Idun – Page 13 – ToBatheOrNotToBathe

Røros

Røros, with almost 4000 inhabitants, was basically uninhabited highland until the copper mine was founded in 1644. The town is therefore called Bergstaden (The Mountain City), or just Sta’a (City) in the local dialect.

In the 17th century, the Danish king Christian IV was broke, and he sold away his crown estates. The largest sale went to Joachim Irgens and consisted of all crown estates in Helgeland, Salten, Lofoten, Vesterålen, Andenes, Senja, Troms and most of the Norwegian mining business. The value was equivalent to a barrel of gold (100,000 riksdaler). In 1646, Joachim Irgens traveled to Trondheim, and there he was referred to as a ‘man who found great taste in mines‘.

In the hope of solving the money problem once and for all – with fixed income – King Christian IV sent out a scriptum in 1644. The letter promised rewards to those who could find any metal ore, but also harsh punishments to those who did not report their findings. From 1630, there was a mining business at Kvikne. People from Kvikne later started up in Røros, under the direction of the farmer and reindeer hunter Hans Olsen Aasen. In the beginning, when the mine was run in ‘Rauhåmmåren’ mountain, it did not pay off. But the income increased a lot with the discovery of what is today called Gamle Storwartz / Auf die Fortuna mine. The copper mines at Røros were considered among the richest in Europe at the time.

King Christian IV wrote a letter of privilege in 1646, which gave Røros copper mines (i.e. Joachim Irgens) exclusive rights to minerals, forests and waterfalls within a circle in a radius of 45.2 km from the center Old Storwartz. Inside the circle, all farmers could be ordered to sell their products and perform transport tasks for the copper plant. But this also meant revenue for the locals.

Charming wooden houses in Røros (except the church, it is made of stone).

The first smeltery was built in 1646 by Hitterelva river, less than a mile from ‘Gamle Storwartz’, and the city (Bergstaden) startet to grow there. Irgens wanted to name Røros after himself and renamed the city ‘Irgenstal’, but it did not work out. Sta’a was named Røraas, which at the end of the 19th century was changed to Røros (possibly meaning the outlet of the river Røra). The city is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage. Røros is southern Norway’s champion in coldness, with a low temperature record of -50.4°C from 1914. There is quite a need of firewood in the winter!

Røros church from 1780 is also called Bergstadens Ziir (beauty). With 1800 seats, it is one of Norway’s largest churches. The size implies that it should provide service to one of the richest copper mines in Europe.

Røros church. No actual need for 1800 seats on a regular Sunday in April.

When searching for bathing facilities in the Røros municipality, we learned that Gjettjønna (the Goat lake) could be a relevant place. Very close to the city center, too – this was promising!

In the implementation phase, doubts began to arise. Was this the right pond? Including all this industry at the south end?

But swim – of course!

… which made us even more in doubt. Did they actually float timber in this pond? … And was this actually timber? It seemed to be from a log house. In a pond?

Log house timber floated (?) In Gjettjønna (?).

Subsequent investigations suggest that we might have made several of the following errors:

Relying on Google Maps (which consistently refers to Hitterelva as Glomma (the longest river in Norway, which Hitterelva runs into))
We noticed currents in the lake, which indicates that it was a river (Håelva) and not a lake
There is a lake called Gjettjønna further away, by Glåmos. Maybe that’s where the great bathing spot is?
Check at which end of the lake the bathing area actually is

The latter applies to Gjettjønna on the other side of the road of the river Håelva. It seems to be shallow and not very idyllic in the northernmost end, but there might be a paradise on the other end, who knows? We did not investigate the southern end..

Not so idyllic shallow water – at the northernpart of Gjettjønna.

It’s not really necessary or right to have a bath in Håelva. But after the bath a, dinner in Kjerkgata followed by a rock concert in ‘Storstuggu’ (= the great hall). We got to experience ‘Spidergawd’ – Oh, what happiness!

Sterke-Knut

Røros copper minery was established in 1644. Occasionally up to 2000 people were involved in the business. In addition to the miners, this also included many local farmers who contributed with transport and firewood. When the plant went bankrupt after 333 years of operation; some 110,000 tonnes of copper and 525,000 tonnes of pyrite had been mined.

The river ‘Hitterelva’ on the south side of Røros center.

Above Røros church you will find a lot of industrial history, including the Smeltery and Malmplassen (Ore Square) with the old weight. Røros Museum is responsible for the preservation of 80 buildings, 15,000 objects and 70,000 photos from the mining history of Røros.

