Geothermal Activity in Iceland

Geothermal Activity in Iceland

Extensive geothermal activity is one of Iceland‘s most distinctive features, with geothermal areas covering more of this country than any other. In fact, geothermal heat is known to be present at over 700 Icelandic sites. For geothermal warmth to reach the surface, water needs to bring it there from underneath.

Ever since the settlement, Icelanders have used geothermal water for washing and bathing. This is often mentioned in the sagas, with the most famous instance probably being that of Snorri Sturluson at Reykholt, in Borgarfjör›ur, West Iceland. Snorri, who was a productive saga writer, enjoyed relaxing in the hot water and discussing the topics of the day, just as people still do in hot tubs at modern swimming pools all around Iceland.

The island‘s geothermal activity clearly caught the attention of the early settlers, as they referred to geothermal phenomena in their place names. Thus a great number of the original names include terms such as varm (warm), reyk (smoke/steam) or laug (bathing pool). It is estimated that at least 55 place names, or around 2% of all saga place names, are linked to geothermal activity.

At several places in Iceland, it so happens that geothermal water collects naturally at comfortable temperatures for bathing. In other places, people have come to nature’s assistance to obtain the right temperatures and amount of water. Finally, in modern times many special swimming pools, hot tubs, etc. have been constructed.

Therefore, it is often difficult to distinguish which pools are natural and which are not. For instance, there was no geothermal activity at the surface when construction started on the Blue Lagoon. Its water is pumped up out of drill holes and the surroundings are entirely designed by people. Thoses places are categorized as spas.

No man should call himself clever but manage his mind. A sage visitor is a silent guest. The cautious evades evil. Never a friend more faithful, nor greater wealth, than wisdom. (From Hávamál Eddaic poems (AD 700-900).

Natural Hot Pool. Photo by Olga

Natural Hot Pools:

    Kvika/Seltajarnarnes

    Hellulaug/Flokalundur

    Pollurinn/Taiknafjödur

    Heydalur/West fjords

    Hörgaslhidarlaug/West fjords

    Grettinslaug/Skagafjördur

    Klambragilslaug/Hveragerdi

    Landmannalauger/Highland

    Kerlingarfjöll/Highland

    Hveravellir/Highland

    Laugafell/Highland

    Viti/Hihland

    Laugarfell/Highland

Spas:

    Blaa Ionid/Blue Lagon

    Nautholsvik/Reykjavik

    Jardbodin/Myvat Nature Baths

    Hoffell

    Secret Lagon/Fludir

    Fontana/Laugavatn

There's a Small Hotel

There's a Small Hotel

Looking for Ne York, London, and Paris? Look no further!

Many guides offer reliable listings of large, luxury hotels with established reputations. But for those who put a premium on charm and prefer lodging on a more personal scale, we've culled some of the smaller hotels that are catching travel writers' eyes. Prices are in U.S. Dollars and don't include taxes or fees.

New York – Convention-goers may head for the Hilton and heads of state to the Waldorf Astoria, but there's a mini-boomlet in smaller, neighborhood hotels in the Big Apple.

The Lowell: Sets high standard for solicitous service and elegant comfort. Mostly suites, many with fireplaces, all with kitchenettes. Near Madison Avenue shops and galleries. Doubles from $700. Suites from $800 to $3,0000.

Hotels Wales: Civilized, unpretentious atmosphere. Close to the Met, Guggenheim, Cooper-Hewitt museums, and upper East Side shopping. Doubles from $400 with continental breakfast. Suites from $700 to $1200.

The Royalton: Chic, custom decor. Convenient to theater district, shops. Doubles from $500, suites from $1000.

The Surrey: Large, pleasant rooms, all with kitchenettes. Ideal for families and for longer stays. Near Frick, Whitney museums, Central Park. Two-person studios, four-person suites.

Hotel in Jamaica. Photo by Elena.

The Elysee: Attentive service, carefully appointed rooms, Midtown location near business, shopping, top restaurants.

The Franklin: Imaginative, up-to-the-minute styling of smallish rooms at reasonable prices. Vibrant neighborhood with abundant boutiques, antiques,.

London: These days there's a virtual explosion of small and elegant townhouse hotels all over town. A selection of some of the choicest in different settings and price ranges:

47 Park street: Edwardian townhouse in chic Mayfair with spacious rooms and 24-hour room service from the celebrated le Gavroche restaurant, both owned by the Roux family.

Hazlitt's: Three antique-filled, 18th-century terraced houses off lively and fashionable Soho Square. Near Oxford Street and the Royal Opera house.

The Milestone: A handsome 19th-century house, carefully restored with 58 luxury suites and a health spa. Overlooks, Kensington Gardens and Kensingtons Palace.

