CIRCUMNAVIGATING ICELAND

It is already midnight but not exactely dark in our Camper. In Iceland, the nights never get dark during the summer months, that is why despite the drawn blinds, weak light is diffusing into our home on four wheels. However, I did not wake up because of the light, but because of the wind that became stronger and shook our cabin. Thomas is asleep, I am worried that the next blast will throw us into the abyss from where we parked our expedition vehicle the evening before because of the magnificent view over the fjords. The fear was of course completely unfounded.

The weather is Icelandic since we left Hirtshals by the ferry almost 2 weeks ago towards Iceland. Windy and cloudy with sunny intervals and drizzle. The temperature ranges between 4 and 10 degrees Celsius, wat is rather cold. In the interior of our cabin, it is cozy warm thanks to a diesel heating system and the hot water boiler enables even a hot shower in the evening. Our travel companions we meet on the ferry and with whom we have been exploring the wilderness of Iceland are not as comfortable. Some are riding a motorbike and sleep in a tent and the others are sleeping in their Range rover Defender. In the evening, we usually sit inside our worm cabin talking about the happenings of the day, plan the next steps of our trip or play cards.

In the highlands, we are driving bad roads for the first time. Because of the cold summer, there are still large snowfields on the left and right of the track. The roads were transformed into a muddy slide and let our Expedition Mobil look really adventurous and dirty. A further consequence of the snow are the high water levels at the fords. While water crossing, our heart is beating to our throats, but our car is not leaky and we arrive at the other side of the river freshly washed.

Iceland is incredibly diverse and beautiful. The landscapes change as fast as the weather. Volcanic fields looking nearly extraterrestrial, breathtaking waterfalls, glaciers and beautiful beaches are possible to be explored in a short time. At the end, we are in a hurry as there is much more to discover even after three weeks. We have traveled through the island in the far too short time and we are thrilled. A bit wistfully, we finally start the return journey.

However, Iceland will stay in our minds as a place with incredible landscapes and natural wonders.