Keflavik Day 14

Day 14: Keflavík

First, our day begins with cleaning up and packing our belongings. Today we return our camper van. The drop-off time is at one o'clock. So we still have a bit of time left. Unfortunately, it starts to rain as we leave the campsite. Our first stop is a lava pool by the sea. The waves crash against the black lava rocks, creating a beautiful scene. The natural lava pool is easily recognizable. 10 kilometers further, there is another opportunity to stand on the continental plates. A bridge connects these, and the cliffs are visible. Most plate boundaries are located in the sea, and here on the peninsula, they rise above the ground. The plates are only visible from land in Iceland and East Africa. Before we return our camper, we need to refuel and grab some rolls from the supermarket. The return process goes smoothly. We are quite fond of the car, although it is not as large as the vehicles we have rented in the USA so far. There is plenty of storage space, and it is a good option even in bad weather. We see many campers with tents or small vans lacking amenities like proper seating or a toilet, which can quickly become uncomfortable.
We are allowed to leave our luggage with the rental company and use the time to explore the town of Keflavík. We visit a troll house. Here lives the troll Giganta, a friendly giantess. We enter her cave, and she sits there asleep. Everything is oversized.
Her story is also available to read. Now we stroll along the water and through the shopping street. We buy a souvenir for ourselves and some postcards. Unfortunately, I forget to write any today. I used to send many more postcards, but now it has become quite expensive, so we only send a few cards.
For a break, we end up at Kentucky Fried Chicken. We share a chicken box and pay almost €15 for the small pieces.
Then we stroll back to the camper rental and take a taxi to the airport. Now it's time to wait. Our flight departs at 00:25 and it is 4 PM when we arrive at the airport. Fortunately, we can check in our luggage early. Time passes quickly thanks to the media.
The plane departs on time. It is still light, so we can admire the volcanic activity that threatened the town of Grindavik from above. You can clearly see how far the lava has advanced. The flight goes by quickly; we manage to sleep a little and land in Frankfurt at 5:30 AM. Now we feel the staff shortage again, as we wait a long time for the stairs to be attached, and it takes longer again for the luggage. Fortunately, the shuttle bus to the parking lot works well, and we are in our car by 8 AM, arriving home around 11 AM.

Now it's time to draw a brief conclusion:
We have driven a total of 2152 kilometers.
Iceland is a beautiful country to travel in. The Icelanders are very friendly, open, and helpful. There is extraordinary nature here, especially the volcanic activity and the glaciers, which I find very fascinating. We don't experience much of the feared mass tourism. Certainly, it is crowded at the most famous spots, especially on the Golden Circle. It is advisable to drive atypically, then you are almost alone. The campsites are available without reservations, allowing for flexible travel.

Now for the costs: Iceland is not cheap. The camper accounts for 56% of our budget. Food is also significantly more expensive than in Germany. For instance, milk costs €2, baguettes €2, 500g of ground beef €10, 1kg of bananas €2.80, and 10 eggs €5. We cook exclusively in the camper this time and refrain from dining out at restaurants. Even a coffee costs around €5.
Diesel prices range between €2.00 to €2.22 per liter.
Overall, it can be said that everything is more expensive than in Germany. With a bit of preparation and common sense, you can reduce costs here as well.
We are glad to have made this trip, but two weeks is too short for us. We had to hurry quite a bit to accomplish our itinerary.

TOP

Anna
1. Jökulsárlón and Diamond Beach
2. Stuðlagil Canyon
3. Animals like Puffins, Reindeer, Blue Whales

Rene
1. Thingvellir National Park
2. Diamond Beach
3. Whale Watching

Erik
1. Puffins at Dyrhólaey
2. Geysers
3. Reindeer Herbert

David
1. Blue Whale and Reindeer Herbert
2. Seljalandsfoss - got wet at the waterfall
3. Mývatn Nature Baths

Our most beautiful waterfalls:
1. Gljúfurárfoss
2. Seljalandsfoss
3. Svartifoss
4. Goðafoss

Thank you for following our journey.

Best regards, the Labis