Idun – Page 4 – ToBatheOrNotToBathe

Saint Paul’s Shipwrecking

The apostle Paul, born in 10 AD, was an eager persecutor of Christians as a young man. But on his way to Damascus to persecute there, he was blinded by a bright light, he heard the voice of Jesus and was converted. From the age of 35 he himself traveled around as a missionary for Christianity, and his letters form the basis of modern Christianity. After twelve years of evangelizing, he came to Jerusalem, where he caused so much trouble that he was imprisoned by the Romans. On his way to the trial in Rome AD 60, he survived a shipwreck off Malta, and this is something the Maltese people will never forget.

Paul’s statue in Rabat, Malta. Paul lived for 3 months in a cave nearby. By his feet lies the snake that bit Paul.

The shipwrecking is detailed in the Acts of the Apostles, chapter 27: ‘… And we being exceedingly tossed with a tempest, the next day they lightened the ship.‘

There are countless churches, streets and memorials in Malta dedicated to Saint Paul, including the church of San Pawl in Buġibba, where parts of the text have been cited in at least 10 different languages. The Maltese focus mostly on the description of the time after the shipwrecking; that they were well received in Malta (Acts 28). When they came ashore, the Maltese lit a fire for the castaways so they could warm themselves. A snake came out of the wood and bit Paul. When he was not harmed by the snakebite, he was considered a God, and the Maltese converted to Christianity. After this, there have never been snakes in Malta.

St Paul’s Shipwreck Church, Buġibba, Malta. Acts 28 cited in Maltese on the left and English to the right.

According to tradition, the shipwrecking occurred on the north-east coast of Malta island, at two more or less connected islands that are today called Saint Paul’s Islands. The entire area within is also named after the event: Saint Paul’s Bay.

‘And we were all in all in the ship two hundred threescore and sixteen souls. And when they had eaten enough, they lightened the ship, and cast out the wheat into the sea.‘ Acts 27.

Saint Paul’s Island shining in the evening sun.

On the largest of the two islands, a statue of Paul was erected in 1844, signed Segismondo Dimech and Salvatore Dimech. The statue has been restored several times and blessed by Pope John Paul II in 1990. We wanted to swim there!

Saint Paul’s Island with the statue of Saint Paul.

A swim across a strait a couple of hundred meters wide would be an easy match for Tobatheornottobathe, we thought in our exquisite optimism. And we prepared really well this time: mask, snorkel, flippers, diving buoy and even a small inflatable boat to carry our clothes (the plan was to climb up to the statue once we got there). But then there was this thing called season. We traveled to Malta in February to get some sun and heat, but we were not quite aware that during the winter season, Malta is a windy place. There is a lot of boat traffic in the strait, and we didn’t want to take the risk of not being seen in rough water. So we had to wait a couple of weeks before the breeze eased and we could set off. But finally we were on the way, in flat and fine sea.

Flat sea, you said? Well… it really wasn’t that flat.

The decision to swim on the outside of the islands was not a good idea! (We wanted to avoid the fish farming ‘cages’ on the inside) Comment from Knut before we came out of the wind shelter from Comino and Gozo: ‘Oh so wonderful, it feels like flying!‘ Answer from Idun after the sea got rougher: ‘It feels like swimming in a washing machine! I might be sick!‘

Where could it be, the beach where we were supposed to enter the island?

The landing after they hit land is described as follows in Acts 27: ‘And when it was day, they knew not the land: but they discovered a certain creek with a shore, into the which they were minded, if it were possible, to thrust in the ship. And when they had taken up the anchors, they committed themselves unto the sea, and loosed the rudder bands, and hoised up the mainsail to the wind, and made toward shore. And falling into a place where two seas met, they ran the ship aground; and the forepart stuck fast, and remained unmoveable, but the hinder part was broken with the violence of the waves. And the soldiers’ counsel was to kill the prisoners, lest any of them should swim out, and escape. But the centurion, willing to save Paul, kept them from their purpose; and commanded that they which could swim should cast themselves first into the sea, and get to land: And the rest, some on boards, and some on broken pieces of the ship. And so it came to pass, that they escaped all safe to land.‘

Tobatheornottobathe did not land on Saint Paul’s Island. We would probably have made it, but it would have been a bloody affair. And the conclusion? The shipwrecking probably never happened in Saint Paul’s Bay. But we have read that there is a place further south on Malta called Munxar, by Saint Thomas’ Bay. This beach has a reef outside, where ships can easily sink. To be continued – maybe…

After a crossing that was almost right, time was just right for a taste of the right redwine.

