T-shirt to protect me from sunburn, but it really wasn't needed. You just needed to keep as much as possible below the surface of the very cloudy water and you wouldn't get a burn . The water was wonderfully warm and got warmer if you neared the area where it came in. There were big boxes of white mineral mud and Karl and I both slathered our faces (it made a great sunscreen). We got to spend about 90 minutes in the water -- and the time really went fast. After rinsing off the mud in the lagoon, we showered and dressed in the locker room and went outside. A few people were late getting back to the bus, so we were a few minutes late getting back to the ship.

The ship left the dock just after 1:00 PM while we were eating a late lunch, and we were on our way to Djupivogur, a small village on the east coast of Iceland. As we sailed, the weather began to deteriorate and the captain gave all of his standard safety warnings. All that fresh air and warm water had tired me out, so both Karl and I took an afternoon nap. We had dinner in the Lido again because of our late lunch and then went to the show, an ABBA tribute band. I enjoyed the familiar music, but Karl had trouble staying awake. I think we were both still feeling the effects of our outing to the lagoon -- and we went to bed shortly after the show.