I have been wanting to go to Iceland for a long time in hopes of seeing the Aurora Borealis and their beautiful geothermal lagoons and pools.
Flying in on Valentine’s day, the blueness of the Atlantic against the vast stretches of snow made it look like images of the North Pole. The crisp frigid air was so pristinely fresh in comparison what I had left behind in beautiful but polluted Paris.
They say the weather here can change quickly and well it did so splendidly. Howling winds and stinging sleet rain and snow ruined our plans to drive out exploring geysers and glaciers yesterday.
It’s Tuesday morning and the sun finally reappeared around 10, so hopefully we can make it to the Blue Lagoon! I love being submerged in hot water up to my neck when it is snowing or freezing cold outside.
It’s such a stark contrast of sensations of being surrounded by warm water and at the same time feeling snowflakes melt on my cheeks. Swirls of steaming vapors creates a heavenly meditative mood looking up into a darkened sky.
I first became addicted to outdoor geothermal spas about 8 years ago in France and have been seeking them out since. I love the ones in Budapest, especially in the freezing months.
Already see some graying clouds coming in again so will want to head out soon. Thank God we got some spikes on the tires for taking on slippery roads.
Hopefully winds will not be gale force again till we make it back from the lagoon! Will write much more when I return to Paris . Hugs from Reykjavik.
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Brrrrr! . . . sounds extremely cold to me. While portions of the U.S. hit record lows of -30 to -40 degrees Farenheight, south Floridians were enjoying temperatures of 69 to 73 degrees . . . can’t imagine enjoying such frigid temperatures. It was a beautiful day in the morning; a little cloudy; but very nice.
On Sunday (Valentines Day) we went to Hollywood beach in the afternoon for a stroll along the paver beach-walk which extends for a little over two miles along the beach. Since it was “later in the afternoon(4:00ish) , I was surprised that there were so many people still at the beach; and I was also surprised that there weren’t still a few bikini clad tourists on the beach though. There were a thousand or so strolling along the paver beach walk; and most of the restaurants were fairly busy, some with waiting lines. Admittedly the cuisine is not quite what one would find in Paris . . . Ha!
The beach goers were dressed ranging from shorts and T-Shirts , covered up bikinis, to those with lighter jackets to heavy jackets with scarves wrapped around their necks. It had been a beautiful morning; but was becoming a little overcast, which is unusual for south Florida; it started to become a little “chilly” (that is 70ish for the “natives”). The women and girls with the spaghetti strapped sun dresses were starting to show that they wished they had a light jacket of some type. There were a lot of people still on the sand beach; but no one was in swim wear; all of the sun bathers had obviously left earlier.
We “dined” on the raised terrace of an Armenian “restaurant: . . . at the beach, the “restaurants are just “eateries”; there isn’t any fine dining. We enjoyed ourselves with the “people watching” and watching the cruise sips departing the Ft Lauderdale harbor; there were three cruise ships including the latest, horrifically large one; it was either the Allure of the Seas or the Oasis of the Seas. Those are the largest passenger cruise ships in the world with 16 passenger decks. That ship dwarfed the other passenger cruise ships.
Little by little, the old quaint Hollywood beach, which is actually on an island running along the Hollywood ocean side, is being replaced by new modern high -rise buildings; but it has been a slow progression until recently. There is a new Jimmy Buffett Margaritaville Resort resort, which I was rather disappointed with; and some other very nice new high-rise condo buildings. The old homes and motels are beginning to quickly be torn down; and the area is losing a lot of the “old ambiance” that was of the 1920s to 1950s vintage . . . that is progress. We still have Nick’s bar, which is close to the old band shell, and a few of the other old more rustic type places. It is all somewhat like NY losing Coney Island in some ways. Hollywood beach didn’t have carnival type stuff; but I’m sure you know what I mean . . . the old giving way to the new. Hollywood beach is still the winter “capital’ for the Canadians though . . . we call them “snow birds”.
After dinner, we strolled along the beach walk for a while. June usually likes to walk for a couple of miles; but a extremely light and occasional misty “rain” began. It really wasn’t a “rain”; more like an occasional mist being blown around by the ocean breeze. Of course, all of the beach goers began to quickly disappear . . . hustling to their cars or dashing into the beach shops and restaurants. It had been an enjoyable afternoon.
Meanwhile, parts of the country are experiencing record cold and snowfalls. Yes, south Florida does have beautiful weather most of the time. With the environmental changes, the unusually strong El Nino, etc., we are experiencing a wetter than usual “dry season” which runs from November until spring time. Fortunately, with our coral rock and sand “ground” the rain waters disparate rather quickly. We’ve had one or two days where the temperature dropped to the high 40s for perhaps half a day or so; but it looks like we really aren’t going to have a winter time” this year. Our temperatures have mostly been in the upper 60s to upper 70s, and occasionally into the low 80s.
I just really don’t see how you enjoy “vacationing” in the bitter cold in Iceland. The geothermal spas might be very enjoyable; but the bitter cold doesn’t seem inviting to me . . . Ha! Each to their own though. Hope you have a terrific trip.
South Florida is indeed a wonderful place to live and vacation par excellent! Sorry to hear the Hollywood Beach iw being more invaded with condos, which have already ruined enough of the beaches in Florida. Too bad that there are not groups to protect these historical places.
I did not go to Iceland for the freezing climate, but for the exquisite and I mean exquisite nature and landscapes that I have never seen before! Breathtakingly beautiful! Cleanest air and water ever! Another post to come. Hugs