Blue sky, sunshine, perfect visibility.🌞

So let's get out of bed, check out, and quickly head to the bakery.🥨☕️

3 hours to the ferry, enough time to explore the island's hotspots. The paths are short.🔙🔚🔝

We weren't mistaken. In sunny weather, impressive views await.😯

First, we headed back up to the house volcano🌋 Eldfell. What a view and what a wind up there.🌬🌬🌬

Then we went down to another spot on the other side (where the puffins live).

Equally grand views.🌞☀️

Vestmannaeyjar didn't want to let yesterday's foggy day stand. Luckily.🫶

On time at 1 PM, the ferry then departed, and we enjoyed a fabulous crossing on the sun deck. Sea & sky blue🌊. Behind us the Westman Islands, and in front of us the impressive south coast of Iceland. It felt almost like a cruise.

Amazing!😎

The Sejalandsfoss is incredibly conveniently located from the ferry port and is one of the most beautiful waterfalls in Iceland.

So let's go!🤩

You can walk behind it.

A beautiful spectacle.

The neighboring Gljúfrabúi is also not to be underestimated, cascading hidden in a gorge.

On the way, we enjoyed an Icelandic dinner in Selfoss, and then it was only 100 km back to Reykjavik.

It's hard to believe that we've been on the road for almost 2 weeks, having circled the island.🇮🇸🫡 Great experiences in tow.

Now we're in an apartment on the 11th floor of a high-rise with the best panoramic view of the city.🌆

Let's see what we do tomorrow.

In the evening, we're definitely going back to the Blue Lagoon.🏊🏼‍♀️🏊🏻

Stay tuned, you sweating Central Europeans!

Dine❤️ Jeff

So breakfast at the delicious island baker.🥨🥐☕️

And it didn’t rain today.🥳

However, it was foggy, barely allowing us to glimpse the island's beauty. 

But the coastal hike in the fog was also unique. 

What made it special were the sweet puffins. We had seen them in Iceland before, but here they were really in flocks along the coast. Incredibly many...

In 2 weeks we’ll be off to the sea until April.🌊

We ended up walking 13km today.

Reason enough to thoroughly test everything at Brothers Brewery.🍺

Food is ordered via QR code from the Italian place next door. 

Delicious pizza and beer.😋😋

Around 10 PM, we took another hike up to the Eldfell volcano above the roofs of the town.

It erupted in 1973 and destroyed large parts of the town.🌋

A lovely little island, must be amazing with sunshine and visibility.

We’ll be here until 1 PM tomorrow.

Stay tuned!

Jeff😶‍🌫️Dine

330 km drive ahead of us along the south coast. Unfortunately, the weather was not on our side today. It was pouring rain.🫩

However, we still made a stop at Diamond Beach, as we could already see the icebergs on the beach from the road, completely different from yesterday. Crazy.

Then we continued through the rain until we reached the glacier Svínafellsjökull. And behold, as if by magic, it suddenly stopped raining.

We were able to fully enjoy the impressions.

Back in the car, it started pouring again shortly after.

A quick stop in Vik, but the rain really made all outdoor activities pointless.💦💦

Picturesque in sunshine!

We then quickly checked out the Skógafoss.

We arrived at the ferry port on time, and the ferry to Vestmannaeyjar (40 minutes) departed right on schedule in the pouring rain.

It swung quite a bit...

At the destination port, we quickly got out of the ship and walked two cross streets up.

Dinner, rated 4.9 on Google. Not bad.😁

Very delicious!!

Then we settled into our overnight barrel.

The comfort is rather country-style.🤭 😬🏕

But the location is grand, right by the rock.🪨

Hopefully, it will be dry tomorrow; we don’t dare to dream of more.

Because the island is truly enchanting, as shown in the video on the ferry.

Stay tuned!

Dine❤️Jeff

A quick catjump from our accommodation to the Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon, marveling intensely at the icebergs, and then we hopped on a boat straight into the lagoon, getting really close to the icebergs.🥶

White, blue, and black icebergs drift through the lagoon, truly a bizarre sight.

Among them and sometimes on top, a few sea lions are frolicking.

By the way, this spot has already doubled as a James Bond backdrop.0️⃣0️⃣7️⃣

In the background, the mighty Vatnajökull glacier stands tall.🗻

After the boat ride, we needed to explore it closely.

We had a glacier hike on the agenda, lasting 2.5 hours.

Before that, we traveled with 'Super Jeeps' to the very edge of the glacier.

Then we put on crampons, helmets on, and off we went with our Argentinian guide and only 4 other participants.☺️💪

An impressive experience. The glacier is up to 100m thick. We admired ice caves and ice holes (which are even better in winter).

