Category: Iceland

Húsavík is a community with both great patriotism and great optimism. After the city became known through the ESC film ‘The Story of Fire Saga‘, they have invested heavily in an ESC boom.

Now it is possible to book a ‘Fire Saga Guided Tour‘, a ‘Ja Ja Ding Dong Pub‘ has opened, and when the song ‘My Hometown‘ (Húsavík) was nominated for an Oscar as the best soundtrack in 2020, it really escalated. Several funny commercials with the theme ‘Oscar for Húsavík‘ were posted, and when the award evening approached, they even painted 50 meters of the main street red – to have the red carpet ready for Oscar.

Icelandic TV followed up and filmed a version of the song at Húsavík harbour, with the church in the background. Girls from Húsavík school were backing vocals, each of them wearing a beautiful Icelandic ‘Peysa‘ (knitted sweater). The song was broadcasted again and again during the Oscar’s commercial breaks.

There was no Oscar for Húsavík. But the Húsavík children were given a public holiday the next day – everyone knew that they would be awake on this dramatic night anyway.

After a Fire Saga Guided Tour, a refreshing bath is just right. Drive north to the PCC BakkiSilicon factory, then towards the shore and park below the site.

Walk towards the sea but not right down to the shore, stay on the grass. Follow the coast, and you will find an unknown gem at the very edge: The Húsavík’s mammoth!

If you want to stand under the mammoth’s belly – choose low tide. If you want to swim between its legs – choose high tide. The mammoth is just as beautiful as Hvítserkur – and almost completely unknown. If low tide (as at both our visits), there will be no swimming under the mammoth. A good alternative would then be Sundlaugin á Húsavík. An unpretentious, classic public Icelandic bathing facility with a couple of hot tubs and everything you possibly need. One of us went there while the other stayed at home with a cold. But we don’t have pictures, grown up single men with cameras at a pool aren’t always very popular, so the camera also stayed home.

Húsavík is a beautiful place! A rounded mountain behind the town (Húsavíkurfjall) is not so exciting, you might think, but on the other side of the bay of Skjálfandi you can enjoy a spectacular row of mountains starting with Kinnarfjöll, which likes to express itself in winter clothing, all year round. Skjálfandi means trembling and comes from the many earthquakes in the area.

The conquest period in Iceland started with a Swede – Garðar Svavarsson, who built a farm in Húsavík. He had heard about the land in the west from the Norwegian Naddoð, who had found it but not wintered there. Garðar left Iceland after only one winter, after having completed an entire round trip and thus being able to establish that Iceland is an island. To honor himself, he named it Garðarshólmur. When Garðar left, one of his men, Náttfari, stayed behind with a slave and a maid. They moved to Reykjadal, where they took up land and lived for many years. Later, a man called Eyvindr appeared in Reykjadal, and gave Náttfari the annoying choice: That he should have Náttfaravík, or no land at all. Náttfari saw no other option, and moved from Reykjadalur. Náttfaravík lies vis a vis Húsavík, in a very hostile environment.

Finally, in the summer of 1970, Náttfari got his restoration, when they celebrated his conquest 1100 years earlier. This event happend in Húsavík, 4 years before the rest of Iceland honored Ingólfur Arnarson’s conquest.

Husavik got it’s income from trade, fishing and whaling for many years. Today (2021), Húsavík has switched from whaling to whale watching, and it works very well! There are different whale watching concepts, including by sailboat, where the focus is silence. Before the cruise: Take a trip to the whale museum, where you will find, among other things, an entire skeleton of a blue whale. Yes! That’s impressive stuff! We did a standard whale watching tour, during winter time, although that is not the best time to see whales. The name of the boat? ‘Náttfari‘, of course. Skjálfandi is a large bay, more like a fjord, and we cruised around for over an hour before we saw anything. But finally, a sperm whale (physeter) did appear – to the guide’s great surprise. You don’t come across sperm whales very often, because their dives are deep and long lasting. Our boat crossed behind and to the side of the whale, and we saw it breathe quite closely a few times before it disappeared into the deep. Then we stopped for a while, hoping to see the whale again. And indeed, it did reappear. A great experience!

After an ice cold whale watching trip, a warm bath is the perfect thing to do. In Húsavík there is a wonderful spa, GeoSea, located on the cliffs just north of the town.

Here you will find beautiful design both outside and inside. The site is partially submerged in the terrain. When you arrive, you can see straight through the building and out to the sea. An absolutely fantastic view from the spa (when there is no fog). Lovely!

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.

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 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!

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 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 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.

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!

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

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 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.

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.

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!

Raufarhöfn (Rauf means a long fissure, höfn means port) is the northernmost village on the island Iceland, with a population of less than 200. A charming place – but you have to put up with some wind. Due to the good harbor conditions, this has been a popular meeting spot and place of trade ever since the colonial era.

