Our first day in Iceland (Wed., 14th July)

While in Germany we had 33 °C and more, in Iceland there were enjoyable 22 °C so we took a time out from the heat. Those days in Iceland the sun raises already at about 3am and sets down at 23pm in between there is just twilight. We experienced that we get out of sync in regards to any sense of time because it is not really getting dark. For the first three days we hired a car and started on the first day with the “Golden Circle”. Pickup of the car was at 10am in downtown Reykjavík. At late noon we start of for our first journey.

The Golden Circle is a popular tourist route in South Iceland, covering about 300 km looping from Reykjavík into central Iceland and back.
The three primary stops on the route are the national park Þingvellir, the waterfall Gullfoss (meaning “golden falls”), and the geothermal active valley of Haukadalur, which contains the geysers Geysir and Strokkur.

The second day in Iceland (Thu., 15th July)

We returned at about 23pm last night and it was already Thursday as we headed to sleep. Getting up at 6:30am for a quick breakfast and an early start as it took us about 5 hours to drive to Jökulsárlón.

Jökulsárlón is the largest glacial lake in Iceland. It is situated at the south end of the glacier Vatnajökull between the Skaftafell National Park and Höfn. The lake is separated from the sea by only a short distance, and the combined action of the glacier, the river that empties from the lake, and the ocean may eventually transform it into an inlet of the sea and is filled with icebergs, which are calving off the Breiðamerkurjökull glacier. Icelands Ringroad is just passing the lake and you cant miss it.

The third day in Iceland (Fri., 16th July – Happy Birthday to my love!)

After a short sleep we got out of bed at 7am, because of Nicole’s birthday we had the luxury of an extended time in bed an extra of 30 minutes. Today we are driving north to western part of the Snæfellsnes peninsula in Iceland. On good weather conditions the Snæfellsjökull may be seen from the city of Reykjavík over the bay of Faxaflói, at a distance of 120 km.

Snæfellsjökull (Icelandic for “snow-fells glacier” or “snow-mountains glacier”) is a stratovolcano with a glacier covering its summit. The name of the mountain is actually Snæfell, but it is commonly called “Snæfellsjökull” to distinguish it from two other mountains with this name in Iceland. The mountain is one of the most famous sites of Iceland, primarily due to the novel “A Journey to the Center of the Earth” (1864) by Jules Verne, in which the protagonists find the entrance to a passage leading to the center of the earth on Snæfellsjökull. The mountain is included in the Snæfellsjökull National Park (Icelandic: Þjóðgarðurinn Snæfellsjökull).

At Arnarstapi, one of many fishing villages at the Snæfellsnes peninsula, you can take a short coastal walk to Hellnar. There are many opportunities to observe birds while they are nesting and breeding along the cliffs. From Olafsvík we took the route 570 that guides you through the mountains passing the Snæfellsjökull very closely. We only had a tiny rental car a Chevrolet Spark with front wheel drive, alas you have to know not all roads are open for all cars. Road numbers with a leading F are only allowed to drive with an 4 wheeler! The 570 should be one that have a F in front, as it is a gravel road that narrows very often with steep climbs and if you don’t have good driving skills or with bad weather conditions we wouldn’t recommend to take this road. There are also a lot of blind chests where you better pray that no one will be behind the top of it – a real roller coaster experience!

Our forth day in Iceland (Sat., 17th July)

We safely returned the car yesterday night and today we will take a rest from driving long distances. We start off the day with a bath at the Blue Lagoon (Icelandic: “Bláa lónið”). The steamy waters of the lagoon averages 40 °C and the lagoon is part of a lava formation. The waters are rich in minerals like silica and sulphur and bathing in the Blue Lagoon is reputed to help some people suffering from skin diseases such as psoriasis. The lagoon is fed by the water output of the nearby geothermal power plant Svartsengi. Superheated water is vented from the ground near a lava flow and used to run turbines that generate electricity. After going through the turbines, the steam and hot water passes through a heat exchanger to provide heat for a municipal hot water heating system. Then the water is fed into the lagoon for recreational and medicinal users to bathe in.

The afternoon is to explore Reykjavík itself. We have to say that we are not tourists, that love to be in a city – we love the nature and the wildlife. But the old town of Reykjavík is a very nice place to stroll along and enjoy a warm Icelandic day. The city can be best viewed from a boat on the water or from the top of the Hallgrímskirkja. Reykjavík is rich in history, culture and offers a variety of museums.

If you are going to the visitors centre ask for the free Reykjavík brochure as you will find essential information and a self guided walking tour that explains some of the special places in Reykjavík and will lead you around and through the historic old town.

The last day in Iceland (Sun., 18th July)

Back to nature! The first thing we experienced is that public transportation on a Sunday starts at 11am from the suburbs. To avoid an expensive taxi drive we booked a Puffin Watching tour with a pick up at the hotel at 9:30am. So there was plenty enough time to pack all our luggage for the departure tonight. We were a bit out of luck as we only saw a few Puffins around a small island in the bay of Kollafjörður . The majority so the skipper told us seem to be out to find food. But the view from the boat towards Reykjavík was terrific.

Back at the old harbour we decided to take the ferry to Viðey, which is the largest island of the Kollafjörður bay. It is the location of the Imagine Peace Tower, which is a “Tower of Light” envisioned and built by Yoko Ono, widow of the late Beatle John Lennon. According to the Associated Press: “The tower is a beam of light, radiating from a wishing well bearing the words “imagine peace” in 24 languages. The plan is for it to be lit each year between his birthday, October 9, and his death December 8.”. But Viðey also counts as an recreational island where you can walk along the coast and take a deep breath to relax. The distances on the island is counted in minutes so now you can guess that it is really small. In the ancient days it was an outpost and landing for ships that could not anchor in the harbour of Reykjavík. Beyond that the water supply for the boats at Viðey was better than the ones in the capital itself.

In the afternoon we took the ferry back to Reykjavík and spend our last Icelandic Crowns for a last dinner and headed back to the hotel to catch our luggage and the transfer bus to the airport.
Note: visit the gallery for more photos

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