The Fortified City

Malta’s old capital is located on a hill in the middle of the island overlooking almost the entire Malta. The name comes from Arabic and means ‘The Fortified City‘. It’s a name that fits very well, and now we’re talking about a medieval town with walls that are amazingly well preserved.

The settlement on the hill goes all the way back to the Bronze Age, and traces of the Phoenicians have been found from 700 BC, including two engraved stones. The stones are a thank you for being heard by God after a substitute sacrifice (sacrificial lamb instead of the sacrifice of a child). The Phoenician name for Mdina was Maleth (refuge). There are remains from Roman times in the suburb of Rabat, including catacombs. The apostle Paul lived for a few months in Mdina (in Roman times called Melite), after he was shipwrecked at Malta around AD 60, invited by the governor, Publius. While living in Melite, Paulus cured the governor’s father, and several miracles also occurred, with the result that the whole population of Malta was converted to Christianity, and Publius became the first Maltese bishop.

The current name Mdina (inside the walls), and Rabat (the suburbs), came with the Byzantine occupation in AD 870. During the conquest, the population was massacred, and marble from the church was shipped to Susse in Tunisia, where it was used to build a castle. After a short siege in 1091, Malta came under Sicilian rule. Mdina withstood a Turkish siege in 1429, earning the name ‘Città Notabile‘ (the glorious city). Today, some 250 people live in Mdina, and 11,000 in Rabat.

Mdina has been a city for church leaders and nobility. High palace factor within the walls, but correspondingly low party factor.

Mdina is not suitable for driving, the streets are too narrow for that. Thus the traffic signs here do not specify the maximum height the cars can have, but the width…

When the Order of Saint John settled in Malta in 1530, Mdina was the capital. However, the knights wanted a base closer to the sea, and moved the capital to Birgu in 1532. After this, Mdina, with its palaces, has been a retreat place for the Maltese upper class, and is nicknamed ‘The Quiet City‘.

From Mdina there is a view to most of Malta island.

What does a fortified city in the middle of a dry island have to do with swimming, you might think. And yes, this seemed to become a long day without any bathing at all. But then we found a beautiful, small hotel with only 6 rooms – and a roof terrace, claiming to have a “Spa”.

Knut is looking for a place to swim. The hotel has taken the name Bifora from the two-part window shown above.

Could there be an opportunity here? But where exactly was the pool located?

No trace of the pool. Apart from the little, blue sign about the water depth…

Yes, the pool was just a click away. The staff at Bifora where friendly and service minded, and arranged a bathing facility for us. And we imagine what a luxury this must be in the middle of the summer heat!

The pool cover is removed with an electric motor.

Swimming in Mdina is actually just perfect!

Afterwards, evening came and the streets got their own glow!

Pseudo craters

At the southern end of Mývatn lies the small village of Skútustaðir. It is surrounded by pseudocraters, and that is something quite special. Pseudocraters are not volcanic craters. They are formed when lava intrudes into a lake. The water evaporates, and sooner or later the pressure becomes so high that the steam is pushed up through the lava. This is how pseudo craters are formed, rounded and beautiful in shape, but they are not volcanoes, as they never erupted lava themselves.

Pseudocrater with the real volcano Vindbelgjarfjall in the background.

The grassy pseudocraters form an interesting frame around the mini-lake Stakhólstjörn, which is located inside lake Mývatn. The place is well arranged with paths all the way around and up on the crater rim to some of the pseudocraters. Stakhólstjörn is a paradise for birds, you can observe many swans, ducks and geese on the water.

Stakhólstjörn and pseudo craters. Far far away: Lake Mývatn

Stakhólstjörn has an outlet to Mývatn through the little river Skipaskráður, which can be crossed over a small bridge. It is nice to swim here. We were concerned about the amount of bird droppings in Stakhólstjörn, and chosed swimming in Mývatn itself. The water is clear and nice, but terribly shallow. Swim with your hands, otherwise you’ll get scratches on your knees!

The technical section of tobatheornottobathe unfortunately has not been able to find the pictures we both remember to have taken, so this bath will stay undocumented!