Anyway, there was almost no increase in the population until herring fishing started around 1960. For a period, Raufarhöfn was Iceland’s largest herring town, with up to 11 salting stations in operation at the same time. About 10 % of the country’s income came from herring work at Raufarhöfn, and the population of six hundred could increase to four thousand people during the fishery. But then, in 1967, the herring disappeared, and Raufarhöfn became more or less a ghost town. Today, the village is categorized as an endangered settlement.

Despite (or perhaps because of?) the limited amount of people, the construction of a very ambitious sculpture park in Raufarhöfn has surprisingly been started: Heimskautsgerðið (The Arctic Henge). The work is inspired by norse literature: ‘Voluspå‘ and Snorre Sturlasson’s ‘Edda‘. It is made by a collaboration between Erling Torodssen and Haukur Halldórsson. By now, this is a futuristic Stonehenge.

When finished (if it ever is, they lack financing right now), it will look like a small Colosseum, with a stone wall around it all. But even now (2021): as an unfinished work, this is both beautiful and fascinating. And huge! We are talking about a diameter of 50 m and up to 10 m high columns. The arches are positioned so that the sun can be seen through them at the winter and summer solstice. Eventually, in the Heimskautsgerðið, you will find the yearly calendar personified by 72 dwarfs, where each dwarf spans over 5 days. Be impressed!

From the majestic sculpture park, it’s a nice little walk down to the harbor in Raufarhöfn. Here you will find a beautiful beach with a mix of light and dark sand, and large wardrobe rocks.

A bath in Raufarhöfn is just right!

The area in the far north-east of Iceland is largely wasteland, it is a bit like Svalbard (Spitsbergen). You can really wonder why someone wanted to settle here – and that there are still buildings 1000 years later! But it turns out that these have been valuable areas. The main reason is fish, of course, and in earlier times most certainly walrus.

Perhaps something more surprising for us Norwegians: driftwood. Iceland was dependent on imported wood for centuries, and Denmark’s trade monopoly did not help the situation.

Owning land with a large influx of driftwood was very lucrative, and large quantities of wood have always drifted to the north coast of Iceland.

We went for a walk beyond Hraunhafnartangi in the hope of being able to swim at Iceland’s northernmost point. There is a lighthouse there, and next to it are the remains of a turf house. But we couldn’t swim there this time, the swells were too big.

On the way back, just before arriving at Raufarhöfn, we found a great beach close to the road. Clear water, birds and a sheltered bay with fine-grained sand. Can’t ask for more then, right?

Fishing is Iceland’s main industry, although tourism is well on its way up to number 2. In 1970, fish accounted for a whopping 90% of the export. This has been gradually reduced, but fish still accounts for almost 40%. The country is therefore very vulnerable to fluctuations in fish stocks and prices on world markets.

One result of this is the many fishing conflicts Iceland has been involved in. Especially with England, which resulted in physical attacks in the 60’s.

In Norway, it is perhaps the quarreling about ‘Smutthullet’ (the Loophole, a 62,400 square kilometers area of the Barent’s sea) that is freshest in the memory. When the cod fishery stopped in the 90’s, Icelandic fishermen had to find new places to find fish. The solution was to start fishing in Smutthullet, outside the 200 nautical mile economic zone from both Russia and Norway, but that was not very popular neither in Russia nor in Norway. The Norwegian coastguard took the Icelandic trawlers ashore and fined them. In 1999, an agreement was concluded between Russia, Norway and Iceland on quota exchange, which put an end to the unregulated Icelandic cod fishing in Smutthullet.

In Iceland, a system of fishing quotas came into place as a law in 1983. At the first allocations, in 1984, they based the quotas on fishing experience per vessel.

In the north-east of Iceland, there is not much else to live on other than fish. There are a few villages, one of which is Þórshöfn with barely 400 inhabitants. Here man found a very safe natural harbor. The god Þór was thanked for this, hence the name.

The morning bath at Þórshöfn is best taken in the sea. We followed the stone edge just out of the town, where the residental area starts – there you will find a nice little bay. The stone edge was decorated with painted stones in bright colours, presumably made by school children.

This far north, you can expect exceptionally beautiful, crystal clear water and an abundance of birds. Absolutely wonderful!

After a refreshing bath in Þórshöfn, an excursion to Langanes and the wrecked Douglas DC-3 R4D-S aircraft is just right. The accident occurred in 1969 during landing with a strong crosswind. The plane (from the US Navy) is located where the old airport used to be, and serves as a shelter for sheep in bad weather.

You will need to pass a fence and join some icelandic horses to get near it, but the farmer did not come running to send us away, so we guess it was ok to have a closer look.