Iceland 2008

In August 2008 we spent three weeks in Iceland. Since renting a 4WD car in Iceland is very expensive, we decided to travel by ferry from Hanstholm (Denmark) in our own car.
I will give no detailed route descriptions since there exists enough good literature about Iceland’s highland tracks. Instead, this is a subjective and chronological report of our experiences in Iceland.

08.08. – 09.08.  Getting to Hanstholm
The approximately 1200 km long trip from Ingolstadt to Hanstholm with a stopover in Eckernförde was uneventful.
At the ferry in Hanstholm, we were quite impressed by the many extremely pimped SUVs. Most frequently represented were Toyota HZJ7x and Landrover Defender in all varieties. Almost all had either a roof tent or were modified as a camper. In addition, some exotics were seen, such as various Pinzgauer (4×4 and 6×6), DAF, Hanomag, and Tatras. Some vehicles (especially the German Defenders) looked like new: highly polished and without the slightest scratch.
But there were also vehicles (especially some Italian) that looked as they would be held together only by the abundant tape attached to the body. Most of the French cars had lots of colorful stickers (e.g. Iceland Raid 2008) and they seem to prefer to travel in large groups.

10.08. – 13.08.  Faroe Islands
The crossing from Denmark to the Faroe Islands with the Norröna was relatively calm and straightforward. On the Faroe Islands, we visited on the first day Saksun, Tjørnuvík, and the waterfall near Langsandur on Streymoy island. We stayed at the campsite in Eiði on Eysturoy island. The night was very stormy and rainy.
On the second day, we visited the gorge Elduvik, Funningur, Gjógv and Oyndarfjørður.
In Gjógv there is a beautiful canyon near the village and above is a cliff, where you can watch and photograph puffins. A short, steep, and slippery trail lead from the parking area at the canyon to the bird cliff.
In Oyndarfjørður is a large loose rock, which moves with the waves back and forth. Not particularly spectacular, but quite nice to look at. The second night at the campsite was much calmer.
On the third day, we even had some sunshine and spent most of the time in Tórshavn.

14.08.  Seyðisfjörður – Ásbyrgi
Shortly after the departure from Tórshavn, we could observe an interesting exercise with a rescue helicopter. The helicopter landed on the deck of the ferry and a family that had, intentionally or unintentionally, missed the departure of the ferry got out of the helicopter. Then the helicopter took off again and some crew members were pulled with the winch in the helicopter with the ferry at full speed and pretty strong winds. Quite impressive.
We arrived in Seyðisfjörður with beautiful sunshine. Unfortunately, it took us full two hours to leave the ship including passport and customs control.
In Egilsstaðir the nearest large town to Seyðisfjörður, we had to stop again for money exchange and shopping. After a sandwich at Subway, we went straight to Ásbyrgi.
Before we reached the beautiful campground of Ásbyrgi we made a long stop at Europe’s largest waterfall, the Dettifoss. The Dettifoss is really very impressive, you can almost feel the immense energy of the water.

In the evening we cooked some delicious lamb chops, that we had bought in a supermarket in Egilsstaðir, on our camping stove. All-day we had sunshine and temperatures around 15°C. The 864 to Ásbyrgi is a gravel road, but very easy to drive and even possible with 2WD cars.

15.08.  Ásbyrgi
After breakfast, we walked a short distance along the upper edge of the eastern cliff of the Ásbyrgi valley. To get there you need to climb up a short steep passage secured with ropes and ladders, but even our four-year-old daughter managed this easily with a little help.
After this hike, we drove to the beautiful lake at the end of the valley. Then we went on the F862 to the other side of the Dettifoss. The view from this side is perhaps even more spectacular. Another short trail led us to Hafragilsfoss. There is a viewpoint, where you can see how clear water of the pure mountain streams is slowly mixed up with the brown-gray sediment of the main stream.

On the way back to Ásbyrgi we stopped at Hólmatungur (nice viewpoint of the canyon) and in Vesturdalur (beautiful birch forest).
The F862 was significantly rougher than the 864, but it should be possible to drive this road with any car with slightly higher ground clearance. But there were some pretty nasty washboard sections. While the 864 can almost continuously be driven at 90-100 km/h, you have to drive the F862 either at 30 km/h or at 70 km/h. In between the washboard, vibrations were very unpleasant. At 70 km/h the problem was that sometimes really deep holes or larger boulders were on the track and then we struggled to brake in time.
The weather was great again with blue sky and 17°C. For dinner, we had spaghetti with pesto rosso (brought from Germany).

