We went with the early risers today, meaning we had to be off the ship before 8 am in Akureyri.  This is Iceland’s second largest urban area with almost 19,000 inhabitants [a far cry from Grímsey].  It has been nicknamed the ‘Capital of the North.’

Thirty one of us piled into a full size bus which drove an hour and a quarter [through a 7km tunnel – Iceland’s newest] to Lake Myvatn which sits along the gap of North American and Eurasian tectonic plates.  The area is very active geothermally.

We climbed the Hverfjall Crater, which was formed by a volcanic eruption 2300 years ago.  Huffing and puffing [not to be confused with puffling, which was the term for chick who failed to launch on Grímsey], we made it up the steep incline to the crater’s edge and then on to the highest point along the rim before retracing out steps.  [We could have gone all the way around, but the wind was fierce and I was afraid that DW would be blown off – Packing memo: next time bring lead weights for pockets…]  In additional to seeing the caldera close-up, we had great views of the entire Lake Myvatn area.

Diego rewarded us with herbal tea and chocolate treats when we reached the bus.  We all opted not to take the bus but instead to do the optional hike through fields of rough-formed lava and tiny wildflowers and trees taking in the mountains and occasional snowfields surrounding us.

Our next destination was Grjotagja lava cave [site of a romantic retreat in Game of Thrones] where we descended rocky footing to a steaming pool. This used to be a popular spot for thermal bathing, but recent geothermal activity has rendered the springs too hot for soaking.

The bus then took us to a delicious lunch of Arctic char and chicken [with the best brownies!] at Fosshotel Myvatn.

Re-energized, we drove on to Godafoss, a truly beautiful waterfall with aqua glacial water.  Just below the major cataract is a smaller one, called Geitafoss.

We returned to Akureyri in time for final boarding at 3:15.

4:00 found the two of us in the main lounge having buttered crepes with caramel sauce.

Then I went to the Backroads beer and schnapps tasting.We dined in Nautilus with Kathy and Rick.  Our notes for this dinner are sketchy, but we know that DW enjoyed a Caesar salad [this was consistently excellent throughout the cruise] and molten lava cake with caramel.

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