Nature Bath, Grass Houses and Horses...

On Thursday, May 24th, we set off, refueled and went shopping, and then had a picnic in the parking lot. Then we drove to Dettifoss, the largest waterfall in Iceland. However, at some point, every waterfall becomes the same :D After that, we went to the hot springs in Namaskard. There were many small holes with bubbling water. The smell of sulfur was overwhelming :D It was so pungent that you couldn't stay there for long. The landscape after Myvatn was very beautiful. We went back to a very remote accommodation with huge meadows and lots of sheep. Then we went to a restaurant and had dinner. The restaurant was right next to a cowshed and you could watch the cows being milked. That was cool and the food was also very delicious! We already had our bathing suits with us because we were going to the Myvatn Nature Bath afterwards. The water came from the sulfur springs and was very warm. It ranged between 37 and 41 degrees. The pool was outdoors again and had a beautiful view over the entire surrounding area. And believe it or not, the sun was actually shining at 9:00 p.m. Totally beautiful!! After 45 minutes, we all left the water again because it was simply too warm and our circulatory system wasn't designed for it :D

Nevertheless, it was a cool experience and we fell asleep nice and warm.

On May 25th, after a while driving through the super beautiful city of Akureyri, we drove by. It is located directly on a fjord, the water was crystal blue, the mountains were green, and there was snow at the peaks and the sun was shining. A large cruise ship was just entering the harbor, we stopped there and took some photos.

Then we went to Godafoss. It was very impressive as it fell in a circular shape and in steps. Next, we went to a turf house. The small huts had roofs covered with grass. In the 18th century, this was common practice to withstand the weather conditions. The surrounding landscape was what one imagines the landscape in Iceland to be like from a picture book. Green sheep pastures, rocky mountains, and small colorful huts. After that, we went to the associated cafe. That was absolutely fantastic. It looked like the old days on the inside. Embroideries on the wall, wooden floors and wooden tables with white tablecloths and little cute tea services. We ate cheesecake and filled pancakes and drank coffee and hot chocolate. Upstairs there was a small museum with old furnishings. You could really imagine how people used to live. Then we drove comfortably to our hotel. There was a self-check-in system and there was no soul there. It was cool to be all alone in the big hallways and the common room. We goofed around a bit, drank coffee, played, and had dinner. I really liked the day!

On May 26th, Tim's family flew back, meaning we were the last two on our journey. Actually, we wanted to visit the Snæfellsnes Peninsula today. Due to playing "Who am I," listening to music, and especially blindly trusting the navigation system, we arrived completely in the middle of nowhere after 2 hours. We went in the wrong direction, completely the wrong direction. We drove in the wrong direction for 3 hours and there was only one way to turn back. So Snæfellsnes was off for the day, and we went to Borgarnes to the kaffihuss and had something to eat. Well, at least we had seen some of the scenery and then decided to visit the peninsula the next day. So we went to the hostel, which unfortunately was located in a small town. We really liked being in nature. But the hostel itself was very nice!

Sunday (May 27th) was our last day in Iceland and our last day of our whole trip..

We started and this time we drove right onto the peninsula and first went to the water where you could see curious rock formations. There were seagulls everywhere and the wind blew in our faces. It was icy but beautiful. Then we drove to a black sandy beach. Before we reached the water, we had to walk along a narrow path through field walls. There was a lake that shimmered blue and the rock walls had holes through which you could look. It was great, when we reached the water, the waves crashed against the rocks and parts of a stranded ship were scattered on the ground. There were small stone towers everywhere, and of course, we built one too and made a wish. :) We enjoyed the sea air for a while longer and then had a big portion of fish and chips for lunch. After that, we took a 45-minute cave tour through a lava cave created by the Vatnajökull volcano. We were given helmets and flashlights and went 35 meters deep into the earth and through 3 different cave areas. It was dripping everywhere and at one point, we turned off all flashlights and felt the total darkness. It's creepy when you don't see anything at all and your eyes don't even adjust to it. We learned something about the rocks and Icelandic legends and cave trolls. It was definitely worth it. Afterward, we had something to drink again in a coffee shop-like living room and made our way back. On the way to the hotel in Keflavík, we washed the car, refueled, and had dinner at a Thai restaurant. We didn't arrive at the hostel until around 8:30 p.m., which was not recognizable as a hostel from the outside. It looked like a waste disposal site :D

Well, it was quite nice on the inside and we fell asleep around 1:00 a.m.