Of jewels and airplane wrecks

To continue our journey around the island, we drove 270 km to Vagnsstaðir and arrived there around noon in an abandoned hostel. The first impression was not very impressive.

After a quick lunch, we set off to a highlight of the area - Jökulsárlón. This is a glacial lagoon adjacent to Vatnajökull National Park. Icebergs broken off from the glacier drift from the lake out to the open sea. Some of the small icebergs remain on the black beach along the way, where they sparkle like diamonds in the sun (Diamond Beach). Unfortunately, the natural spectacle did not come out very well because the weather was bad and there were many tourists.

To warm up and refill our dangerously empty tank, we drove to Höfn. There we sweetened the rainy, windy day with a delicious dessert (pancake with rhubarb jam and cream) in a sports bar. We chatted with the Icelandic bartenders about the course of the World Cup so far and explored Iceland's chances for the upcoming game.

When we returned, the hostel was bursting at the seams. We had trouble finding a place at the stove to prepare our dinner. But that wasn't the only excitement. The equipment of the hostel was absolutely inadequate and not designed for the large number of guests. This time we shared the room with two American women and a man from England. It was a very restless night, partly because our male roommate snored loudly. Luckily, we had planned to leave early the next morning anyway.

As planned, we were already back on the road at 8 am. Thankfully, the weather had improved and we visited the glacial lagoon and the Diamond Beach again. The sun made the ice shine beautifully.

After visiting two more glacial lagoons, we drove south to Vík. There we admired Reynisfjara (Black Beach) with its strangely shaped rock formations. The walk through the Game of Thrones scenery was not entirely safe, as some tourists were pulled into the sea by the powerful waves.

With beautiful photos in our luggage, we continued to the airplane wreck of a C117. To get us in the mood for our excursion, Yvonne read us the story of the Navy airplane and its crash in 1973 during the drive. The wreck is now one of the most dangerous but also most photographed attractions of the country. Unfortunately, Justin Bieber has already used this scenery for a music video. We took a 4 km long and desolate dirt road on foot to the scene. Despite its demolished state, the sight was impressive. It was also reassuring to know that the crew of the airplane had survived the emergency landing.

Back in Vík, we stopped at a delightful restaurant and just managed to get the last table. While waiting for the food, we watched the football match between Iceland and Nigeria, as did the other guests. The game was definitely more 'boo!' than 'hooray!'

Afterwards, we headed to the ferry. It took us 35 minutes and with heavy waves to the island of Heimaey - a part of the Vestmannaeyjar archipelago. Through the lobby of a luxury hotel, we entered the hostel through an inconspicuous door and felt a bit like Harry Potter in his cupboard. Once again, it was empty and this time it would stay that way. We went to bed very tired, as usual, and for the first time on this trip, we planned to sleep in a little longer in the morning.