On my day tour of Iceland’s Golden Circle, I was talked into adding a couple hours at Fontana Spa in Laugarvatn — I was told for a few more dollars I could relax and still see all the sights I wanted (it really meant less time spent at Thingvellir National Park).
It was relaxing in the geothermal-heated pools. If my glasses didn’t keep fogging up from the pools, I could’ve enjoyed the surrounding mountains and lake — the scenery is beautiful, but it’s a little difficult to bring a camera into a pool. I tried the steam baths, but it was so hot I felt my skin burning — the staff left the doors to the steam baths open for quite a while to let them cool down to a safer level.
The highlight of this stop wasn’t the relaxation, but the rye bread. Upon arrival at Fontana, we were given a short tour out by the geothermal generator. Every day the staff makes bread there — they mix the ingredients in an air-tight metal container and bury it on the lake shore.
We were given a taste of the Icelandic rye topped with some smoked trout. It was delicious.
After soaking in the warm outdoor pools and freezing on the walk back inside, I had a Skyr (Icelandic yogurt) smoothie with raspberry, mango, and banana. It was quite refreshing after a long day on a bus.
Yum!