Hitterelva with the dross heaps in the background.

When the Smeltery was built in 1888, it was called ‘a monster sized wooden shed’. In the Smeltery, the ore was processed into export metal through very energy-intensive processes. This quickly eradicated the forest, and the firewood had to be collected further and further away. The Smeltery was in operation every day all year round, except one month in the summer, when the workers had to take care of their farms.

The Smeltery (to the left) at Røros, from 1888, was rebuilt in 1988, after a fire in 1953.

The Smeltery dam was built in 1646, as part of the start-up of the copper mine. The dam was needed as water inlet for the wheels that run the bellows in the Smeltery. On the way down from lake Hyttdammen to the Smeltery, the water was also used to operate two grain mills and a stamp house for felting wool – very useful.

The lake Hyttdammen (Smeltery dam) revision 1947.

The work in the Smeltery was reorganized in 1887, and after 1900 Hyttdammen was no longer maintained. The dam disappeared in the 1934 flood. In 1947, a new dam was built on the same site, in concrete. The function now is as a collection dam for the loose materials in the river. After a clean-up operation in the summer of 2021, Hyttdammen has become an excellent spot for bathing!

In the spring of 2022, filming takes place in Røros. Parts of the historical movie ‘The Riot’, about the miner’s uprising in Sulitjelma are shot there, and Knut joined as a ‘featured extra’. An excellent opportunity for new bathing experiences!

Sterke-Knut (Knut-the-Strong) or Spoon-Lars?

Rather busy times for Knut. Filming during the day, programming work in the evening and occasional partying at night. Truly good he is strong! A bath now and then helps!

Important to check email at work between takes!

Picnic by the Lake

In Bordeaux, wine has been made for a very, very long time. The first mention of viticulture in this district is from Pliny the Elder, in the year 71 AD. 700 million bottles of Bordeaux wine are produced per year, of which 90% is red wine.

Vineyards in Bordeaux. At the end of the rows, roses are often planted – to detect mildew before it attacks the vines.

The red Bordeaux wines are blended, the most used grapes are Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot grapes.

Knut and Ulvhild are tasting wine in Bordeaux.

The white wines are made from the grapes Sèmillon, Sauvignon Blanc, Sauvignon Gris and Muscadelle. We also got to taste orange wine! The orange color comes by maceration, i.e. the juice (including peel and seeds) is not filtered immediately. This makes a white wine with more taste and aroma, as is a common practice for red wine grapes. In our case it was perhaps mostly interesting. The orange wine we got was not particularly good. But the red wines!

Visits to wine castles are mandatory for Bordeaux holidays. We made it simple and took the bus to Château Pape Clément. A fantastic place!

Surrounded by vineyards, the castle also had an absolutely magnificent garden with many different plant species. Most impressive, however, were the nearly 2,000-year-old olive trees.

Wine exports from Bordeaux were large throughout the Middle Ages (a great deal went to England, under the name Claret). Many of the winemakers were from the bourgeoisie and survived the French Revolution relatively unscathed. Bordeaux, however, was hit by American wine lice and mildew from the 1870’s, and production declined sharply. After the First World War, it has rised again, up in the sky. Quality wines from Bordeaux achieve extreme prices and are considered objects of speculation! However, simpler wines are overproduced, and many wineries are struggling financially.

Château Pape Clément seems to be doing very well.

Before the wine tasting, a bath is a good idea. After wine tasting – no swimming! Swimming and alcohol is not a good match – and we don’t believe that our readers spit out the wine when they are at a wine tasting – do you? We therefore recommend a morning trip with picnic and swimming to ‘Le Lac’ north of Bordeaux center, and wine tasting afterwards.

Place de la Bourse with the ‘trois grâces’. Ready for picnic.

Take the tram from Place de la Bourse (Stock Exchange Square), and after 20 minutes you are by a very nice lake which is simply called The Lake (Le Lac).

We flinched a bit when we saw this sign – is it really not allowed to swim here after all?

But nope, the sign warns against steep riverbanks and we were going to the beach. At Le Lac you will find the nicest, family-friendly beach you could wish for. Not very crowded either – at Easter time.

It turned out to be a terrific bath. Fresh and nice water, with a temperature like a summer day in Norway. A little too much seagrass in the water, though. We observed a local hero wearing a full wetsuit for the occasion. In our opinion, it was completely unnecessary, with active swimming you could keep warm in April.

Active swimming: the butterfly is coming!