Cannizard House: Elegantly furnished Georgian house with ornamental lake and gardens. Well-situated for the Wimbledon tournament in June.

Number 16: Adjoining Victorian townhouses with a conservatory and a large rear garden. Near Sloane Square, Knightsbridge.

Halkin Hotel: Sleek and sophisticated Italian design in a modern townhouse-style hotel. No public rooms except restaurant.

Dorset Square: An elegant country house atmosphere with modern convenience. On a handsome garden square near Regent's Park, Oxford St.

L'Hotel: Informal with small, attractive rooms. Children welcome. Close to Harrod's, Hyde Park, Buckingham Palace.

The Fielding Hotel: An 18th-century building houses this charming, cozy hotel, Reasonable prices. On a quiet street in the heart of Covent Gardne, Near the Royal Opera House and West End.

Paris: The Parisian hotel scene is perpetually transforming itself as sophisticated new entries and updated old favorites help fill the insatiable demand for intimate places with charm and desirable addresses.

Montalembert: Luxuriously redisigned rooms may be other Empire or modern in style. Convenient to the Mus/e d'Orsay and St.Germain-des-Pres.

Pavillon Bastille: Petite and ultramodern. Offers compact rooms with many features at bargain prices. In courtyard opposite Bastille Opera House.

Hotel Relais Medicis: An urban country inn with Provençal charm on the Place de l'Odeon, near the Luxemburg Gardens.

Hotel Le Tourville: Good-sized rooms combine antiques and modern comforts. A few have private terraces. Between the Champs de Mars and the Invalides.

Hotek Grande Turenne: Refurbished small hotel near lovely Place des Vosges with smallish rooms, new bathrooms, breakfast buffet.

Hotel Montaigne: Sleek elegance with views across the Seine to the Eiffel. Convenient to haute couture houses.

Where the Villas Are

Where the Villas Are

The best way to save money on a vacation rental home is to bypass the middleman. You can save 20 to 30 percent by renting directly through the owner. Options include writing the local tourist aboard or looking through the classified sections of college alumni magazines. Rental agencies, on the other hand, offer the convenience of an expeerienced pro minding the details. Some ressources:

Rental Agencies: If you use a rental agency, it's a good idea to choose one with a local agent based near the town in which you intend to rent. That way, you'll have someone to contact in case anything goes wrong.

At Home Abroad, New York, N.Y. Caters to an upscale market. Rates range from $5,000 to $100,000 p34 month, although many of their Caribbean and Mexican villas also are available by the week. Requires a registration fee. At Home Abroad is the agent for Mick Jagger's retreat, Stargrove, on the West Indies island of Mustique. Rent is $14,000 a week during peak winter months.

Barclay International, New York, N.Y.: Specializes in apartment rentals in most of the major cities around the world. Properties include suites at some luxury hotels. A free catalog is available.

British Travel International, Elkton, Va.: Offers properties in France, England, and Italy. A color catalog is available for a small fee.

Creative Leisure International, Petaluma, Ore.: Listings in Europe, Mexico, Hawai'i, the Caribbean, and the Pacific islands. A good choice for sailors seeking seaside homes. There is a booking fee.

Homes Away, Toronto, Canada: A relatively new branch of Butterfield and Robinson, which is well known for organizing hiking and biking trips, offers houses not usually for rent – an old silk farm. For example.

Interhome, Fairfield, N.J.: In its 30th year and with over 20,000 listings, Interhome is one of the oldest and largest home rental agencies in the world. Hot spots include the northern Croatian coast, Poland, the Czech Republic.

Rent a Home International, Seattle, Wash.: Offers an estimated 25,000 listings around the world in Europe, Australia, and Asia. Prices range from $1,500 to $50,000 per week.  Does not have as detailed information on its properties as many other agencies. Several catalogs are available for small fees.

Villas International, San Francisco, Calif.: Listings include a villa on Phuket island in Thaliland that costs from $2,000 to $3,000 per week, but they specialize in properties in Europe and the Caribbean.

Red-Stripe. Jamaica. Photo by Elena.

Home Exchange

An economical way to take a vacation. Usually there is a listing fee, but other arrangements are left to the homeowners.

Intervac, San Francisco, Calif.: International and domestic listings.

Hideaways International: Listings include owners of resort and vacation properties in Europe, the United States, and the Caribbean. Members also get special discounts.

Vacation exchange Club: Key West, Fla. The club offers a free information package.

Renting by Country: Renting through an institution abroad can be challenging. But it also can lead to savings by cutting out the middleman.

Denmark

Scandinavia DanCenter: Offers Danish rentals only. Material is written in German and Danish.

