It’s nearly 8am as I take my first steps into the warm, opaque waters of the Blue Lagoon. Getting off the plane at Keflavik Airport at 4:30am has left me in an exhausted state. After a strong coffee and nearly a hundred dollars dropped on booze for our upcoming Ring Road trip at the Duty Free shop, we board the first bus to Iceland’s most famous hot springs, The Blue Lagoon.
The combination of the crisp air and the warm water is bringing me back. I’ve only been in the soothing waters for a matter of minutes when my eyes wander as I take in the surroundings, landing on another hot spring dweller with a drink in hand. My curiosity is piqued and I continue to survey the huge complex, which is made up of interconnecting pools, until I notice the swim up bar. As we wade on over, I notice more and more Blue Lagooners attempting to swim gracefully while holding a beverage, most common being sparkling wine, though that’s not what I’m in the mood for.
As we make our approach, I contemplate whether 8am is too early for beer. I know the answer is of course no, especially as I’m on vacation, and besides, its 3am back home – the perfect time for an end of night beer. We order up two Gulls, an easy drinking lager from one of Iceland’s commercial breweries. It tastes refreshing and goes down cold, a pleasant contrast to the warm water I’m immersed in. We find an isolated ledge to lean up on and enjoy our beers, while the clouds suddenly begin to clear and the sun beams down on us.
As we board the bus to take us into Reykjavik a couple of hours later, I am content. The combination of the hot springs, jet lag, and beer has made me unbelievably calm, though once the bus gets going I’m fighting off sleep. As I finally give in and let my eyes close, I’m convinced that there couldn’t have been a more perfect start to our time in Iceland, which gives me confidence that the rest of our time here will be just as good.