After the bath, a pique-nique is just the right thing to do. And yes, we took the trouble to look up the word picnic, since our groups frenchman had some not child friendly interpretations. ‘Pique’ comes from ‘snacking’, while ‘nique’ means ‘of little value’. Food sharing! Considering that this was a family tour, it usually means that Mom and Dad set up a menu and bring it with them. However, we had messed it up with the order that each individual brings what they want themselves (our family consists of various varieties of carnivores, seafood eaters and vegetarians). So then some of us brought food for themselves – as the agreement was, while others had food to share. It’s never easy! But a good and cozy event, it was.

It’s just right to share food and have a bath at Le Lac. This time a claim that has been tested – and verified – by 4 youngsters.

Bordeaux

Bourdeaux is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, and has over a million inhabitants, if you include the suburbs. The name comes from ‘border’ and ‘eau’ = water, ie the border of the water. And if you have a somewhat wider perspective, this is actually a port city, even though it is located as much as 100 km from the coast. La Garonne is navigable all the way up, and there are 9 km of quays along the river.

In the Middle Ages, there was a large slum in Bordeaux. To make the city presentable for the foreign wine traders, it was decided to create ‘Port de la Lune’ = Port of the Moon; large, beautiful buildings facing the harbor – with the slums neatly hidden behind. Clever! The area is inscribed at UNESCO’s World Heritage List. Bordeaux is an ancient city, from pre-roman times, originally Celtic. The region for a long time was subject to England, e.g. during the Hundred Years’ Wars, but there are not many traces of this in the center of Bordeaux today.

Beautiful streets in Bordeaux. Photo: Ulvhild Hunstad Løwø

There are many magnificent churches in Bordeaux, the city has been an archbishop’s seat since 300 AD. After spending an entire morning trying to find the St. Peter’s Church (and the rest of the company), Idun had to admit that the beautiful church she was looking for was the Cathédrale Saint-André de Bordeaux, and not the Eglise Saint-Pierre. The cathedral was consecrated by Pope Urban II in 1096. He helt a speech here to collect support for the first crusade. But even though St. Andrew’s Cathedral is great, we think that the bell tower’s 20th century statue of The Holy Mother was too much for our taste.

After the city walk, a bath is just the right thing to do, but we really would not recommend La Garonne. And not because of this sign!

The main problem was actualy not this sign.

Swimming can be dangerous if you can’t swim, yes, we definitely knew that already. The problem was the water in the river. In La Garonne we found the brownest water we have seen in a long time. Mud bath, it was!

La Garonne, and the bridge ‘Pont de Pierre’ in the background.

We have heard that mud baths are healthy, but think maybe not this kind. Alternatives had to be found, and that was super easy in Bordeaux. We recommend a foot bath in front of La Bourse!

‘Bourse’ = Stock exchange. The bathtub is called “Miroir d’eau” = the Water mirror, and we were not the only adult bathers here, just almost… Since we couldn’t do a full entry, we also dropped the full undressing. Kids and dogs enjoyed the almost 4000 Sq mt of water, and a couple of youngsters actually did surfing! With a water depth of 2 cm – well done! The water depth changes in cycles. If the water disappears – just wait a few minutes, and it will return. A bath in Miroir d’eau is just right!

Foot bath in Bordeaux. Photo: Une Hunstad Løwø.

After the bath, some food is just right. In Bordeaux you will find typical French cafès and restaurants, as well as many more or less Italian varieties. Idun was very excited about the cheese and ham plates, preferably mixed. Knut is very fond of seafood, and often ordered seafood platter. These have a somewhat wider selection of species than the similar Norwegian dishes, as periwinkles and common whelk are common ingredients. Our eldest daughter Ulvhild, who is otherwise very enthusiastic about mussels (e.g. Moules-frites or Spaghetti Vongole), was somewhat doubtful, but wanted to try. Then it turned out that actually pulling the animals out of their houses was too much for the youths. Maybe it’s better with a bloody steak?

Victor and Ulvhild are enjoying gourmet food in Bordeaux.

… which made a kind of puzzle for us: Isn’t seafood in Bordeaux just right?

D-Day

After more than a year of preparations, Allied forces landed on the coast of Normandy on the morning of June 6, 1944. Germany expected an invasion and was well prepared. Field Marshal Erwin Rommel had fortified the coast with bunkers and physical obstacles. The actual landing, however, was expected to take place at Calais, where the English Channel is at its narrowest, and the fortifications therefore were strongest there. Even long after D-Day, Hitler believed that the landing was a decoy maneuver. Consequently, no massive reinforcements were sent immediately. The landing was given the name Operation Neptune and it was part of the larger Operation Overlord, whose goal was the liberation of France.