ScanAm World Tours: Rents throughout Scandinavia.

England

Heritage of England Country Homes: The organization specializes in country houses and will arrange airfare and car rental.

The Landmark Trust: A charitable trust that preserves buildings by carefully restoring them and renting them to vacationers. Rentals include everything from medieval halls to concrete bunkers. A catalog of properties is available.

National Trust Enterprises: Determined travelers can find real bargains at this branch of the National Trust, which is aimed more toward British nationals Prices vary from off-season to the summer, mostly for old farm workers' cottages on beautiful estates.

France

Federation Nationale des Gites de France: A nonprofit institution founded in 1955 to preserve old country houses and bolster rurar economies through tourism. The network consists of over 50,000 houses and apartments – or gites. Gites are not available in cities. They are more modest dwellings and not always available in prime vacation areas.

The French Experience: It rents more upscale French gites, In the high season, July and August, the company's prices range from $800 to $2000 per week.

Italy

Cuendet U.S.A: Full-service rental agency with more than 1,500 listings from farmhouses to castles and villas.

Scotland

National Trust for Scotlands.

Sweden

Varmland Tourist Board, the board specializes in rentals in Sweden's Lake District.

Reykjanes Peninsula

Reykjanes Peninsula

Most visitors flying to Iceland arrive at Keflavik airport, about 45 minutes’ drive from the capital, Reykjavík. It is best to stay for one night on the Reykjanes Peninsula, in the vicinity of the airport, for departures or arrivals, as there is much to see and do in this area. Most places are open all year and the roads are safe. There is very little foliage on the peninsula as it is mainly a lava area with hot springs and very special landscape.

Below is a list of some hidden pearls in the area surrounding the famous Blue Lagoon A , a blue silica-infused lagoon in a lava field.

1. Seltún is an active geothermal area with many bubbling mud pots and fumaroles. The minerals deposited by the geothermal activity produce a colourful array of muddy sediment. There are good walking paths around the area.

2. Grindavík is one of the biggest fish processing towns in Iceland with an active, industrious harbour. During the summer there is an exhibition of boats from Grindavík along the road of Seljabót near the harbour.At the Icelandic Salt Fish Museum, you will learn how salt fish has had a great influence on life in the country.

A very high waterfalls. Photo by Olga

There are marked trails in the area, e.g. around Hópsnes where many boats have run aground. The peninsula is 2 km long with very good information boards as well as a lighthouse which was built in 1928. The mountain, Þorbjörn is an easy hike. It is on the right-hand side when driving into Grindavík from the Blue Lagoon. The mountain is 243m high and has a panoramic view from the top.

In almost every fishing village in Iceland, you will find a memorial commemorating the seamen who gave their lives to the sea. The one in Grindavík is by an artist called Ragnar Kjartansson, whose sculptures are to be found in more places all over the country.

There are coffee shops, accommodation choices and a very good camping sight in town as well as several companies offering a variety of trips around the area.

3. Brimketill is an extraordinary geological feature. It looks like a big, cosy bath tub on the edge of rugged coastline.

4. Gunnuhver is an active geothermal area with bubbling mud pots and hissing steam vents. It is close to the Reykjanes lighthouse. Gunnuhver is named after a female ghost who died there. She was a constant disrupter of the peace until a priest set a trap for her and she fell into the boiling hotspring.

5. Geirfugl is a 1,57m high sculpture by Todd McGrain depicting the now extinct Great Auk. Similar sculptures are found all over the world as part of his Lost Bird Project.

6. The bridge between two continents is a small foot bridge over a major fissure which clearly shows the presence of a diverging tectonic plates. The bridge was built as a symbol of connection between Europe and North America.

7. Hvalsneskirkja, the current church was built in 1887. Hallgrímur Pétursson, an esteemed poet in Iceland, was the pastor there from 1644-1651. Hallgrímskirkja in Reykjavík is named after him.

8. Sandgerði is a small fishing village with about 1700 inhabitants. A sculpture commemorating drowned fishermen is situated at the entrance to the town and Steinunn Þórarinsdóttir is the sculptor. Suðurnes Science and Learning Centre is a well-equipped research centre for natural science located in Sandgerði. Sea water tanks containing different living organisms are part of the research. It also hosts a good collection of various life forms, plants and stones. Close by is the restaurant Vitinn, a family-run, cosy restaurant which uses first-grade fresh ingredients.

9. Garðskagi has two lighthouses which are representative of their times, one from 1897 and the other from 1994. There is a rich bird life on the beach around the lighthouses. In the older lighthouse, there is a little coffee shop. Nearby is an interesting museum that tells the story of how fishing developed and the history of the people who lived and worked in the community.

