After departing from Reykjavik we headed south along the Ring Road searching for a good first camping spot. Unfortunately we were both feeling a bit under the weather and, although we did find a place to park and camp, we found an even better guesthouse. :). It is located on the side of an embankment of a geothermal river. The owners of this place managed to harness the heat from this very active area, and use it ply their guests with heated hot tubs, a sauna and a water therapy room, all overlooking the river. This night the wind was incredibly strong, of course we availed ourselves of the amenities anyway, in the hopes of seeing the Northern Lights. Although they did not decide to grace us with their presence, we still had a good time and were really able to relax.
The next day we slept in, had a full on delicious breakfast and then hiked up a mountain in search of some hot-springs. Our first official hike, it was incredible. The wind was frigid and strong, the trail so slippery with ice I was finally able to use the ice-cleats that I carry around constantly. Occasionally the scalding rocks just below would let out a loud popping sound releasing pressure from the steam. Totally worth it in the end, the hot springs bubbled and gurgled their way to the surface, spewing clouds of sulfuric mist and providing a colorful warm haven in a snow and ice packed landscape.
That night we made some headway on the road, and on the spur of the moment decided to take a ferry to the Vestmannaeyjar Islands. These islands were the original landing place for the first Icelanders and boast a slightly warmer climate, a wide variety of birds (including puffins) and also the highest winds ever calculated on all of Iceland. Last night we slept in our car and it worked out well, we ended up camping in the very spot where the first settlement was. I will absolutely be posting some pictures when we are done here! At the moment we are sitting in a small cafe planning our day. We want to hike a volcano that rests just east of town. It nearly doubled the island (Heimay) by 2.1 kilometers in 1973 and has innards upwards of 932 F just a meter below the surface. Tonight we will be headed back to the mainland.
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