The Wohlgemuth's who live in Reykjavík go swimming everyday for their exercise but their pool is closed this week so they asked us if we would like to go to the Blue Lagoon today. After teaching a lesson this morning we drove to Reykjavík and picked them us. We had a nice surprise when we went to pay. The cashier asked if we live in Iceland (which he could tell as we used our Icelandic bankcard to pay). He then said it is 2 for the price of 1 today. We later learned they are sending coupons to Icelanders for the 2 for 1 price. With the current exchange rate the cost was $19 for the two of us. We spent about 3 hours soaking in a variety of temperatures of water from cool to extremely hot. I tried the sauna but it was too hot for me and I went back to the hottest water where my head was freezing. The temperature was minus 2 with winds strong enough to keep the flag flying straight out so you can imagine the need to keep dunking my head under the water. Now for the miracle. With the low air temperature and the high water temperature my glasses kept fogging and then after many times of dunking them they got a film on them that I could not see through. I ended up pushing them up over my forehead. We had moved from one area where we had been sitting with our heads just above the water to where we were walking in about 4 inches of white silica mud on the bottom and just keeping our heads just above the water. To get my head warm I was floating around on my back. I reached up on my head and my glasses were gone. Now think about this scene. We have been moving around in water up to our necks, the bottom is 4 inches deep silica mud and the water is a milky blue white and salty. You can´t go under to look and you can´t see an inch into the water. We started feeling with our feet and I thought this is a waste of time. I have no idea where they came off and look how much area we have to look blindly through with our feet. Eileen quickly came to the rescue and said let's say a pray and ask Heavenly Father to help us find the glasses. About 5 minutes later Elder Wohlgemuth pulled my glasses out of the water. I said how did you find them and he said I just felt them with my feet. A miracle - yes, I don´t believe there is any other way we could have found them.
About the pictures, if we had tried to take pictures you would just see steam blowing. You could not see more than 20 feet at the most and most of the time much less as the steam was blowing across the water blocking sight of the facility.
7 comments:
That is so pretty. I can't believe they charge for it. After all, it is just "industrial waste." Do they have facilities?
Yes it is industrial waste but you have to pay for the nice facilities. They use a wristband that lets you in, locks and unlocks your locker, and allows you to charge food and beverages. When you leave you put your wristband in a container which if you have paid your bill unlocks the gate to let you out. If you have not paid your bill or if you locked your locker when leaving you can not get out until you pay and/or go back and unlock the locker. Mom and I both feel that once was enough though.
I cannot wait to go this summer. It does look beautiful. How does your skin feel.
um what kind of industrial waste are you swimming in?????
It seems silly sometimes, but we pray for the "little things" and Heavenly Father answers them. We just need to remember to thank him always. what a neat story.
Those Photos are amazing and it sounded so relaxing...
It is waste water from a geo thermal heating plant. It was too hot when it came straight out of the ground for anyone to swim in it, but they added sea water to it to cool it down. So it is basically run off from the under ground hot pots that is used to heat water that goes to the city. I am not sure if I can go home to a shower that doesn´t smell like rotten eggs, I will think I have no hot water. Pleasant way to spend a very cold, windy, afternoon! Good friends and hot water! Tough life but someone has to do it!
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