07 June 2016

Mývatn

It was suggested that we visit Mývatn, we thought it was a city, but it turned out the be the region around a lake by the same name. We headed west from Akureyri, driving along twisting, winding mountain roads. 

After a few little stops to take photos of the scenery, we stopped at a beautiful waterfall, Goðafoss. It was one of the biggest waterfalls we had seen thus far and it was a wonder to behold. We spent about an hour at the fall, hiking around and viewing it from both sides as well as afar. Sometimes we were showered by the spray of the water. It was a warm day, so the spray and cool breeze that blew off of it was refreshing. 


After Goðafoss, we continued on, driving around the south of Lake Mývatn. After a short stop for pizza (Daddis Pizza in Vogar, it was delicious!), then we headed due east again on Highway 1, the Ring Road. 
Throughout our drive, we saw a lot of runners and bicyclists. We knew some event was going on, but it was not until we reached our next stop that we found out, it was a 3K/5K/10K/Marathon event. This event began and ended at the Mývatn Naturebaths, which was also our next stop. 
Similar to the Blue Lagoon, the Mývatn Naturebaths are outdoor pools, heated by geothermic energy. Unlike the Blue Lagoon they were not as big, crowded or expensive. We liked them much better! The Naturebaths consisted of three pools of varying temperatures. We spent a few hours relaxing in the water, enjoying the mountain view.


From there, we headed east into what appeared to be a desert, or mountains made of sand. However right around the bend was Hverir, a site of geothermic mud pits. The boiling mud was mesmerizing. It stunk to high heaven (lots of sulfur!), but it was well worth seeing. 




Hverir was by far my most favorite part of the day. We drove back to our 'home' for the night, via the northern route of the lake. It was a great day, and the furthest east in Iceland that our journey would take us. 










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