A few years ago we were on a cruise and visited three ports in Iceland. We circled the island and loved the people and the terrain. When in Reykjavik we visited the Blue Lagoon. It was so different and the warm water was wonderful. I never had arthritis pain for four months!
I've been watching the reports about the earthquakes and impending volcano. Yesterday, it erupted very close to the Blue Lagoon!
About 4,000 people were earlier evacuated from the fishing town of Grindavik and the nearby Blue Lagoon geothermal spa was closed. The eruption started north of the town at 22:17 local time (22:17 GMT), the Icelandic Met Office said.
The region around the capital Reykjavik has been experiencing an increase in earthquake activity since late October. The Met Office said that the eruption was located about 4km (2.5 miles) north-east of Grindavik and the seismic activity was moving towards the town. The length of the crack in the volcano is about 3.5km, with the lava flowing at a rate of around 100 to 200 cubic metres per second, it added.
The eruption can be seen from Reykjavik, which is about 42km north-east of Grindavik. One eyewitness in the city told the BBC that half of the sky in the direction of Grindavik was "lit up in red". He said smoke could also be billowing into the air, with police warning people to stay away from the area.
Iceland's Prime Minister Katrin Jakobsdottir said defences recently constructed would have a positive effect. She said her thoughts were with the local community and she was hoping for the best despite the "significant event". It said that this was many times more than in previous eruptions on the Reykjanes peninsula in recent years.