Grótagjá of Thrones

Mývatn in the north of Iceland is located in an active volcanic area. Here you can experience almost everything: New and old volcanoes, hot springs, sulphurous steams, boiling mud baths, narrow gorges and strange geological phenomena such as pseudocraters and Dimmuborgir. Spend some days here!

Dimmuborgir (the Dark Fortress). Hverfjall in the background to the left.

Dimmuborgir was formed by lava from the volcanic eruptions in Lúdentsborgir and Þrengsborgir some 2000 years ago. The place was originally a depression in the landscape, which was filled with lava. The lava solidified from the top, but not all the way to the bottom. Some lava found its way out again, and this led to the ‘roof’ of the lava caves collapsing, creating the impression of a ruined, black fortress. Here you find caves and peculiar rock formations everywhere.

Dimmuborgir was about to be buried by sand dunes, and a lot of resources have been spent on conservation. Now, as the vegetation has finally returned, there is much debate about whether to remove the birch or not – before it hides the whole thing.

Dimmuborgir has been the location of many fairy tales and myths. In pagan times, as a transition place between the world of elves and humans. With Christianity came the belief that this was Hell, the place where the Devil lived after being thrown out of Heaven. Of more recent myths, we have stories of the Santas (Iceland has 12 of them), that used to live here.

Hverfjall with Mývatn in the background. Hverfjall erupted some 2500 years ago.

One trip we enjoyed a lot was this one: First walk 2-3 of the paths through Dimmuborgir. From there you can follow a path that goes to the volcano Hverfjall. The volcano is not very high, but you can still feel the rise. There are 2 steps forward and one back since the mountain consists of gravel (tuff). Once up, it’s a splendid view! Go around the volcano and down on the other side. From there you can follow the signs to Grótagjá (the Cave Gil). Here you can clearly see how the continental plates are moving away from each other, as there are cracks and crevasses everywhere.

The gill Grótagjá is filled with water, and the cave was a highly valued bathing place before 1975. But during the volcanic eruptions between 1975 and 1984, the temperature in the water rose to over 50°C and bathing became impossible. Later, the temperature has dropped again and the place became a popular tourist attraction. However, vandalism led to the cave being closed, people were camping in the cave, washed their shoes and brushed their teeth in the water, etc. Now Grótagjá has had a new renaissance, after the place was the location for a Game of Thrones’ scene in the episode ‘Kissed by Fire‘ in the third season. Although the cave has been reopened, there are still prohibiting signs against bathing (because the temperature might change vey quickly, they claim). It’s not just right to swim in Grótagjá!

Grótagjá unfortunately was a ‘*NOT*‘ for us. The photographers would have lost their jobs, if they weren’t sort of permanently hired. We don’t have any good pictures from inside, but trust us: it’s very nice!

After a non-cave bath, some tough heavy metal music could have been just right, but Dimmuborgir is not what they used to be…

They look just sweet and nice, the Icelandic group Dimmuborgir. Not at all like the Norwegian symphonical heavy metal band Dimmu Borgir.

The man who stopped the lava

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.

Reykjahlið. ‘*Do you want to join a bath? A sunbath only? Well, that’s ok.*‘

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).

The Reykjahlið lavafield. Far behind: The volcano Hverfjall.

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 km_² 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.

An evening bath in Mývatn was just right, in April 2021.

Galway Girl

Galway, on the west coast of Ireland, had close trade relations with France and Spain from the Middle Ages. Today, the city is a center for Irish language, music and culture and hosts several festivals, including food, art and film.

One of Galway’s many canals dressed for Christmas.

Many of the houses in Galway are quite old. As an example, the building that houses the pub ‘The King’s Head’, dates from the 13th century. The name refers to King Charles I, who was convicted of treason and beheaded in 1649. In this pub they sell an excellent red beer called ‘The King’s Blood’. This beer has a thick foam (head of the beer) which is reminiscent of the Guinness’ foam (made by adding nitrogen gas). And as our guide pointed out: This beer holds the ‘head’ better than King Charles I could…

But it’s not just the beer that draws you into the Irish pubs, of course. In Galway you will find live music almost everywhere!

Many pubs have their own areas specifically reserved for musicians, but that means hard-core folk music completely lacking international hits.

