Iceland - part 3
It is with a heavy heart that I write this final installment in the Iceland adventure. My husband's mother, LaurieAnn Powell, went to be with the Lord on February 11th, after living with cancer for the past two years.
The memories with her from this trip are extra special, and this post is dedicated to her joyful light and memory.
Day 5: South Coast Tour
This tour included stops at landmark waterfalls, the southernmost town of Vík, and the iconic black sand beach. I was especially excited to visit the beach, even in the winter, and I was not disappointed - it is stunning! I would love to go back in the summer and have a proper goth-on-the-beach-day.... But I'm getting ahead of myself.
Seljalandsfoss waterfall is one where you can typically walk behind it, all the way around, but given the extremely icy state of the water's edge, it was not allowed this time of year. Walking up as close as I could to this waterfall was the time I was most thankful for having crampons (ice cleats) to keep me from falling on my butt. However, when Ben took one crampon off of his shoes to share with his sister, he and her boyfriend ended up slipping down a fun little ice-slide together. Hot chocolate was sacrificed on the way down but they managed to keep Becka's camera safe!
Next on the itinerary was Skógafoss waterfall, where we had the opportunity to climb up an intimidating amount of stairs (which included scaling some iced-over parts) in order to get a breathtaking view from the top.
The waterfalls were incredible, but I was so eager to go to the black sand beach on the southernmost coast of Vík! You may remember from a previous post that beaches are not usually my happy place, but I quite liked this one. It was freezing, so we certainly didn't go swimming but walking along the beach in my winter boots was a good time. Ben and I did get splashed by a sneaker wave, fully soaked up to our hips, but after peeling off our overpants and buying slippers at the next visitor center, it still wasn't the worst time I've had at a beach.
Before leaving Vík, we drove up to the church where we took the family photo seen at the top of this post, and got a bird's eye view of the town and the sandy black coast where we'd been just minutes before.
Also on the ride to/from Vík, we were able to see the Eyjafjallajökull volcano, which last erupted in 2010. Our guide Siggy told us about the eruption's local and continent-wide impact, as it disrupted everything from local life to air travel across Europe for months. I don't remember hearing anything about this eruption when it happened, so it was really interesting to learn about while I was there.
Once we got back to Reykjavik for the evening, Ben and I set out to explore the city at night and visit the Punk Museum, which was allegedly open until 10pm... Unfortunately, the open times listed on the map were not accurate, and we got there well after they had actually closed for the day. But we still admired the museum's literal hole-in-the-ground entrance, and enjoyed a cool night walk through the city. We also got some Greek doughnut holes that were mind-numbingly sweet in the best way.
Day 6: Geothermal fields and the Blue Lagoon!
The highlight of this final day in Iceland was the iconic Blue Lagoon spa experience! But first, we had a few more lovely stops along the way...
We saw geothermal fields in the Reykjanes Peninsula, and the Bridge Between Two Continents - where the North American and Eurasian plates split apart. While I thought that most of Iceland looked like the moon, with dark and rocky terrain, Reykjanes looks more like the rust-red terrain of Mars. It was quite a stark contrast to the area around Geysir we'd seen a few days prior!
On our way to the Gunnuhver hot spring, we learned the story of the poltergeist Gunna, for whom the geyser is named. The legend goes that after her death, she killed a man who she had wronged her in life, and after taking her revenge, her restless spirit continued to violently attack people and livestock in the area. A local priest was eventually able to trap Gunna's ghost in the geyser in effort to stop her attacks. And now she lurks at the edges of the hot spring...
And finally on the itinerary, we spent the afternoon in the Blue Lagoon! This was an incredible experience, and absolutely a tourist attraction worth indulging in.
Despite the barely-above-freezing temperature outside, the lagoon waters are perfectly warm. The mineral quality of the waters made me feel quite buoyant... We enjoyed the lagoon for a couple hours, and once I got out of the water I was surprised by gravity! Around the borders of the Blue Lagoon, there are a few sauna and steam rooms. I tried them both, but honestly was not a big fan of the thick steamy air. I only lasted a few minutes before returning to the main pool area.
Within the lagoon, there is a facemask bar and a separate refreshments bar. Our admission included three masks and one complimentary drink, and I gotta say - nothing I've ever done before in my life has felt as bougie as floating in the lagoon with a silica mask on my face and a glass of strawberry wine in my hand. 10/10, highly recommend.
Autism/Sensory Friendly Considerations final thoughts:
--> Overall, my biggest piece of advice for autistic travelers (or travelers in general with temperature-related regulatory/sensory issues) is to pack a variety of clothes to layer with when going to a particularly cold destination. I packed everything from tank tops and leggings to insulated pants and a parka. With those options, I generally felt very comfortable being able to remove or add layers as-needed while transitioning from the cozy hotel, to the cold outdoors, to the warm van, and to shops of varying indoor temperatures.
--> Blue Lagoon: my main advice to visitors with autism or anxiety is to review the process for entering and exiting the lagoon. I was grateful that the travel agent who worked with our family included such detailed information in our travel packet, and our tour guide reiterated key points on the drive there. I felt confident knowing what to expect, and while I still got a bit overwhelmed when set loose in the locker room, it was quite manageable.
more Blue Lagoon info
That concludes my posts about Iceland! This was a super special trip for many reasons, and I hope you enjoyed reading about it. Not only is it a country I'd been wanting to visit for a while, but it was also the first time I met most of Ben's siblings in-person. After joining in on many family Discord calls, it was wonderful to see everyone together, and a great blessing to have LaurieAnn able to travel and enjoy the trip as well.
as always, take care of yourself <3
and remember to give your loved ones an extra hug
~Heather
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