Iceland

 Greetings from Iceland where the sun sets at 12:03 a.m. and rises just a few hours later at 2:55 a.m.  So far our only difficultly has been packing carry-on luggage for a cold dip in the geothermal lagoon in Reykjavik where the temperature is 46, closely followed by our next stop in Madirid where the temperature is in the 80s.  

We only had 10 hours in Iceland, hardly more than a stop over and certainly not time enough to experience an entire country.  However it was long enough to leave an impression on us.  The scenery is eerily pretty.  It looks like a moon scape.  Lava rocks dominate the landscape and in the distance you see mountains or water.  

After landing, we picked up our rental car and headed to The Blue Lagoon, a natural hot spring.  The Blue Lagoon is a huge tourist attraction.  It's a spa built on/around a huge geothermal lagoon.  The water is 38 degrees Celsius (100 degrees Fahrenheit?), before it is pumped up from 2000 meters (6500 feet) below the earth.  Our admission included a silica facial mask treatment and one free drink.   Is it really day drinking if you have a beer at 9:30 a.m. even if you haven't been to sleep since the night before? 
After our dip at the Blue Lagoon we headed to Hallgrímskirkja Church.   It’s the tallest building in the country at 244 feet and serves as a Lutheran parish.  Thankfully they have an elevator that goes to the top where we had some beautiful views.  
We leave Iceland tonight and head to Madrid.