NATURAL HOT SPRINGS

                                                                  THE BLUE LAGOON
In Reykjavik, Iceland of course we had to visit the Blue Lagoon which lies in the middle of a lava field. The resort offers a geothermally heated pool with blue-tinged mineral water. The geothermal spa's state-of-the-art facilities included the Blue Lagoon pool, a geothermal beach, lava caves and silica mud.

In addition to bathing in the lagoon, guests can enjoy relaxing in a lava cave and a unique geothermal steam bath. The Blue Lagoon's warm water and natural active ingredients: salts, silica and blue green algae are relaxing and a good escape from the stress and strain of daily life. The Blue Lagoon's white Silica mud gently cleanses and exfoliates the skin and has revitalizing effects on the skin while the blue green algae nourishes and softens the skin.

Our wrist bracelets locked and unlocked the lockers by touching the display strip with the bracelet. The shower rooms had 6-8 shower heads and were well stocked with soap/shampoo and lotion. We showered before entering the pool and after getting out. After a long and full day of sightseeing and a light dinner we relaxed and visited while floating in the pool. At the hour of our visit the pool was not very crowded.

We stayed in the warm mineral water about 45 minutes. I did not take advantage of the silica face mask or the sauna. A visit to the Blue Lagoon was an invigorating and exciting experience as well as fun, especially after our long day. I was so relaxed that I slept like a baby that night.

WET TEE SHIRT

                                                       WOW DID IT FEEL GOOD!
When I went to Denmark to bike that island country I unfortunately took the Texas heat with me. For the first four days rivulets of water ran down every crevice of my body, and under my helmet my head took on the appearance of having just stepped out of the shower. The steep hill climbs didn’t help much either.

After lunch one day we stopped to visit a Viking outdoor museum-site. It was a beastly hot day and the tour of the museum was all out in the unrelenting sun. Close to the end, I snuck away to return to the museum building where I went into the restroom. I was alone, but at that point that was immaterial—I was hot and nothing was going to stop me from stripping off my tee shirt! I filled the sink with water and submerged my shirt. I only slightly squeezed the water out of the shirt before putting it back on. Wow, did that feel good!

I was just about to walk out the door when the rest of the group arrived. My roommate took one look at me but before she could say anything I muttered, “I don’t care what this wet tee shirt looks like, it feels cool and may even save me from having a heat stroke,”

“Hey, it works for me. Good idea. I think I’m going to do the same thing, maybe we can start a wet tee shirt contest. It is so darn hot. I keep drinking lots of water, but I just can’t seem to get enough and I’m still tired,” she responded.

By the time we left the museum several others had followed my lead. Just shy of dripping wet, we mounted our bikes to pedal to our hotel. We cooled rapidly once we were biking, and we spent the remainder of the day in comfort.

A UNIQUE PAINTING

 SITTING ON THE STAIRS

Costa Rica’s National Theater or Opera House is a neoclassical building with a baroque interior. We were told in 1828-30 the president encouraged culture. By 1860 a budget was proposed for a theater, but there actually was no money available until 1890. Built in 1891-1897, all the materials came from Europe.

Earthquakes in 1904 and 1910 caused major damage to the building, and frequent tremors still make repair a major job. We walked up the wide staircase to view the original seats in the theater boxes. All the woods grown in Costa Rica are represented in the beautiful floors.

          Sitting on the stairs so we could look at the fresco on the hallway ceiling, our guide explained, “This picture is on the back of the old five cent bill.  An Italian artist painted this mural in 1897. He was given specific instructions of size and content. However, because he had never been in the tropics he made several errors in the painting.

    “The first thing one notices is the coffee plants, which do not grow at sea level. Coffee only grows above an elevation of 800 feet. The fellow in the foreground is holding the bananas upside down. That is how bananas grow, but if you carried a stalk of bananas that way, they would all fall off. Ships came to the Caribbean coast not the Pacific Coast, and palm trees do not grow on the Pacific Coast. The women are all dressed European style, not in Costa Rican dress. There is no yoke on the oxen, so I wonder how they pulled a cart. But the painting was done and so it was hung.” 

    It is an interesting mural and it was fun to be able to view it without getting dizzy while standing and looking up. The five cent bill is no longer used but our guide managed to get one for each of us which I framed and hung in my back bedroom.