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Iceland: scenic driving advice?
On Tue, 15 Dec 2015, Dan Stephenson wrote:
Starting northwards from the capital, eastward on the northern side of the island, etc.. We did the opposite, not by our choice. I am trying to reconstruct by memory ... Landed at Keflavik (Reykjavik international airport) and slept at an hotel near the smaller in-town Reykjavik airport. Spent half a day in town, and half a day in the surroundings (I think the main Geyser and Gullfoss waterfall ... anyhow "-foss" is a waterfall, but could have been Thingvellir), Next day Thingvellir (if it was not the previous day), which is the place where around 900 aD the first icelandic "parliament" met. It is a plain on a rather impressive fault which separates the american and european tectonic plates. Then continued east, reached the coast, stopped to see a waterfall, and the puffin nests, and slept near Vik. Next day along the ring road, stop in Kirkjubaejarklaistur (nice name meaning church-farm-cloister) to see the volcanic Kirkjugolfid (?), something like Giant's Causeway but smaller. Crossed a volcanic sand area, stopped in national park to see Svartifoss (the black waterfall, also with basaltic pillars), then the ice lagoon of Jokulsarlon, and reached Hofn Next day morning along the see to watch birds (our tour guide was an ornitology fan), then continued to Egilstadir, partially in the interior, Stops for lunch, to see an amateur rock collection, and a whaling museum. Next day along the ring road, which here runs inland. Stopped for a coffee in Modrudalur, the most isolated farm of Iceland (the road is now at some distance, but it is a must to stop there). I believe it was that day (or was it the day after) we left the ring road towards the northern coast, to see a waterfall and a natural "sport in the landscape" (a horseshoe shaped closed valley where small trees can grow). Reached lake Myvatn area. We had a hot shower with the water smelling of sulphur. Some other guests were having a bath outside in the hot pools with an air temperature around 10-15 C. Next day toured aroung lake Myvatn (it means "midges lake", we were lucky with the weather and there were no midges, only a few at Thingvellir, but we had mosquito nets to wear (and they are on sale there too). Dimmuborgir, thermal fields with faults filled of water (there is a road all around the lake but part may be closed during the nesting season). Eaten smoked trout of the lake with bread cooked on hot rocks. For the evening moved to Akureyri, with some detour towards the coast, I am not sure if it was this day or the next we visited Glaumbaer, which is a museum of an old settlement (turf covered huts). Last day was just back from Akureyri to Rejkyavik, for me the less scenic part. Unfortunately we did not go to the Snaefellnes peninsula (the location of Jules Verne's trip to the centre of the Earth), had a nice fish supper where they served for the brave also the famous rotten shark (did not try it). Very last day, we stopped at the "Blue lagoon" spa on the way to the airport (rather touristy, but the landscape is interesting) About the quality of the roads, good, narrow with passing places, usually paved except some hills where they prefer to leave it unpaved. The coach driver was washing the coach at almost each stop. We did not try any of the interior paths (those marked with an F-number). |
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