But yes, there are some pubs that run a simplified version: 1-2 guitarists with a typical Creedence-Cash-Eagles repertoire. Finding bigger bands at play is not too difficult, either. In that case, you will certainly hear this:

And I ask you friend, what’s a fella to do
‘Cause her hair was black and her eyes were blue
So I took her hand, and I gave her a twirl
And I lost my heart to a Galway girl

… and actually – we found her! Knut could give a handshake ‘to a Galway Girl’.

Knut on a date with ‘the Galway Girl’. The road work around the bench did not inspire any romance.

In retrospect, it turned out that Knut was not very satisfied with the meeting, so maybe it’s still hope for Idun – even if she doesn’t have blue eyes? The song was first released in the year 2000, but this Galway Girl appeared to be at least 100 years old! And where was the hair? Wrapped in a shawl? No, better to stick to the song and the dream..

‘Galway Girl’ was created by the American musician Steve Earl. He spent a few years in Ireland after a troubled period in the United States. The song is written for/about Joyce Redmond, who played bodhrán on the first release. However, she is not exactly a Galway Girl, as she grew up on the Howth peninsula north of Dublin. On the other side, Joyce Redmond’s mother was from the Aran Islands (Inishmore, where we also have had a bath or two), and that is maybe close enough? Joyce had neither black hair nor blue eyes, and never became Steve Earl’s wife – despite the fact that he was married seven times to six different women. But the mood of the song is perfectly Galway-ish:

I took a stroll down the old Long Walk
On the day-I-ay-I-ay
I met a little girl and we stopped to talk
On a fine soft day-I-ay

Much of Galway’s city wall on the east side of the River Corrib was destroyed by the tsunami that followed the Great Lisbon Earthquake of 1755. But there is still a part remaining, including the so-called Spanish Arch of 1584.

At the Spanish Arch, a major construction project is currently ongoing (2023), to protect the lower part of the city from flooding. During storms and spring floods, basements have repeatedly been filled with water, and they are now trying to do something to stop it. As a temporary measure, two water ‘sausages’ have been laid out as a dam, and on the wall of Nimmo’s restaurant you can see an art installation in the form of a fluorescent tube that shows how high the water will be at spring tide in the year 2150 – if the melting of glaciers continues as today .

Water dam at the Spanish Arch. Horizontally on the wall you can see the assumed sea level in the year 2150.

If you walk along the estuary, southwards from the Spanish Arch, you will reach ‘The Long Walk’ mentioned in the song. This is a row of houses protected by masonry, and a nice place to stroll. And it is not unlikely to have a romantic encounter here. Even Ken Bruen writes beautifully about ‘The Long Walk’ in the crime novel ‘Priest’.

Actually, this trip is not so long that you shouldn’t also stop by the ‘Galway City Museum’, which is next door.

The Long Walk as seen from the Claddagh.

Otherwise, you can walk ‘The Long Walk’ both above and below the wall – as ‘Tobatheornottobathe’ did. On the second morning of the Galway trip, we were well informed about the condition of the river, which is not bad at all. As you know, the Corrib flows very fast, and when you add the information that there are salmons both there and in Lake Corrib above, adding the fact that the river is only 6 km long, then pollution is not a big issue. This left us with only two unsettled questions:
1) Where are the backwaters that prevent us from drifting out to sea?
2) How to get into a bathing position when the river is enclosed by both fences and water ‘sausages’?

Not far along ‘The Long Walk’ we found – lo and behold – a staircase down to the river bank, which made it easy to go back below the wall to the stairs behind Nimmo’s. We found plenty of broken glass there! It seems to be a favorite pastime to sit and drink on the edge of the wall and throw the bottles into the river. Maybe that’s how romance happens?

It was a splendid bath! The stairs were almost free from glass, and we didn’t hurt ourselves even without swimming shoes. But the current was a bit scary, so we didn’t actually swim, it was just a dip.

A dip in the rocky, swift river turned out to be just right.

Galway

On the west side of Ireland, there is a beautiful coast that calls with a Siren’s (Silkie’s?) song to every bathing enthusiast. But if it’s the Irish folk spirit you want to meet, then you also have to visit the city of Galway on the north side of Galway Bay.

Galway, looking north towards ‘The Latin Quarter’.

Galway, with its population of just over 80,000, is a lively city with a long history. The king of the region of Connacht built a fortification in 1124 by the river Gaillimh, which later became a town. In 1484, a city council was formed with a mayor. The city was ruled by 14 trading families, ‘The Tribes of Galway‘. Of these, 12 were of Norman origin and 2 were Irish.

