Yet another reason to go is the geothermal steam vents or hot springs nursed by the molten innards of the island. The original Geysir is here, giving us the word geyser.
Near the power plant where we reveled in sunrise there's an otherworldly field.
Did I mention the sun doesn't get very high in the sky this time of year?
It does seem strange that snow can come right up to the edge of boiling water, as at a hot springs area that's billed as the biggest in Europe (I'm not sure of the metric for this claim):
Boiling water is close enough to splash on these icicles:
Someone said that at some vents the water is very acidic, at others very basic. In any case, it can be hard on the what humans put in place to corral it.
There's enough hot water or power from it to keep streets in central Reykjavik clear of snow.
In some hotels the water has a sulfury smell. I'm not sure, but maybe that's what's also behind the name of this gas.
Mind-blowing, eh?
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