Diary Entry
We visit a few more waterfalls in the west of the island. The first is the Barnafoss; actually a rapids through a narrow gorge.
The Hraunfoss is even more impressive. The water is azure blue and small watercourses come together from all directions, so that actually 1000 small waterfalls form one big one.
With the lush green of the vegetation, the deep blue of the water and the bright sun, we have the feeling at this moment that we have moved to Croatia.
It’s really nice not to have any time pressure here, but our journey is almost over and we look back at the essence of this trip:
Apart from the fact that our top rule is “no stress”, the times of the day in Iceland are convenient in summer – there are none. We can also pitch the tent in the light at midnight. But it’s strange not to have seen any darkness for two weeks. But at least I already know that from Alaska.
Traditionally, we always drink an Icelandic beer with our soup in the evening – a light beer, mind you, which has almost no alcohol, but tastes really good. No comparison to our alcohol-free beers. Beer * with * alcohol is absolutely unaffordable here too. If the Icelander wants a high percentage, there is the Brennivin, a mild-tasting variation of grain and aquavit with a note of caraway. A nice old Icelander, whose house has been in the hands of his family there for 137 years, let us * try * half a bottle of it. For which we returned the favor with our whiskey.
In general, I would see my theory confirmed from the beginning. The Icelanders are generally very cautious, especially the women are quite brittle and taciturn, with a few exceptions, of course. The men get out of their way more easily and even allow themselves to be carried away to small talk or even a joke …
When traveling to Iceland, you shouldn’t put a lot of sentimental emphasis on your equipment or clothing. The lava fields wear out enormously on the substance, as the rubble is very pointed, sharp and loose. Inevitably you stumble or get stuck somewhere. My gloves are ruined, my pants have a hole in the knee and my brand new camera and lenses have deep memory scratches. But that’s part of the outdoor character and it’s fun to whistle about being dirty and smelly.
We had problems on our countless hikes. The markings on the paths are absolute crap, but this is partly due to the winter, which simply smashes well-intentioned wooden pegs. Alternatively, attempts have been made to build stone towers along the way, which, however, also do not stay in shape for long from snow, ice and wind. And the scavenger hunt for cairns is particularly fun on lava rubble fields. You get a lot more of the area for free. Lava ditches and steep slopes, for example …
As a conclusion of the trip you have to say: the island is amazing if you enjoy hiking and breathtaking nature. Here everyone becomes a hobby geologist, because the rock world of shape, color and layers really catches everyone’s eye with its unusualness and lets you pick up and marvel at every second stone. The island is a horse paradise, because * everywhere * these beautiful animals are decoratively standing around and even rush towards you when you approach. The Icelanders have somehow transferred their open-mindedness to their horses …
Iceland is not cheap, but you can go a long way with few demands and your own sleeping bag. It is even cheaper if you have a tent and a camping stove. The hikes are great and offer everything, be it mountains, sea or, as recently, the 228 meter high Glymur waterfall, but with the frequent reward of a hot spring that you can jump into and relax your muscles.
The weather here … once again we were very lucky and only had one real rainy day, but generally a thick coat and unshakable good mood doesn’t hurt in the event that it’s the other way around …