16.08.  Ásbyrgi – Nýidalur
We left Ásbyrgi and drove on the F862 and the ring road to Mývatn. In Námafjall we had a short break at the bubbling mud pools. At Mývatn, we visited the garden Höfði. Again we had great weather with 17°C and sunshine.
Then we drove to the beautiful Goðafoss. There we refueled and ate a few sandwiches before we entered the famous Sprengisandur. On the F26 we did a short side trip to the Aldeyjarfoss with its beautiful basalt structures.

Shortly after the junction to the F910 to Askja, the first deep fords had to be crossed. Due to the glacial sediments in the water, the depth was very difficult to assess. The waders were unpacked for the first time and the ford was inspected for the best line. The depth of the first ford was about 60 cm (to determine the water depths we had brought a large aluminum ruler) and was barely feasible with the Touareg. The caretaker of Nýidalur told us later that the water level on these fords is normally much higher.
Shortly after the two fords, we arrived in Nýidalur, the only place to stay on the Sprenigsandur. In addition to three typical mountain huts, it is also possible to camp there. Because of the strong wind and low temperature (7° C) we decided to sleep in the mountain hut.
With the exception of the two fords, the Sprengisandur (F26) is easy to drive and leads through great scenery. In this huge desolated desert you can often see bright moss-lined rivers and in the background Europe’s largest glacier, the Vatnajökull. The Sprengisandur is highly recommended, just be careful with the fords.

17.08.  Nýidalur – Haukadalur
After a quiet night in the hut and a nice breakfast, we set off towards Landmannalaugar. The rest of the Sprengisandur was without major difficulties. There are just some washboard sections here and there. The fords in this section were all easy. The campsite Versalir does not exist anymore. Therefore Nýidalur remains as the only place to stay on the long Sprengisandur. There is also no way to refuel along the entire route.
At the end of the Sprengisandur, we followed the F208 to Landmannalaugar. Unfortunately, the weather was much worse there. Beginning with a sandstorm it changed soon into a real thunderstorm. As nice as it looked in Landmannalaugar, we quickly rejected our original plan to stay there for two days. The storm was so strong that you could barely stand on your feet. In addition, it was cold (5°C), the cabins were fully booked and all rooms and lounges were completely overcrowded. After a very short hike and a visit to the famous hot springs, we left. By the way, the two notorious fords in front of Landmannalaugar were no problem for our VW Touareg.
We drove on the F225 (the Landmannaleið) via the northern route to Landmannahellir and then further west. The two fords at Landmannahellir were also unproblematic. After continuously driving on off-road trails for more than 300 km we finally reached tarmac again on the 26. Via the 32 we drove then to the Háifoss, one of the highest waterfalls in Iceland (120m).

From there we went to the beautiful Hjálparfoss and via the 30, 35, and 37 to the Laugarvatn campground. Contrary to the description in several guidebooks, this campground has rather primitive facilities with just two toilets and cold water. In the meantime, the weather had improved significantly. During dinner at the campsite, we were again blessed by bright sunshine.

18.08.  Haukadalur
After a nice breakfast, we went to the geyser Strokkur in Haukadalur. The Strokkur erupts every five minutes with a 20-30 m high fountain. From the Stora Geysir, the namesake for all the geysers in the world, there was little to see, however. He is now only rarely active. We spent some time at the geysers and really enjoyed to watch this fascinating spectacle in bright sunshine.
Then we went to the Gullfoss. The waterfall itself is compared to the other waterfalls in Iceland, such as the Dettifoss, a little disappointing. But the many rainbows that result from the spray in the sunshine are very beautiful.
The weather was incredible so far for Iceland. At around 20°C, we were mostly walking around in T-shirts. After visiting the Gullfoss we took a rest on the sheltered sun terrace of the local coffee shop. The Icelandic lamb stew was delicious. After another brief stop in Haukadalur, we went back to the campsite at Laugarvatn.

