We decided to begin our time in Olafsfjordur with a rest day! We went grocery shopping and then to the playground/jumping pillow/swimming pool complex in town. The kids like the jumping pillow, as always, but most of all, we loved the time in the pool. As I have mentioned, each town has this type of area and while they are slightly different in each place, they have similar structures. We were excited to try the Icelandic swimming pool experience, which is a big deal to Icelanders. Each complex has a pool, several hot tubs of various temperatures, a cold plunge tub, and a kids pool…most also have a slide. This is just one example of what countries who care about the quality of life of their people do with tax dollars (and, you know, health care!) We had wanted to try the Icelandic public pool experience and figured this rest day was perfect for it.
The pool entry is rather inexpensive. We paid a total equivalent of about $32 for the four of us and that included free lockers. In Iceland, it is a requirement to shower naked before going out into the pool complex. They even give signs for where you are supposed to use soap (which they provide for free.) The pool was wonderful; it was heated to warmer than most US pools, had a water slide, and of course the hot tubs and cold plunge pool. We spent several hours there and had a fantastic time! (There are no photos as you cannot bring a phone out to the pool area, but I took a photo of the posted layout of the pool complex.)
After the time at the pool, I did some soccer training with Ezra. Toward the end of this time, mist/fog descended into the valley. I have never seen anything like it (and wish I had recorded it!) It looked like a snake of smoke was invading the valley. We watched it come in, surround, and engulf; step-by-step and complete within about 30 minutes. It was like a full fog dome. (I took a video of that later at night.)
When we went to the grocery store in the smaller town, Ezra and Naomi asked if we could get a sweet treat and decided on salted caramel pudding (Icelandic). We decided to make it tonight and…we all agreed it was not very good. A strange texture (more mealy than US pudding) and not a very good salted caramel flavor. Oh well, sometimes you just have to experiment!
See you on the next mountain!
July 15, 2025 – Total Steps 11,345 (Mostly Flat)
