Today was my last day in Iceland. I started off with a volcanic lava caving tour. Abbott 20mins from Reykjavik is a lava tube that is 1900 yrs old (just a baby in geological terms). We got there when it was still dark & very cy cold outside. We climbed down into the cave and were met wth a large semi circular cavern big enough to stand upright. Most of it is actually a reddish brown colour due to the iron in the gases coming through after the lava. The cave is actually from 2 eruptions, one the lava was super hot therefore thin & fast flowing. This produced smooth lava. The second eruption was cooler and the lava more viscous and slow moving. This produced more rocky, jagged lava. The cave is ascot 700m long. We saw icicles, stalactites and stalagmites made from gases pushing through the rocks. There is also a decomposed sheep in there! They don't know how old it is or why it is in there but it gave the cave its name. It was fascinating & a little freaky knowing the tunnels could collapse at any minute!
At lunch time I was collected & taken to the Blue Lagoon. The Blue Lagoon was actually made by accident. The nearby geothermal powerplant dumped their used geothermal fluid hoping it would seep back into the ground but the silica blocked the cracks and the pools formed. Now the water has a 100% turnoff every 40hrs. The water is 38c, salty and high in minerals particularly silica. In my package I got the silica mud mask, the algae mask & a drink. It was wonderfully relaxing, just hanging out in the hot water.
Tonight my Northern Lights tour has been cancelled again due to weather (bloody rain!) So its packing night tonight ready to be picked up at 3am for my flight to Finland.
This brings my time in Iceland to an end. It is a stunningly beautiful country with amazing landscapes. My Icelandic guides have been wonderful. I am definitely coming back in the summer months (June July holidays maybe!). I think everyone should come here once, it is just amazing.
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