the swimming pool
Day 2 in Iceland was all about me figuring out the Viking mass transit system.
I took the bus out to the big swimming pool/spa on the outskirts of Reykjavik (don´t even ask me how to spell or pronounce it). I forgot to make sure I had exact change and was trying to figure out how to pay so that the driver would, you know, let me off the bus at some point. When we arrived at the pool I said "Look man, here´s 500 KR. Keep the change." He waved me off.
I promised to pay him back on the return ride. He looked at me like I was mentally deranged, which I am.
The pool cashier was very nice and instructed me on how to deposit my belongings in the locker (you carry the key on a strap around your wrist or ankle). I then proceeded to the locker area, walking past many pairs of shoes. After changing into my trunks I deposited my belongings successfully into the locker and proceeded to walk out to the pool area in my shoes and socks. I found a spot to set my towel and glasses down and began taking off my shoes, like I was at a community pool here in the States. One of the lifeguards comes over to me and says "Eh--what are you doing?" (He spoke in English because of the dumb-ass tourist look on my face). "You have to, eh, take shower first, ja? And, eh, you leave shoes inside?" I replied, "Oh, I´m sorry. You see, I´m an American, and we can do whatever we want." OK, I´m kidding about that last part. I apologized and went back into the locker room and proceeded to shower naked with a bunch of naked Icelandic men.
The pools were chlorinated and heated and I did a little swimming (I am way out of shape). There were two sets of ´hot pots´: warm, and freakin´ hot. I spent most of the time in the warm ones, and it was all I could do to force myself to leave, because I had to catch the bus to Kringlan, the mall.
Oh, I forgot---I was also scolded by an elderly gentleman for tracking water into the locker area.
I do plan on going back before I leave, so I can get the procedure right.
And in case you´re wondering, here it is:
Step 1--take off your shoes.
Step 2--strip and dump everything in your locker.
Step 3--proceed to the showers with your towel and wash with soap, paying special attention to your feet, hair, and naughty bits.
Step 4--towel off, and then get your trunks from the locker.
Step 5--you may now swim.
OK, so I hop on what I thought was the correct bus to Kringlan, and it turns out the bus had just stopped at Kringlan. And, it was the same driver.
We drop off every other passenger at many, many stops, eventually leaving just myself and the two English college girls sitting behind me. The driver brings the bus to a stop in the middle of what I believe was the dock area, or in other words, a million friggin´ miles from where we needed to be. So the students and I try to communicate to the driver where we need to be and he says, "Ja. Eh, the next driver take you there."
We sit, and wait. The engine is still running so we assume someone at some point will come and take us away.
After about fifteen minutes two young musicians hop on the bus and proceed to the back. We wait.
I chat with the two college girls (they are on a school geography trip), and wait.
The sun begins to set.
Eventually another driver appears and takes us away.
Two stops later we drop off the two college girls and proceed on to what I hope is the goddamn mall. At one stop I say to the driver "Kringlan, ja?"
And he says "No, Kringlan far away." On we go.
After a half hour tour of the bus stops of Reykjavik we finally arrive at Kringlan.
It was closed. The mall closes at 7:30. At this point all I can do is chuckle and shake my head.
The building itself was still open because the movie theater was still showing movies (all American), so I wandered through the deserted mall, looking at the various shops to see if I should bother coming back. As I wander the empty halls, the sound of Paul McCartney singing "With a Little Luck" comes on the sound system. If there is a God, I believe that at that moment he was laughing his ass off at me.
I made it back to 101 Reykjavik and ate dinner at the Americana place again.
On the plus side, I´m now pretty familiar with the general Reykjavik metropolitan area.
Today was intentionally uneventful. I visited the National Museum, the city library, and did some shopping. I bought a disposable camera and have taken some pictures, which I hope will come out (the flash didn´t come on in the library, which concerns me). Tomorrow I visit the Blue Lagoon. If I make it back in one piece, I´ll tell you all about it on Friday.
