Tag 295: Hveragerði & Hot River

Today I spontaneously met up with my mother and Astrid again. Originally I wanted to do something with Janne and since my mother and Astrid were staying nearby, I suggested that the four of us go to Hot River. When I was on my way to the meeting point - Hveragerði - at lunchtime, Janne wrote to say that she wasn't feeling well and was staying at home.

Before we set off, we took a look at the church, where we met in the parking lot.

First, the three of us went to the Geothermal Park, because Hveragerði is the only town in Europe where there is geothermal activity. It was really interesting and we also saw a geyser erupt.

Afterwards we went to the local food hall for lunch and then to Rósakaffi, a cafe with an integrated flower shop. It smelled so good that we ordered a piece of chocolate cake. The cake was delicious, but pretty intense and after a few conversations with the cook we even got the recipe.

Then we went to the parking lot of the Hot River. However, we had to hike uphill for a good hour to get there. There were a few smaller hot springs along the way.

The Hot River was absolutely beautiful. There was a jetty that you could walk on and a few partitions on top that were supposed to be used as changing rooms. In the river itself, the gravel from the bottom was partially piled up so that there were a few terraces in the water along the river that you could lie on. As we were relatively high up the river, the water was pretty hot, but at one point another stream - cold as mountain rivers are - joined it and depending on where you lay down, the water wasn't quite as hot. Walking barefoot was impossible because of the many stones and when you lay down you had to push the prickly stones out of the way under your back. It was really beautiful, but not exactly comfortable.

After more than an hour in the water, we started our way back. When we got back to the car park, it was already nine o'clock, but since it was now light until half past ten / eleven, that wasn't a problem.

The hot river was really beautiful, but the walk there was really tough and I just fell into bed that evening. I won't do this climb again. The walk to the hot tub in our garden is easier.

See you then

Julie