Blog – Page 9 – ToBatheOrNotToBathe

Gamla Stan

Stockholm lies on both sides of the outlet of Lake Mälaren, as well as 19 islands. Due to its proximity to water and all the bridges, the city is often called the ‘Venice of the North’. The origin of the name Stockholm (Timber Islet) has not been fully agreed upon. It comes either from the collection of timber by the islets between lake Mälaren and the Salt Lake (Baltic Sea), or because the oldest settlement was secured with timber palisades.

The old town in Stockholm is called Gamla Stan and is located on Stadsholmen (the City Islet). The streets from the Middle Ages are beautifully curved in the terrain, with narrow alleys down towards the sea. It’s beautiful here!

After visiting the many small shops in Gamla Stan, it is a good idea to ‘fika’. The word originated as a backslang of the word ‘kaffi’, i.e. the letters were interchanged. A fika is a pause in work that typically consists of coffee, coffee bread and a relaxing conversation. These breaks are part of the paid working time and were mandatory for factory workers in the old days. The idea was that a break would give the laborers new energy in their work, and that the coffee conversation would ‘force them’ to get to know each other. Surely a very good thought!

Old town. On a daily basis, it might be better ‘to have coffee without wine’?

After a fika, a bath is just right. We went northwards from Stadsholmen across Helgeandsholmen (island of the Holy Spirit). The name comes from the Helgeanshuset (the Holy Spirit Hospital) that was located there in the Middle Ages. Helgeandsholmen is 3 hectares in size, of which the Riksdagshuset (the Parliament) covers one hectare.

The propeller ban by the Parliament (Riksdagen) did not bother us.

There is quite a lot of current by the Riksdag. This was too risky for us, so we didn’t swim there.

Too much current downstream of Norrbron (the North Bridge).

But at Vasabron we found a backwater with no current, perfect for a bath. The water in the canal was not disgusting at all – considering Stockholm’s 1.5 million inhabitants. It was quite shallow and an easy access at our bathing place, and a lot of sea grass. This autumn, Knut has had back problems and basically was happy to avoid extra challenges with climbing out of the water.

And we were not alone! A swan mother came swimming to us just after the bath. Angry or hungry? It is hard to say. Luckily we didn’t have to fight her in the water.

To round this off, we even could check out a little culture in form of a sculpture.

Vinden och Vågen (The Wind and the Wave)…and the photo bomber

It was a fantastic bath at sunset. As usual, we were very worried about being rescued. But there were no problems. The Stockholmer’s took our bath with stoic calm, and only wondered a little about the temperature. And after the bath – the hotel’s sauna was just perfect.

Tanto

South of Gamla Stan (the Old Town) in Stockholm is the district of Södermalm. The island, nicknamed Söder (South), has just over 100,000 inhabitants spread over 571 hectares. Until the Viking Age, this was an island, but the postglacial uplift caused it to connect more and more with the surrounding land, before it was again separated as an island when the Hammarby Canal was excavated in the 1930s.

From the south side of Södermalm there used to be a winter road across the strait (Årstadviken), on the ice. The road was closed with a toll barrier. This bar is mentioned in Bellmann’s ‘Fredman’s epistle no 53’. These were hard times!

Tantolunden beach, with the allotment gardens above.

We had been recommended Tantolunden by Ulvhild, our eldest daughter. And yes, it’s nice there! Tantolunden is one of the largest park areas in Stockholm. Hans Tanto, mentioned in the census of 1676, was one of the first landowners here. Unfortunately, it was not a ‘strange old aunt (tant)’ who gave rise to the name Tantolunden. Work on the park began in 1885, initiated by Stockholm’s first city gardener, Alfred Medin. The plan for the park was inspired by Romanticism. People were supposed to stroll, wearing the finest clothes, under the most beautiful green trees. Ironically, the upper part of the park was a former waste deposit! The colonial gardens were established around the First World War, to alleviate the famine.

A lovely hiking trail along the water below Tantolunden. Årstabroarna in the background.