Great views of the lagoon and occasionally some underground murmuring.

Quickly devoured a lamb burger🐑🍔, then we headed to Diamond Beach.

There, the sea washes glacier remnants onto the black sandy beach. Diamonds, indeed.

After 7 hours of 8° and constant drizzle, we quickly changed at our accommodation and headed to 'Horn Brewery' for dinner and ☝️ beer tasting.🍺

Everything was delicious😋, prices will not be commented on🤐

Stay tuned!

Dine🩵Jeff

We have already driven several coastal roads, but the southeastern part of Ring Road '1' here is truly spectacular; you could stop every 10 meters to enjoy the view.😯🥹

The road winds along the fjords and then, as you go further south, it becomes the magnificent coastal road.

Absolutely, and of course, the weather was perfect today🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞

We also took a short but very beautiful coastal hike afterward. ✅️

When a gravel road twisted up towards the sky on the horizon, our Jimny couldn't resist...

Extra round in the hinterland over hills and stones, steep up, steep down. Gorgeous view.

Back on the coast, we made a stop in the truly dreamy fishing village of Dúnivopur.

A delicious salmon roll at the food truck and one Fish & Chips at the harbor bistro. The local brewery closes at 6 PM.🤯

Back in Panorama Paradise, we enjoyed the black beaches at sunset.🥰

In front of us, the foothills of the Vatnajökull glacier slowly emerged.

That's where we're heading tomorrow.🤩

Stay tuned!

Dine❤️Jeff

However, we experienced the full 20%.😖

No matter, we still reached the summit of Grænafell. Signed the summit book included.🤠

The descent was a bit adventurous, but that's how it is sometimes in adventure land.

At the hotel, we then warmed up, caution,🔥.

Afterward, we quickly went for a brownie and coffee at the only open local place here.

Since we weren't completely full from hiking yet, we took the coastal path right behind 'our town'.😯

Picturesque, and the sun finally came out again.💯

For dinner, we returned again to the same place. Very cozy and we had very delicious fish again.

Tomorrow we're heading south.

Stay tuned!

Dine❤️Jeff

Although the good breakfast made for a perfect start to the day, it was still raining heavily outside in 🌧torrents🌧.

But our Jimny is waterproof, and the outdoor gear must have a chance to be put to real use.💧

So we drove up along the east coast, to where the puffins (temporarily) live.🦤

More of them than expected, the rain didn't seem to bother them at all.☔️

The east is similar to the north, dotted with fjords, but it is much greener here. But just as beaauuuutiful.

Can't imagine how it would be if the sun were shining here (definitely on Monday💪).😃

On the way back, we drove to another fjord towards the sea, all the way to Seyðisfjörður. Simply beautiful.😍

Unfortunately, the AIDA was just in port, and the small town (650 residents) was flooded with cruise passengers.

We still managed to eat delicious food and 'picked up' 2 waterfalls.✅️

Tomorrow is supposed to be just drizzling..🥳

Halfway!🙄

Stay tuned!

Dine❤️Jeff

Of course, we chose a few spots along the way, one of which was even hot.🔥😉

But first, there was a crater hike🛘 around Hverfell.

It was a windy affair but had a fantastic view. 

Like a planetary change.

Greetings from Lord of the Rings. 🧙🏻‍♂️

Luckily, the rain was manageable, and we could still check out the lava formations in Dimmuborgir.

Not bad, but a bit too crowded overall.🙄 Regardless, still cool!

Then we continued to the hotspot♨️ Hverarönd. An active geothermal area with mud pools and hot sulfur gases.

100 degrees.

Here too, you feel like you are on an alien planet. Truly surreal.😃🧐

It bubbles and steams everywhere. Plus, the color spectacle. The sulfur smell is present as well.

Unique and bizarre!😮

But we had to hurry, as we still had roughly 300 km to our destination in the deep east, and the Jimny is not a speed monster.🐌

But even the drive in the rain was an experience. 

Through crater landscapes, rocky deserts to lush green hills and mountains with snowfields, it had it all. ⛰️🏔

It's truly amazing what this country has to offer.🥰

Before we reached our hotel, we dined at a cozy harbor tavern.⚓️

Fish of the finest quality.🐟

We arrived in Neskaupstaður around 10 PM.

New hotel across from the fjord.🏞

We'll stay here until Monday.🤗

Stay tuned!

Dine❤️Jeff

However, it should remain dry in the morning. So we booked our whale watching for 9 AM.

Probability of seeing a whale is 98%. So we hoped not to be among the 2%.

From our cottage to the harbor, it was just a 🐱🐱leap. Dressed in our overalls, we set off for 3 hours through the fjord and sea.

