On the Road is a weekday feature spotlighting reader photo submissions.
From the exotic to the familiar, whether you’re traveling or in your own backyard, we would love to see the world through your eyes.
Elma
My excursion form Akureyri took us to the GeoSea Thermal Baths. The water in these baths came from a thermal source several miles away. It is too hot for bathing coming out of the ground, but after being piped to the shore of the fjord and mixing with sea water, it was VERY nice
There were multiple pools with different temperatures and a swim-up bar.
Sparkling cider in a plastic cup. Safety first.
The night before this excursion, everyone who had signed up got a slightly hysterical notice in our staterooms, warning us that we would have to shower, naked, in a communal locker room before entering the spa. They hastened to add the locker rooms were segregated by sex. We all agreed that it sounded like high school gym class. It must have suddenly dawned on the French crew that there were mainly Americans in the group. Americans are weird.
On the way back to the ship we passed this. Someone had started to dig a tunnel for the highway to pass through the mountain. The overland route is frequently closed by snow in winter. They hit a hot spring and the steaming water is just gushing out. Someone is trying to develop a thermal spa there. I was unclear what the impact had been on the tunnel project.
We returned to our original mooring in Reykjavik for our last day. Some brave souls set out on a 9 hour bus ride to see the Golden Circle. I opted for whale watching. We were fortunate in that we saw all four species of Cetaceans that were supposed to be in the bay at that time of year.
These are not my pictures. The company had a photographer on board. If you sent an email to them with the date and time of your trip, they sent a link to the pictures from that trip. We did not get a picture of the porpoises. We had barely cleared the harbor when they were sighted and no one was ready for them. Dolphins.
Humpback Whales. The boat guide stood somewhere up high and called out the sightings using the clock face for direction. That got me wondering. My grandkids can’t read or write cursive. How would they fare with analog time?
Minke Whales
There were also a great many birds, including this skua, harassing a gull for its catch.
More public art, heading out to the airport.
Christopher Mathews
The tunnel was completed, and it makes crossing from Akureyri to points east a lot easier, particularly in the winter
The hot water is used for the Forest Lagoon spa.
BethanyAnne
That note is funny. There are Americans! We must warn them about nudity! :)
HinTN
@BethanyAnne: Yep! We’re a sight.
Thanks, Elma, for showing us around.
ETA: If I ever fly to Europe I believe I’ll break the trip with a stop in Iceland. Seems like a wonderful place to visit.
stinger
Again, just fabulous photos. Seeing how everyone is pretty bundled up in most of the shots, in June, I’m wondering what the air temperature was on the day you went swimming in the thermal baths.
Steve from Mendocino
You had fun with the composition of those first two. Fun! :)
Dorothy A. Winsor
What a fascinating trip. Thanks for sharing.
dm
That fjord has one of those thermal vents first discovered in the deep ocean by research submarines. Much easier for graduate students to study.
lowtechcyclist
@BethanyAnne:
Which raises the question, are bathing suits required in the water, or can one soak in the altogether?
Baud
@BethanyAnne:
A pantless society is a polite society.
JML
Iceland is amazing. If you have the opportunity, I say go.
Hawes
I loved Akureyri. I did not love the one way tunnels to get there.
LifeInTheBonusRound
@Hawes: Yeah, those tunnels took a bit of courage!
Kayla Rudbek
@HinTN:
@JML:
concur. I have been once and I would like to go back. I will say that the cheapest thing to buy in Iceland is probably the yarn at the duty-free store at the airport. I think it’s the only place I have found where yarn is cheaper than beer.
Elma
Morning all. In Bermuda with free Wifi today. Glad you have enjoyed the pics. They just brought my Fish and Chips. So I will check back later.
KatKapCC
I admit, I shivered a bit looking at these, but they’re beautiful!
way2blue
That geothermal pool—adjoining the ocean—looks amazing. Way cool. (Iceland… punch a hole in the ground; start a spa!)