A popular activity at the beach is feeding the ducks, perhaps especially among older and younger bird lovers. But we also enjoyed it very much this Sunday in October, when we caught sight of this beautiful couple:

There is a sauna (badstu) at Tanto beach. We haven’t tried it! Tantobadstun was only open to members when we visited. But to the west of Tantobadstun, the floating jetties form a sheltered little bay, where it’s nice to have a bath. And – we were absolutely not the only guests out for the same business this day. Actually we were allowed to take pictures of these aunties (tantor) who bathed with hats:

The Hat Ladies (Hattetantorna) at Tanto.

The ladies could tell that this particular day was ‘World Swim Hat Day’ at Smedsudden in Stockholm. We didn’t know that! So then we had to go there, but not before Tobatheornottobathe had tried a sunny October bath at Tantostranden.

Nice spring weather at the end of october!

We had a very nice swim, temperature about 10 degrees. A bath at Tantolunden was just right!

World Swim Hat Day

In autumn 2020, Erika Sjöberg and Hanna Prage founded the ‘World Swim Hat Day’. They had been bathing by Stockholm for a long time, regardless of season: ‘The cold water gives me so much pleasure, and it makes me happy. And it doesn’t get worse if you also wear a funny hat‘. While bathing, not much of the outfit is visible, and then it is a good idea to make the most out of the headgear. Check here: World Swim Hat Day!

Since then, in just two years, this has spread to all the Scandinavian countries, Germany, the Netherlands and also has become quite big in Great Britain. As well known, they have a predisposition for extravagant hats…

Tobatheornottobathe was in Stockholm on the occasion of The Dirty Old Band’s annual autumn tour. We had received several tips about bathing spots in Stockholm, our eldest daughter Ulvhild has lived there for 4 years. But the coincidence of our Stockholm trip and the ‘World Swim Hat Day’ – who would have imagined that?

Knut is looking for the hat swim, armed with a suitcase and a bathing bag.

The only problem was that the hat bath tip came to our attention at 11 a.m. on the day of departure, during the planned bath at Tantolunden. And the flight had a departure time of 3:35 p.m. Could we make it? Was there any point in trying? But Tobatheornottobathe just couldn’t let such an opportunity be wasted, so we finished the bathing at Tantolunden, went back to the hotel to check out and then took a taxi to Smedsuddbadet (the Smith’s Cape Bath). Just another ordinary day…

Beautiful as October can be at Smedsuddbadet.

Smedsuddbadet is located close to Västerbron (the West Bridge) on Kungsholmen (the King’s Islet), with easy access 10 minutes from the subway. Originally Smedsudden was an island, called Marieskär (Mary’s Islet) or Smedsholmen (The Smith’s Islet). The name came from ‘glass smith’ Gustaf Hård and A. Röding, who lived here. At the end of the 18th century, the strait was filled in, and the island became a cape. The headland was bought in 1812 by chief inspector Abraham Fineman, who had ‘Sjövillan’ built (The Maison by the Sea). ‘Sjövillan’ burned in 1997, and now only the annex remains.

In the 1960’s, the water quality at Smedsudden was very poor, but sewage treatment from 1970 gave quick results, and on the 21^th of June 1973, mayor Thorsten Sundstrøm was able to inaugurate the bath. Here you will find a nice beach, floating jetty, changing rooms and several outdoor showers. Water quality can vary, but water samples are taken regularly.

Nice beach at Smedsudden. However, we couldn’t see the smith anywhere.

Was it worth it? Absolutely! The hat bathing was supposed to take place at 2 p.m, but we couldn’t wait for that. Instead, we took a bath for ourselves, half an hour before.

By the time we had finished bathing, a colorful group of hatted bathers was arrived, and we had time for a little chat.

Idun resents her own, all-too-simple hat. Hat trick next year, we hope!

We caught the plane with a good margin of several minutes, so we didn’t have to regret the bath this time, either.

Today’s tip for our readers: the World Swim Hat Day takes place on the last Sunday in October each year. Put on a hat and join us next time too, and follow the hat bath founders’ motto: ‘It must be allowed to have fun even as an adult‘!

Alternatively, you can join the ‘Stockholm Winter Swim Open’ in february/march. There they have a special competition, which consists of swimming wearing the most extravagant or funniest hat.