John
I took the bus out to the big swimming pool/spa on the outskirts of Reykjavik (don´t even ask me how to spell or pronounce it). I forgot to make sure I had exact change and was trying to figure out how to pay so that the driver would, you know, let me off the bus at some point. When we arrived at the pool I said "Look man, here´s 500 KR. Keep the change." He waved me off.
I promised to pay him back on the return ride. He looked at me like I was mentally deranged, which I am.
The pool cashier was very nice and instructed me on how to deposit my belongings in the locker (you carry the key on a strap around your wrist or ankle). I then proceeded to the locker area, walking past many pairs of shoes. After changing into my trunks I deposited my belongings successfully into the locker and proceeded to walk out to the pool area in my shoes and socks. I found a spot to set my towel and glasses down and began taking off my shoes, like I was at a community pool here in the States. One of the lifeguards comes over to me and says "Eh--what are you doing?" (He spoke in English because of the dumb-ass tourist look on my face). "You have to, eh, take shower first, ja? And, eh, you leave shoes inside?" I replied, "Oh, I´m sorry. You see, I´m an American, and we can do whatever we want." OK, I´m kidding about that last part. I apologized and went back into the locker room and proceeded to shower naked with a bunch of naked Icelandic men.
The pools were chlorinated and heated and I did a little swimming (I am way out of shape). There were two sets of ´hot pots´: warm, and freakin´ hot. I spent most of the time in the warm ones, and it was all I could do to force myself to leave, because I had to catch the bus to Kringlan, the mall.
Oh, I forgot---I was also scolded by an elderly gentleman for tracking water into the locker area.
I do plan on going back before I leave, so I can get the procedure right.
And in case you´re wondering, here it is:
Step 1--take off your shoes.
Step 2--strip and dump everything in your locker.
Step 3--proceed to the showers with your towel and wash with soap, paying special attention to your feet, hair, and naughty bits.
Step 4--towel off, and then get your trunks from the locker.
Step 5--you may now swim.
OK, so I hop on what I thought was the correct bus to Kringlan, and it turns out the bus had just stopped at Kringlan. And, it was the same driver.
We drop off every other passenger at many, many stops, eventually leaving just myself and the two English college girls sitting behind me. The driver brings the bus to a stop in the middle of what I believe was the dock area, or in other words, a million friggin´ miles from where we needed to be. So the students and I try to communicate to the driver where we need to be and he says, "Ja. Eh, the next driver take you there."
We sit, and wait. The engine is still running so we assume someone at some point will come and take us away.
After about fifteen minutes two young musicians hop on the bus and proceed to the back. We wait.
I chat with the two college girls (they are on a school geography trip), and wait.
The sun begins to set.
Eventually another driver appears and takes us away.
Two stops later we drop off the two college girls and proceed on to what I hope is the goddamn mall. At one stop I say to the driver "Kringlan, ja?"
And he says "No, Kringlan far away." On we go.
After a half hour tour of the bus stops of Reykjavik we finally arrive at Kringlan.
It was closed. The mall closes at 7:30. At this point all I can do is chuckle and shake my head.
The building itself was still open because the movie theater was still showing movies (all American), so I wandered through the deserted mall, looking at the various shops to see if I should bother coming back. As I wander the empty halls, the sound of Paul McCartney singing "With a Little Luck" comes on the sound system. If there is a God, I believe that at that moment he was laughing his ass off at me.
I made it back to 101 Reykjavik and ate dinner at the Americana place again.
On the plus side, I´m now pretty familiar with the general Reykjavik metropolitan area.
Today was intentionally uneventful. I visited the National Museum, the city library, and did some shopping. I bought a disposable camera and have taken some pictures, which I hope will come out (the flash didn´t come on in the library, which concerns me). Tomorrow I visit the Blue Lagoon. If I make it back in one piece, I´ll tell you all about it on Friday.
John
1 comment:
The swimming pool is actually called Laugardal.
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