The alley is ready for party, and in 2023 it is also allowed to speak Gaelic here.

People of Irish descent did not have automatic access to the city in the old days, they lived in the Claddagh district at the west side of the river. In a statute in the 16th century the following could be read: ‘Neither O’ nor Mac shall strut or swagger through the streets of Galway without permission‘.

Watch out for green! Ireland’s nickname is ‘*The Green Island*‘.

We stayed in ‘The Latin Quarter‘, where there is partytime both day and night. So lively that all the rooms (some of which had been hotel rooms for more than 700 years) were armed with earplugs. Every afternoon, the street players appear everywhere, and they move around the city space following an intricate system of permits and self-justice.

Harp concert in Galway for Oscar Wilde and Estonian Eduard Wilde.

The name of the city of Galway has several erroneous interpretations and myths attached to it, including that it comes from Gailleamh, which was the name of the chieftain Fir Bolg’s daughter. Gailleamh drowned in the river, and her father was so distraught over this that he camped on the spot to mourn her spirit. The town that later grew here is said to have been named Gaillimh in her honour. But – the current opinion is that Galway city got its name from the river, an anglicisation of the Gaelic ‘Gaillimh‘ = ‘The Rocky River‘.

The river is today called the Corrib and is, according to local sources, the fastest flowing urban river in all of Europe. Yes! The Corrib is fast running!

Not all the bridges in Corrib are well maintained.

When it came to swimming in Galway, Tobatheornottobathe were in strong doubt. On the one hand – It looks like great fun flowing with the current in Corrib! On the other hand, such a stunt would require an extended HSE focus, for example by use of a wet suit. And we were on a weekend holiday without extra equipment beyond swimwear and a towel.

River Corrib in full speed under the Wolfe Tone Bridge. At weekends, guards make sure that no one jumps in.

Besides, there was the other bathing issue – hygiene. When we were ready for the first morning bath in Galway, we had no idea about the ‘bathability‘ in relation to water quality. Tobatheornottobathe therefore made the simple decision to swim in the sea instead of the river, and headed west from the mouth of the Corrib.

View towards the district of Claddagh on the west side of Corrib.

On the way we came across this sign, which became an excellent starting point for a lively discussion. ‘Oh, funny, a fishing school!‘ Knut said. ‘Nonsense!‘, Idun (and one of our co-travellers, who shall remain anonymous) replied, ‘Episcopal means that this is a church’s school!‘

Claddagh Piscatorial School: School of the Bishop or for the Fishermen?

… but this time Idun actually had to admit that she was wrong. Claddagh Piscatorial School is not Episcopal. It was the Dominicans who wanted to teach the fishermen new ways to fish, and therefore created this school. Not a very popular idea among the local fishermen that someone should come along and teach them how to fish!

The Galway Tribesmen Rugby League field at South Park, Galway.

It is nice to walk west from Galway city center and we aimed for Mutton Island. On the map it looks like a paradise for a walk, and also perfect for swimming.

Knut stretches his back on the way out to Mutton Island.

But no. The entire island is closed off, and there are also signs prohibiting swimming from the pier. And when we discovered what the island is used for, all temptations to sneak in a bath disappeared like dew in the cold November sun. Mutton Island is used in its entirety for cleaning the sewage from Galway!

Bathing ban at the walkway to the Waste Water Handling Island.

So then it was just a matter of giving up? No, Tobatheornottobathe doesn’t give in that easy. There was a beautiful sandy beach just inside Mutton Island and the walkway. As long as we entered the beach from the beach promenade, there was no prohibition – according to our interpretation. It turned out to be a really nice bath, and we were almost completely sure that the water quality was good.

Salt Hill Prom, as mentioned in Steve Earl’s lovely song ‘*Galway Girl*‘. Two tobatheornottobathers seen far left.

When you (Knut) have a backache, a fresh bath is just perfect. The cold water shocks away pain and stiff muscles, and leaves you in really good shape afterwards. At least with a small taste of Irish whiskey in the body.

If the Scots can make the ‘*Water of Life*‘, then the Irish must be able to too?

It is believed that Irish monks started distilling and producing whiskey from the 13th century. The drink was popular into the 19th century, but after many years of decline there were only two Irish distilleries left in 1966. This trend has now been completely reversed, with Irish whiskey being the fastest growing spirit in the world every year since 1990.

