Back in Reykjavik. Science Museums

Back in Iceland, with a beautiful sunset 

We arrived in Reykjavik on the evening of Saturday, Aug 15th. Dee and I had one day there before flying home on Monday morning, the 17th. We were all jazzed about science after 10 days on board! Our first science exposure was a sidewalk exhibit about antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Scary stuff. You have heard about the increase in bugs that can and do resist all our usual antibiotics, right?

We hopped on a hop-on-hop-off bus. We hopped off at the Whales of Iceland museum. Be sure to watch the video at that link. It's great! So many gigantic whales! So many activities for kids - including us!

Gotta love an origami whale

The sperm whale almost got me!

We hopped back on the bus and rode it to Perlan. It has exhibits about everything Icelandic. No photos were allowed, so you have to watch videos in these links.

The Hot Seat

We were lowered into a volcano at the Immersive Volcano Show. How could we not be burned up on our journey?

On the opposite temperature extreme, we explored the Ice Cave and Glacier Exhibition. It was a maze through ice. No crevasses, though...

At the top of Perlan is a restaurant/café/bar. It rotates slowly through a 360 degree view of Reykjavik. Dee and I ate, watched, and enjoyed a guy wearing a Haaland t-shirt. (Heia Norge!)

We had reservations at the Blue Lagoon for the evening. The area has had 7 eruptions since November 2023. Staff has had to be helped in finding new homes, gas detectors had to be installed, roads had to be rebuilt, and 8-15 meter high protective walls built. The last couple of years have been tough, in other words. The whole resort has been rebuilt. 

Ready to relax

Path to the lagoon, between barriers

Our time started at 8 pm. We shivered into the warmth of the milky-blue lagoon. The water is full of microalgae, minerals and silica. White silica mud masks made our skin feel soft. We each had one non-alcoholic drink. We wandered through the multiple pools, avoiding rowdy kids or people talking work. We stood under the warm waterfall, getting our shoulders massaged. Saunas and hot tubs were available. We were supplied with shampoo, conditioner and lotion afterwards. Luxurious!

While we waited for our bus home, we loitered in the store that sells Blue Lagoon skin care products. We didn't buy any, but enjoyed talking with a sales person about 3D printing, and finding a local Fablab for her to check out. Can't keep me from making things! 

Our time ended after sunset, giving this fabulous view

Now we had to go back home. What we didn't expect was that everyone else in Iceland wanted to go home on Monday morning, too. There were hundreds of people in the Reykjavik airport. The airport was set up like Disneyland, with cords weaving back and forth, with different lines for different parts of the process. Print your baggage tags? The machines were buggy. Baggage check for Icelandair? Baggage check for Delta? Dee and I passed each other several times. How about security checks? 

The signage was well-done, at least. My flight at 10 after 10 made it on time, amazingly. Dee's flight a couple of hours later also made it on time. Our luggage also made it with us. A successful finale to a wonderful trip. 

Blogging about a trip makes it even more special. I hope you all have enjoyed coming along.