Saturday, 20-Sept-2025
I do miss long road trips. There’s something so therapeutic about getting in a car, putting on some music, and just driving for a few hours… it leaves my mind open, and keeps the body busy so that open mind can chew on ideas and thoughts, making connections and picking up details that I would otherwise have missed.
This drive… this was even better.
The views! The company! The winding roads and the good music!
Just magical. Simply magical.
Friday, 17-May-2024
My second hot spring spa of the day was Hvammsvik, pronounced more like “K-ams-vick” – a sort-of competitor to the Blue Lagoon in terms of tourism, at least from what I could tell looking at the various ads for each of them in the airport when I first landed in Iceland. Which, incidentally, was at least one of the ways I’d heard about it. Advertising does work!
I’d tried to swing by before, nearer to the beginning of my adventure on the 14th, but they’d been closed to clean the pools out. Which I’m actually okay with, since I’d been able to find a tiny little hot spring in the woods, all alone, instead… but that’s another story.
Hvammsvik was lovely. I don’t have any photos from the pools, since it seemed weird to have my phone on me in such a private place, but I can 100% confidently state that the pools were lovely, at excellent temperatures, and that their mineral content was absolutely lovely. I luxuriated, recovered from some of my aches and adventure pains, and felt glorious.
Afterward, I followed by tradition from Krauma, and got myself a very lovely dinner – a lovely dinner that I could take pictures of! Melty cheese, delicious seafood soup, and even a fancy health-shot of… something… vaguely spicy? It felt a little woo-woo magic-crystals, but it was tasty and I felt pretty good afterward, so I’m taking it as a win and being happy for it!
Which is the theme, here. Two hot springs in one day, getting to watch the sun slide down toward the cliffs, and having an excellent meal afterward? Yeah, I’m not going to be complaining at all.
An absolutely lovely visit to a lovely spa.
Thursday, 16-May-2024
Wednesday evening, I had planned on camping out at Miðjanes campground… but then I noticed that a nearby campground happened to have hot springs and a nature trail. Advantages of a chill roadtrip – I can change plans on the fly!
I pulled up, set up camp, and… wasn’t able to use the hot springs, because they were actually a public pool. Which shouldn’t have been an issue, but… Okay. Awkward thing to admit. I didn’t have a bathing suit. I know, I know, how could I have forgotten to pack it… but you know what? I was planning on either huge spa resorts where I could buy a swimsuit, or small back country hot springs were I could just wear my boxers. I hadn’t been to a big resort to buy a pair yet, and Grettislaug was connected to a school, so I wasn’t going to rock the boxers.
Instead, I had a relaxing evening, and then explored the nearby nature trails on Thursday morning.
They were super cool!
I’d made a good choice, no doubt – The trails around Grettislaug weren’t too extensive, but they wound around a few natural hot springs that were especially picturesque, and came back to camp again via a bird-blind that afforded some excellent views and birdwatching opportunities.
It was relaxed, enjoyable, and… you know what? A continuation of this roadtrip being exactly the chill experience that I had been looking for.
And seriously. Look at that photo I got of the pallet by the water. Just… Sometimes, my artistic-ness… it scares me. Just so beautiful!