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Excursion from Reykjavik: Iceland from the inside and outside - lava cave and Thingvellir (with the AIDAaura to Greenland and Iceland 12)

شايع ٿيل: 31.07.2022

From Reykjavik, we took a bus to Thingvellir, which was declared a national park in 1930 and has been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 2004.


Thingvellir
Thingvellir


In the middle of the national park, the American and Eurasian plates meet, creating a lot of geothermal activity.


Thingvellir
Thingvellir


First, we stopped at the Hakid viewpoint - like many other visitor groups.


Thingvellir
Thingvellir


The view was very nice, but the paths were full of tourists who wanted to catch a glimpse of Lake Thingvallavatn and the gorge formed by tectonic plate movements.


Thingvellir
Thingvellir


Next, we were supposed to explore the interior of Iceland: we continued to an area with lava caves.


Thingvellir
Thingvellir


There, we saw a cave dwelling built by a young couple at the beginning of the 20th century. Today, no one lives there anymore, but the apartment has been renovated for tourism purposes.


Cave dwelling
Cave dwelling


As it turned out, we were in the wrong place for our cave tour. After a few phone calls, our guide sent us back to the bus. Unfortunately, the parking lot was not suitable for buses, so our poor bus driver had to drive backwards after attempts to turn the bus failed.


On the way to the lava cave
On the way to the lava cave


Now we had also experienced Iceland in reverse on a gravel road.


On the way to the lava cave
On the way to the lava cave


After a few kilometers, we reached the correct meeting point, where our cave guide was already waiting for us.


Descent into the lava cave
Descent into the lava cave


Everyone got a helmet with a headlamp, and we began the descent into the lava cave.


Inside the lava cave
Inside the lava cave


The cave was formed during a volcanic eruption: while the outer layers of lava cooled and formed a tunnel, the hot lava flowed through the inside and left a hollow space.


Inside the lava cave
Inside the lava cave


During earthquakes, parts of the ceiling collapsed, so we had to climb over some rocks and squeeze through narrow passages.


Inside the lava cave
Inside the lava cave


We were grateful for our high hiking boots. There was also a fall in our group, but with only minor scratches, which our cave guide quickly treated.


Inside the lava cave
Inside the lava cave


In the middle of the cave, we had Icelandic pastries and hot chocolate while listening to the history of cave exploration.


Inside the lava cave
Inside the lava cave


In the past, people didn't dare to enter because they believed there were trolls or other creatures inside.

It was only with modern headlamps that exploration became easier: in the middle of the cave, there is complete darkness (which we tried when we all turned off our lamps during a stop).


Exit from the lava cave
Exit from the lava cave


Finally, we reached the exit and completed our journey through the cave. As a conclusion, we had to crawl through the quite small hole to get outside.


Exit from the lava cave
Exit from the lava cave


Then the guide mentioned that we had covered 364 meters underground, which took us over an hour. The way back to the bus along the road was much shorter now…


View on the way back to the bus
View on the way back to the bus


We were already quite delayed due to our detours and backward trips, but we still made one last stop: the Nesjavellir viewpoint.


View on the way back to the bus
View on the way back to the bus


From there, we could not only overlook the landscape, but also see the facility of a geothermal power plant.


Nesjavellir viewpoint
Nesjavellir viewpoint


With the help of natural hot steam, water is heated and then transported to houses in Reykjavik.


Nesjavellir viewpoint
Nesjavellir viewpoint


At the same time, electricity is generated in the plant using the steam (or as my husband would put it: thermal energy is converted into electrical energy).


Nesjavellir viewpoint
Nesjavellir viewpoint


With an hour's delay, we finally reached our ship just in time before departure.


Departure from Reykjavik
Departure from Reykjavik


As we sailed away, we took one last look at Reykjavik and said goodbye to Iceland.


Departure from Reykjavik
Departure from Reykjavik


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#reykjavik#thingvellir#nesjavellir#geothermie#geothermiekraftwerk#lavahöhle#höhlenwanderung#island#kreuzfahrt#aida#aidaaura