Akureyri, Iceland

No tender today, which was nice as we could get an extra hour of sleep without having to be concerned with delays getting ashore.

Good weather continues to follow our journey and while the temperatures would be in the 40s, the skies were clear with lots of sunshine.

The Nieuw Statendam arrived a little before 8 AM and we were cleared almost immediately.   We met our group around 8:15 and were on our way around 8:30.   This was another tour by Artic Shorex “Myvatn, Godafoss & Nature Baths”  ($130 plus $42 if you wanted to go to the Nature Baths)

We cleared the harbor and headed toward our first stop: The Waterfall at Godafoss.   We had a nice view of the Nieuw Statendam as we crossed the inlet and continued north.   We arrived in Godafoss in about 45 minutes.

There are two viewing areas for Godafoss, on either the north or south side of the river.  Our bus dropped us off on the south side, which seems to be more popular.   There is a footbridge that crosses the river, or you could drive to the other side.   We had 50 minutes to walk to the falls, take our pictures, the walk back to the Black House, where all the tour buses assembled to wait for their guests.   The Black House is also a gift shop and restaurant.   Restrooms were available.   It is about 3/10s of a mile from the drop-off point to the falls, and then about 4/10 of a mile to get to the Black House.

After seeing the falls, we arrived at the Black House with 10 minutes to spare.

Our next stop was Lake Mývatn and the pseudocraters of Skutustadagiga.   These are not craters since they weren’t formed directly by lava eruptions but were formed as the result of hot lava flowing over the ground causing steam eruptions and making what looks like craters – hence the term – pseudocraters.

Here is also where we first experienced the Icelandic black flies, known as midges, that were everywhere around Lake Mývatn.  These flies only live for 7 days and start appearing in mid-June.   I’m not sure how long they are around, but it does seem to vary.   We were prepared with face nets which work well.   I was surprised to not see any for sale at the gift shops in the area, but I didn’t look too hard.   Buy one before you leave.   Many people were not wearing masks and they were able to get used to their annoying presence.

After twenty minutes we got back on our bus for a 15-minute ride to Dimmuborgir (or Dark Cities), where you can walk through some amazing rock formations.  This is also the place where the 13 Icelandic Yule Lads (Santa Clauses) live.

We walked down one path for about ¼ mile before heading back to the snack bar to use the restroom

If you don’t make a purchase the restroom costs 200 ISK, about $1.50 USD.  The restroom will only accept two 100 ISK coins, a voucher or you can use your credit card.   Many tour buses stop here with large groups so the crowds can be large depending on the flow of the buses.

The Myvatn Nature Baths were offered as an option on our tour for an additional 5,900 ISK ($45 USD)  You can learn more about the Nature Baths HERE and see their video which explains how they work in more detail.

The Nature Baths are quite popular with tourists and they are equipped to handle large crowds.   We had a group voucher that admitted our group of 11 people.   When you check in you have an option to rent a towel and a robe.   The towel was 850 ISK.   We brought some small towels and our swimsuits in a backpack.   You can also prepay for drinks, or you can use your credit card later at their swim-up bar.

After you check in men and women go separate ways to community changing rooms where you can lock up your possessions.   There isn’t any additional charge to use the lockers.   You are required to leave your shoes outside the locker room.  Some people wore shower shoes in the locker room, most didn’t.

There were private showers or open showers available and taking a naked shower was required, but there wasn’t anyone enforcing this requirement.

Once you have completed your shower, you headed outside to the baths.   There is a place to hang your towel or robe and leave a small bag in an unsecured area.   Many people brought their phones as it was easy to walk around the baths and not get your head wet.   Think of this as a large shallow hot tub.  The Sulphur water will discolor silver jewelry and ruin your nail polish.   There are two large areas in the nature baths and we couldn’t tell any difference between the two.   The ground is a soft gravel-type material that was ok to walk on barefoot.

People were walking around with open glasses of beer and wine and were taking pictures with their phones or cameras.

Once you have finished, you return to the locker room to shower in fresh water, get dressed, and return to the main area where there is a cafeteria and gift shop.    We were here for 1 hour and twenty minutes.

Our final stop was the Myvatn Geothermal Area, only a short drive from the Nature Baths.

Here you can see sulfurous fissures in the cracked earth, steaming fumaroles, and bubbling mud pools.  There is an observation area or you can get closer if desired and walk down some dirty and possibly muddy paths.   You may get your shoes dirty if you stray off the main path and you don’t want to track dirt back into your bus – so plan accordingly.

We left here around 2:15 PM and drove straight back to the ship, arriving around 3:30 PM.   Our all-aboard time was 4:30.   There is a gift shop on the dock.

As we approached the gangway, a half-dozen crewmembers were standing in a row offering hot apple cider served in champagne flutes.

Our group had a nice dinner in Canaletto.  It wasn’t very crowded – maybe 50% of the tables were used.

Cantaré was on the World Stage tonight with a repeat of their first show “Timeless”