After a hearty breakfast we left Akureyri and walked the road that wound along its fjord, deciding to reach the Myvatn area (also passing through Godafoss, discussed in the next chapter).

Our journey was becoming more and more interesting, and to continue with the discovery of the nordic island we need to understand why it is special.

Although it was intuited during the visit to Thingvellir and Geysir, it was in the area of ​​Myvatn that the heartbeat of our planet would show itself.

As mentioned above, Iceland is exactly on the dividing line between the North American continental plate and the European one; these two plates, unlike many others, diverge: the first moves towards the west, while the second towards the east, at a speed of about 2 cm per year.

The new space created by this distancing is filled by the escaping magma, creating a new lithosphere. For this reason, divergent margins such as the Mid-Atlantic ridge (which passes through Iceland) are called constructor margins.

Associated with these movements, which release an immense amount of energy, there are volcanic and seismic phenomena, which on this island abounds.

Iceland can therefore be seen as one of the most suitable points to touch the vitality of our planet, and in more detail in the area around Lake Myvatn because here the Krafla caldera is present.

Once we passed the lake, we headed to the Leirhnjúkur area, right on the caldera, where an unusual landscape awaited us: in a semi-desert area ran kilometers of shiny pipes that harnessed the steam coming from the depths of the earth, and conveyed it towards of the power stations that produced electricity.

I'm not kidding when I say that we had the impression of being in some scene of a science fiction film.

We parked just ahead of the plant.

Entering the volcanic area thanks to marked paths was truly something disturbing and at the same time fascinating, where it was easy to stop to take pictures and marvel at every glimpse.

The path first took us through an old (but not too much) lava field, after which we climbed one of the many ocher rhyolite hills from which it was possible to see sulfur vapors coming from the subsoil.

There was also a beautiful pond formed by hot water and mineral mud that colored it with a color similar to the Pantone Island Paradise color.

Once we passed this area we descended towards another, in the center of which there was an extinct crater torn in two, as if half of its cone had been shot away.

Only later, after reaching the highest vantage point, were we able to observe the whole area, where at a glance we could see the black areas of extinguished lava alternating with yellow areas and still others green for the vegetation.

The route lasted about 2 and a half hours, including stops, and was followed by a visit to the fumaroles of Hverir.

Walking in the delimited area (be careful not to abandon the marked path: the risk of sinking into the ever-changing subsoil or getting burned is not remote) you could observe the pools of bubbling gray mud and the sulphurous vapors that come from the bowels of the earth. The land on which we walked under a blue sky was yellow in shades of a thousand intensity and white.

It was all so surreal, and the impression that arose was in no way comparable to the high-definition documentaries that dealt with the same topic.

Subsequently, after having had lunch and rested for all the kilometers traveled, we left for the adventure ...
No.
We indulged in a rejuvenating thermal bath at the spa of Jardbodin, much less crowded than the Blue Lagoon.
Try them: immersed in hot sulphurous water you will never want to go out again!

Ps:
The only negative note of this stop at the spa was hearing some neighbors talking about some postulates on the basic properties of lemon.

Finally, before heading to the chosen guesthouse in a green area surrounded by absolute peace and silence (interrupted by the sporadic bleating of some inevitable sheep), we visited the Dimmuborgir park where, walking in an ancient lava labyrinth, one could observe fortresses and sculptures tens of meters high lava, surrounded by dwarf birch trees.