Behind the headland in the west lie ‘*The Aran Islands*‘. Salt Hill to the right.

Silkie was, according to the legends, a kind of mermaid. She had a human form but also a seal-figure. In the moonlight she came ashore and danced on the beach. The Silkie was beautiful, with dark hair and deep soulful eyes. A young fisherman saw the seal woman, they fell in love and lived together for a while. But the sea called Silkie, stronger and stronger, until finally she gave in and went back to the sea forever.

Tobatheornottobathe has the general opinion that it’s always a good time for a bath, but this time we feel the fisherman might not quite agree.

The twin city

In the inner part of the Bay of Biscay, on the border between France and Spain, lies a sleepy little French-Basque town overlooking the lively Spanish-Basque town of Fuenterrabía/Hondarribia. The city is called Hendaye in French and has just under 20,000 inhabitants. It is located on the right side of the border river Bidassoa.

Here you are in the Basque core area, and around 50% of the population speak Basque or Euskadi, as they call it themselves). So then it’s just a matter of brushing up what you can find of x’s and z’s, and accept not to understand anything at all. Basque language is not related to any other language in the world! (Yes, they have really tried to find similarities, also against Caucasian languages, but no success yet)

Basque disagreement over French supremacy in Hendaye.

As an example, the 80,000 Euskadi speakers in France can enjoy inflecting nouns in the following cases: Absolutive, ergative, dative, possessive genitive, comitative, benefactive, instrumentalis, inessive, allative, ablative, local genitive and partitive.

Time to start practicing: Zorte on! (Good luck!)

The architecture in Hendaye is kept neo-Basque. White brick walls with wooden details. Preferably dark red, but green, blue and brown are also acceptable colors.

In addition to its role as a border town with alternating French-Spanish affiliation, there was a meeting between Hitler and Franco at the railway station in Hendaye the 23^rd of October 1940. Hitler wanted Spain as an Axis contributor, but there was no agreement, and Spain remained out.

Today, tourism is Hendaye’s main industry. There is water! And a splendid beach!

The twin rocks east of Hendaye are visible from both the twin cities of Hendaye and Hondarribia. But they are not identical twins, neither the cliffs nor the cities.

On New Year’s Day 2024, a swim from the large, beautiful beach in Hendaye was just perfect. Here the surfers splash in the water while people go for Sunday walks on the beach – in water and air temperatures like an average Trønder-summer. Adorable!

Hendaye. Surf waves are not just for surfing. Wave bathing is really fun!

Christmas bath 2023

In fresh seas and lovely waves, Tobatheornottobath wishes you a Merry Christmas from Ouistreham, Normandy.

The Continental Rift

Iceland erected between the European and the North American tectonic plates, which drift apart at a speed of 2 cm per year (corresponding to the growth velocity of a fingernail). In addition, they are also parallell displaced. Hence, earthquakes and volcanic eruptions are to be expected on a regular basis. Iceland is also located above a so-called hot spot, where there is a direct link to the interior of the earth (magma). Over the hot spots, volcanic eruptions are evenly distributed during many, many years.

The continental rift in Iceland goes from Reykjanes in the southwest towards the northeast. On the way, it passes Mývatn, an area where the geological activity is intense. Here, the volcano Krafla has had many outbreaks in recent times.

Piping from the geothermal power plant at Krafla.

Do you want to have a bath on the continental rift? Then Jarðböðin (the Geo Thermal Baths) is the perfect choice! This is a natural spa in an area with many hot springs. In design, Jarðböðin eccos Blue Lagoon. The spa is beautiful, mostly using dark colors. Large outdoor pools are filled with heavenly, hot water, surrounded by lava rocks. From the pool there is also a splendid view, one thing Blue Lagoon does not have.

BUT – at Jarðböðin you must accept a quite distinct smell of sulfur. Heaven, you said? …no, this smells more like Hell. The saunas are made by piping being stabbed straight down into the ground below the benches. If you don’t like sulfur, don’t go there. But the pools with their corners and showers and views – they are just fabulous!

P.S.: Don’t expect quite as much space as you see in these pictures! We were there during Covid restrictions. They kept it open because the employees preferred working for free in stead of doing nothing. There were less than 20 people there with us, but the place is designed for several hundred!