Since the weather held up, the ride out of the fjord was great. After a short time, we already saw some dolphins🐬🐬. Simply beautiful.

But we obviously also wanted to see the ocean giants.

All eyes on the water, and we actually saw the blowhole in front of us.

A beautiful humpback whale swam diagonally in front of us. Incredible!

After some diving and surfacing, it was time to head back to the harbor. In the end, we were out for 3.5 hours. Super!

At the corner café in Dalvik, we had fish soup (1 refill included).😋

With the rain starting, we drove to Akureyri again.

Strolled a bit through the city with ☕️🍰 (very easy to navigate).

Afterward, we tried one of the favorite pastimes of the Icelanders.

A visit to a geothermal bath. The Forest Lagoon is built into the rock and forest above Akureyri. Very new and modern.

Cozy 38 degrees (and once 12 degrees) in the water. Lovely.

It steams, the bar is open with all the drinks one desires. Tables are available in the water.

Really crazy, but also many locals. Cool or rather warm. And this in windy, rainy weather.

Around 8:30 PM, we left the lagoon (open until 11:30 PM). Picked up 2 burgers at the food truck and headed back to the cottage in pouring rain.

Lasting memories✅️

Tomorrow we leave the north and head to the east coast.

Then the Jimny can purr again, and the eyes can marvel once more.

Stay tuned!

Dine🐳Jeff

Today we set off quite early towards the east. Early? ⏰️

We had quite a bit planned, and for that, we first had to drive about 2 hours in a jeep, including 30km of gravel road.🤠

We had chosen 3 special natural spectacles in the Jökulsargljufur (3x quickly say it in succession please) National Park for today.

Once again, the drive was a series of visual delights.😲

Almost by accident, we first paid a little visit to the Godafoss.

As a small prelude to what was yet to come today.

...foss = waterfall

The drive then took us past Lake Myvatn, also an impressive setting.

There were 2 routes to our destination, Dettifoss: Normal🥱 or Jimny🥳

Of course, we went the adventurous route.

The path was pretty bumpy.

The Dettifoss takes your breath away with its roaring primal force. The ground shakes beneath your feet next to the waterfall.

The gray water (due to the basalt) seems almost ominously beautiful. On top of that, there's a magnificent rainbow in the spray.🌈

Our hike then continued upstream to the equally impressive Sellfoss.

Nature never ceases to amaze.

Here, the river plunges in from two sides into the depths.

Still hungry for more, we paid a visit to the 3rd waterfall in the group. The Hafragilsfoss is very beautiful, but not as impressive as the two before it. Still gets a 1.

On our way back, we traveled through the high north with a stop in the whale capital, Husavik🐳.

A delicious dinner (of course no whale) at the harbor and we were able to start our journey home renewed.

North Iceland is truly enchanting.🥰

Tomorrow we will go whale watching.🤩

Stay tuned!

Dine❤️🌈Jeff

We only drove a short distance on the Ring Road to veer back into the 'Outback.' This time to Pakgil, after passing through a lava field and a gigantic river landscape, we arrived at the campground located on a small flat area surrounded by ridges about 100 meters high. When the next morning greeted us with splendid sunshine, we decided to stay and enjoyed the day with a little hike. Today, we set off back into the hectic world of the Ring Road. After replenishing our nearly depleted supplies, we discovered yet another attraction right by the Ring Road that everyone passes by. It is a cave that was inhabited as early as the 16th century. After a short walk to the rock face, a metal chain hangs from the cave about 10 meters above. The first 3-4 meters are overhanging, then it almost drops vertically to the entrance of the cave. 

Then we continued to the Skjól campsite where we had been before.

However, today’s motto was: The journey is the destination!

We initially drove along the classic Ring Road 1. Beautifully scenic😊😉

It became truly breathtaking when we turned off the R1 onto the side roads heading north. The beauty of the fjords with the mountains in the background, plus the blue sky—it’s incredible.😮😯😲

We drove all the way to the northernmost towns, partly through tunnels, around mountain ranges, and arrived from the north at our picturesque destination, Dalvik.

This drive was unique!💯

We arrived at our small cottage at the edge of Dalvik.

Not much space, but a great view and a sauna. Better than the other way around.😅

For dinner, we had the Icelandic classic spaghetti bolognese on the cottage terrace.

After that, a session in the sauna and the day ends perfectly.

Tomorrow, we’ll do a little exercise.

Stay tuned

Dine🤎Jeff

So we first headed to the hotspots along the Golden Circle to the east.

First, we got out of the capital and let the landscape overwhelm us. Always impressive.

