Iceland review - 2015, Page 84

82 ICELAND REVIEW
So Warm, Breaking the Ice
BY PÁLL STEFÁNSSON.
In Iceland there are
more than 175 swim-
ming pools. Every
town, every village
has one. In the capital
region, there are close
to 20 pools to choose
from; from the big
Laugardalslaug to the
intimate Vesturbæjar-
laug. In between you
have the hot tubs at
Salalaug and Seltjarnar-
neslaug—perfect for
children.
Around Iceland you
have some great pools,
like the one in Akureyri,
situated above Gilið,
a hillside street paved
with galleries and
restaurants.
Mývatn Nature Baths,
situated in stunning
natural surroundings
on the borders of Lake
Mývatn nature reserve,
filled with hot geother-
mal water drawn from
2,500 meters (8,200
feet) below, offers a
perfect view of the
lake. The new Hofsós
swimming pool has
a stunning view over
Skagafjörður bay, and
the charming pool in
Neskaupstaður offers
great views over the
fjord at Hellisfjarðarmú-
li mountain. There’s
also Reykja neslaug
in the West Fjords,
one big hot tub. Even
Grímsey, the island on
the Arctic Circle with
no geothermal water of
its own and fewer than
100 inhabitants, has its
own pool.
So why not, when
traveling around Ice-
land, take a dip in all
the pools along the
way? That would be my
best advice if you want
to meet and talk to the
locals: the hot tubs are
the best place to break
the ice with Icelanders.
Bathing is a big part
of Icelandic culture. It’s
part of our souls, to sit
in warm water under
the open sky.
Iceland was among
the first countries in the
world, in 1925, to pass
a law making swimming
lessons compulsory
at school. It was con-
sidered as important
as to learn to read or
write, or multiply seven
by six. Today, all chil-
dren still learn to swim,
starting at age six.
Crucially though, you
must wash yourself
WITHOUT swimsuits;
otherwise you are
simply not allowed to
enter the pools, with
their hot and healing
water, after a long day
on the road. *
SWIMMING POOLS SPECIAL PROMOTION