24 February, 2007

I picked up a brochure about Northern Iceland over breakfast at Leifstaðir, and discoverd two new hot springs! Both of them on our way home! Score! It was also going to take me to places I'd not seen before.

So, even though Akureyri was being steadily blanketed in big fat soft fluffy snow, and sunday, in particular, offered stellar skiing conditions, we had a date with Reykjavik on a saturday night, and hit the road. (My dentist actually recognised me as having been skiing there on friday, when he saw me a week later)

In and out of sun and snow all morning, we eventually turned onto the narrowing dirt road leading north out of Sauðárkrókur. We passed farms, we went through gates, we went onto smaller and smaller icey dirt roads. We were accosted by a dog. We could see Drangey, and island off the coast approaching, and looking wonderful in the torrid weather, before suddenly it dissappeard into the horizontal snow.

Damo finally understood why I said there was "no wind" the day before while talking about clearly diagonal snow.

The hot pot is beautifully situated, right on the sea shore with waves crashing up against a rock wall. At least, we think so, off to sea dissappeared into the fog just as we arrived. There's a beautiful hand built rock wall, with a seat built into the wall, that protects one side of the pool.

It's quite a nice pool, not as hot as some, but pretty clear, and a nice depth and size for sitting and relaxing. I hopped straight in, and enjoyed the soak while Damo and Chelle stood there in their coats shivering and asking when I was going to be done so we could leave. Eventually they saw the light and hopped in with me.

Of course, while we were in the pool, the weather went from snow, to blue skies, to snow again, only the final time it just kept getting heavier and heavier. Eventually we had to brave the outside world again, and dashed back to the car, eventually dashing all the way home.

Which led to Reykjavik on a saturday night. Much bigger and better than Akureyri. There was dancing, and more shots, and more people, with the arrival of Wolfgang on the scene, and before the night was out, there was even Wii bowling and some split pants. Sometime around 9am.

Over breakfast that evening, Chelle and Damo decided that Iceland was too much fun, and they would extend there trip til the following thursday. Yay!