I am very horrified to read about the downfall of iceland's economy. I feel it may make Iceland a hard place to travel, if it cannot afford to take in tourists. I loved my visit, and plan to update my thoughts and worried about the situation in Iceland.
Is traveling to Iceland still a good option for your vacation? Will Iceland even exist in the next decade?
I truly hope so.
Friday, December 26, 2008
Saturday, September 20, 2008
The Blue Lagoon
One of the most popular tourist attraction is the blue lagoon naturally heated pools. The waters is bright blue, surrounded by lava rocks. At the bottom is this blue mud, which is good for exfoliation, and sold all over the world. Since the temperature is typically very chilly, it is especially unique to be in a very hot sulfur bath while any part of your body that is above the water is extremely cold.
It was highly suggested that you visit this site on your way to the airport, because it is so relaxing that you basically melt on the plan ride home. Our plan was ruined by the fact we had the worst flight back into America that we have ever had. The very back seat, next to the bathroom, with a violently ill child, creating a line that lasted the entire trip. Not to mention 50 million other problems.
However, this post is about the Blue Lagoon, which was amazing. It rivaled the horseback riding Lava Tour as the best experience of the entire trip. We have approximately two hours to enjoy the pools, and even though we thought it was not going to be enough, it was just about a perfect amount of time. You can indulge yourself in massage services or saunas which we skipped due to time, and did not browse the food or the shop, due to time.
The one thing that I really enjoyed about this natural pool, was the uneven lava surface, which if you move too quickly can be very sharp and dangerous. I hit my shin a few times trying to wade through water too quickly. The space is hidden among the vast lava landscape, and absolutely beautiful to behold. The water varies in heat depending where you stand, and how much thermal heat happens to be omitted at that particular time. Sometimes you will wade into almost unbearable hot locations, and other times the water is absolutely perfect. It is always fluxuating which creates a very calming sensation on the body. The hot steam that pours out of some man made ventilation tubes allows for you to keep warm in the cold wind provided you pick the right spot to swim. The blue lagoon waters are supposed to help the skin, respiratory system, arthritis, nervous system and emotional stress. I think anyone the visits should enjoy this tourist attraction, as even the locals come here often to bask in the natural resource. It is rumored to be a fountain of youth.
Now enjoy some pictures of the blue lagoon and pictures of us in the blue lagoon:
Kelsey and myself, with blue mud on our faces. We found out during the preperation for this picture, that the mud on the ground, which feels great on the face, is also completely filthy with human hair from the thousands of people the visit each week. blue mud and human hair! Keep in mind they do have blue exfoliation mud (without the hair) available on the other side of the lagoon.
Before the mud. Surrounded by the natural steam. Which smells slightly like eggs, which I actually began to really enjoy by the time we left.
Now we are holding the hairy mud up for you to see. Keep in mind our heads, shoulders and hands were FREEZING cold in the brisk wind, while nipples down we were steaming hot!
A picture of the blue water, surround by the black lava rocks. This was the other lagoons surrounding the main attraction. You were not allowed on those lagoons. I imagine it has to do with temperature control.
The water is also allowed to run into the building. The water is connected to the lagoon. This indoor portion is for people with hadicaps, small kids, walkers or other immobilities. Or people extremely sensitive to the cold air.
This is the view from the Men's changing room window. If you notice the steam on the upper left, that is where we were taking the pictures with mud above. You start at the bottom right of this picture and wade under the bridge and out into the rest of the lagoon. There is a snake like maze of water, and free blue mud for your skin off to the left (which you cannot see).
It was highly suggested that you visit this site on your way to the airport, because it is so relaxing that you basically melt on the plan ride home. Our plan was ruined by the fact we had the worst flight back into America that we have ever had. The very back seat, next to the bathroom, with a violently ill child, creating a line that lasted the entire trip. Not to mention 50 million other problems.
However, this post is about the Blue Lagoon, which was amazing. It rivaled the horseback riding Lava Tour as the best experience of the entire trip. We have approximately two hours to enjoy the pools, and even though we thought it was not going to be enough, it was just about a perfect amount of time. You can indulge yourself in massage services or saunas which we skipped due to time, and did not browse the food or the shop, due to time.