19.08.  Haukadalur – Reykjavík
We went from Laugarvatn via 365 to Þingvellir, the most important historical site in Iceland and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Important meetings were held here earlier and also the first parliament was founded here.
This is a beautiful area with many small rivers, waterfalls, gorges, and nice vegetation, but unfortunately, it was totally overrun. There were dozens of coaches in the parking lot and countless tour groups exploring the area.
Therefore we left Þingvellir after a short walk relatively quickly, driving to the highland track Kaldidalur (F550). The Kaldidalur is easy to drive. There are no fords, only a slightly elevated ground clearance and a rugged suspension are recommended. At the end of the Kaldidalur, you will find the great Hraunfossar waterfalls. There are dozens of cascades from streams coming out of numerous holes along a beautiful gorge with lush vegetation. From there we went via the 518 and 50 to the ring road and then on to Reykjavík. In the early evening, we reached the campsite Laugardalur. This campsite has very good facilities but is usually very crowded. For dinner, we had again some delicious Icelandic lamb chops (you can buy them at almost every gas station fresh or frozen).

20.08.  Reykjavík
We used the beautiful sunny weather to explore the hot springs at Nauthólsvík beach. This beach was awarded by the British newspaper The Guardian as the most exotic beach in the world. In addition to a beautiful golden sandy beach, there are three pools with different water temperatures between 19°C and 39°C. There is also the opportunity to bathe in the sea and there are nice and clean facilities with showers and a beach café serving a delicious cappuccino.
Then we went to Hafnarfjörður, a suburb of Reykjavík. After visiting the beautiful city parks Hellisgerdi (with lots of elves caves), the colorful fishing boats in the harbor and the cultural center Hafnarborg (with various art exhibitions and a lovely organic café) we went to Ishestar, the largest equestrian center in Iceland, where our daughter wanted to ride on an Iceland horse.
Then we went to the Viking restaurant Fjörukrain. Apart from a few Viking performances, we had the opportunity to taste Hákarl, the famous rotten shark. This is an Icelandic specialty made of a special kind of shark that has no kidneys, the Greenland shark. The shark is buried in the ground after the catch and rots there for several months. The result is a very special taste. The first bite tastes like a good old French cheese. After this, there is a very dominant flavor of ammonium chloride. Overall, we found Hákarl, contrary to what one hears and reads, quite edible.

21.08.  Reykjavík
After breakfast at the campsite, we first went to the zoo and an amusement park in Laugardalur. Interesting is that mainly regional animals are presented in sufficiently large enclosures (e.g. arctic fox, reindeer, Iceland horses, seals). Integrated into the zoo is a huge playground with electric cars, Viking boats, and much more. Next door is the botanical garden with the highly recommended Café Flora. You can get there delicious cakes, sandwiches, and salads and all that in a great atmosphere (in a greenhouse with fish ponds and ferns). Unfortunately, the prices are, even by Icelandic standards, quite high.
After a lengthy visit to the café we continued to the Perlan. In addition to the Hallgrimskirkja, the Perlan is the second famous landmark of Reykjavík. It has an interesting architecture and was built around huge hot water tanks. Inside is a good and surprisingly inexpensive cafeteria overlooking Reykjavík. Especially tasty were the Belgian waffles.
After visiting the Perlan we went shopping in the center of Reykjavík, the Laugavegur. In the outdoor shop 66° North, we stocked up on some nice Icelandic fleece jackets.
Then we went to see the volcano show from Villi Knudsen. The film and the comments were very interesting, but the image quality of the projection was not so convincing.
For dinner, we went to the big shopping center Kringlan. At the food court, we had a combination of Asian lamb stew, Italian pizza, and a French strawberry meringue cake. Everything was very delicious and about as expensive as in Germany. Unfortunately, the good weather has left us, with lots of rain for the whole day.

22.08.  Reykjavík
In still pretty bad weather, we drove to the Blue Lagoon. The Blue Lagoon is Iceland’s most famous swimming pool and is located near the international airport Keflavik. It’s a really great place surrounded by huge lava fields with a beautiful green-blue milky water, which is said to have special healing. The water temperature varies depending on location and hot water supply between 30°C and 40°C. In total, we spent several hours in the pool and had some sandwiches, ice cream, and cappuccino at the Blue Café. The architecture of the building is also really beautiful. Afterward, we made a short walk in light rain through the lava fields in front of the building.
Then we went via 427 and 42 to Eyrarbakki. In particular, the 427 goes through a very beautiful scenic area with lava fields, steep mountains, and the sea to the right. In many guidebooks, Eyrarbakki is praised as one of the most beautiful places in Iceland. We were rather disappointed. For dinner, we had lobster soup and a seafood salad in the Rauða Húsið (the red house) in Eyrarbakki. Afterward, we went back during heavy continuous rain to our campsite in Reykjavík.

