Hotel Hlid Selfoss

... So both of my options involved purposely submersing myself in water, either 1) go to the Iceland Airwaves final bash party at the Blue Lagoon (aka a TON of hungover/drunk people jamming out to techno in the geothermal pools, or 2) go back to Þingvellir and go snorkeling on the mid-Altantic ridge. I havent been up for partying lately so I chose the latter, and Im so glad I did. We had a super small group which was great, it was me, a 14 year old kid ...

... can snorkel in year-round, though the temperatures in the low thirties didn't exactly make me want to throw on my bathing suit. We settled instead for exploring the grounds--we had the place entirely to ourselves for the first hour or so (landing at 6 in the morning has its benefits afterall). The scenery was indescribably beautiful, and ...

... It also has a small area of hot springs, mud pots and hot pools right in the center of town.  Because it is so hot, and therefore dangerous to kids and pets, the whole area is fenced off and only open during certain hours.  Alas, we were there late Saturday and early Sunday and missed the short 2-hour slot during which we could have walked around a miniature Yellowstone.
We stayed at the hotel Eld-Hestar (Volcano Horse) which is an equestrian center.  I haven ...

... Pretty fast in geologic terms.  This was also the first place that I saw a type of rock that very plainly shows the sort of "blub-blub" ripple marks the lava made as it was spreading out. (And yes, "blub-blub" is the correct scientific term.)
The area was quite beautiful with miles and miles of walking/hiking trails around a rushing river and clear, turquoise lake. The building in the picture is the Prime Minister's summer residence cum ministerial conference center.

die letzten tage waren nicht we***** spannend, auch wenn die ganze busfahr**ei, wand**ei und staun**ei an den kräften z**rte. hauptziel des dritten tages war landmannalaugar. ein gebiet dessen b**ge meist aus rhyolit bestehen, was für island eh** untypisch ist. hi** zeigte sich ein sehr hübsches farbenspiel des v**witt**ten gesteins. die weichen farbtöne von gelb, rot und braun v ...

... hovers somewhere between 37 and 39 degrees Celsius. This is one public pool where the warm patches aren´t suspicious and where you actually seek them out rather than jumping a mile in the other direction when you come across one. The Lagoon isn´t just a fun place to swim, it´s renowned for its skin exfoliating properties. Jane Austen´s regency Bath has nothing on Iceland. Vats of white silica mud are placed at stations in the pool, and you can just ...

... laughed I wa sliek OH
MY GOD I HATE YOU YOU *****!!! there was absolutly nothing I could do
we were in the middle of the dam field!!! so the one guy is making a
documentary of his friends big day adn here he is laughing calling me a
dirty girl taping me while I am TRYING not to freak out!!! so we
caught the dam horse vigdis rode it to this pot where we all get out
and are waiting and waiting... well this famous gay man comes wioth
wine ...

... a geothermal area with bubbling, boiling hotpots and, obviously, geysirs (it's where the word comes from). The original Geysir is no longer active, the main attraction now is Strokkur, which goes off about every five minutes. Definitely gives you a shock the first time it errupts. The small boiling pool bubbles and gurgles away, then without warning a 40m high steam vent just shoots into the sky. Thingvellir was next, a world heritage listed national park, where the ...

The most visited sites in Iceland must be the Golden Circle and Blue Lagoon. You know, blue lagoon of Brooke Shields fame. The next day was spent rubbing elbows with other tourists. Couldn't avoid them. Until now, we have been taken more or less the less beaten path. No off/roading necessary. Iceland remembered: Iceland, territory equal ...

... in the mornings, except for a few tourists here and there. It is so dark in the mornings and lots of the Icelanders stay out at the bars until the wee hours of the morning resulting in very empty streets. We arranged to take a bus trip to the Blue Lagoon on Saturday. The hot springs are amazing - the water is a beautiful blue and it is so nice to sit in the warm water on a day when it is about 5oC and lightly raining. We got back into ...