Our third day in Iceland, our second day of our bus tour, found us start off the day in Reykholt.
This little town was the home of Snorri Sturluson a poet and politician in Iceland's middle ages and considered one of their most important historical figures. There is a school there now and of course a church but also Snorri's bath, considered to be one of the first natural hot spring baths formalized in Iceland
We may call this a sauna or spa but contemporary Icelanders call it a hot pot and it is an important part of their cultural mosaic, a place to meet and socialize, taking advantage of their country's amazing geographical riches.
A short drive up the road is Deildatunguhver, another thermal spring but there is not hot pot here. This is the hottest spring in Iceland and the temperature of the water exceeds 100 F or 97 C. That ain't a hot pot Jim, that's a cooking pot
The water literally boils up through the rock and the entire area is wreathed with steam
Gorillas in the mist indeed
Back on the bus and we drive to the canyon waterfall called
Kolugljúfur, named for a pair of troll sisters from Icelandic mythology.
These falls reminded me of the lava waterfalls to some degree but the relatively narrow canyon through which they pass makes them even more powerful, the white water thundering as you'll hear on the video.
We travelled north now and passed through Akureyri, called the capitol of the north. It's an extremely beautiful town, with snow dappled mountains visible across a fjord deep enough in which big cruise ships to anchor.
On to our next waterfall. When we were researching Iceland, we read a great deal about the hot springs and the geysers and the glaciers and the lava ... but in reality this is the land of water falls, one more spectacular than the last.
This is Godafoss, the waterfall of the gods. I think that pretty much sums it up nicely
Time for the video
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