Memories and hints of a travelling IT professional.
2,000 years ago lava came out of the earth and created a lava lake close to the Mývatn lake. Water vaporized underneath and created impressive stone structures: domes and arches, rock windows and hollow structures. Today you can hike through the Dimmuborgir (‘dark rocks’) area and discover them. Imagination can create stories about this bizarre shaped rock structures. The most famous is the Kirkjan which looks like a Gothic-style church.
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The Mývatn lake is one of the most-beloved areas for tourists on Iceland. Around the lake you’ll find lava fields, volcanos to climb, geothermal spas and bubbling mud pits. If you like you can also cycle around the lake. The name of the lake itself tells you about the plague of this region: Mývatn means mosquito. You shouldn’t worry too much as they’re not biting, they’re just flying around you and are therefore only a little bit annoying. You can buy a net to protect your head in different locations but I deemed that to be superfluous.
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The Narfastaðir guesthouse is a place to feel like at home. It is a simple but good hotel at a remote location close to Laugar, directly at the ring road. And thereby it is the perfect place to explore the Mývatn area just around the corner. What I really liked there is that they have a central shared living room; you don’t have to stay in your hotel room or hang out in the restaurant – you can just sit on a sofa in between other visitors, read a book, chat or watch TV.
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After an exhausting day of sightseeing and whale watching there is nothing better then a geothermal spa. Directly next to the lighthouse of Húsavík you can find the Geosea, an outdoor pool with great views on the sea. It has three pool areas with different temperatures and steam room. The little waterfall running from there into the fiord is indeed no real waterfall: it is the overflow of the spa.
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Húsavík is the perfect port for whale watching. In this area it is strictly forbidden to hunt these giant animals and tourism helps to protect them. After getting the right introduction into the topic at the whale museum in the harbor area you can get on a boat to see humpback whales and dolphins; but also puffins and large jellyfish. Different operators offer tours on various types of boats. You should play safe and book online in advance.
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Hunting whales is something deeply rooted in the traditions of Nordic islands like Iceland or the Faroes, but it is something that should be overcome as fast as possible. At Húsavík they’ve created a museum explaining everything about whales, how they’re born and raised, how far they’re travelling and how they’ve evolved in evolution. But the museum also covers the sensitive topic of hunting whales.
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A canyon with high rocks surrounding it, with an endless amount of birch trees, a beautiful green lake, a dry-fallen waterfall and a lot of hiking paths. That is Ásbyrgi. Geologists name glaciers and over time moving waterfalls as the creators of this special landscape. The legend says it is the hoofprint of Odins horse Sleipnir that created the valley. Believe what you want to believe, but having a short hike through the valley is something you shouldn’t reject.
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If you forget that you’re on Iceland you might think that there is water on the moon: on the way from Egilsstaðir to the Mývatn lake you need to have a detour along the Jökulsá á Fjöllum river. It is the second-largest river of the island and runs in this area through volcanic remains only allowing a tiny little piece of life. And in between all these stones a gorge opens up creating three impressive waterfalls: the Selfoss, the Dettifoss and the Hafragilsfoss.
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The Hótel 1001 Nótt feels like the best hotel you can find on the island. It is located outside of Egilsstaðir and every room has giant glass windows to the outside world. On one side of the building there are the mountains and a large forest in front, on the other side it is the wonderful lake – both ones are amazing. Next to the hotel there is a waterfall and you can also use two hot tubs.
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One of the highlights on Iceland is what they make out of geothermic energy. In different places you’ll find amazing spas that are operated in summer as well as in winter times – because the necessary energy is taken from the earth. At Fellabær very close to Egilsstaðir they’ve created a very relaxing place, the Vök baths. In addition to the pools on land with good views on the Urriðavatn lake they’ve built two floating infinity pools with water up to 41 degrees Celsius hot.
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