Iceland: The Blue Lagoon

 Here was what was supposed to happen:

Wake at a reasonable hour, breakfast at the hotel, meander a bit and then catch a shuttle to the Blue Lagoon for the afternoon. 

Here is what actually happened: 

Woke after sleeping darn near 10 hours - too late to get breakfast at the hotel - found breakfast at a cafe nearby instead then rushed back in time to catch the shuttle to the Blue Lagoon. 

Outside the "lagoon" was an extraterrestrial looking landscape. Volcanic rocks, all jaggedy, black and porous were piled up leaving holes and crevices. Covered in moss and a handful of other precious low-growing plants, they were really quite stunning. Little black pathways wound through the area, allowing us to walk around ponds. 

Inside the Lagoon building, the fun began. I was fully unequipped to deal with the complex protocols in place to visit the Blue Lagoon, even after a full nights sleep, apparently. 

I'll preface this by saying that I think if our package had included robes and slippers, it might have gone better for me. 

1. Check in and be given a bracelet that is assigned to just you.

2. Go to ladies changing room, put on bathing suit. 

3. Use said bracelet to pick a locker then code it to your bracelet... pressing the bracelet against locking pad (everyone uses the same locking pad and it seems to know which door you just closed on your stuff.)

4. Turn your back on the locker to find it springs open and then take lessons from scantily clad sisters as to how to properly use one's bracelet to lock a locker... and how to stop it from falling off your arm too.

5. Enter the shower area and follow directions to take a shower without a bathing suit on. Then put the bathing suit back on!

6. Go out to the pool area and walk PAST the guy giving out towels because you are not entitled to one until you are done in the pool and on the way back to the shower room. (Hence my longing for a robe, which most other people seemed to have.)

7. It's 32 F outside, so there is no "meeting your friend" before entering the hot pool. You just get your wet body in there and hope to run into them while navigating the steaming pool.

8. The entrance ticket comes with a free drink and a silica mud mask. We opted for the drink first and despite the alcoholic and soda-type options, went for the green smoothie. It didn't disappoint.

9. The mask. Thankfully, as a couple we were able to apply this to each other. Its a smooth paste that dehydrates into sticky lumps pretty quickly. And it's super salty to the taste which in effect renders a person temporarily blind if it inadvertently gets into eyes too. (Ask me how I know?!)

We wallowed for a couple of hours and called it good. I was one very relaxed prune around the time I headed back to the locker - finally able to get a towel - retrieved my phone and braved the temps once again to sneak a couple of pics before showering. 

Exiting the Lagoon Complex is not as easy as it sounds.... Or maybe it is, for other people. But for me it was just as challenging as all the other techie-whiz-bang bracelet-related activities I had experienced that day. As I tried to just walk out, I realized that the door was locked. Until one scans one's bracelet at a machine further back and confirms no additional purchases have been charged to it and not paid, one's bracelet will not open the exit door. But wait, there's more; Once the additional charges have been taken care of, the bracelet is accepted into a little port that opens at the door, it is captured (for recycling to the next guest, I imagine) and only then, the door opens and you can exit. 

Despite my hiccups, this was a pretty nice way to spend an afternoon and perhaps the only sunny afternoon we would experience this week in Iceland. 

We were booked to revisit the Northern Lights again tonight but as the sun set, the clouds moved in and they cancelled our trip due to "unfavorable conditions". So Mark and I headed into Reykjavik, found a top-notch restaurant and ate what I would call the best Fish n Chips of my life before wandering back to the hotel to play cards, drink wine and end the night with an old Tom Cruise movie. 

What?! That is what vacation is really about. Relaxing, spending quality time together and feeling guilty about nothing.

Iceland: Direct from Denver!

 Icelandair flies direct from Denver to Reykjavik these days. 7 short hours... unless you count the bus to the airport, meandering through TSA, perusing the stores for all sorts of things I don't need while the plane is being sanitized and the transit time from the airport to the hotel in Iceland. I don't count any of it, which is why I'm confused and tired when we finally arrive! However, I do have pics to remind myself later.

Goodbye Boulder! See you next week.

Spare hair, in case one needs it for the flight, vacation or life in general. I declined. Saving my money for other things, obviously.

