While we have been traveling, we occasionally do some kind of “big” adventures, that tend to be more expensive. Usually, we are happy that we did them, and feel they are worth the money for these special experiences. One thing we booked ahead of time to do in Iceland was dogsledding. Of course, it was summer, but the dogs still need exercise, so we went on a sled with wheels.
The dogs pulled us around their farm, with A & L in the front, and C and I holding N so he didn’t fall out as we sat in back. The best moments were when the dogs took us up or down a hill and we all bounced up. Once, A wasn’t holding on tight, and we thought he was going to go flying out of the sled!
We stopped about halfway through the ride to give the dogs time to rest, and give us time to pet them!
N wasn’t wanting to get too close, but the rest of us enjoyed the dogs. We got another chance to pet all the dogs in their kennels when we got back. The guides were nice to join us and show us around and explain which dog is related to what other dog, and how they got their names, and what movies they starred in (for real! when movies are filmed in Iceland, they are usually called to provide their dogs – one apparently starred in The Secret Life of Walter Mitty).
So, after the dog sledding adventure, C and I weren’t certain it was really worth it, until the boys started consistently ranking our dog sledding adventure as one of the best things they did in Iceland!
After dog sledding, we decided to hit one more geothermal pool, this time in the nearby town of Selfoss.
Like the pool we went to in Reykjavik, this one had multiple pools at various temperatures – the big pool was at 35 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit), and there were other warmer pools – from 37 – 40 degrees Fahrenheit to hang out in as well. There was also an ice cold plunge pool at zero degrees Celsius (I shouldn’t have to translate that – everyone knows that is freezing aka 32 degrees Fahrenheit). It also had a few waterslides (small, medium and large) as well as various floaties for everyone to use (though some where kind of moldy – ew!)
Being located in a smaller town, this pool was full of locals, and didn’t seem to have many tourists. It was pretty cool to be there and see locals just hanging out at the pool. We saw people who had come for their lunch hour, moms with kids, and children’s camp groups with their matching swim caps. We loved this place!
We did go to one last geothermal pool during our trip. Not the same day as the dogsledding but a day later. Which pool is it? You guessed it – The Blue Lagoon!
The Blue Lagoon was pretty cool, but a very different experience from the local swimming pools we went to. I’m glad we went, and have it checked off our to-do list, but if we went back to Iceland, we would head straight back to the local community pools. The Blue Lagoon is expensive (LUCKILY – Iceland loves kids and all 3 of ours were free – that made it much cheaper than my aunt’s family, with 2 adult children who went a week after we did!)
It was pretty – the blue-green water surrounded by the volcanic rocks. It was big and we had fun floating around.
kids 8 and under have to wear floaties – good thing A had just turned 9!
It was also really hot, it made it hard to stay in there too long. C and I kept having to stand up or at the very least, lift a limb out of the water to cool down.
Also – the lagoon is actually man-made and fed by water output from a nearby geothermal power plant. They don’t put that on the front page of the brochures, do they?
Overall, we did enjoy our trip to the Blue Lagoon, and I’m glad we went to it. It was an interesting experience. Only not a highlight because of the incredibly high hurdle set by some of our other adventures in Iceland!
