Iceland - Page 3

Reykjanes Peninsula: Reykjanestá - Gunnuhver - Grindavík (Blue lagoon)

Today we discovered the Reykjanes Peninsula, a peninsula in the southwest. First to the Miðlína or bridge between the continents, it symbolically connects the continental plates of North America and Europe. It was built here in the lava landscape, because here one sees the drifting apart continental plates best. Popular not only because one can change with few steps from continent to continent, but also as photo motive. Not far we turned to the cliffs of Reykjanestá, passing the old lighthouse Reykjanesviti. Beside steep cliffs you can see in front of the coast the bird rock Karl, far behind it the bird island Eldey.

A statue of the giant auk, called Penguins of the North, commemorates the violent death of the last pair in Eldey in 1844. Strangely enough, today we can find preparations of these animals in umpteen natural history museums. As part of the Lost Bird Project, this sculpture was also created. A short way inland, it stinks and steams, the Gunnuhver High Temperature Area. Here, some areas near the surface of the earth measured up to 300° Celsius, you should stay on the prescribed paths. There are mud springs and fumaroles here, which have recently become more active. Thus Gunnuhver sometimes hurls smaller cinders and clay shreds 2 to 4 m high into the air. The name comes, as so often in the country of elves, fairies, gnomes and trolls, from mystical explanations and legends.

Guðrún, a resident, went around as a ghost after her death and would have played tricks on the people. Only the priest managed to banish the ghost into the hot spring. Since about 60 percent of Icelanders are convinced of the existence of the beings, there are elf commissioners here. They help to determine whether something can be built in a place or if elves and gnomes could live there. Afterwards we drove about 5 km north of the village Grindavík to Bláa Lónið, the Blue Lagoon.

At the nearby Svartsengi geothermal power plant, seawater and freshwater at temperatures of up to 240 °C is pumped from a depth of about 2000 m, used to generate electricity and district heating, and then released into the surrounding lava field. A blue-white saltwater lake formed, strongly enriched with silica and salt: the Blue Lagoon. We didn't want to go into the actual spa area, it's extremely crowded and very expensive. Meanwhile, the visit goes only with advance booking. We walked outside along the smaller lakes, over jagged lava rock overgrown with mosses. A nearby clinic has specialized in the treatment of psoriasis and, of course, cosmetic products are also produced and sold here. Thanks to commerce, the spa is constantly being expanded, now there's even a VIP luxury bathing area 🙂.