The one thing that I really enjoyed about this natural pool, was the uneven lava surface, which if you move too quickly can be very sharp and dangerous. I hit my shin a few times trying to wade through water too quickly. The space is hidden among the vast lava landscape, and absolutely beautiful to behold. The water varies in heat depending where you stand, and how much thermal heat happens to be omitted at that particular time. Sometimes you will wade into almost unbearable hot locations, and other times the water is absolutely perfect. It is always fluxuating which creates a very calming sensation on the body. The hot steam that pours out of some man made ventilation tubes allows for you to keep warm in the cold wind provided you pick the right spot to swim. The blue lagoon waters are supposed to help the skin, respiratory system, arthritis, nervous system and emotional stress. I think anyone the visits should enjoy this tourist attraction, as even the locals come here often to bask in the natural resource. It is rumored to be a fountain of youth.
Now enjoy some pictures of the blue lagoon and pictures of us in the blue lagoon:
Kelsey and myself, with blue mud on our faces. We found out during the preperation for this picture, that the mud on the ground, which feels great on the face, is also completely filthy with human hair from the thousands of people the visit each week. blue mud and human hair! Keep in mind they do have blue exfoliation mud (without the hair) available on the other side of the lagoon.
Before the mud. Surrounded by the natural steam. Which smells slightly like eggs, which I actually began to really enjoy by the time we left. 
Now we are holding the hairy mud up for you to see. Keep in mind our heads, shoulders and hands were FREEZING cold in the brisk wind, while nipples down we were steaming hot!
A picture of the blue water, surround by the black lava rocks. This was the other lagoons surrounding the main attraction. You were not allowed on those lagoons. I imagine it has to do with temperature control.
The water is also allowed to run into the building. The water is connected to the lagoon. This indoor portion is for people with hadicaps, small kids, walkers or other immobilities. Or people extremely sensitive to the cold air. 
This is the view from the Men's changing room window. If you notice the steam on the upper left, that is where we were taking the pictures with mud above. You start at the bottom right of this picture and wade under the bridge and out into the rest of the lagoon. There is a snake like maze of water, and free blue mud for your skin off to the left (which you cannot see).Make sure to see my other posts to learn more about our 4 day Iceland weekend.
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Flushing in Iceland is weird
How to Flush
The very last day, only an hour before we got on the plane to return to Minnesota I snapped this picture while at the Blue Lagoon resort (which was awesome by the way). All the bathrooms in Iceland are odd, simply because of the toilets flushing system.
In the picture above, do you see the shiny rectangle? That is the flusher. You press in the panel and it flushes. While this one only has one panel, most have two. One for going number 1, and one for going number 2. This is not labeled, and the first time both Kelsey and myself ran across this in the guesthouse we were both slightly baffled. We could not find a flusher level anywhere.
Less Water
I stood there and checked all over before realizing i needed to press the rectangle. The toilets also consume a lot less water and therefore there is no american swooshing noise. Simply some trickling of water and that is the end of it. I would compare the toilets to a better designed airplane toilet as far as how it opperates. Personally, I began to relaly enjoy the system and think America should use less water in their toilets as well.
Egg Water
One other IMPORTANT note is the hot water. DO NOT DRINK IT. I made this mistake in the bathroom of the first bus stop, and my water tasted like eggs. All the hot water in iceland is heated by geothermal energy from lava flows under the surface, therefore sulfer is in the hot water. The sulfer tastes exactly like eggs, this is also how the geysers smell both in Iceland and in Yellowstone National Park in America. Geothermal heating is how almost all water is heated in Iceland. The hot water tastes terrible and smells bad too. It works great for washing your hands though, becuase the smell does not linger and saved the country tons of energy. If you want hot tea or anything using hot water, use cold and microwave it.
My other websites
I currently run a number of blogs and websites:
William Hessian Art
The artworks, art projects and art videos of Minneapolis artist William Hessian. Featuring miniature art treasure hunts, bearded bunnies, creature illustrations and short art videos.
Bearded Bunny Art Blog
An art blog featuring art & artists based in Minneapolis. Featuring art battles, miniature art hunts, art videos, and features brand new bearded bunny illustrations.
Zombie Robot Frosting
Immortality, health and technology. Reviewing health products, natural energy drinks, root beer, researching immortality, life extension, solar panels, green energy, anti corporations and politics.