The landing is the largest amphibious operation ever, and lasted until June 30, 1944, when Allied forces liberated Cherbourg in western Normandy. About 7,000 ships transported 156,000 infantry troops to the five D-Day beaches: Sword, Juno, Gold, Omaha and Utah.

Memorial from WWI. The French soldier was removed during WWII, and reinstated after the liberation in 1944.

One village that was liberated in the morning hours of June 6th, was Saint-Marie-du-Mont, which changed hands several times during the day. The village was occupied by 60 German soldiers, who used the church tower as an observation post. On a clear day you can see all the way to the sea from the church tower.

Église Notre-Dame de Sainte-Marie-du-Mont.

In the hours before the actual landing, paratroopers were released within the D-Day beaches, to prepare for the thousands of soldiers and vehicles that were to be landed. However, dense fog and heavy flak, led to only 1/3 of the paratroopers actually being released, and many ended up in the wrong place. The two German soldiers who were on duty at the bell tower fired at paratroopers before they suddenly disappeared.

Our Ladies Church in Sainte-Marie-du-Mont. There were shootings here on D-Day.

When the priest came for the morning mass on D-Day, he found the two soldiers in the church, and they asked to be locked into the sacristy. “We promise not to touch anything!”, the soldiers said. ‘Not even the altar wine?’, the priest replied, before turning his back on them. The Allied paratroopers wanted to occupy the bell tower, and there were battles inside the church. Later, bullet holes and blood were found in front of the confessional. On the evening of June 6th, when everything had calmed down, the sexton went into the church and started the clean-up. Sweeping up the rubble in the church nave, dust swirled up. Suddenly he heard a sneeze, and he found two German soldiers who had been hiding inside the confessional.

In Sainte-Marie-du-Mont, as many other places in Normandy, there is a shop that exclusively sells goods from the war universe. Here you can, among other things, buy this charming little sign:

From the war shop in Sainte-Marie-du-Mont.

4 miles from Sainte-Marie-du-Mont lies Utah Beach, the westernmost of the D-Day beaches. Here you can find a memorial in honor of Andrew Jackson Higgins, who designed the American LCVPs (Landing Craft Vehicle, Personnel) used during Operation Neptune. According to D.D. Eisenhower (who led the entire operation): ‘The man who won the war for us’.

Utah Beach was worth a bath. The water was fresh and clear with fun waves to jump through. And here we could not see any signs warning of strong currents.

Utah Beach to be bathed! Photo: Une Hunstad Løwø.

There are fewer people here than on Omaha Beach, but they had horses on the beach.

A bath at Utah Beach was just right!

Normandie

Normandy is named after the Vikings (Danish and Norwegian). The Norwegian Viking Gange-Rolv was according to tradition appointed Duke Rollo of Normandy in 911, to end the Norse looting. A descendant of Rollo, Wilhelm the Conqueror, started the construction of a large castle in the city of Caen in 1060. The city experienced an economic rise based on Wilhelm’s invasion of England in 1066. The castle is still large in extent, but not so high anymore, partly due to the bombings during World War II.

Wilhelm the Conqueror’s castle is still relatively large.

We spent the Easter holiday 2022 in Caen to visit our youngest daughter, Une, who is studying there. Could there be swimming opportunities in Caen? The town is about 20 km from shore, but the river Orne is navigable all the way up, so it was worth a try. Wearing French bérets, we went to the old port – La Quai – but no, that water was too unappetizing, even for bathoholics like us. But the water photo turned out to be quite nice!

Other possible activities in Caen are church visits – there are several beautiful churches here, in a mixed Romanesque-Gothic style. And if the congregation grows out of the church, just build a new church nave in parallel with the old one, in a new and different style.

Two parallel church naves in l’Église Saint-Sauveur, Caen.

Anyway – what to do in Caen is to memorise the World War II. Many of the churches in Normandy, for example, lack a few floors, if you look closely. It became too strenuous to rebuild them to their original height after the war, so they put a roof over the lower floor instead and let it be.

And if you are (by chance) looking for a food tour, you will find excursions out of Caen with World War II as the theme. Caen itself has basically very few excursions for itself. So then you just have to go into the world of war. With the war in Ukraine simultaneously unfolding in the theater of reality, this became rather gloomy. A bus ride out of the city center you can find the Mémorial de Caen, which covers most aspects of World War II.

Mémorial de Caen, Easter 2022. The flag of Ukraine has been given a central place.