Bathing with icebergs

After a not very successful mud bath in front of Hoffellsjökull, it was time to step up the glacier baths a little. If the lake in front of the glacier is deep enough, the probability is high that icebergs will break off from the glacier and start floating in the glacier lagoon. We wanted to swim with icebergs! One possibility is Fjallsárlón. Drive north from Vik i Mýrdal for just over 2 hours (or 15 km southwards from Jökulsárlón).

Fjallsárlón, is named after a glacier from Vatnajökull called Fjallsjökull (the Mountain Glacier). The lake is approximately 4 km² and 160 meters deep. Above the lake you can see the famous snow-covered volcano Öræfajökull. The name today means wasteland. The volcano has had two eruptions after the settlement of Iceland. The first and largest of these occurred in 1362, when more than 400 people were either killed (by floods) or were forced to move (by ash fall). It took many years before people settled in the area again.

One thing about volcanic eruptions is lava flow or ash rain, and the damage to houses and land because of this. Another issue is when the volcano is under ice, which melts during the eruption. The melt water creates a large flood that washes away everything in its path. In this case, four parishes! Floods from glaciers have been given a specific word in Icelandic: Jökulhlaup (Glacier Run).

A bath in Fjallsárlón was not right – in March.

Various activities are offered at Fjallsárlón, including kayaking, sailing and boat trips. We haven’t done that! But we have tried swimming in Fjallsárlón twice. Bathing in March was impossible, as the lake was frozen.

Bathing shoes would have been just right.

In September, however, we took a bath, all alone (due to covid19). Cold yes, but nice! It was wonderful to see the beautiful blue ice floating in the lake.

Earthquakes have been recorded below Öræfajökull in both 2017 and 2018, so there may be an eruption here before too long. North of the glacier is Iceland’s highest mountain Hvannadalshnjúkur, 2110 m.

To bathe or not to bathe by the glacier

After a very successful bath in front of Haukafellsjökull, we wanted to repeat the success. So we studied the map again, and found that the glacier in the valley next to it, Hoffellsjökull, (Hof was the Norse temple; i.e the Temple Mountain Glacier) was also marked with a lake at the glacier front. So then it was just a matter of taking another trip the next evening. What could possibly go wrong? We had studied the map, right?

Also at Hoffell, the marked hiking trail goes all the way to the glacier, and again we had a nice evening walk in absolutely brilliant weather, and we envisioned a nice bath at the glacial front.

So very shallow indeed, in front of Hoffellsjökull.

Once at the glacier, a bath was a good…no – this time it was actually not right to bathe in the glacier lagoon. Hoffellsjökull has not dug deep enough. Yes, we found water, but it was so very shallow, brown water and mud all the way. How stupid wouldn’t it be to drown in quicksand here?

The solution was a puddle up by the moraine. Mud bath at sunset…

An Old Dane (Eddie) is just right after a mud bath.

Well, well, it was kind of fun, and our bathing friend ‘Eddie’ always helps to lift the spirits. But this bath is simply not recommended.

PS: At Hoffell there are actually a couple of hot tubs to visit. However, those were closed during the corona, and we haven’t tested them. But curious, yes we are! The feedback online ranges from very enthusiastic to completely slaughtering. We will very likely come back with more about this some day.

To bathe in front of a glacier

In the spring of 2021, we were in quarantine on the east coast of Iceland, at Rauðaberg, not far from Höfn. This is Vatnajökull’s realm. Vatnajökull (8100 km²) is Europe’s largest glacier after Austfonna at Svalbard/Spitsbergen. The ice thickness is up to 1 km (!), with an average of 400 metres. The glacier outlets from Vatnajökull descend into each valley with its own name, mile after mile. It’s really huge!

Haukafellsjökull is one of many glacier outlets from Vatnajökull.