Blog Blog Cherry
A blog written to chronicle my blogging experiences. Listing blog strategies, what works and doesn't work and shows actual figures of how much money I make blogging each month.
Billy and the Old Man
Custom automotive airbrushing in Minnetonka, Minnesota. We turn your ideas into a reality. Motorcycles, helmets and more.
William Hessian Art
The artworks, art projects and art videos of Minneapolis artist William Hessian. Featuring miniature art treasure hunts, bearded bunnies, creature illustrations and short art videos.
Bearded Bunny Art Blog
An art blog featuring art & artists based in Minneapolis. Featuring art battles, miniature art hunts, art videos, and features brand new bearded bunny illustrations.
Zombie Robot Frosting
Immortality, health and technology. Reviewing health products, natural energy drinks, root beer, researching immortality, life extension, solar panels, green energy, anti corporations and politics.
Blog Blog Cherry
A blog written to chronicle my blogging experiences. Listing blog strategies, what works and doesn't work and shows actual figures of how much money I make blogging each month.
Billy and the Old Man
Custom automotive airbrushing in Minnetonka, Minnesota. We turn your ideas into a reality. Motorcycles, helmets and more.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Lava Tour (exact price)
Reykjavik Excursions offer many great tours, of which we took three. The lava tour was a Icelandic Horseback Trip, and it was great.
Cost for two tickets
IKR (icelandic kroner cost): 11.800
US (american dollar): $143.16
Averaging about $71.50 per person
We took a bus from Reykjavik, which actually picked us, and others, up at their hotel or guesthouse doors and took us to Ishetar, approximately 25 minutes away. Here there was a stable with 20-30 horses (see past blogs for more pictures of this trip). The leader was a younger girl in her 20s who was very knowledgable and seemed to really love her job, and another helper who was also very helpful.
They give you the cool blue jump suits (you can see me wearing one above) which helps not only with looking cool, but also keeping us warm. The wind is very brisk, even with large coats and multiple layers, so it was nice to get another thick layer. This trip was great for new riders, like myself, as the horses are mild tempered, calm ever, and short and stubby. I really liked my horse, but forgot his name as it was unpronounceably icelandic.
The actual ride was a little more than 90 minutes and we spent the time trotting through lava fields with a group of 12-15 people. We got to dismount once in the middle to let the horses graze and learn a little about the landscape and the horses from the guide. Kelsey and myself had a good time afterwards mingling with all the horses in the stables before they shooed us away and into the little cafe. We thought about adding the meal to our trip, which was an additional 10 US dollar. We were glad we just brought snacks when we found out the meal was a very curious soup and fish. Although, I bet the fish was very tasty. It was also out of our very limited budget to toss in an expensive meal.
The most notable parts of the ride where the stubby and long haired horses personalities. The most exciting part of the ride was when we cross a very shallow stream and one horse did not want to get wet and actually began jumping through the water scaring the bejeezus out of the inexperienced rider. The most relaxing part of the ride was when I figured out I need to use my leg muscles to straddle the horse tighter and stop letting my butt take such abuse, I was sore.... bad form. The most stylish was Kelsey and me looking at ourselves in our attractive full body blue uniforms with helmets and random gloves. The most challenging part of the trip was after I saw the first time rider a head of me riding one handed to take a picture while riding; this inspired me to do the same thing and I'm glad I did as I took some really neat pictures while on horseback even though it was difficult and I thought I was going to drop my camera.
The Lava Tour is listed on Iceland Today's top ten trips in Iceland and amazingly we took trips #1, #2, and #3 on the list. The Lava Tour was listed as number 3, and while I would probably agree with its placement, Kelsey and myself still agreed it may have been the most enjoyable and fun tour of the Iceland Trip. Keep in mind we only visited Iceland for 4 days and three nights. So our time was very limited.
Check back soon for another post. If you have any further questions about this tour feel free to ask.
Cost for two tickets
IKR (icelandic kroner cost): 11.800
US (american dollar): $143.16
Averaging about $71.50 per person
We took a bus from Reykjavik, which actually picked us, and others, up at their hotel or guesthouse doors and took us to Ishetar, approximately 25 minutes away. Here there was a stable with 20-30 horses (see past blogs for more pictures of this trip). The leader was a younger girl in her 20s who was very knowledgable and seemed to really love her job, and another helper who was also very helpful.
