Poking Holes in a Map

Today was a travel day. We generally try to stay at least two nights everywhere we go. We had booked for two nights in Reykjavik and as usual, we were just about ready to head out of town although there is much more that we could find to do there. It is a very interesting city.

According to http://worldpopulationreview.com/world-cities/reykjavik-population/ Reykjavik has a population of approximately 123,000, with 216,940 living in the Capital Region (Greater Reykjavik, which refers to Reykjavik itself and the six municipalities around it). The city is thought to be Iceland's very first settlement, established in AD874.

It was also reported that "there has been a dramatic rise in tourism since 2010, and in 2016 the number of American tourists exceeded the number of Icelandic residents for the first time. Figures from the Icelandic Tourist Board show 325,522 visitors from the US, while the total Icelandic population is 332,000." While we love America and Americans, we didn't travel to Iceland to be surrounded by fellow countrymen.

So off the beaten path we went, but it was still mostly paved roads (having to comply with the rental car rules, much to Ky's chagrin). But before heading north to tonight's lodging, we decided to head south to an area that looked interesting on the map. All the map said was "Krýsuvík - Geothermal Area with Hot Springs." Google maps has come a long way with user comments and reviews that are more current and useful than many guide books. After reading a few of the 381 reviews, we decided it fit the bill. Only 40 minutes drive each way with some options for a loop.

One of the many spectacular vistas along the way.

Every turn offered a new kind of beauty!

Ahh, the smell of sulfer in the morning. That will clear your sinuses. I love the scarcity of signage and there is absolutely no commercialization of any kind. Just a parking lot and two bathrooms and we didn't see anyone doing anything stupid at all.

Imagine that!

Model citizen, of course he was abiding by the rules! One poster at the entrance in a couple of languages let you know that the water was between 100 to 200 °C (212 - 392 F) and these small green "Do Not Walk Here or You Will Likely Die" signs were our only other warnings.

A half hour steep hike rewarded us with this view to the North Atlantic Ocean

A little bit of spontaneous unknown is great. We were not disappointed!

More tomorrow about the rest of our day and where we wound up tonight :-)

Hugs from Iceland!