Iceland - Day Four, Volacanos and Lagoons

As we headed back towards Reykjavik we had two more stops to go, Eyjafjallajökull and the Blue Lagoon.

Eyjafjallajökull is the volcano that erupted in 2010 sending a massive ash cloud out into the atmosphere and halting flights across Europe. At the time the most amusing thing was watching news readers try and pronounce its name (not that I could have done a better job). From the road it doesn't look too different to the mountains surrounding it but it is quite imposing when you compare it to the size of the farm beneath it

Across the road from the farm is a small visitor centre set up and run by the family who own the farm at the base of the volcano. We were invited in to watch a 10 minute film explaining how the eruption impacted their lives and livelihood. Whilst the film was interesting and showed some formidable and remarkable images of the eruption and the after-mass I couldn't help thinking this was a video I could have easily watched on YouTube. What I really wanted was to get close to the volcano itself, however unfortunately that wasn't part of our tour, so after the film and a wander through the gift shop (by genuine volcano ash!) much to my endless disappointment we drove away from the amazing natural timebomb.

Our final stop for the day was the Blue Lagoon. The Blue Lagoon is a man-made geothermal spa that is always in any lists of Top Five Things to Do in Iceland. When we last visited, back in the winter, I loved the Blue Lagoon. There was snow all across the floor and you had to run across it in bare feet to reach the warm pale blue waters. We stayed in the water so long, rubbing the mineral rich mud into our skin that icicles started to form on our hair and eyelashes. It was a proper winter treat. Back then it would have definitely been on my top five list, but this time I was not as enamoured by the place.

This time, although the water was just as invitingly warm as our previous visit I missed the fun and magic of running through the snow. It was also a lot busier this time so, although it wasn't a rowdy crowd, it wasn't as tranquil as our first visit. The first time it felt like our own secret hot pool, this time it was just another tourist stop off. It is still worth visiting, it would just take a lot to beat the first time we went, so I would definitely recommend going when there is snow.

Just look at the difference;

AUTUMN

WINTER