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So last night we sat up late and it was still not dark and when Joan first awoke at 5 am it was light.
After breakfast we left town and headed across Eyjafjorour (the fjord) and stopped at a view point where you could see the whole of Akureyri. There was a big cruise ship at dock. The airport is a narrow landing strip that rises out of the fjord.
We drove east towards Lake Myvatn without the slightest clue how one pronounces these name places. On the way we stopped at Godafoss, a waterfall on the Skjalfandafljot river close to the ringroad. You saw the spray before the waterfall itself.
Next along mainly empty roads to Lake Myvatn dominated by the volcano, Krafla to the north. It says in the guide book that Myvatn means "midge lake" and we quickly realised this when we got our of the car to take a picture of the Laxar river pouring out of the lake!
On the lakeshore there were pseudo craters, made when water burst through the lava to make conical shapes. We reached the main tourist centre at Reykjahlio. There is a scattering of hotels, a tourist centre and a small supermarket/petrol station. We bought a few provisions for dinner and filled the tank before heading north. By the road was a stuuning blue lagoon at Bjarnflag, the remains of an early attempt to build a geothermal power station and a diatomite plant. Howewer the water is toxic and there are hot spots in the pool so there was no bathing. The whole earth around here was steaming with the infamous rotten egg small.
Further up, we crossed the Namafjall ridge which sits astride the Mid Atlantic ridge. The whole hill was an orangey, sandy colour with steaming vents. At its foot was hverir, a geothermal field with bubbling mud pots and extraordinarily load hissing fumeroles. It was unearthly and amazing to see. You could walk around the field and though there must have been a thousand people there, it is so large that you don't feel crowded.
Finally we headed further along the ringroad to Dettifoss, a crashing waterfall. Words can not capture its force and beauty, with spray hitting you when you are 200 meteres away. A short walk is another impressive fall, Selfoss, that pours through several cataracts upstream. The landscape was awesome.
One thing to mention is that to see all these things is free. There are no stalls or cafes, parking is free and there are no litter bins or indeed litter.
Overwhelmed by the beauty of the place we headed home. Before dinner we had a walk aroung the town centre of Akureyri. We met some trolls with a pet polar bear and saw the twin steepled church. We looked at the restaurant menues. Options for veggies are burgers, pasta or pizza. Pizzas cost £21 each!! We are glad we are self-catering.
So it was cauliflower cheese and chips for dinner on the balcony, with clear skies and eventually darkening skies. One amazing day xx
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Nigel Sounds amazing.