Memories and hints of a travelling IT professional.
The waterfall of the gods can be found half way between Laugar and Akureyri, the capital of the north. Goðafoss carries this name because after Iceland adopted Christianity in 1,000 CE images of the old gods were dropped here. Today it is mostly a beautiful and wide waterfall (12 meters high) which you can view from both sides. There are steps leading you down to the water as well as a viewing platform on top.
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In close vicinity to the Mývatn lake you can easily spot the geothermal area. If you hope that the steam coming out of the earth is a geyser you will be disappointed: it is an electric power point creating electricity from geothermic energy. There is also a natural spa making use of the power of the earth, but the real star is behind the mountain: an area full of bubbling mud and sulfur smokers in a moon-like environment.
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Ready for some sports? Near the Mývatn lake you will see a former black volcano, the Hverfjall. It is 452 meters high and has a fantastic clear geometry. It was created by an eruption series 2,500 years ago but also later smaller eruptions happened inside the old structures. How to get up? Well, there is a path leading straight up into the caldera. It is very, very steep and hiking up on volcanic ash is quite painful – but the views from the top are fantastic.
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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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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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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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An island with massive volcanic activity also produces are lot of basalt structures: lots of columns and fields of octagons. A perfect place to discover them is the Stuðlagil canyon east of Egilsstaðir. It is a small detour from the ring road but one absolutely worth to do. The canyon was hidden under water until the Kárahnjúkavirkjun barrier lake was created in 2006. When the water was gone the beauty of the canyon was discovered and found its way into an aircraft magazine – and thereby started to attract many tourists.
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Puffins are cute birds and easy to recognize with their colorful beaks. They bread on cliffs in the far north and in fact 60 % of them bread on Iceland. Their population is continuously shrinking and therefore they are officially classified as a vulnerable species. Puffins are hunting fishes and crabs and fly over winter into the south: to the Mediterranean Sea and the north of Africa. If you’re visiting Iceland you’ve got different options to see them and you’ll be astonished how close you can get to them.
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