The center of Caen was bombed several times during the war, but the Allied bombing during Operation Neptune (D-day) was probably the worst.

Caen after Allied bombing in the spring of 1944. From the exhibition in the Caen Mémorial.

With World War II as a backdrop, however, there are up to several bathing opportunities in Normandy, namely the D-Day beaches of Juno, Gold, Sword, Omaha and Utah, where the Allies carried out the largest landing operation in world history on June 6, 1944. In France, this is not just a memorial day of the losses, it’s about liberation from Nazism, and this is a real celebration.

The D-Day parade in Bayeux, Normandie, June 2019.

During the D-Day festivities, the atmosphere is rather tense at the beaches, with many tourists, especially Americans, who are there to remember the fallen soldiers. At the beginning of June we would not really recommend these as bathing spots, but the rest of the year it is fine.

Omaha Beach with the memorial in the background.

Omaha Beach is 8 miles long, with the finest golden sand. It was here that the landing forces experienced the greatest losses. In the course of one day, about 1,000 American soldiers died here, most of them during the morning hours, and they were on the verge of ending this landing. The first 20 minutes of the movie ‘Saving Private Ryan’ describe these scenes as well (horribly) as can be done.

Omaha Beach. Is it okay to swim here, you think? Photo: Une Hunstad Løwø

We concluded that ‘yes’ we can have a bathe here. But be careful! We saw a sign warning of strong currents, so do not swim too far out!

Parts of the landing structures are still present on Omaha Beach. Photo: Une Hunstad Løwø

And yes, this was a great bath. Fresh and nice water, big and fun waves on the way out. A bath on Omaha Beach is just right – when there is no D-Day celebration!

Art bath

In the middle of Reykjavík you will find a pond, Tjörnin. It is said that a long time ago, two women lived on opposite sides of the water. One day the ladies met while they were rinsing off their socks. They started arguing about fishing in the pond, which they both wanted to have for themselves. It ended with curses, and all the trout in the pond were turned into insects. Since then, there has never been fishing in Tjörnin. Constructed with the ‘feet’ in this water, you will find Ráðhús Reykjavíkur (Reykjavík Town Hall). Tjörnin is home to many birds, and feeding them is a popular activity, so popular that Tjörnin is called ‘The thickest bread soup in the world’. We did not bathe there!

Ráðhús Reykjavíkur. The excavator shows the construction of the new parliament on Iceland, Alþingi.

Northeast of the town hall you will find the Icelandic Art Center (Kynningarmiðstöð íslenskrar myndlistar). If you are a little interested in art – spend some time there, it is recommended.

More art options? At Krafla (northern Iceland) you can take an art shower!

After the art, time is just right for a bath. We suggest a good walk along the promenade to Seltjarnanes, if the weather is nice. Just before you reach the pier of the lighthouse (Grótta viti), you can see a small building on the right. Go down to the shore and there you will find Kvika foot bath (Kvika means Magma).

Kvika foot bath. Grótta lighthouse back to the left.

The artwork is made by Ólöf Nordal and consists of a hollowed out stone that is lit and filled with hot water (39 degrees). Four adults can bathe their feet at the same time. An absolutely wonderful experience!

Imagine a hot foot bath in a winter night by Reykjavik with the northern lights dancing in the background! ‘Take off your socks and shoes and let yourself be linked with nature on the beach. You become a participant in the notion of settlement, nature, land, sea, sky and earth. When the feet are warm, the blood flows through the body. Physical and mental health flow together, sensitivity to the environment awakens and a connection is formed with the forces of nature‘. Quotation: The artist Ólöf.

Sky Lagoon

Iceland was strongly affected by the economic crisis 2008-2011. The banks had been privatized in the early 2000s, and the debt burden was very high when the crisis hit. Beyond the 2000s, the situation has improved. The tourism in particular, has increased a lot, and great efforts are made for the visitors to spend more money in the country. When a tourist is taking pictures by a waterfall, it doesn’t provide much income… Investments are needed!

Sky Lagoon, which opened in 2021, is an ambitious facility. The spa is located at the peninsula Karsnes to the south of Reykjavík. The view is spectacular! From the pool you can spot Reykjavík to the north, Bessastaðir (the presidental residence) to the west and Reykjanes peninsula in the south. The latter might be sending smoke signals to you, if the volcano in Geldingadalur is still having outbreaks. When we visited Sky Lagoon in spring 2021 (only a few weeks after the opening), we enjoyed the view of 8-10 clouds of smoke, from within the hot pool!

