Layovers

A Lagoon Layover

/ sarapiper / Leave a comment

So let’s say you are flying from Canada to Europe and want to enjoy a unique layover experience…

I’m not sure if you knew this but Iceland encourages long layovers and will allow you to add a stopover from anywhere from one to SEVEN days without adding cost to your airfare. Now, my goal was to get to Europe, however I decided to fly with Iceland Air (since I hadn’t travelled with them yet), and with the option of a layover in Iceland -my flight from Toronto arriving in Reykjavik at 6:00am and choosing my connecting flight to Paris to be at 8:00pm that evening- I decided to make a real day of it and get out of the airport to get a little taste of what Iceland has to offer.

So I went to the Blue Lagoon.

And boy was it worth it. The Blue Lagoon is a geothermal spa, and what better way to break up a long day of travel with a swim and a soak and a face mask?

Not to mention the drive there to the *lava fields* it is surrounded in. Truly, this place is just like it’s described: it feels like another planet. 

I booked my ticket in advance (on the advice that it gets booked up and hard to buy tickets on the day/when you get there), as well as a shuttle to and from the airport to keep it easy. 

I booked my ticket for the first time slot of the day: 8:00am, which I hoped wouldn’t be as busy as later in the day. This allowed me 90 minutes from when my flight landed to get a coffee at the airport and stretch my legs before the 30-min bus ride. (If you have checked luggage I would guess this is enough time but I only had carry on so it was plenty for me!)

The bus was pretty full and I snagged a seat at the front (good old motion sickness for the win), and proceeded to sit there in awe of (and occasionally filming) the landscape around us. With bright morning sun the contrast of the rocks and lichen and sky and mountains in the far distance was breathtaking. As we got close to our destination you could see steam coming up from the thermal pools and this ice-blue water juxtaposing black rocks trimmed with white where the water left minerals behind. 

You walk this winding pathway between lava rock that almost seems like a film set on the moon, and arrive to check in and receive your wrist band that has all your reservation info on it, allows you access to the locker rooms, locks and unlocks the locker of your choosing, and is scanned when you get your face mask and a complimentary beverage. (And if you want to purchase further items you simply tap the wrist band and it gets charged to your account to be paid before you leave). 

The high amount of silica in the water is excellent for your skin but builds up in your hair and makes it feel incredibly dry and rough, so the recommendation is to not get your hair wet in the actual pool, and if you want to add preventative measures to wet it in the shower and cover it with conditioner before you enter the blue lagoon. 

I was still one of the first in the water and it was pretty quiet to start the day with people slowly making their way in and many nooks and curves you could duck into to feel like you have the pool all to yourself. 

I bought the standard aka “Comfort Package” which includes the silica mud mask, and there is a swim-up mask bar near the waterfall and steam rooms. It is smooth and silky to apply and then you leave it on for 10-15 minutes and let it do its amazing “deep-cleansing and purifying” work. (There are other masks available for the higher price ticket or for an additional charge with your wristband.)

It wasn’t too busy in those first couple hours and it was easy to lazily swim and float and soak, finding quiet nooks around the periphery to relax before visiting the swim-up beverage bar to order a ginger-carrot-orange juice smoothie that was incredibly refreshing. I also kept my cup for a little bit in order to fill it up at a couple of the fresh water spouts you could drink from that were placed in several areas around the pool.

After a few hours I showered and popped into the cafe for the most expensive bagel and lox I have ever eaten, and then took the shuttle back to the airport feeling refreshed and relaxed and in awe of my brief visit to Iceland and a definite wish to return.

I highly, highly recommend making this kind of layover happen! 🙂

Stopover adventures in Belgium!

/ sarapiper / 1 Comment

A day in Brussels! Huzzah!

Well, an afternoon, to be more precise.

4 hours in Brussels! Huzzah! 😄


When I found out I had a long layover in Brussels I asked friends for advice on how to spend the time. I was given a list of must-sees/dos in the city, and I decided I would see what I could accomplish in an afternoon.


I couldn’t very well just hang out in the Brussels airport for 5 hours straight when I’ve never been to the city of Brussels before, now could I?

