Spa

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! 🙂

So many adventures in the Vienne Valley…

/ sarapiper / Leave a comment

On weekends we occasionally hear a scream or sharp yell that echoes across the valley as numerous thrill-seekers take their turn and jump off the viaduct. 

Have I mentioned that there is bungee jumping off the viaduct in our little village? Because there is. Along with a ropes course through the trees along either side, and two long zip lines that cross the Vienne River. 


I have no interest in bungee-jumping, myself, but I love ziplining and the ropes course looks like it would make for a fun afternoon on a future weekend. 🙂

What I have done is gone kayaking down the Vienne River. It’s gorgeous and a bit challenging because the river is actually shallow enough to create tiny ‘rapids’ where the water has to maneuver over rocks. 


Craig joined me on my first voyage from L’Isle Jourdain downstream to Moussac, and it was his first time trying kayaking ever! 


Apart from a couple of tricky moments getting caught in the rocks (no danger here- we could easily step out and adjust if we needed to because the water is only a foot or two deep), it was gorgeous and peaceful. We even kayaked past a herd of cows hanging out in the shallow shoreline.


It was an excellent hour on the river and I plan to go again on the longer stretch of L’Isle Jourdain to Queaux, a two-hour trip.


We took a day to check out LaRoche Posay, just over an hour away from us and where the famous natural healing spring water Spa is. I was also informed that cancer patients receive three weeks’ stay free at the spa to make use of the healing and relaxing spring water benefits, on the French government’s dime. Amazing.  
Craig and Sini and I drove there one Thursday, with my purpose to get a massage at the spa, and theirs to go for a picnic lunch and explore the town. 
The spa is almost hidden, in a low, dark wood, unassuming building shaded by trees (and behind a small, rustic mini-golf course), and I was about to ask for directions when I came upon the sliding glass front doors. 

Inside is calm and elegant, and I was given my robe and towel and  a tour of the building and amenities. The sauna, steam room, and pool are all included with the price of any service at the spa, or €35 if you just want to swim and steam. 🙂
The pool is lit with LED lights along the edges and changes from turquoise to blue to purple to green in a cycle, and has programmable jets at one end and in the middle. (I felt that when the pool was purple it looked the most magical.) 😉  



I snapped a couple of photos before seeing a sign that asks that phones are not allowed.
There was a little cafe where complimentary herbal tea and flower-infused water was available, an outdoor patio with giant bean-bag cushions, lounge chairs, cocoon baskets and even a couple pool-side beds to spend hours in.


I had a relaxation massage, and both preceded and followed it with time in the eucalyptus-infused steam room, and then enjoyed some tea and some sun on the outdoor patio. 

post-massage goofy grin


Hilariously, I had to wait for a swim because just as I was about to get in, an aquafit class started: the pool became packed with seniors and a cheery but extremely loud instructor started yelled instructions to them and counting off moves. “Un! Deux! Trois! Quatre! Cinq! Six! Sept! Huit! Encore! Un! Deux! Trois! Quatre! Cinq! Six! Sept! Huit! Une fois de plus! Un! Deux! …” 

An hour later the pool was a relaxing space again, and I went for a swim, followed by a soak in their luxurious hot tub. It was divine!
I met up with Sini and Craig and we discovered a small market in the town centre and tried the local macarons (coconut, almond, and chocolate), before heading home.


On our way to LaRoche Posay I had noticed a beautiful set of buildings as we passed through La Puye, and on the way back we stopped in. It turns out that an ancient monastery is now the set of buildings for the local retirement home and we went exploring in the huge elegant church on the grounds there. 




The lady who showed us the church was very kind and barely spoke one word of English so I got to practice as the translator between the four of us. I told her where we were all from and she said she had a nephew living in Manitoba (of all places! small world), so she asked about the  forest fires we had in Alberta in June this year and how much she would like to visit Canada.




The drive to and from LaRoche Posay was so beautiful, I would be happy to go again any time, even if we weren’t headed to the spa…. But that pool…. 🙂

Corinne and Gilles wanted to have friends over for a party and show them the progress this summer, so we went in search of some wildflowers to decorate the house. We have seen loads along the tiny roads nearby all summer, but after a couple of really hot weeks many had dried up and we had to venture off our normal routes a bit to find them all. 

Craig looking way to serious as our ‘bouquet-holder’.

 
What we also discovered was an amazing amount of *blackberries*. 

It turns out that blackberry bushes make great natural fences along farms and they aren’t really harvested for sale or anything, and we discovered two fantastic spots that I plan to return to over the next couple of weeks!! 

These are the sweetest blackberries I have ever tasted!

Back at the house we set up for the party! We used sheets and pillows to organize the back yard in the Moroccan-style, bright-colours that I know Corinne plans to design the final courtyard with cheerful fabrics, lots of cushions, and many comfortable places to sit. 

Inside, the living room looked like a completely different space from when I first arrived, with all new insulated, plastered, and painted walls, new furniture, and most importantly, neither tools nor stepladders nor paint cans nor piles of wood lying around! 🙂

Here are the ‘Before’ photos of the living room and backyard and upstairs “winter garden”:

Living Room BEFORE/In process

Backyard IN PROCESS

With a new floor and new wall, the soon-to-be “winter garden” as a storage/workspace.


‘After’ photos below, along with some details: sangria dispenser, decanters, food, and our wildflowers! Outside looked like a different country, the living room finally looked like a living room, (with room again for the guitars, piano, and sound system) and upstairs the ‘winter garden’ looked comfy and inviting!

It was so cool to see this space with all the updates and improvements so far. With music, great food, friends, and a rainstorm that held off until the night was winding down, it was like a great send off to Craig and Sini, who left the next day, and it means I will help at other places in the village for the next couple of weeks while Corinne and Gilles take a vacation!

Sini, me, Craig, and Viktor!