They say the cultural capital of Eastern Iceland is Seydisfjordur. Quiet harbour town with rainbow-coloured streets. Even though the destination today is somewhere else, I can’t help but make a rather colourful stop by the ocean
After some relaxation, I marched on to Laugarfell, the lodge in the Eastern highlands. My little Jimny showed up strong once again with the icy gravel road with occasional sinkholes. Awaiting for me are the hot spring(of course), waterfalls, and a very boggy hiking trail.
Hiking in the highlands is not easy. Not only you are in the rain most of the time, but the trail itself was also muddy, boggy, and watery. Certainly not for the faint-hearted. However, being able to see 10-12 waterfalls in one hike is truly special.
Then again, you can always relax using the hot spring by the Laugarfell lodge.
Sleeping in the lodge sounded amazing, but never-ending daylight prompted me to continue on. I elected to stay at the quiet town of Reyðarfjörður by the seaside.
From Reyðarfjörður, Highway 1 brings to many charming Eastern Icelandic towns which did not have roads before 1960s. Hence, many preserved their own unique characters through the changing times. For example, Stöðvarfjörður featured one remarkable woman’s unwavering effort to collect stones of Eastern Iceland. Her collection has even won national and international recognitions. What was more impressive was the yard that carefully displayed some of Petra’s favourite collections. Definitely worth a visit if you have time.
Continuing on Highway 1, I stopped by the town of Djúpivogur for some lunch and brief relaxation at a nearby hot pot, fulling my promise of at least one hot bath a day.
But let’s not forget the one thing that I really needed to do, grabbing a nice celebratory drink for my birthday! Europe’s largest glacier seems like the right spot! The icy lagoon nearby and the excellent campsite of Skaftafell give me the spaces I needed to have a very “chill-lax” birthday with nature.
Don’t be fooled by midnight the sunny skies. The days following were rainy and windy. Guess the second time is not the charm for Vik.
Even Iceland’s oldest pool has nothing on the dreary weather. But how can you have such lush green without the abundant rain?
Hostel Midgard near the town of Hvolsvöllur came in clutch. Their hot tub and sauna felt divine after a day of fighting the rain and the wind. They even have clothes and shoe dryers for the double bonus.