They give you the cool blue jump suits (you can see me wearing one above) which helps not only with looking cool, but also keeping us warm. The wind is very brisk, even with large coats and multiple layers, so it was nice to get another thick layer. This trip was great for new riders, like myself, as the horses are mild tempered, calm ever, and short and stubby. I really liked my horse, but forgot his name as it was unpronounceably icelandic.
The actual ride was a little more than 90 minutes and we spent the time trotting through lava fields with a group of 12-15 people. We got to dismount once in the middle to let the horses graze and learn a little about the landscape and the horses from the guide. Kelsey and myself had a good time afterwards mingling with all the horses in the stables before they shooed us away and into the little cafe. We thought about adding the meal to our trip, which was an additional 10 US dollar. We were glad we just brought snacks when we found out the meal was a very curious soup and fish. Although, I bet the fish was very tasty. It was also out of our very limited budget to toss in an expensive meal.
The most notable parts of the ride where the stubby and long haired horses personalities. The most exciting part of the ride was when we cross a very shallow stream and one horse did not want to get wet and actually began jumping through the water scaring the bejeezus out of the inexperienced rider. The most relaxing part of the ride was when I figured out I need to use my leg muscles to straddle the horse tighter and stop letting my butt take such abuse, I was sore.... bad form. The most stylish was Kelsey and me looking at ourselves in our attractive full body blue uniforms with helmets and random gloves. The most challenging part of the trip was after I saw the first time rider a head of me riding one handed to take a picture while riding; this inspired me to do the same thing and I'm glad I did as I took some really neat pictures while on horseback even though it was difficult and I thought I was going to drop my camera.
The Lava Tour is listed on Iceland Today's top ten trips in Iceland and amazingly we took trips #1, #2, and #3 on the list. The Lava Tour was listed as number 3, and while I would probably agree with its placement, Kelsey and myself still agreed it may have been the most enjoyable and fun tour of the Iceland Trip. Keep in mind we only visited Iceland for 4 days and three nights. So our time was very limited.
Check back soon for another post. If you have any further questions about this tour feel free to ask.
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Geyser war!
Kelsey and myself have now seen Old Faithful and other geysers in Yellowstone's National Park. We can compare these american geysers to the Icelandic Geysers we saw only a few months ago.
I will post duelling videos and let you decide which Geyser is more impressive.
I will tell you right now that in Iceland you can get a lot closer to the geyser's and you can literal feel the water coming down. In Yellowstone you are kept quite a distance away from the actual explosion, but in Yellowstone the geysers last a lot longer.
Since Iceland was my first experience with a geyser I might be a little biased towards how amazing it was to see. We did see a film crew for the Discovery Channel filming a documentary about these natural wonders. Anytime a hole in the rocks you are standing on shoots boiling hot water 25-30 feet into the sky, you must give respect to power of this great earth.
Check back soon to see my Geyser comparisons.
I will post duelling videos and let you decide which Geyser is more impressive.
I will tell you right now that in Iceland you can get a lot closer to the geyser's and you can literal feel the water coming down. In Yellowstone you are kept quite a distance away from the actual explosion, but in Yellowstone the geysers last a lot longer.
Since Iceland was my first experience with a geyser I might be a little biased towards how amazing it was to see. We did see a film crew for the Discovery Channel filming a documentary about these natural wonders. Anytime a hole in the rocks you are standing on shoots boiling hot water 25-30 feet into the sky, you must give respect to power of this great earth.
Check back soon to see my Geyser comparisons.
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Iceland Geyser videos
geyser going off:
geyser breathing:
these are especially amazing to see live, as the bundled up mixture of tourists scream hoot and hollar in their own languages as the geysers shoot into the air. it is actually quite an experience.
we took 13 videos of the geysers 'breathing' before finally catching the video at the top. we also caught one mid-blow, but it is not as impressive as the first video. the geysers are extremely hot, but the wind was quite chilly. i remember my hands being very cold while i tried to film this.
but VERY worth it.
geyser breathing:
these are especially amazing to see live, as the bundled up mixture of tourists scream hoot and hollar in their own languages as the geysers shoot into the air. it is actually quite an experience.
we took 13 videos of the geysers 'breathing' before finally catching the video at the top. we also caught one mid-blow, but it is not as impressive as the first video. the geysers are extremely hot, but the wind was quite chilly. i remember my hands being very cold while i tried to film this.
but VERY worth it.
