Day 3
On our third day, Iceland became more like ICE land. We came across Diamond beach and you can see why it's called like that in the pics below. Big chunks of ice just lay there on the black sand and in the seawater. Seeing something like that for the first time with your own eyes is really stunning.
Right next to the Diamond beach there is a large glacial lake called Jökulsárlón. Can it get any better than this?
These icebergs are notable for their coloration. Although they are, as expected, largely white, most are also dyed electric blue in part, with black streaks of ash from eruptions centuries past.
We were riding past Vatnajökull, a large ice cap with an area of 7,900 km² with an average ice thickness of 380 m, so you can imagine its size. It's just a big frozen part of Iceland. There were some expeditions onto the ice cap for tourists but were really expensive so we didn't go, but I wish I could've explored its vastness. Just standing on the road near I've felt so small and in awe of such a place.
Later that day we visited a small fishing town Höfn and we stopped at a supermarket to buy a few things. While shopping, an older man approached us and asked if we need any help. We said we are planning to circle an island and he thought we were crazy. He then explained that it's not possible to make that trip because of the bad weather in the north. Later we checked on the internet and most of the roads have been closed because of high wind and snowstorm. I guess we were lucky to stumble upon the old man. Otherwise, who knows when we would have noticed that it's not possible to go north...probably somewhere in the middle of a high storm, stuck in the snow.😅
So accepting our new fate we decided to ride back to the west. We thought it would be a good idea to visit a hot spring as there was one near this town Höfn, so we headed there first. I tell you, this one deserves to be called a hot spring. Water was so damn hot on the touch that my first thought was it's not possible to bath in that, but Petra just jumped into the pool and I had to go in. In the end, we stayed there for 2 whole hours, and honestly, I could do that every day for the rest of my life.
Hoffell Hot Tubs
What was funny about this hot spring is that it was just built there in the middle of nowhere. Somebody built a dressing room and few pools that look like barrels. There was nobody to supervise that, just a small mailbox on which it was written to put money in there if you want to. They even trust that people will pay for using those pools...you never see something like that anywhere in Europe. Usually, people make you pay 2 euros just to go pee in a bathroom. 😅
Also, earlier we bought some fancy beers in a store so you can imagine the feeling of bathing in HOT spring, drinking beer while it's 0 degrees outside, and having the most amazing view of the snowy mountains.
As if it couldn't be better, we noticed a dozen horses near the hot springs. They were so cute and little, pony-sized. I guess they enjoy living in Iceland with so much space, fresh air and beautiful nature.
Icelandic horses are considered to be long-lived and hardy.
After the best bath in our life, we got back on the road. As night was getting closer we found a place to sleep and made ourselves a beef goulash. After that, we fell asleep like babies...
To be continued...
All photos are taken by us.
Wow I didn't knew something like diamond beach existed 😳 This is beautiful 😍!
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yeah, it's truly unbelievable! 😍
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