Winter Wonderland Island

Island is also an absolutely breathtaking land in winter. The weather is challenging and completely unpredictable, the roads are icy, and they are often closed for several days due to snow chaos. But traveling is definitely worth it. The landscape impresses not only snow lovers; the light, the atmosphere, and the colors change from minute to minute. You can feel alive and at the same time very small, like a visitor to a planet full of unfathomable mysteries.

This time I am traveling from Reykjavík to about 20 kilometers west of Höfn on the island and discover the 'Diamond Beach' adjacent to Vatnajökull National Park. It is a black sand beach with sparkling icebergs of different sizes that are washed up from the Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon. The evening sun shimmers on the ice, the waves of the sea caress the glacier blocks, each of which is unique in shape - it is an absolutely magical moment.

Another highlight for me is bathing in hot springs, sometimes in a spa with infrastructure like the 'Secret Lagoon' in Flúðir, sometimes in the Reykjadalur valley in the middle of the snowy mountains without cabins, showers, or electricity. When you step out of the river, you sink ankle-deep into the snow and try to panic dress in the face of the cold before starting the approximately one-hour walk back down. At the latest, you start feeling warm again :-)