By Mývatn’s northern bank is a village with 300 inhabitants: Reykjahlið (The Smokey Hillside). Here you find cabins and hotels, a gas station and a shop – quite ordinary.
However, the surroundings are spectacular, we are in an active geological area that is subject to ‘Queen Krafla‘. A well-known volcanic eruption was the so-called ‘Mývatn fires‘ in 1724-1729 (actually an outbreak from Krafla, 15 km away). These were dramatic years. The lava came closer and closer, and buried house after house in the village, just like in Grindavík right now (january 2024).
Then – a miracle happened: The lava flow slowed down – at the church stairs! The inhabitants and the church were saved! The intense prayers from the priest (Tobatheornottobathe has not been able to find the name of the priest. Any help will be deeply appreciated!) were given the honor of stopping the lava. Today, the church has been replaced by a new church (from 1962), but the lava still looks quite fresh.
On the opposite side of highway 1, there is a hiking trail down to Mývatn (Lake Mosquito). This unique water is very shallow, the average depth is 5 meters distributed over a 37 km2 area.
Don’t even try to dive here! But the water is clear and nice – until you swirl up deposits from the bottom. And the water wasn’t very cold, presumable because of shallow ground.