10. Reykjanesbær (Keflavík and Njarðvík). This is the biggest populated area on the peninsula with about 16 000 inhabitants. There is a variety of services and activities on offer. Along the coastline is a 10 km walking trail with information boards along the way.

The Reykjanes Global UNESCO Geopark’s Visitor Centre is located in Duushús. Down by the harbour, close to Duushús you can find the home of a great troll, Gianta. She is a full size troll and sits in her rocking chair,

sleeping in the kitchen of her Black Cave. Gianta is originally the creation of the author Herdís Egilsdóttir who has written 16 stories about the little girl Sigga and her friend Gianta in the mountain.

In Reykjanesbær the history of music in Iceland from 1830 to present day is told in a very lively way at the Icelandic Museum of Rock and Roll. Learn more about Björk, Sigur Rós, Of Monsters and Men, Emiliana Torrini and many more Icelandic musicians.

At the Viking World Museum, the Viking ship, Íslendingur that sailed to America in 2000 is on permanent display.

11 Kálfatjarnarkirkja, built in 1893. At that time, it was the biggest country church in Iceland with two floors which could seat all parishioners at once, all 150 of them.

Garðskagi

Salthúsið (The House of Bacalao) Restaurant of Grindavik is the first restaurant in Iceland specialising in the lowly codfish, bringing it up to new heights.

Stamphólsvegi 2, 240 Grindavík, Iceland - Tel: 426 9700 & 699 2665 -

SEAFOOD RESTAURANT BY THE HARBOUR : Vitinn is located in the town of Sandgerði, just minutes from Ke#avik International Airport. It is therefore an ideal stop on your way to or from the airport to enjoy the freshest seafood available.

This Palace Could Be Yours

This Palace Could Be Yours

It's easier than you think to rent a place abroad – and getting easier.

Ann Waigand and her husband and their two children did a modest amount of sightseeing during a recent stay in France's Loire Valley. But not the usual kind. For example, one evening Waigand, who publishes the newsletter Educated Traveler, and her family took a leisurely 15-minute drive from their house to watch the sunset over Chambertin, a 15th-century chateau, the roof of which Leonardo da Vinci designed to look like the skyline of a city. Generally, though, the Waigands stayed closer to home – in this case, a restored 19th century pigeon house on the ground of an estate. By the end of the week, everyone in the village knew everyone in the family. “If you are sick and tired of sightseeing,” Waigand explains, “renting is the perfect antidote; you just live.”

Renting a villa has long been part of a typical vacation for Europeans, especially the British. And with the growth of world-wide vacation home rental agencies in the United States, Americans too are finding it easy to get in on the act. No longer does one need to know foreign languages or have years of expatriate experience. Many agencies can make all the arrangements here – even down to car rentals.

What's the allure? Instead of trying to take in a whole country in a couple of weeks of frenzied traveling, or staying in look-alike resort hotels with other travelers, renting abroad immerses travelers in the day-to-day life of the natives. Renters may not enjoy the services of a hotel, but they will enjoy the privacy of their own place and amenities such as private garden or pool that go with an established residence.

Caribbean offers... Photo by Elena (Nassau, Bahamas).

There's also an economic incentive to renting abroad, according to Gail Richards of the travel newsletter the Hideaway Guide: “The myth is that renting vacation homes abroad is only for the rich and famous, but many British and European vacation homes are affordable for the middle-income bracket.”

Indeed, in comparison with most resort hotels, where a single room can run $100 a day or more, vacation home rental offers substantial savings. The typical rental for four to six people is about $2,000 per week in season – and even less in the off-season. You also can save money on budget-busting restaurants by shopping at farmers' markets and eating at home (at least most of the time).

For the best deals, travelers should rent in an area that is not “in season”. Condos in the Costa del Sol in Spain can cost a a mere $1000 a week in January or $3000 in August. In ski areas such as the Swiss Alps, prices usually dip in the summer and are especially cheap in the spring and fall. In Europe, the farther south and the farther inland one goes the cheaper the prices will be – except in july and August, when roving hordes of northern Europeans in search of sun and beaches drive up rental prices by 30 to 40 percent.

Europe isn't the only place one can rent a vacation home. In fact, it may not even be the best place. Mexico and the Caribbean offer vacation homes equipped with American appliances and American standards of cleanliness. In Europe, many homes, especially in rural areas, may not have the amenities that Americans are used to. Most rural French farmhouses and even chateaux don't have air-conditioning, washing machines, or even screen windows. The service in Europe also tends to be much less attentive; in the Caribbean and Mexico, property agents usually are at your beck and call.