Hot Springs, Southwestern Iceland

The geothermal activity is more than sufficient to provide economical heating for homes in Iceland. We visited an area where the hot, sulphurus water was visible. We were told that the water was heated to a temperature in excess of 200 C. I observed a young local woman standing on the crust of the bubbling area, holding a net which contained 5 eggs in the water. She explained that it was a fertility ritual, and as her 5 friends observed, she hard-boiled the eggs, then ate them, in hopes of bearing 5 healthy children. Thank goodness, the edge of the bubbling pond didn't collapse, taking her into the hot water.

 

 

 

The coastline--I love the cloud formations.