Geologically speaking, fjords are seen as underwater valleys, formed by glacial erosion of the bedrock. The fjords in Norway and Iceland are carved out of glaciers, all the way into the sea. The word fjord comes from Indo-European, the verb ‘fara’, ie where one travels (to the other side). Because of the weight, the glaciers can also dig below sea level. They often have a threshold (ra) at the outlet, where it is much shallower than further into the fjord. The threshold is formed by sediments in front of the ice end. If you imagine a threshold fjord that never reached the sea, then you have the concept of a glacier lagoon. As the glacier retreats, a lake is often formed where the glacier has dug deep – before the end moraine. We wanted to swim in front of a glacier!

The evening sun shines on Haukafellsjökull.

We checked the map and found a potential spot at Haukafell – Haukafellsjökull (the Hawk Mountain Glacier) seemed to have a lake in front of it. Even though we were in quarantine, we felt a tour here would be OK. At least no one could complain about the distance, we didn’t see another soul the whole evening…

There is a marked hiking trail all the way to the glacier. On the way, we saw many wonderful stones, where beautiful crystals had grown inside the gray or brown rock. You can read more about special Icelandic stones and mineral types at ‘Perlan’ in Reykjavík.

Gray stones aren’t only gray at Haukafell.

Once at the glacier, a bath was a good idea. Haukafellsjökull is an offspring from Vatnajökull and in decline. We therefore saw little danger in swimming in the glacier lagoon, since the lowermost ice was on dry land.

A fabulous evening bath in front of Haukafellsjökull.

But of course we kept a good distance, and there were no signs of movement in the glacier. A splendid bath in a fantastic landscape, and a beautiful weather!

Enjoying the possibilities with no one else around.

A (sun) bath in Haukafellsárlón is just right!

Blue Lagoon

The name itself! Our association flies to warm countries and sandy beaches, and we are already looking forward to it. However, the origin of this very special spa is something as prosaic as wastewater from the large geothermal power plant Svartsengi (the Black Field). It is located in Reykjanes, not far from Grindavík.

A reservoir for wastewater was formed in 1976, and the natives discovered in 1981 that it was nice to have a bath there. The temperature was just perfect, including a delicate mud made of blue-green algae and silicon deposits. The warm water is rich in minerals, including silica and sulfur – which have a beneficial effect on the skin.

Jarðhiti (geothermal heat) at Reykjanes.

Today, this is one of Iceland’s biggest attractions – but yes! It is a wonderful experience to visit the Blue Lagoon (Bláa Lónið). The facility is large, quite expensive (the locals do not bathe here anymore), but wonderfully constructed. There are beautiful tiles, dark wood and lava stones surrounding the basin, and the nearby industry is almost invisible. The first bathing facility opened in 1987.

The baboon family. Foto: Une Hunstad Løwø.

There are many kinds of offers at Bláa Lónið if you want to buy something special, such as massage in the water, or treatment for skin diseases (psoriasis in particular). Or you can just take a bath and enjoy. Rub your face with light mud and let yourself float away in the warm water – this is delicious.

Our daughters Ulvhild and Une are having a christmas bath. Hot water and winther is an unbeatable combination.

A bath in Blue Lagoon is always right! Although we have seen people on Facebook recommending not to go, since you are swimming in wastewater…

Volcano Bath

Volcanoes are formed when the Earth’s crust cracks open so that magma and gas rise up from the Earth’s interior. From ancient times there has been speculations as to whether volcanoes were the way into hell or to the interior of the earth (ref Jules Verne and Snæfellsjökull).

On the way up to Saxhólar, Snæfellsnes. All bulk.

The word volcano comes from the Roman god of fire; Vulcanus. 25 km north of Sicily is a volcanic island with the same name (Vulcano). The ancient Romans thought this was the chimney of the God of Fire’s forge. When Volcano Island erupted (increased), it was because Vulcanus cleared the forge of various slag and ash. Earthquakes were explained in the same way; they happened because Vulcanus hit his anvil while making weapons for the God of War: Mars.

Fagradalsfjall 2021. This is where the God of Fire runs crazy. We saw 7 ongoing fissures at the same time.

Counting volcanoes in Iceland quickly becomes a problem of definition. Where is the border between the one and the other volcano? Some people argue that Iceland has around 130 volcanoes. But scientists usually list only 30 volcanic systems.

The volcanoes at Heimaey, Vestmannaeyar. Eldfell on the left erupted in 1973, while Helgafell has been quiet for 6,000 years.