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Iceland photos
so it has been hard to find time to get all the amazing Iceland info up on the blog. I've had less time than planned due to my art as treasure art tour. This will be spanning the next 5 weeks of my life and therefore I will be posting any feature posts from coffee shops across america.
if you want to see all of our videos and photos from Iceland (not all but most), you can find at JumpCut... www.jumpcut.com/billyjay. You might need to start an account to view them....I am not sure. Hopefully not.
You can get a good idea of what kind of awesome Iceland posts I will be doing, with the help of my awesome girlfriend Kelsey. We've got some amazing information to pass on to future Iceland travellers. We managed to visit Iceland for about $1200 each (4 days/3 nights).
Hope you will visit back soon!
William
if you want to see all of our videos and photos from Iceland (not all but most), you can find at JumpCut... www.jumpcut.com/billyjay. You might need to start an account to view them....I am not sure. Hopefully not.
You can get a good idea of what kind of awesome Iceland posts I will be doing, with the help of my awesome girlfriend Kelsey. We've got some amazing information to pass on to future Iceland travellers. We managed to visit Iceland for about $1200 each (4 days/3 nights).
Hope you will visit back soon!
William
Friday, May 30, 2008
Icelandic Horses (part 1)
Our third day in Iceland we took a Reykjavik Excursions horsebike riding tour. This was a lava walk, for beginners-expert horseback riders. I myself had never ridden before, and was moderately terrified. Kelsey has a little riding experience in America and therefore was less nervous about the ride.
The bus picked us up at our guest house and took us 25 minutes to a horse ranch, where we were prepped for the ride. We got to wear these spiffy blue jump suits and nifty hats and gloves. It was rather chilly, so it was very delightful to have another layer beyond what we wore. They gave us each horses depending on our level of experience. My horse, whose name I could not pronounce and therefore cannot remember, was great! Very mild tempered and calm.
Icelandic horses are very short and a bit thick, I would consider them to be inbetween a pony and an american horse. The Icelandic Horses also have a lot of hair, and are typically a lot less fussy than American horse (this information was provided by our guide).
We were on horseback on a 45 minute trail over a volcanic landscape, much like the landscape we were introduced to immediately after stepping foot from the airport. The footing was very rocky and the horses would frequently stumble or lose their footing.
I hope you will enjoy these photos, I will upload more pictures to Icelandic Horses part 2 and tell you my overall feelings about the ride and horses in Icleand.
Friday, May 23, 2008
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Iceland Teaser
Here's a small sample of the pictures and Iceland locales that I will be blogging about:
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
The Goal of the Icelandic Puffin Blog
My girlfriend and myself recently went on a four day, three night vacation to Iceland. We had such a good time on our trip, that we feel it is important to start a blog to express what a fun place Iceland is to visit. In this blog I will be writing posts, posting pictures, movies and giving reviews about:
Icelanic Air
Icelandic Food
Icelandic Horse Riding
Reykjavik
Reykjavik Excursions
Blue Lagoon
Geysers
Gulfoss Waterfalls
Hiking
Cost of Travelling
Icelandic Nature
Icelandic Animals
Icelandic Weather
Icelandic Guesthouses
Sight Seeing
Landmarks
and much more
I will explain exactly how much our trip cost, what mistakes we made, talk about the people we ran into and every other tidbit of information that can help you if you plan to visit Iceland, or help you decide whether or not to go.
Icelanic Air
Icelandic Food
Icelandic Horse Riding
Reykjavik
Reykjavik Excursions
Blue Lagoon
Geysers
Gulfoss Waterfalls
Hiking
Cost of Travelling
Icelandic Nature
Icelandic Animals
Icelandic Weather
Icelandic Guesthouses
Sight Seeing
Landmarks
and much more
I will explain exactly how much our trip cost, what mistakes we made, talk about the people we ran into and every other tidbit of information that can help you if you plan to visit Iceland, or help you decide whether or not to go.
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