23.08.  Reykjavík
This was the day of the Iceland Marathon and the Cultural Night in Reykjavík. Therefore we spent all day at the center of Reykjavík. After we looked at the finish of the marathon we walked through the Laugavegur and its side streets. At each corner, there were bands playing anything from punk rock to Icelandic folk. In addition, there were dozens of art exhibitions ranging from photography and video artworks to giant sculptures out of cardboard boxes, to a battery of washing machines directly in front of Hallgrimskirkja.
For dinner, we went to the Reykjavík Pizza Company at the end of Laugavegur. They only have pizzas and salads. But they are very delicious and they have all the possible variations including up to three different lobster pizzas. In Reykjavík, despite being a rather small city, you can find all sorts of exotic specialty restaurants. One, for example, is specialized in whale, another one offers an interesting menu with Asian soft-shell crabs as a starter and a kangaroo steak with mango sauce as the main course.
The crowning glory of our last day in Reykjavík was a beautiful fireworks display.
Overall we liked Reykjavík very much. We could even imagine living there a few years (even though it has rained almost the whole time).

24.08.  Reykjavík – Vík í Mýrdal
In the heavily overcast sky, but luckily no rain, we packed up the tent and left Reykjavík on the ring road towards Vík í Mýrdal. The first stop was at Seljalandsfoss. The special feature of the Seljalandsfoss is that you can walk past behind the waterfall. A fairly wet, but very impressive affair.
Next, we continued on the ring road to Skógafoss. We hiked up to the upper edge of the waterfall. Then we went to Vík í Mýrdal, where we wanted to stay in the next few days. The campsite in Vík is very beautiful, with the sites nicely nestled in nature. There is also a large living room, which is worth gold in bad weather. For dinner, we went to the Halldorskaffi in Vík. This café is very cozy, the food delicious, with pleasant music and a very relaxed mood.

25.08.  Vík í Mýrdal
With a little sunshine and lots of rain clouds, we went first to the Reynisfjall, the mountain of Vík. There is a nice gravel road up to the mountain, which can be driven with any SUV. With a 2WD car, you should not drive this route, as there are some large holes and bumps. The view from the top in the direction of Vík is fantastic. On top of the mountain, it, unfortunately, started to rain heavily again. The trail ends at the cliffs in front of Vík, where one can observe puffins in flight. In addition, you have a lovely view of the rock arch of Dyrhólaey.
Due to the bad weather, we then went to the beautiful swimming pool of Vík. In addition to a larger pool with 28°C, there is also one with 40°C water temperature. Afterward, we went again to our favorite café in Vík, the Halldorskaffi. Strengthened by garlic pizza, meringue cake, and several cappuccinos we went on to explore the back of the Reynisfjall.
Via the 215 and a short gravel road we reached a pebble beach with fantastic basalt rocks and a cave in the cliff. This beach was also used for advertising the new VW Golf, which was launched in Iceland. Many photos later we went on a jeep track that ran along the beach.
This track was rather demanding with deep, soft sand. Only once we stopped briefly for some pictures and then needed all diff locks to get our VW Touareg in motion again. The Icelanders, with their 38″ or 44″ tires have of course no problems with this track.
Then we went via the 218 to the stone gate of Dyrhólaey. Shortly before the end of the runway, there is a fork. The left track leads to a lookout point with spectacular beaches. The right track which is a bit more challenging leads to a beautiful lighthouse. From there, you have a great view of the stone gate of Dyrhólaey.
Then we drove to the Reynisfjara beach in Vík. This beach was awarded by the U.S. magazine Island as one of the ten most beautiful beaches in the world.
Due to the persistent rainstorm we then went back to our campsite, which has, fortunately, a large living room. The landscape around Vík is really overwhelmingly beautiful, but the weather can be quite exhausting.

