Day 8 - Egilsstadir to Akureyri

Today we would leave East Iceland and go to North Iceland.

It was a very full day and we saw some amazing places which we will devote more details in their own blog entries. Here is a quick summary of Day 8.

As we left the Guesthouse we asked if there would be rain and were told no so we left without rain gear. We were probably out for 10 minutes when we come around a corner and see cars coming a bit wet so we stopped put gear on and enjoyed the sprinkles and the beautiful wet scenery which bring out the green ...

 

First stop was Dettifoss waterfall that was about 1.5 hours away but before getting there we had to cross the dessert and the continental divide. So we went from the luscious green to the black and grey of the desert, just like that ...

 

It was cold and windy and a French couple struggled with making their lunch. We helped by taking off jacket and covering the wind. Did not get free lunch though ...

 

The combination of the bare dessert with the mountains far way in a glaze of blue or fog made for a beautiful scenery.

 

 

 

And just like that the view changed as we turned into a 22Km road to get to Dettifoss.

 

There are two ways to see Dettifoss - The Beast (east and west). As road was better on the west we saw it from the west side. It is impressive and is the most powerful water fall in Europe.

 

We then moved from Dettifoss and made our way to Lake Myvatn.

But before we stopped at geothermal fields of Hverir.

 

As we came over the top of the hill, the view of Lake Myvatn is impressive ...

 

This area has many attractions and we would recommend spending at least a day visiting them all. One of the well known is the hot blue water springs Jardbodinn.

 

For lunch we found one of the neatest places. From the road it is advertised as a restaurant in a cowshed. Vogafjos is a must do if one is in the area ...

It is an unique experience and the food and view are very good.

 

Next stop was the Grótagja where you can see the crack that divides Iceland into two (Europe and America) and grows 2cm a year.

 

On the background is Hverfjall the tephra crater which is 1km in diameter.

 

Next stop was Dimmuborgir, a large lava field.

 

And then we moved on to Hofdi which is a magical place. We did a foot path and took what will probably be one of our favorite pictures of the trip.

 

 

The road close to Hofdi came alive with different colors ...

 

And we kept moving around Lake Myvatn and seeing the most amazing sights.

 

And as we came down a hill we saw The Beauty - Godafoss waterfall in the distance.

 

The ride continued to be magnificent ...

 

 

And when we thought it could not get any better, the arrival into Akuryeri is Top !

 

We are staying at same very nice apartments with a good view.

 

As we are staying in an apartment for the next 3 evenings, we went shopping for food and were surprised to find Cristiano Ronaldo clothes in Akureyri, Iceland. Global world !

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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