When in Iceland.......

I had been meaning to wait until arriving in Iceland to give you your swimming pool 'instructions'. However, as I was reading the on-line Iceland Review magazine for today, my eye was caught by this article. It is all about the etiquette of going swimming in Iceland...

"We’re all taught how to swim at school before we even learn how to read, we take our children as soon as they’re born to let them have a good time in the water, we soak in the hot tub to relax after a long stressful day and we meet up with friends, sitting by the poolside dangling our feet in the water while chatting and bathing in the sun on hot summer days like those we’ve had a lot of lately. "

A relaxing wallow , however, involves a very rigorous washing process beforehand - without your swimming gear on! So if you haven't read the article yet, please do so now- click here .

Do NOT panic! We devised a very good routine for this which spared lots of blushes the last time we were in Iceland. The Icelanders are very, very fussy about cleanliness in their swimming pools which, when you think about it, is actually very reassuring and is something we could do with a bit more of in this country. The swimming pool showers even have a diagram, annotated in several languages, which leave you in no doubt about the areas which require a good clean.

Don't be tempted to duck out of the routine - some sharp-eyed Icelander is sure to spot you and will gently remind you what you have to do!

The reward for observing the swimming pool etiquette is a relaxing 'wallow' in geo-thermally heated water. You will love it - you don't even have to swim a stroke! 40 pupils and 4 staff went on the last fieldtrip to Iceland and 40 pupils and 4 staff 'swam' every day.

Remember to bring two towels with you so that you always have one for swimming and remember to put your swimming gear in your hand luggage as we will swim en route to our accommodation on the first day.