First stop at the Kerið Crater, not bad. Especially for crater beginners.

We weren't that blown away by the next Strokkur, the largest and most active geyser in Iceland, but it's part of the program.

It definitely bubbles up in every corner there.♨️

A real highlight was then the Gullfoss. Spectacular to see the water masses thundering down.

You have to see it, even if some fellow tourists might say so too...

But it was still manageable.🙏

A wonderful experience.🥰

After we had enjoyed some muesli snails at the Faxi waterfall, we continued the remaining 300km straight up north.⬆️

The landscape changes almost at every turn, and the roads become adventurous outside the tourist paths.💪

And our Jimny feels at home on the gravel tracks.🪨🪨

After nearly 500km of travel, we arrived at the picturesque Miðfjörður.🏞

Our cottage is right by the shore, a little outside the town of Hvammstangi.

With only 625 residents, it's very manageable🏕, but there's a delicious restaurant right by the ford (like almost everything here).

With a view of the sun setting behind the fjord, we conclude this wonderful day.

What amazing impressions, what a great Jimny (Dini drove too), and what a beautiful spot of earth here by the fjord.

Tomorrow we head northeast towards Dalvik.

Stay tuned!

Dine❤️Jeff

This morning, we were called to rise early. Breakfast was from 7:00 to 9:30.😯

Breakfast was good, allowing us to make the most of the day. After a🐈🐈 jump from the hotel, we discovered a delicious bakery and stocked up for the day.🥐🫓🥨

Into the Jimny and out of the city, heading southwest. ↙️

Shortly after leaving Reykjavik, we were greeted by gravel fields, mountains, and of course, the sea. What a unique landscape!

Today, we plan to hike at the lava flow of the Fagradalsfjall, which erupted in 2021.🌋

Thanks to digital navigational aids🤖, we easily found the parking lot for our starting point.

How did people do this before?

It's truly magnificent what nature creates here.

The landscape is completely different from what a typical Central European is used to. No green, but brown, gray, black, and red instead.

The magnitude of the lava flow is overwhelming.

Once again, one feels so tiny in comparison as a human.🐜

Following the well-marked hiking trail, we hiked up to the summit of Langihryggur, above the lava flow.

In some places, it was really still smoking...

The view from the top was breathtaking.🤩

Back at the Jimny, we paid a visit to the Blue Lagoon. However, it was only for informational purposes.

The tour buses 🚌🚌 in the parking lot encouraged us to seek out a more secluded hot spring instead. We already have one in mind.🤓

After that, we returned to Reykjavik and quickly went to the lighthouse.

Dinner this time was open air at the street food stand 'Turf House'. Lamb burgers and fish soup. Super delicious, and a friendly Brit was at the table.

After a little walk, we stopped by 'Loki' and tried shark🦈, which is best accompanied by Aquavit. Clearly, it’s a matter of taste.😬

Tomorrow, we will head north.

Stay tuned!

Dine🌋Jeff

Then into the 3-degree crystal-clear water. After about 10 fantastic minutes, we came back out.

We couldn't find the parking spot because it had been changed, so we passed it twice. All the information regarding this from the internet, especially from ChatGPT, was wrong. The exact image research from the film led us to the right area so we could ask at the correct spot. A long search today ended in a grand way. Just now, another kind ranger revealed to me the Icelandic name for Odin's Tear.

 PS:   Underwater photos will be taken sometime later, not on the phone.

After a relaxing flight ✈️ we have arrived from rainy Berlin 💦 in sunny Reykjavik 🌞.

Even the bird's-eye view upon approach made us eager to explore this island or this country. Quite a different world.😍

The highlight was then the almost contactless pickup of the rental car.

Enter the code on the left display, the corresponding compartment opens on the right, and the key is ready. Smoothly done👏

We quickly found our dark green Jimny. Super!🏎

Shortly after leaving the parking lot, the oil warning light came on🆘️...

Back, for the first time contacting the staff.

Necessary oil change was done, but not reset.✊️✊️

Quickly to the workshop, everything checked again. Let's go!🆗️

Little traffic and a very relaxed drive to the city. But for a capital, everything is very straightforward. Hotel right by Hallgrimskirkja is easy to find✅️

Parking was a bit tricky, but free in the side street.

For dinner, we went to the bastards at Brew & Food. 🌮🍺Tasty, but it's already straining the wallet.

0.4l of beer for €12.30, enjoy it wisely.

Afterwards, we strolled through the city to the harbor. It doesn't get dark until around 11 PM.😉

Tomorrow we're heading southwest for a detour.

Stay tuned!

Dine🇮🇸Jeff

Afterward, we took the trail back to Camping Moedrudalur.