The shape of the volcano is determined by what comes out of it (thin, viscous, crammed or ash), and how fast it happens. In general, the volcanic eruptions become somewhat less explosive and more fluid in the spreading zones, i.e. where the continental plates move away from each other, such as in Iceland.

Hverfell, a 2,500-year-old tuff volcano, with Mývatn (Mosquito Lake) in the background.

We had made a couple of attempts to Icelandic volcano baths, but it was not easy. First of all, water is needed for bathing, and most craters do not have volcanic lakes. When the volcano is built up of smaller rock particles, tuff and tephra, the water will drain away and the crater will remain dry. The second problem is access, the crater edges are often steep. But finally we found a good candidate – Kerið, which lies in the fissure zone between Reykjanes and Langjökull.

Kerið. The wonderful, red color comes from the fact that the eruption took so long that the iron in the magma had time to oxidize.

Kerið is a caldera crater, formed approximately 6,000 years ago. A caldera is a kind of a sinkhole that forms when the ‘roof’ of the magma chamber collapses after the magma chamber has been emptied. The water depth in Kerið varies between 7 and 14 metres, depending on the groundwater level in the surroundings. Nice place!

At Kerið, the landowners have made stairs down to the sea (there is a small fee to visit Kerið, but that’s absolutely ok in relation to the effort they have actually put in to facilitate the visit). There is a path along the crater rim, and a path down by the water, too. They have even installed a lifebuoy. So then it’s just a matter of getting started – right? The only small ‘but’ would have to be that at Kerið you can’t expect to be alone. But for us that was not a problem, so then we just jumped in. A splendid vulcano bath!

Even though other people were present, we had the lake for ourselves.

A volcano bath in Kerið is absolutely right.

Víti

We had read about an absolutely magical, blue volcanic lake called Víti (short form of Helvíti), and there we had to try to get a bath. Helvíti is a combination of the words hel (“realm of the dead”) and víti (“punishment” or “ban”). But things don’t always go as they should. A week ago, Iceland experienced the strongest storm in many, many years. We thought about going up in the mountains, but since there were danger warnings everywhere, we chose a lower route, and spent the night at Mývatn instead. That was a good choice! A lot of tourists chose wrong and became stuck in the storm. The cars were peppered with gravel and pebbles in the strong wind, and more than 70 cars had to be salvaged and/or abandoned at the small cafe Beitarhúsið. What a Hell!

Hard to be a car in an Icelandic stone storm.

How lucky, that they could stay safe in the cafe, you might think, but it wasn’t that easy. We were there a couple of days later, and all of the windows had holes!

Beitarhúsið was open 2 days later. Maybe the plan wasn’t to be quite that open?

A couple of days later, however, it was just fun to drive over the mountain, and we arrived the Krafla area in the afternoon.

Just off the exit you’ll find Hverir, a sulphur-mud-steam-hell that you won’t forget unless you have a heavy flu (or COVID) upon arrival…

Idun enjoys life in the sulfur vapor at Hverir.

Krafla is the Mývatn area’s main volcano, and the highest peak is 818 m above sea level. The last eruptions were in 1975-1984. The heat at Krafla is used in a 60 MW geothermal power plant, Kröflustöð.

The piping portal at the Kröflustöð power plant.

Before you arrive in Krafla, you are met by a hot shower in the middle of nowhere. Knut threw himself into it immediately. When entering any Icelandic bathing resort, you should ALWAYS shower and wash yourself first – without swimwear. So now Knut was ready for a bath in Hell.

Correct showering according to Icelandic bathing rituals.

Then there was only Víti left. We have tried before, but had to drive backwards down again due to snow and summer tyres. This time we basically had no problems. And at least Knut had prepared by having a shower and everything.

But it wasn’t that simple. Prohibited to go off the path? No path down to the water? It was very steep there. And snow…

Víti became a ‘don’t’ bath. But now a few days have passed and we’ve got time to think it over a bit. And some Googling. It turns out we’ve been on the wrong Víti! The Víti that has 25 degrees Celcius water readily available is Askja-Víti, not Krafla-Víti. Sad to know, but that’s how it is. We won’t be able to visit Askja this year.

