Woche 6- Akureyri or Reykjavik?!

The Blizzard is history and our adventure can begin! It's Sunday, March 14, 2021, the alarm clock rings at 06:30 am. A very unusual time for the two of us, as we usually start work between 8-9 am (Icelanders are generally not 'early birds'). But strangely enough, getting up is easier when you have an adventure and not work ahead of you. With our belongings, we drove with our Toyota with an Italian license plate, which a student loaned us for this week, towards Holmavik. (When we called home and told them that we were driving to the north with a stranger's car, we were immediately asked how we would handle the insurance - something that had not been an issue here before.)

The never-ending 'fjord' route passed faster than expected and after a good 2 hours we reached our first refueling stop in Holmavik. Since the pass to Holmavik is not entirely safe, both due to the road and the weather conditions, we sent a student our live location via WhatsApp, so that they would roughly know where we are in case something happens. By the way, there is no network on the mountain pass, which makes the whole thing even more eerie. But on that day, we quickly crossed the pass and continued driving - always towards the sun. When we suddenly received a WhatsApp message saying 'btw girls...where are you going??', we became suspicious. After a quick look at road.is (the road map of Iceland with information about the current road conditions), we realized that we missed the turnoff to Akureyri and were heading towards Reykjavik. As you know, there are not many roads in Iceland and it is probably THE country in Europe where you can get lost the least, and yet we managed to do it. But hey - we just wanted to see more of Iceland!

After 11 hours, we finally arrived at our destination on time for a dreamy sunset: Husavik. Did you know that there is a movie about this village on Netflix? So if anyone has lockdown boredom and loves lame jokes and stupid humor, check it out on Netflix: 'Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga'. The song 'My hometown' was even nominated for an Oscar!

Since we had online lectures all week from 07-13 o'clock (Icelandic time), we were able to plan our activities well in advance. We went whale watching and saw the second largest living creature in the world - a fin whale! Although only its dorsal fin and the spout it sprayed into the air, it was still an indescribable feeling! We ended the day with gin at GeoSea, an infinity pool on the hill in Husavik - the view is breathtaking, the alcohol is not as expensive as usual, and there is even a student discount: A+! We can definitely recommend GeoSea!

About a 2-hour drive away was our next stop: Akureyri - with the rolling 'r' a real tongue twister, give it a try ;) Upon arriving in the beautifully situated city, we treated ourselves to an Icelandic yufka for 9 euros...

We spent the days with walks, sightseeing, and window shopping (just looking, not buying), the north is definitely beautiful. Originally, we really wanted to go to Akureyri because one of the best ski resorts in Iceland is located there. You can guess three times who didn't go skiing... exactly: us. Due to strong winds, the ski area was closed every day despite the bright sunshine.

The highlight of this week was definitely the hot pots in Hauganes, which we explored together with a German student studying in Akureyri. We got in touch through Instagram (for the older generation: that is a social media platform where you can share pictures) and immediately got along well - greetings to you dear Laura - see you soon! In Hauganes, there are three regular hot pools and one on a ship right by the sea - there is no other option but to finally go swimming in the Atlantic! The sea was maybe around 3°C and the hot pot around 40°C. It is difficult to describe what it feels like to go into the icy cold sea: a mixture of pain, numbness, and cold probably describes it best. Although going into the sea is easier than getting back into the hot pot after the refreshment because the water feels like needles on the skin. But it is still a very good and refreshing feeling! That's why two days later we jumped into the sea again. This time there were 15 Icelandic women in their 50s from Reykjavik, who go on a ski holiday together every year. They were singing, drinking, and having the time of their lives in the hot pot, which was totally infectious, so we clapped and had great conversations (girls, if you are reading this, this 'lady week' will also be introduced to us!!).

Another highlight was the Fagradalsfjall volcano, which (finally) erupted here after countless tremors in recent weeks. We didn't notice anything ourselves because we were on the other side of the island. Icelanders are completely relaxed about it, and we suspect that it is portrayed much more dramatically in the international media than it actually is.

The week in the north passed faster than expected, and 6 days later we are already back in the car and somehow looking forward to our Icelandic 'home' in Isafjörður. Of course, this trip was also an adventure: After stopping in the middle of nowhere for a quick sandwich, the car wouldn't start anymore. After a few attempts and tense waiting, we were at least reassured in the sense that we had reception to call someone in case we got stuck. But after another attempt, the engine finally started humming - off we went. The last 2 hours were accompanied by a good amount of rain and storms - definitely something you can do without in the Westfjords. But at 11 pm, we finally arrived in Isafjörður and fell into bed exhausted.

By the way: since last week, our days here are as long as in Germany and it gets brighter every day. Finally! It's incredible to think that when we arrived in early February, it only got light at 10:30 am...

The coming week has a lot of work in store and probably another road trip, this time towards the south together with other students - we'll see what surprises Icelandic weather has in store for us this time...

We wish you all a happy Easter and pleasant holidays!

Your Franzis