Iceland - a travel blog

Snaefellsnes One last time on this journey the alarm clock gets us out of bed early to start a day full of wonder. As we open the curtains it looks like a sunny day will be upon us. The weather forecast looked promising at least! We head over to the breakfast area and enjoy a yet again breakfast buffet with a wide range of options. It's still quiet and tranquil and we wonder of most tourists go in the opposite direction, or also to Snaefellsnes from here. Time to go! Checking out, loading everything in the car and off we go. We start today with a long drive to almost halfway on the peninsula: Kirkjufell. Because we did the first two highlights yesterday (Glanni and Grábrók), we can just drive passed them and safe some time. It's a 2,5h drive to Kirkjufell and about 170km. Luckily, with the sun and blue sky this can't be a bad day!  As we get closer to the ocean, the high green mountains appear again. Around Reykholt we saw more pastures and fields, but after a couple of mou

All that glitters is not gold The alarm goes off and with the dawn of a new day we start a new adventure. We load everything back in our car that's parked in front of our chalet and head over to the main lobby where breakfast is served. The premises has about 4 chalets, and we believe only two of them are occupied. It's the first time we have to pick a table and breakfast is served instead of a buffet. After an extensive breakfast with scrambled eggs, toast, fruit, yogurt, and cereals we check-out and decide to go back to Brúarfoss. The hotel owner asked about our itinerary for today and reassured that Brúarfoss is a lovely waterfall although very muddy after rainy days. The pictures we had seen online also promised a spectacular hike to Iceland's bluest waterfall. If we keep up the pace today that should still fit into the planning.  We park the car on the same tiny parking area at the start of the trail. Unlike other highlights in the area, this is still a hidden gem with

Unforgiving highlands The breakfast in this old hotel is served in the basement. Various wooden tables and old artifacts create a perfect atmosphere for this place. The stone benches are covered with deer or sheep fur. A group of Italians arrive and fill up the room. Apparently, we're not the only tourists after all. After breakfast we start looking for a gas station to fill up the car before heading back into the highlands. According to Google Maps, there should be one not far from the hotel. However, when we arrive it's just an empty open area. Luckily, we'll pass by another one before we go inland. We're relieved that the car didn't make any more terrifying noises, but the true test will be today. We plan to drive the F35, also known as the Kjölur route. It was used in the oldest days as a critical trading route for horses. However, after some merchants died during a snowstorm the route has been abandoned until the 19th century. Nowadays, there is even a bus that

The North Coast We wake up after a very quiet night. It's not every day that you have an entire hotel to yourselves. We figure out what the maximum number of layers of clothes is that we can comfortably wear. Temperatures are dropping as of today to a chillier 5 to 7 degrees Celsius whereas we previously had a gentler 10+ degrees. Especially on the open water it might be cold, so preparation is everything.  We leave our hotel room in search of breakfast. When we pass by the reception desk (that is still closed) we see the key for the other guest(s) is still there. In the hotel lobby there is a tea kettle and some instant coffee. The door to the breakfast area is locked with a paper that breakfast starts at 8AM. We decide to wait a couple of more minutes. In the meantime, we put all our bags already back in the car. After breakfast we won't have much time left because the whale watching tour starts at 9AM and they asked to arrive at least 15 minutes prior. Luckily, we saw the lo