View from Krafla-Víti. Wonderful stress loops.

However, for a lady who has been doing piping design for approximately 10 years, it was beautiful to see the pipe stress loops at Krafla…

Lava Caves

Húsafell is a so-called ‘populated place’, and former priest’s seat in Borgarfjarðar county, which has fostered several personalities and artists. The farm, approximately 100 km2, was a pioneer for the transition from farming to tourism. And it seems to have been veeeery successful, as the farmer has had enough money to buy his own plane and to make his own airstrip (it is less than 2 hours to go by car to Reykjavík)…

Húsafell, the valley seen from the side.

In addition to Langjökull, there are several spectacular tours in the Húsafell area. One opportunity, which we took during the corona, was to visit a lava cave. The longest lava cave in Iceland is Surtshellir (Giant Surtur’s cave) almost 2 km long, while Víðgelmir is the largest (and widest, hence the name). It is still not short, 1.5 km is just fine.

Lava caves are formed when liquid basalt flows out of a volcano and forms a river of molten rock. The sides and top of the river will eventually cool down and solidify, while the river continues to flow in the crust, as inside a pipe. When the volcanic eruption stops, the lava flows out of the ‘pipe’, and what’s left is an empty cave. The volcano that formed Víðgelmir is located 33 km away, and was under Langjökull.

Víðgelmir. The cave roof has collapsed and forms a natural entrance, the only one.

Víðgelmir was formed during a volcanic eruption around 930 AD, i.e. at the end of the Conquest Age. In 1993, bone remains and human belongings were found in the cave, dated 983-986 AD. At that time the cave was still warm, about 20 degrees. No wonder it was nice to live there in the Viking Age. House with central heating fixed and delivered by nature! A (pagan) poem has been written about this volcanic eruption, Hallmundarkviða. Most likely by someone who actually experienced it (!), and Þorvaldur Holbarki (who is mentioned in the Book of Conquest) is a candidate. It is said that he went up to Surtur’s cave and killed the giant that lived there. The trip inside Víðgelmir was both great and interesting. However, our cameras did not cope well with the darkness, so we have very few pictures. The cave was, however, more colorful than expected, and there are both stalagtites and stalagmites, although much has been removed by ravenous visitors. And then there was the fact that the walls looked like melted chocolate…

Unfortunately, there is no water in Víðgelmir, so there was no lava cave bathing. But after a cave trip, time is just right for a bath, and we would suggest a warm bath this time (since the cave is now actually cold). Húsafell Canyon Bad (Giljaböð) from 2019 is a spectacular alternative.

You are transported to the canyon in a minibus, max 20 people (we were 4), and here the farmer Unnar Bergþórsson has really put in a lot of effort to make it all happen. To find hot water, drilling had to be done. And he drilled and drilled, and found heat 8 times, without water. You have to have water in the baths, and luckily he hit the rigth spot on the ninth attempt. Here he found a spring that delivers five liters of 47°C water per second. After 200 m of transport, the water flows into the hot pot at the perfect 39-41 degrees. In Giljaböð there is rough reuse and funny details. We fell for the pegs, made of used horseshoes.

And then there were the closing mechanisms for the doors – a stone and a pulley. Cool!

Door closer with elegant, old technology.

A great bath! Correction, 3 very nice baths. One was down by the river side and had the river temperature (around 10 degrees).

The other was constructed to simulate Snorri Sturluson’s bath at Reykjholt. And it was just right and just a perfect temperature.

If you want to build a bath like this, you need to know how to put one stone on top of the other. Luckily, they had a local stone stabling expert, as you can see from this underwater picture.

While lying in the bath, you can take a look at the pebbles around you. There are many different stones here. The baths are located in the middle of what was the magma chamber of the 2.5 million-year-old Húsafell Central Vulcano. Small conglomerates are from the magma chamber, but otherwise much of the old volcano has been dislodged into the sea by the ice ages that followed. And then a small river dug and created the beautiful Hringsgil (Ring Gorge), where the baths are located today. Welcome to Giljaböð !