First impressions: light, cold, and swimming pools

We arrived very early (5:30 am) to find the sun high in the sky and a bright eerie daylight.  The shuttle bus ride from the airport was an hour's drive through vast lava fields with mountains in the background.  Once in the city we walked to the outskirts to a large public geothermal pool, Laugar Spa.  It was quite chilly and we passed through a vast green valley.

After a refreshing swim in the outdoor pools, we took a tour of the facility and learned that pools are a big part of the culture here, a social gathering place akin to a pub in England.  Going to the pool involves a complex etiquette that kind locals explained to us.  We also learned that almost all of the many public pools are heated through geothermal energy (naturally occurring heat coming from the ground) and require no electrical energy.  Which is pretty amazing because one of the hot tubs was 42C (about 108F) and it's only 55F outside today!