To make sure I wasn’t being crazy reckless leaving the airport, I asked the Brussels-Air staff at the information desk what time I needed to be back for my connecting flight from Brussels to Olbia, Sardinia. I had almost exactly 5 hours between landing and takeoff, and they said that I shouldn’t catch the train back any later than 5:00pm for my 6:10pm flight.
It was a simple purchases of a return train ticket costing about €15 (cheaper than a ticket one-way to the Lyon airport from Gare Part Dieu), and took 16 minutes (almost  exactly). I know, because I timed my whole afternoon. Just for fun. To see how long it took to reach all the “must-see” suggestions I was given.
At 1pm I jumped on the very busy train and it wasn’t until my ticket was being checked that I second-guessed myself and was worried I was heading in the wrong direction.  I casually asked the train agent if I was on the right train to head to the centre of town and without missing a beat he shook his head and said no.
I used every bit of energy to stay cool and calm in the moment and asked him how to turn around and fix my mistake (now that we had already spent 8 minutes zooming quickly away from the airport.) 
He then burst out laughing and said I was fine and could get off in two stops at the correct station. He proceeded to chat up and laugh with several of the passengers as he went through the train car speaking easily in English, French, and Dutch. 

In 16 minutes:

I had arrived at the second stop from the airport: Bruxelles-Centre.

I stepped outside and immediately noticed the architecture here is absolutely beautiful, with new and modern sleek glass buildings slowly filling the horizon beyond the old ornate silhouettes.


(This place is a shopper’s dream.)

At 21 minutes:

I had purchased my first Belgian waffle and chatted with the girl working the stand to get directions of where to go.


At 26 minutes:

I had eaten my first piece of Belgian chocolate, a sample offered at one of the dozens of chocolate shops I came across today. (And for the record it was a speculoos/almond filled drop of deliciousness 😁). 


It seems you can’t even trip in the centre part of town without falling into a chocolate shop. 🙂


As I walked into the centre square I was blown away by all the gold detail on the buildings. It was absolutely gorgeous, and it was immediately apparent there was a festival on! 


I could hear drumming and came around the corner to the main market square with a full jaw-drop reaction to the beauty of this place. 

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These drums!! Feniks Taiko is a group of 7 people (3 men, 4 women), dressed in black with gold sashes, and playing huge Japanese Taiko drums with absolute delighted fury. It was powerful and mesmerizing!


I’m not going to lie – all plans do any exploring flew right out the window as I stood there for the better part of an hour watching them perform.  


This girl! So happy!

At 1 hour and 19 minutes:

I bought fries, on recommendation that I “must try them in Brussels”. They were right, and the fries were excellent! (I walked back with them to the market square and watched more of the drumming performance.)


It was at 1 hour and 49 minutes that I bought my first ever Belgian beer. And if you know me, you know I don’t drink beer. The closest I have ever got is drinking cider. This was real beer. Yes, it had fruit in it, but it was beer. Floris Kriek, to be exact. 
And served to me by a man with a pink elephant for a hat. 

And it was delicious.

2 hours and 15 minutes:

I went to see the statue of Mannekin Pis, and honestly don’t  understand the big draw, but it was a very busy corner fountain with people snapping selfies and group shots and silly photos of the tiny figure (currently dressed in a kimono). So I took a picture of them. 🙂

2 hours and 25 minutes:

I tried some traditional chocolate truffles at Leonidas Chocolates, and purchased some chocolate for souvenirs. Whether they make it home is another story… 😳😁

Chocolate chocolate, everywhere. And also lots of fancy candy.



I went into a couple of beautiful old churches (because, of course I did, that’s what I do ☺️), and enjoyed checking out some comic book stores and souvenir shops.




After that I enjoyed more drumming (they were still going!) in the main square, followed by regional music and dancing…


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3 hours in: I bought a couple of postcards, stamps, and got them all ready to mail, even! (Let’s not dwell on the fact I then forgot to mail them and will possibly have to send them from Paris….)


Okay, so there’s a chance I had  another waffle… This time with chocolate.😊
On my way back to the train station I came across a street spray paint artist and found a gallery filled with vibrant French art and even ended up chatting with one of the artists for a bit (un peu en français 😁), before heading back to the airport.



I got to the station at 4:45 and with my luck the train arrived just as I got down the stairs. At 5:01 I was back at the airport. The security was extra thorough between the train and the airport so I’m glad I left extra time, and I even had time for an iced coffee before my flight. 
Voila! I spent a day in Brussels, participated in a festival, watched live music, ate waffles and chocolate and fries and drank beer, went to see Mannekin Pis, checked out the local shops and churches, and made it back to my second flight of the day without a hitch!! Huzzah!