our 3rd day in Djupivogur...

... begins with silence and sunshine.

The strong wind from yesterday calmed down by morning, and the sun invited us to enjoy coffee on the terrace. Outside, we listened to the varied songs of numerous birds, and in the distance, a small group of reindeer grazed; it was quite pleasant, and we made plans for the day.

My gaze fell on our small two-wheeled companion, and considering the mild 4° C and sunshine, it was clear what activity was to come in the next 1-2 hours :-)

Slipping quickly into my motorcycle gear, I broke the silence with the restless 'rumbling' of the small single-cylinder engine and set off on the first ride with the 03 - a broad grin spread under my helmet, the specially fitted tires found an ideal environment here.

The evening before, we had met Ingi, one of the brothers who own and manage this part of the country, and when I asked him where one could ride a bit 'offroad' with a motorcycle, he looked into the vast valley and said: I believe it’s about 9 km, and if the water level permits, you can ride far into the valley...

Moni decided to walk to the nearby riverbed to capture some impressions and moments and to look for little stones; the hard part is just deciding which ones to put in the bag :-)

After that, we headed towards Djupivogur, among other things, to take a look at the Hot Tub 'Djúpavogskörin,' which is only 8 km away - unfortunately, it is currently 'closed as the municipality conducts tests at the source; however, quite a bit of warm water bubbles up here, bright green algae flourish in the warm stream, and in a small basin, one can at least relax their feet.

3 km further, we first explore the area around the small lighthouse and the small industrial pier, where the artist Sigudur Gudmundsson has placed his sculpture 'Eggin i Gleidivik' along the bay, in a gentle curve - 34 stone eggs, shaped after the eggs of local birds, impressively shine in the sun on their own pedestals.

Visitors pass by here from time to time, rarely do they step out and thus miss the softly padded path through partly damp meadows to the brightly orange guardian on the southern shore of the fjord 'Berufjördur.

Upon arrival, we had a wonderful view of the North Atlantic and into the wide fjord from 'above.' The numerous surrounding peaks, rising up to 1100 m, partially disappeared into the advancing light clouds.

https://youtu.be/rPG2_gE9FTM?feature=shared

We rummaged a bit along the shore through dried algae, interspersed with light from chalk, black sand, and discovered, alongside old, weathered boat planks disappearing into the shore, small circular depressions full of broken shells, perhaps 'workplaces' of the seabirds that open and consume the captured shells here.

Soon, our hands were filled with plastic remnants of all kinds, screw caps, remnants of nets, a brush without bristles :-), plastic films, etc. - unfortunately we forgot the appropriate trash bag, but no problem, we'll be back ...

https://youtu.be/YCrKDrfd9dw?feature=shared

Back at the industrial pier, we fed the small rainbow-colored trash can and set out to explore the fishing village. Besides 'tidy' industry, our eyes found small, colorful houses, gardens, some adorned with figures made of stone or driftwood - yes, even the occasional garden gnome stands here next to fairy houses and troll apartments.

We enjoyed a delicious coffee in front of the old trading house 'Langabúd,' which truly lives up to its name. A few fishermen and residents were chatting out front, and from the marina, one could occasionally hear the 'puttering' of the small colorful fishing boats, and a fisherman offered us a tour - unfortunately, we had other plans, but perhaps we’ll start exploring the offshore island Papey from here on another day.

https://youtu.be/ix3PktOibEg?feature=shared

We continued past a minibus that was being boarded again by hurried Asians after they had supplied themselves with 'local hot dogs' :-) now towards the swimming pool and school center. Here, after we pressed our noses against a window to the swimming pool, a very friendly lifeguard invited us to explore the pool. We wanted to take off our shoes, but he waved it off, saying he’d clean up soon since it’s almost closing time. He led us to the swimming pool and the 42° and 34° warm tubs; on the other side of the pool stood a 0° pool :-)

We said goodbye and promised to return at the beginning of the week, then with appropriate swimming attire ...

Outside, we took the path towards the nature reserve, going through gentle, grass-covered meadows, crossing a 745x24 m runway of the airport (DJU), which was mainly set up for medical transports and mail flights.

The observation hides are easily accessible via small bridges, and the birdlife impresses with its diversity. On our way back, we encountered a young Icelandic woman and struck up a conversation; quickly, the communication switched from English and our few bits of Icelandic to German, as she had studied in Erfurt for three years, and even though it was a good 20 years ago, she spoke excellent German - currently, she works for 'Lonely Planet' and writes about and for East Iceland. Moni had her translate a few everyday phrases, and we said our goodbyes with the newly learned short greeting 'bless.'

We decided to call it a day and headed back to our hut, as the other interesting places here in and around Djupivogur needed a fresh mind...

After dinner, we had put on our 'troll capes,' slipped into our rubber boots, and set off, including the drone, towards the sands of Hamarsá and a waterfall nearby; we waded through the little streams and felt like we were in our childhood, that freedom, the carefree wandering, no prohibitions, days that have no end, and sights that always discover something new - that’s what SHARED HAPPINESS feels like...

We continue to enjoy it and 'see' you again tomorrow...

https://youtu.be/vI86cOjR0hQ?feature=shared