Nope, wasn't saving my money for this either. 

A beautiful evening to fly turned into a beautiful evening. We were blessed to witness an AMAZING Northern Lights display from the plane for about an hour somewhere over the far north of Canada. Some folks on the left side of the plane got earlier and brighter shows... and were actually able to take pics with cellphones! They let us briefly lean over their seats to see it, then it was back to the right side of the plane for us. Later, I got a couple of fuzzy, under-exposed pics, but they moved so quickly... like dancing clouds and the best way to witness this was actually with the naked eye.

We landed at 6am, which was midnight at home. 

Was an early check-in meant to be? Alas no. At 8:30 it was still pretty pitch black and owing to sleep deprivation, it was getting harder and harder to tell it was morning or night too. In either case, without a room to recover in, we decided to brave the cold drizzle and made our way along the seaside path, to downtown Reykjavik to explore and eat and pass some time. 

New friends were made. 

Eyes were opened... 

This churchly beauty was constructed over space and time between the end of WWII and the 80's. It is said to be of Icelandic architectural style and symbolic of a geyser. Located at the highest point in Reykjavik and being the tallest thing around, it is also easily seen from almost anywhere in the city and would, over the next few days, become the landmark that we used to navigate our way (homing pigeon style) around the city.

And I ticked a very important thing off my trip list: Find local bakery and indulge.  (Bear in mind we'd had a bite to eat a the hotel, but that was a porridge, cucumber, toast and instant coffee - so not really that much since yesterday.)

This is Braud. It's spectacular. We took vanilla buns back to the hotel and after a 3 hr nap, woke to a delicious treat. 

(It's conveniently located about a half block down the hill from the geyser church... making it easy to find and revisit!)

Our first Icelandic excursion took place later that night. We searched and searched and failed to find the Northern Lights and these church and fish-pier pics are all I have to show for staying up so late!

Northern Lights excursion rebooked for tomorrow... stay tuned. 

We're Expecting!

 Oh heck no! These ol' eggs are not going to be producing a baby, like ever... so halt that thought right now!

Even better than that is the decision to adopt. A PUPPY!

My dear sweet Marley had been gone 2 years in June and that was about the time I finally felt ready to bring another golden love into my life. 

I began the search online for breeders and puppy sources - but randomly stopped doggie parents and their kids on hiking trails and pumped them for info too.  After what felt like weeks of seeing puppy mill type operations (that you can never unsee!) I met a lady near Eldorado Springs who told me she got her lovely gal from a breeder in Idaho. It was an English Cream Golden IE: Almost white. 

Google is kinda the answer to most questions, so I simply asked Google to find me an English Cream Golden in Pocatello, ID. That's when I 'virtually' met Leslie Hugues of Six-Love Golden Retrievers... located in Pocatello. Turns out the lady on the trail had not adopted one of Leslie's golden babies but it was all of 2 minutes interacting with her before I realized in no uncertain terms that I had to get my next puppy from Six-Love. 

I was sent all manner of pictures and health test results from the breeding dogs that Leslie owns. They were members of her family, looked utterly content in their life on 2 acres and I loved that she spent considerable time and effort to socialize and train each pup before they went to their new homes. Leslie got to know their personalities and was eager to match them to homes that would be a good, healthy and happy fit. She spoke my language.

Sven (the dad) and Lola (the mom):

Fast forward to August and both Lucy (6) and Lola (2) appeared to be pregnant. We were on the list to nab one of Lola's pups and I was SUPER excited! Leslie kept me updated the whole time. First with an ultrasound showing proof of pregnancy, then tidbits like when she could feel the puppies moving, pics of the growing belly and then, my personal favorite - the xray taken just a few days prior to birth.

Lola is currently nursing 6 of her own puppies and helping out as 'wet nurse' when needed, to some of Lucy's pups who are 4 days younger but weren't growing as fast. She is a stellar mom. A natural caretaker who honestly appears to love her new role.

Here are some pics from the first 2 weeks. 

*There are 4 male puppies in Lola's litter. At some point we'll be selecting the little guy that will come home with us mid December. I can't wait!

In the meantime I will update this post with more pics as able, so come on back to watch them grow!