Above 63

Swimming in Iceland–its a thing–don’t miss it if you go!

My father teases me when I visit Puerto Rico in winter and I go swimming in the ocean. He tells me that it is too cold to swim (25 C, 77 F). I know that is way warmer than Lake Michigan in summer, but my other Puerto Rican friends back him up and tell me it is too cold to swim. I have a sense I’m in for some more teasing because I have been swimming in Iceland. I know he is going wonder about my sanity when he finds out I’m swimming outdoors in November in Iceland.

I’ve started to swim again. In part I should be more active. Partly I’ve also wanted to make sure I engage in Icelandic life. It doesn’t take long before you quickly learn how important going to the pool is for Icelanders. This doesn’t mean that they are off to the Blue Lagoon–that is for the tourists. They are off to the neighborhood pool. If you have been to Iceland you have probably been to one of the geothermal pools/spas (Blue Lagoon, Sky Lagoon, Secret Lagoon, Mývatn). These are lovely places with terrific experiences and I recommend them. However, be aware of a couple of things: first they are pricey (15,000-20,000 ISK). Second it really isn’t where the Icelanders go. On my first visit in 2017 a tour guide clued me into the fact that Icelanders go to the local pool and that I should try that. Kathleen and I walked over to the Vesturbæjarlaug Pool. We paid the 1,300 ISK and we were in. Now this is my neighborhood pool and I often go there for an after work swim and soak before I go home. Yes, I was there swimming this morning.

Swimming in Iceland is a cultural thing. It is exercise, it is therapeutic, it is social. Although I knew this about pools before I got here, I realized how important it was because it comes up so often in conversation. At lunch recently there was a conversation comparing various local pools and their amenities. You have to love a country that has a website so you can find a local pool (https://sundlaugar.is/en/swimming-pools/). It is social. It is a place to take a date. It is a place for a family event, or a group of friends to gather.

I often get recommendations to try the pool. One day one of the grad students came up to me in the office and said: “today is a terrific day to go to the pool. You should go.” I told her I had an appointment that afternoon, but I planned to go the next day. She seemed surprised and a little impressed that I already knew to go to the pool. What was the weather on that terrific day? The weather was sunny, the temperature was about 10 C (50 F) with low wind. The weather was the same the next day and it was a terrific day to swim. The pool was busy and there was a children’s swimming class going on that was taking up 3 lanes in the pool. That made lap swim a little crowded with 3-4 swimmers in each lane.

The temperature this morning was 2 C (35 F). The steam rose off the pool and the sun wasn’t quite up yet at 8:45. The water temp was 28 C (82 F) and was just perfect for a swim. I was quickly kicked out of my swim lane because the swim class for children was starting at 9. They looked to be about 10 years old. It was a typical swim class as you would expect–however the instructors were wearing winter coats. The lane swimmers retreated to the remaining swim lanes.

Of course the core of the pool action is the hot tub. These are large pools of hot water between 36 C and 40 C (96-104 F). There are jacuzzi jets and plenty of seating. The cool air blows by your head and the rest of you is encased in warm luxury. My father would approve of the water temperature, but I doubt he would give thumbs up on the venue. I am not used to spending time in hot water with strangers but it is often a place for conversation. Conversation can happen because cell phones are not allowed in the pool area–mostly because they don’t allow photos to be taken of the bathers. As a result, this is a sanctuary from the demands of your phone. It also means that I’m relying on photos from the web rather than my own for this post.

I’ve been invited to go cold swimming in the North Atlantic. I’m considering it. We will see. Stay tuned.

Update: November 7. I did do the cold swimming here this morning. I think I will be back.

If you come to Iceland you need to swim, regardless of the time of year. The water is warmed from the Earth and is piped in. Go to one of the lagoon/spas. One of the faculty here recommended that I go to Hvammsvik. Remember to also go local. Try one of the pools.