26.08.  Vík í Mýrdal
With still pretty bad weather we went on a nice gravel road to Þakgil. This route leads through a beautiful gorge in one of the most scenic corners of Iceland. The trail ends at a campsite with an oven-heated cave, that was closed when we arrived there. Theoretically, you can go from here via a challenging off-road track to Heidarvatn. Our campsite warden in Vík had warned us, however, that some deeper rivers had to be crossed on this route.
Then we went again to our favorite café in Vík. Afterward, we drove via the ring road to Heidarvatn and Mýrdalsjökull. At the end of the track to Mýrdalsjökull, there was only lots of rain and dense fog, therefore we returned immediately.
Much nicer was the next trip to glacier Solheimajökull via the 221. This track can be driven with a 2WD car, but it requires a slow and anticipatory driving style. At the end of the track leads a short walk directly to the edge of the glacier. Even without crampons, you can walk a few steps along the glacier. If you want to visit the beautiful blue ice cave on the other side of the river, however, glacier equipment and a guide are recommended.
Then we went again to Cape Dyrhólaey because the rain had stopped and we wanted to take some photos. But just after we walked to the lighthouse, it started to rain again.

27.08.  Vík í Mýrdal
After the rain had finally stopped and we were woken by the sun in the morning, we wanted to use the nice weather to visit Þórsmörk. At the Seljalandsfoss, we turned into the highland track F249. This route to Þórsmörk was by far the most challenging and exciting off-road track we have driven in Iceland. Until the end of the track, we had to cross approximately 20 up to 60 cm deep fords. I had to unpack the waders about half a dozen times to check the depth and determine the best line.
To reach the stations Husadalur and Langidalur at the end of the tour you have to cross the deep, wide and fast-flowing Krossá. Since it was about 80-90 cm deep, we did not take the risk with the VW Touareg. But you can also park in front of the Krossá and walk the last few meters to the station (there is a pedestrian bridge across the river). The Básar station, which lies at the end of the valley can be reached without deep fords. The landscape is very beautiful in the Þórsmörk valley. The abundant vegetation is a nice contrast to the otherwise rather desert-like environment in Iceland.
After another short photo stop at the Seljalandsfoss, we went back to our campsite in Vík.
The trip to Þórsmörk is highly recommended.

28.08.  Vík í Mýrdal – Skaftafell
Our departure from Vík was somewhat difficult because we wanted to avoid to pack a wet tent and it rained the whole morning without interruption. About noon the rain stopped briefly at times and we packed everything very quickly.
Then we left Vík on the ring road heading east. Next, we wanted to visit the Skaftafell National Park directly at Europe’s largest glacier, the Vatnajökull. In the afternoon we reached the campsite in the national park. This campsite has plenty of room, nice clean bathrooms and offers a direct view of the Vatnajökull glacier.

29.08.  Skaftafell
The night was pretty restless since a fierce storm passed at 2:00 o’clock in the night with gusts of wind with more than 100 km/h. The noise of the wind was so loud that it was not possible to sleep any longer. At least four tents were completely destroyed the next morning. Difficult to say how many more had problems since most people put their tents together during the night. Our tent has however resisted the storm easily. Although it is already 20 years old it was built exactly for such conditions.
In the morning the storm stopped and it began to rain again. We decided to take our breakfast in the Skaftafell cafeteria. Then we went to the Jökulsárlón, hoping for better weather.
Arriving at Jökulsárlón the sun came out for a short time. The Jökulsárlón is again one of the highlights of Iceland. In addition to countless icebergs in all shades, we have also seen many seals, that swam back and forth between the icebergs in search of fish.
Both the lighting and the arrangement of the icebergs were changing constantly through the wind and the tidal flow. Apart from short walks along the shore, we also did a boat trip on the lake with one of the American amphibian vehicles. During the boat ride, we had the opportunity to taste some 1500 years old ice. The taste, however, was not much different from frozen tap water.
Afterward, we went to the highly recommended Jökulsárlón cafeteria. We had Icelandic fish soup, delicious waffles, and the obligatory cappuccino.
After the break, we drove the short trails to the nearby glacier lakes Breiðárlón and Fjallsárlón. The track to the Breiðárlón is fun to drive. It consists completely of smooth gravel and has lots of curves. Therefore it is possible to drive the whole track in a continuous drift at 80-90 km/h. The Fjallsárlón is quite nice, but unfortunately, it started raining again. Due to the bad weather, we decided to have dinner at the Skaftafell cafeteria and went to bed early.

30.08.  Skaftafell
On this day we wanted to give the Touareg a break and explore the Skaftafell NP on foot. First, we went to the Svartifoss, a beautiful waterfall with black basalt columns. Unfortunately, it was raining again. This time, however, we were well prepared for the rain, with full Gore-Tex gear (jacket, pants, shoes).

