August 16: "An exception to our code of conduct"
Gusts of wind but without rain were our lullaby during the night. The temperature
was mild, because of the proximity of the lake? Upon awakening we beheld hundreds
of birds on the water at our doorstep, many of them elegant swans. Today is
declared a day of rest. We have VERY painful thighs: at each careless move
during the night, "aïe"! We had set our alarm clock for
6:30 AM to take the 8 o'clock bus for Krafla. The sound of our sleep was much
stronger than that of the alarm and when eyes were back into approximate focus,
they read 7:15. Action stations! Bedraggled rush to get dressed, eat, and
walk the 200 meters to the bus stop. Beautiful stroll around an emerald lake
in a large crater (Viti) and then a walk over fields of lava with fumaroles
a little everywhere. It was as if the eruption had taken place last week,
no hint of vegetation despite the eruption dating back to 1981! It was moving
to be so close to the entrails of the earth with the smell of sulphur and
the noise of the spitting steam. And what a happy surprise to discover at
the end of our walk Donatienne and Hedwig, our camping car friends who proposed
that we accompany them tomorrow to Husavik! This destination being off our
direct route, we could accept! Back to the bus stop to learn that the bus
was not returning to Myvatn but continuing on to Dettifoss. We thus decided
to hitch hike the 12 km return return journey. 4 or 5 km further on when we
were startng to thave really enough of our day of "rest", an Icelander
who worked at the geothermal station close to the crater (60 mega watt electricity
production) agreed to yield to the pleading of our thumbs just at the point
when it started to rain. We thus returned to the campsite in the shelter of
the car and sought out the warmth of the comfortable dining room to eat our
sandwiches with a delicious cup of hot coffee. Through the window, a view
of this superb lake, heavily populated by migratory birds many of which were
swans, the only bird that we recognized without risk of error. A good number
of the others had to be ducks, this lake being reputed to have the greatest
concentration of these birds of all Europe. The rain was of short duration
but we decided our rest wouldn't be. An afternoon of idleness: reading, catching
up on this diary, writing postcards, repair of my air cushion and our over-boots
(Unlike Jane Fonda's, these over-boots aren't made for walkin')...
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Different views of the Krafla volcano
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Steaming lava fields at Leirhnjukur (1984 eruption)
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Hedwig,
Anne, and Donatienne
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Camping
beside lake Myvatn
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