Panorama view: The extinct volcano Keilir and smoke from the new volcano in Geldingadalur.

The spa is absolutely beautiful, colors chosen from black, grey and brown. On the way to the basin, you descend the stairs surrounded by black lava rocks. It looks – and feels – like leaving a cave. The edges of the basins are also made of black lava rocks, and the massage shower looks like a natural waterfall – with wonderful, warm water. Gorgeous!

The southern part includes hot or cold (!) steam showers and a large sauna where one wall is nothing but panorama windows. Here you can also find a cold pot, to freshen up after the hot sauna.

Amazing design in Sky Lagoon. Sauna at the back right.

We would have appreciated the possibility to swim in the cold sea just below the spa, but that was unfortunately unquestionably not an option. Except that: Absolutely fantastic!

Leifur Heppni Eiríksson

Leifur Eiríksson was the son of Eirík Raude. After his father had been banned several times on Iceland for manslaughter, the family emigrated to Greenland and settled at Brattahlið in Vesturbygð. Around the year 1000 AD, Leifur sailed west from Greenland to search for new land.

First they found a place they called Helluland (probably Baffin in Canada). Then they sailed south and discovered a land of forests, which they named Markland (probably Labrador). Finally they found a land where wild grapes were growing, which they called Vínland (Wine land – Newfoundland). One of the expedition members was a german priest – who actually had seen grapes before (grapes normally don’t grow neither on Iceland nor Greenland…) In Vínland Leifur and his people built houses and stayed there during winter. On the way home the next spring, Leifur rescued 15 people from a reef. After this he was nicknamed Leifur Heppni in Iceland (the Lucky one). One of the shipwrecked was, according to the Grænlendinge Saga, Guðriður, later to be married to his brother, Þorstein Eiríksson.

Hallgrimskyrkja in Reykjavík. Leifur Eiríksson is leading the way.

There is a statue of Leifur Eiríksson in front of the monumental church ‘Hallgrímskirkja’ in Reykjavík. East of the church, in the street Barónsstígur, there is a rather big but quite ordinary swimming facility: Sundhöllin (actually just meaning The Basin), where the prices are very reasonable. In Sundhöllin you will find two big basins (one indoors and one outdoors), and several hot pools. We absolutely recommend Sundhöllin for swimming exercise.

Sundhöllin. Hallgrímskirkja to the far right. Photo: sundlaugar.is

… and after the training, time is just right for a relaxing hot bath. One of the hot pots is obviously mounted after the other pools, the whole room including the stairs. Drain for surplus water was not installed. That means – when someone enters the pool, the surplus water runs all the way down the stairs. It was really surprising to be met by cascades in Sundhöllin!

The Conquest

From the center of Reykjavík there is a fine hiking trail by the sea all the way to Seltjarnanes. On the way you will pass Saga Museum, which we recommend. If you have kids – bring them too! The museum has a variety of clothes you can borrow, to look like a viking. In the Saga Museum you can, among other stories, learn the story of Ingólfur Arnarson, who moved from Sunnfjord to Iceland because he had been banned in Norway.

Ingólfur was the first to settle permanent in Iceland, and the first to live in what is now Reykjavík. According to the Settlement Saga (Landnámabók), Ingólfur threw his high seat pillars in sea, to let the Gods decide where to settle. Then he sent his slaves, Karla and Vífill, to search for them. The pillars were found 3 years later, at Seltjarnanes. ‘Why should we end up here, after passing so much nice land first?’ they asked. Reykjavík’s coat of arms images Ingólfur’s two chair pillars in sea.

Reykjavík’s coat of arms. Photo: Wikipedia.

After the museum visit, it’s time for a bath, and you should do it at Seltjarnanes. There you can find a charming, shallow bay just within the lighthouse, with grey sand, and plenty of little flounders swimming away as you enter the sea. The place is a popular destination, especially in the evenings. The sunsets here are beautiful!

Seltjarnanes. Idun can’t wait to have a bath.

South of Seltjarnanes you can see the old volcano Keilir, or maybe smoke from the new volcano in Geldingadalir/Fagradalsfjall. North-westwards you can see all the way to Snæfellsjökull if the weather is good.

Knut puts on his wet suit at Seltjarnanes bay. Far left: The old volcano Keilir.

We have had several very nice baths at Seltjarnanes. Always crystal clear water and beautiful ocean views. In the bay, however, one must expect to wade through mounds of semi-dry seaweed at low tide. And after a storm – yuk! Yes, we did.