From the Svartifoss we then walked over to the viewpoint Sjonarnipa from where you have a beautiful view of the glacier and the Skaftafellsjökull Sander area. Overall we walked for about four hours before we arrived back at the campsite. For dinner we had lamb chops roasted on the camp stove (bought at the supermarket of the gas station around the corner). The day ended with a spectacular sunset with blue sky and pink clouds.

31.08.  Skaftafell – Egilsstadir
After we had packed everything up and stowed in the trunk, we found out, that the battery of our car was empty. And, unfortunately, the jumper cables were, of course, packed in the bottom corner of the trunk. So everything had to be cleared again.
At Jökulsárlón, our first stop on this day, we were however more than compensated for the bad start in the morning. On the black lava beach, blue and white icebergs were lying everywhere with different shapes and sizes. This was, of course, a fantastic photo opportunity. About two hours later and strengthened by some waffles and a cappuccino from the cafeteria at Jökulsárlón we went back to the ring road heading east.
In Breiðdalsvík we decided to follow the coast road 96 to the east fjords to visit the rock museum in Stöðvarfjörður.
In the evening we arrived in Egilsstaðir, where we booked a hotel for the last night in Iceland (we wanted to avoid at all costs to have a wet tent on the ferry for three days). Then we stayed with our tent at the campsite of Egilsstaðir. For dinner, we had a couple of sandwiches from the nearby Subway and very tasty ice cream with fresh strawberries and blueberries from the cafeteria next to the gas station.

01.09.  Egilsstaðir
It had rained throughout the whole night and didn’t stop in the morning. First, we went to a car repair shop to check the battery, but it was in perfect condition. Therefore we assumed that the empty battery a few days ago was the result of a closed-circuit problem (after returning to Germany this assumption was confirmed: the generator was permanently pulling 5 A due to a defect).
After some shopping, we went to Seyðisfjörður to visit the city.
Then we went back to Egilsstaðir for dinner in the café Nielssen. Apart from the very expensive reindeer meat, there were also some affordable dishes on the menu. The salad with teriyaki chicken was delicious and the (Italian) service very friendly.
Before we went back to the campsite, we made a trip around the lake Lagarfljót. The northwestern shore is rather boring, while the southeast side is really nice, with birch forests, sandy beaches, small canyons, and waterfalls.

02.09.  Egilsstaðir
The weather had still not improved. Luckily there was a brief rain interruption in the morning so that we could at least pack our tent almost dry. After breakfast in the cafeteria next to the campground, we went to the pool in Egilsstaðir. This time there was next to a 39°C hot tub, even one with 41°C water temperature. After bathing, we moved into our reserved hotel room. The Egilsstaðir Guesthouse is a lovely big old house that is located directly at the lake and has a beautiful garden. In addition, the hotel offers free Internet access. The rest of the rainy day we sorted our luggage and checked our emails. For dinner, we went again to the cafeteria at the campground.

03.09.  Egilsstaðir – Seyðisfjörður
Our last day in Iceland began with a nice breakfast in the Egilsstaðir Guesthouse. After we had spent our last few Icelandic crowns in a supermarket, we drove to Seyðisfjörður. On the way to Seyðisfjörður, we had only 2°C and dense fog. Somehow it was getting more and more uncomfortable in Iceland. When we arrived there, the Norröna was already there. After a short walk through the town, we went to the ferry. We enjoyed the ride through the east fjords of Iceland on the sheltered terrace of the upper deck of the Norröna.

04.09. – 06.09.  Return to Ingolstadt
After a restless night with big waves, we arrived at 11:00 o’clock in Torshavn on the Faroe Islands. After a brunch at Café Jinx (lovely café with delicious sandwiches), we were finally back in fine sunny weather. We visited briefly the old fort and the lighthouse before we had to return to the Norröna.
The second night on the ferry was again very bouncy. At 16:00 o’clock we arrived in Bergen, where we had one hour for a short walk along the colorful wooden houses of Bryggen (also a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site). The weather was really great, just like the onward journey with the Norröna through the Norwegian fjords along many colorful wooden houses. For a long time, we were standing at the railing and enjoying our last evening. After a calm night, we arrived in the afternoon well rested in Hanstholm. After starting the Touareg with a battery power pack we went to Ingolstadt without further trouble.

In summary, Iceland is a stunningly beautiful country with sometimes fairly strenuous weather. The six-day ferry trip from Denmark is certainly not for everyone, but flying and renting a car is an (expensive) alternative. We were absolutely thrilled about this country and even our daughter Linnéa wanted to return immediately to Iceland.