The weather at the north end of the city wasn’t the greatest when we were there. Sort of overcast and chilly. But that didn’t stop us from hitting all the hot spots in Myvatn. And when I say hot, I don’t just mean popular!
Hverfell
- A huge crater that was formed 2,500 to 2,900 years and it still sits there like a “big dog” bowl”.
- I was hoping that it was a little more than a pile of dirt, but it is a pretty freakin’ huge pile of dirt with a gravelly hole in the middle.
Grjotagja Fissure
- We tried to find this place before Hverfell but we drove by it not realizing we were right next to it. So we tried again!
- It was this big line in the earth where you can see that it crunched up together and buckled creating sort of a crack in the earth.
- You can walk down and there is hot mineral water sitting nicely small caves.
- Way more daunting when you actually know what it is and when you are standing on top of it!
Dimmuborgir
- This is a lava fields where the lava pushed up into pillars reaching 66ft. and then cooled leaving a sort of maze like area where you can walk around and see, well, the pillars.
- At first I didn’t appreciate it, but then I started snapping pictures and began to like the area more and more.
- We thought the story behind how they got there 2,200 years ago was more interesting than actually seeing them, but they grew on me.
- We ate sandwiches. They were good.
Skutustadagigar
- Pseudo craters around a lake.
- I wasn’t as taken by them as Aaron was. They were small grassy “cat bowl” that sort of looked like craters.
- It was cold. I was tired. I needed rejuvenation. See next activity…
Myvatn Nature Baths
- Power plants create power. Power plants that are geo thermal create a bi product. We get to swim in that bi product. Milky creamy sulphury blue warm water. Fantastic.
- The Baths were amazing and so relaxing after a hard day of walking and eating sandwiches.
- We were by far the youngest there, we hit it at a good time and the bus of german tourists left us after a bit with a few other bathers.
- You don’t really bathe in the pool. You loaf, you swim gently, you lay on rocks and pretend you are a mermaid.
- We also tried out the steam rooms that are powered by the steam from the earth. I am loving the earth and amazed by it more and more every day I am in Iceland.
Leirhnjukur Lava Field
- We were nice and relaxed and ready to see more. A lot more.
- Headed about 20 minutes away to see this awesome lava field.
- Eruptions between 1975 and 1984 left a massive lava field.
- Our pictures won’t do it justice. It is pretty awesome.
- Lava is still steaming in various locations so you can only walk down marked paths.
- They have a massive mud bath that you walk by to get to the lava fields.
Dinner
- We ended up at a restaurant called Gamli Baukur
- As is everything in Iceland, overpriced but decent.
- Met two Alberta Valley girls whose first question was if we were Apple genius’. Well we were so I gave her a primer on her iPhone.
- Restaurant had wi-fi. Bonus.
- They were nice enough. Chatty and sort of clueless. One looked like a man.
Daily Notes
- Toilets flush amazingly. No need to ever double flush. Much appreciated.
- Aaron’s observation… to turn a light on you need to push it down.
- We have been seen a lot of decent looking guys with hideous girlfriends. Strange but true.
- Germans like to talk in the shower… a time when it is best not to talk. Especially when you have to clean off bathingsuit-less, bath rule.
Such a busy day, but so amazing. This is definitely a very special place on earth.