Reykjavík Grapevine - 13.11.2015, Blaðsíða 28

Reykjavík Grapevine - 13.11.2015, Blaðsíða 28
BOOK YOUR FLIGHT OR DAY TOUR AT AIRICELAND.IS ÍSAFJÖRÐUR ICELAND’S WESTFJORDS ARE ONLY 40 MINUTES AWAY Let’s fly ÞÓRSHÖFN VOPNAFJÖRÐUR GRÍMSEY ÍSAFJÖRÐUR AKUREYRI EGILSSTAÐIR REYKJAVÍK is le ns ka /s ia .is F LU 7 32 63 0 3/ 15 Flúðir is a sleepy village of around 400 people, just over an hour's drive from Reykjavík. After turning off the well- beaten path of the southbound Route 1 at the town of Selfoss, it's a 45km inland drive through some some sur- prisingly verdant farmland, with bales of hay lying bagged for collection and tractors chugging through the fields. The road runs alongside broad, gleam- ing rivers and lakes, and occasional tiny hamlets, with the high peak of the Eyjafjallajökull glacier looming majesti- cally in the background. The village first becomes visible by the plumes of steam rising from its multitudinous geothermal hotspots, then from the yellow glow of the green- houses that can produce vegetables year-round due to this advantageous heat source. It’s a low-key, quiet, spread-out kind of place, with plenty of space between the industrial-looking plots and peaceful residential streets, a gas station, a modern Icelandair hotel, and an unexpected Ethiopian food joint, all surrounded by distant, picturesque, craggy mountains. Tucked away down a humble dirt track by the river Mjóitangi, which flows through the town centre, lies a relatively new and increasingly famous attraction. Known to locals as Gamla Laugin (“The Old Pool”), it was re- branded as “The Secret Lagoon” two summers ago by a local called Björn “Bjössi” Kjartansson, who renovated the antique swimming place and re- opened it for business in 2014. Getting lucky Bjössi is a burly and practical man of few words, who now spends his time maintaining the pool and its facilities, along with greeting guests all year- round. “I’m from around here,” he says, sitting in the lagoon’s lobby area. “My parents live just 200 metres from the pool. I bought this land in 2006, and had the idea to open the old pool again.” Bjössi had been away for a while, working as a mechanic in Greenland, before he embarked on this new ven- ture. “I’d been saving up money,” he says. “My uncle owned the land, then. It was very lucky—I just had the money right when he was selling. This building we’re in now was a greenhouse back then—I renovated it into these chang- ing rooms and lobby.” After bathers change and descend the metal stairs from the deck into the pool, the ground beneath their feet is unpaved and pebble-strewn as the hot water closes around their shoulders. There are various boulders lurking just under the surface that can be used to lounge around on. The walls of the pool are built from rough stone, and a crum- bling shed sits abandoned on one shore, its two empty doorways gaping like sad eyes. Despite the renovation, it still feels slightly wild, particularly as we visit be- fore the doors have opened for the day. Attainable dreams This rugged charm gives the Secret Lagoon a similar feel to some of Ice- land’s unmarked natural hotpots, while offering visitor-friendly boons like easy access and changing facilities. And there’s some history there, too. “It was first used in 1891,” explains Bjössi, “right until 1937. But then nobody used it for 67 years. It was unused, but al- ways full of warm water, for all those years.” The water trickles in from a hot spring, which can be viewed by walking around a new path. There’s a small gey- ser that erupts every ten minutes, and some bubbling cauldrons of hot water. Steam rises over the river all over this area of Flúðir. I wonder if the lagoon, which has become a popular must-see fixture on many visitors’ itineraries, has brought some fresh air to this small, tucked away village. “It’s been building up,” says Bjössi. “It was not so busy the first summer, but there were many more people this sum- mer.” And was there a tipping point, where he knew it was going well? “Last autumn, after the summer, I thought: ‘This is going to be big,’” he replies. “It’s been my main job running the place since we opened. I’ve met people from all around the world. Mostly people from Europe—Germany, France, The Netherlands—and the US and Canada. But we’ve had people from Africa, and Asian people—a lot of Chinese and Jap- anese visitors." 28 The Reykjavík GrapevineIssue 14 — 2015TRAVEL How to get there: Take Route 1 south, turning onto Route 35 at SelfossPool Renaissance Car provided by hertz.is Hotel provided by icelandairhotels.com More info: www.secretlagoon.is In Flúðir, a repurposed 124-year-old swimming spot has become a local success story Words John Rogers Photos Art Bicnick
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