July 26
We picked up the rental car and we were on the road by 3:00 to spend the night in Orlando. We had dinner at Boston’s Fish House where we used to eat often when we lived in Oviedo. We probably hadn’t eaten there since 2012 and we hoped the quality stayed the same. We were not disappointed, and we had the fried shrimp and onion rings. We drove to the hotel in the Lake Nona area near the airport in pouring rain. It was a Residence Inn and it felt like home since we have spent many months in them over the years when we were "homeless". (between travels and living in Panama)
We were up at
5:30 in the morning to make our flight. (We would have had to be up at 3:30 if we hadn't spent the night)
We had about 6 hours in the Newark airport. We arrived in a nice terminal but left that for the international terminal which was small and not so nice. There was really only one place for dinner and 2 coffee shops and a wine bar.
The restaurant ran out of pizza dough by the time dinner rolled around. We checked out the wine bar and they had food too. Got a lovely warm goat cheese, fire roasted tomatoes, spices, and olive oil with crusty bread appetizer and we split the cheeseburger sliders that has a tasty broiled grape tomato and some banana peppers and arugula which also hit the spot.
Our eternity in the airport finally came to an end which
included getting passports checked again at the counter and being told the
whole plane had to check all wheeled carryon's no matter if they were the right
size and weight. Which meant Greg’s cameras had to go in the belly of the plane
NOT wing checked. They said it would make boarding go faster. With a month’s
worth of meds, she said we could keep one to take on. They had others also check
their backpacks. Weird sitting on a plane and the upper bins were empty other
than exit row people's stuff and the few of us they let us keep ours. That was a
new one for us…..
Since there is a 4-hour time difference to Iceland we have a short night flight with about 5 and a half hours to try and sleep.
It was hard to get to sleep since it was a short night flight and many chose to chat or order food. We finally got a bit of sleep, and we were landing. It was 2:30 in the morning our time, but 6:30 Iceland time. We got off and went through immigration and easily got our bags. Found a spot to have some breakfast and wait until out Blue Lagoon transfer would pick us up. It was running late due to road closures. (Routine road construction maintenance)
July 27
We got to the Blue Lagoon and checked our luggage and went to the locker rooms to get showered and into bathing suits. It's a group changing & shower experience. You shower naked and then put on your bathing suit & robe. With my bathrobe on I went in search of Greg, and we headed out to the lagoon.
The Blue
Lagoon is in the heart of the Reykjanes UNESCO Global Geopark, Blue Lagoon
Iceland. It's blue because of the way silica—the lagoon’s iconic
and most abundant element—reflects visible light when suspended in water.
The
Blue Lagoon is technically man-made, as it was formed from the runoff water of
the nearby geothermal power plant. However, the water in the lagoon is natural
and comes from deep underground, where it is heated by geothermal energy. 98-102°F
The
Premium Package includes the entrance to the Blue Lagoon, Silica mud mask, use
of towel, 1st drink of your choice, two additional masks of your choice, use of
bathrobe and 1 glass of sparkling wine if dining at Lava restaurant. We thought
the bathrobe would be worth it and since we were eating at Lava we’d get a
glass of sparkling wine.
What a lovely experience. Not too hot, just comfortable. It was a warm sunny day which helped too. There were some hotter
areas where the hot water was pumped in. Greg didn’t do the masks, but I did
all 3. First mask was to stay on for 5 min before washing it off and the second one for 10 minutes and the third one stayed on for 15 minutes. We pretty much waded
around the whole area and then got our included drinks. I had a blue Icee (think
7/11 Slurpee) named Krap. Greg had a red wine and professed "no, this is Krap".
The showers were nice with provided shampoo and conditioner and body wash. Dry areas for dressing and hairdryers were provided as well.
It was time for our lunch reservation at Lava. We also got an included sparkling wine with the meal which we also said was Krap. The actual Krap was tasty.
Greg had the fish of the day and said it was good. I ordered poorly and should have gotten the lamb, but I liked the sides with the beef better and it was tough and tasted like the backend of a skunk. I truly couldn't cut or eat it) We had a very tasty tray of breads and butter infused with Skyr. That and my sides were delish, but I had to leave the steak.
Time for a few last photos before boarding the bus to Reykjavik and he said since the road was closed it would take longer to get there. We were dropped off in a parking lot where we caught the bus that would take us to the hotel.
We got checked in and left our luggage in the simple, but clean room where we just had the one night before boarding the ship. We had hoped we could catch the last run of the HOHO, but no time. It also is being rerouted and it took a while to find the street where we would meet it tomorrow.
We went back to the room to get organized for tomorrow and freshen up. The room is HOT! There was no A/C and the sun is pouring in making it a sweat box. A fan would help, but I’m sure days like this aren’t the norm. Around 60* and a bit windy. We opened the one window which we left open all night.
We don't have a super early start tomorrow, so that is good. The HOHO starts at 9:30 so we hope to catch that one.
Tomorrow afternoon we board the Seaventure after the HOHO.
Keflavik,
Blue Lagoon, Reykjavik https://photos.app.goo.gl/1Zc85W6TpoA4FxRU9
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