Akureyri

Part 2

Day 11

So as I mentioned our trip was Jewels of the North and Myvatn Nature Baths.

Once more we saw extraordinary and spectacular landscapes. Those words again but they truly are the only ones to use when describing Iceland.  We have all seen mountains and green valleys and lakes, but not ones interspersed with lava rock and volcanic craters. It really was a beautiful and exceptional trip.

First of all we went to the Nature Baths which were 1 hour 40 mins from Akureyri. For some reason, I think everyone had expected these to be at the end of the day, but it actually worked really well to be so early as we arrived when it opened and there was no one else there.

You go through the entrance and get your token for the lockers in the changing rooms which are obviously split between men and women. You must shower before entering the baths. The water is beautifully warm and even hotter in the parts where the water enters the pool. There is a slight but not unpleasant smell of sulphur and the water is slightly cloudy as well as having a silky feel. Underfoot there is small shingle. The water is a little above waist high so you move around in a crouched position which would be impossible on dry land. It’s not worth swimming as that is harder work. We both put our phones into waterproof pouches but were still too scared to put them in the water. I couldn’t be bothered with it so put the phone back with my towel and Steve took some really successful selfies 😂. We then moved to the far edge of the pool and sat on the ledge that runs all the way round, and looked over the surrounding countryside. There was a bar at the entrance end of the pool and we hoped they served coffee but they didn’t, just soft drinks and beer. So Steve felt he had had sufficient experience of the nature baths and went out in search of a shower and coffee. I stayed a little longer with Donna and John, making use of the high powered water jet on my shoulders along the way (which is where the hair got soaked which hadn’t been in the plan🤪). The three of us then went to the steam room which was actually a sauna, but had the most wonderful views again. We then all decided we’d had enough and also headed off for showers and coffee. Fortunately the changing room was virtually empty when we went in. Shower gel, shampoo and conditioner are provided but no lotion. Luckily I had remembered face cream but not body lotion or a hairbrush - oops. That led to an interesting hairstyle all day. Over a good coffee we had a good laugh about our photographic errors and other faux pas and Donna told us about the Blue Lagoon. It seems that whilst the Myvatn Nature Baths are exactly that, the Blue Lagoon is more of a high level spa experience and like all of what we saw in Iceland, it was managed extremely well, never making the visitor feel rushed or that they were in a crowded space. That was one of the reasons we had chosen the Nature Baths but hearing what Donna and John told us, I would be very happy to visit the Blue Lagoon if we are ever lucky enough to visit Iceland again.

From the Nature Baths we went a relatively short distance to the  Dimmuborgir Lava Fields. Our guide, Helga, walked us round. There were a number of trails of varying distance, we went about a kilometre. These fields are thousands of years old. The lava, when it erupted, didn’t always flow but remained where it was leaving incredible structures. Helga also told me more about the native trees. Basically they are two kinds of birch, one is Silver and the other is a darker variety. There is also juniper and she showed me some natural blueberries which she said are very tasty by the autumn but at the moment are still very green. She also picked up some lava rock and basalt for me. Many of the old houses were built of lava rock as it retains a slight warmth and due to its rough structure, grips its fellow bricks tightly.

From there we went to Berjaya Hotel for lunch and wow, was it delicious!  There was some local bread on the table, a piece of white which I can’t describe. It was nothing like the bread we know but it was lovely. There was also some black rye bread. Then very good tomato soup, followed by fresh Atlantic cod with a lime zest and breadcrumb crust which was out of this world. There was a sauce around it, but not over it or drowning it, along with potato and a salad garnish Fabulous meal!  Probably the best of the trip so far.

After lunch we went to Skútustagagigar, an area filled with pseudo-craters which are formed, not from the eruptions of magma, but a rare geological formulation created when lava flows over water or wetland. Hawaii is the only other place in the world that these occur.

There is also a wide and varied bird life as well as wonderful views across Mývatn Nature Reserve and the lake itself. We walked a short distance to some of the viewing points but there were some marvellous hiking trails we would have loved to have followed.

Then the last stop was Godafoss  another beautiful waterfall. Legend, or more correctly, the Icelandic Sagas, tell us that when the Danish rulers said that the Icelandic people should give up their pagan beliefs and become Christians the local wiseman, Porgeir, pondered the command for two days until he came to the decision that the Icelanders should agree and change to Christianity. He then threw all his pagan statues and icons into the waterfall.

We had a lovely walk around the waterfall with some slightly more successful selfies.

Whilst the waterfall was stunning, we had 45 minutes there and had only had 25 minutes at Skutustadagigar where we would have loved to have taken longer walks. But that was our only tiny criticism of the day. We just loved it so much.

Then there was a long drive back to the ship which was ready to depart immediately, with the engines running and only one gangplank remaining. I’m sure that if they could, they would have only been holding the mooring lines. That meant we had to get on board quickly and pass far too fast through our last shopping opportunity on the way to the ship. It would also have been nice to have some time to wander around Akureyri which looked like a nice town. But we had had a wonderful day and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.

No sooner were we on board than we set sail back through the narrow fjord we passed through too early in the morning to watch. Once again we dumped our stuff and went back on deck to watch as we left Iceland. As we sailed the captain said that whales had been spotted and we saw a couple of whale watching boats. But it wasn’t until we were back in the cabin looking out at the tiny island of Hirsey that we spotted whale blows and a couple of them out of the water. They were quite far away and didn’t come out far but at least we can say we saw them.

Dinner in Alexandria, the “new” couple didn’t show so we had another lovely evening. We then decided against any shows (again!) and headed to our cabin for a glass of red. It was cold out there.

We officially crossed the Artic Circle at 10.00pm

GOODBYE ICELAND AND THANK YOU

We have had the most marvellous time and have fallen in love with you.