Now, in the distance, we could clearly see the Snaefellsjokull rise. What a perfectly shaped volcano! What majesty! Pretty impressive. On such a day you can really get the feeling that the whole peninsula is dominated by this volcano. Of course, the main road soon changed direction and there was not much left of the tailwind, but the weather was still so fine, the first T-shirt day of this trip! In the late morning we came to Borgarnes, had a first lunch break and then carried on to Akranes where we caught the ferry to Reykjavik. So we were back in the capital on a warm Friday afternoon at four o'clock.
We walked our bikes through the main shopping street. There is nothing you cannot buy in Reykjavik, but the prices are fantastic. Not too surprising if you consider that virtually everything has to be imported from the other end of the world. Since the weather was so nice there was no need to go to the youth hostel. We checked in at the campsite which is very comfortable and made in a quite attractive way with hedges, fat green grass, nice hot washing facilities - and they certainly know what they can charge for that. Without any immediate reason, I found that I had a flat rear tire. Finally a puncture! I was almost happy, because a cycling holiday without a puncture is not a real one, and Steve, anticipating the worst, had brought scores of patches. At least I had the chance to use one!
After dinner we had a walk through the city again. The center is really worth going to. Small houses and shops, almost everything in a good shape, sometimes a glimpse of the mountains, sometimes a view on the sea, and the never setting sun to illuminate all the scenery. Back at the campsite I had some supper and then went out again to see the sun set. It was the longest day of the year, but what difference does it make if it does not get dark anyway? Sunset at 00:05, sunrise at 02:35, and in between enough light to read in your tent without any additional artificial light. Now, a sunrise at the seashore is always pleasant to look at, but frankly, it does not make a big difference if the sun sets at eight or at midnight. So this sunset was not too spectacular, but it gave me the good feeling that I had at least once seen it in Iceland.
The next morning was by far not as pleasant. Overcast again and much colder than the other day. It was the day to go back to the Keflavik region to prepare for the flight out the next day. Steve managed to organize two bike boxes from a bike shop in Keflavik just by giving them a ring. Since the shop was closed when we arrived there, the owners had left the boxes outside What a good proof again for Icelandic hospitality! One more friendly encounter only some minutes later: when we had difficulties to ride with the boxes to the campsite - did you ever try to cycle in strong wind with several square meters of cardboard in your hand on a heavy bike? - a car not only took the boxes for us but also served as a guide to the campground. To come to Keflavik, on the other hand, had not been so easy. Although the wind was by far not as bad as the day when we had arrived, it was strong enough not to have an easy ride. Luckily it did not rain much and the sun came out sometimes, so all in all we could almost enjoy this ride. There was no chance buying some souvenirs in Keflavik since all shops were closed on a Saturday afternoon what Steve could hardly believe and what made me feel almost like in Germany.
Since I did not want do spend all the afternoon only on the campsite I set out once more to have a look at the Reykjanes peninsula. Past the American Air Force base you come to the very remote and tiny village of Hafnir, where a few souls still make their living from fishing. If you carry on the scenery becomes even more lonely until, after a small geothermal power station, the road turns to hardly more than a small gravel path. I stopped to admire the rocky hills, the steam coming up from a crack in the ground, the lighthouse in a distance. It could have been such an interesting place to look at, if there had not been these aggressive birds again. I was really happy to have my helmet, got picked upon several times and finally could not help taking off on my bike. The birds obviously did not like anybody to enter their territories and I had to give way. Strange experience. In Grindavik I was back to civilisation. On an excellent road I passed the famous 'Blue Lagoon', once only a geothermal power station, now because of its blue shining mineral water lakes a famous swimming pool with all necessary infrastructure. It looked like rain from almost everywhere so I did not stop for a swim. Strong winds pushed me back to the campsite. It was not a busy place: except us this evening there were only a hiker from Meran/Italy and two German girls, all of them flying out the next morning, like us. With Icelandic beer we enjoyed the last evening in the combined kitchen/living room of the campsite
It started to rain during the night. This sort of very fine rain that penetrates everything and gets you soaked quickly. Who cares anymore much about such minor events on the last day of a trip? There is a scheduled bus to the airport, that operates in a slightly unusual way: you have to call it like a taxi otherwise the company assumes there are no customers and does not operate the service. Much too early we arrived at the airport. What a perfect day to leave! Even at lunchtime it was not really light due to the heavy clouds and the spray of rain just would not stop. Once more I asked Icelandair if they could change my ticket from London to Paris and suddenly it was possible without any problems. So my final impression of Icelandair is only the very best.
Since I was going to Paris and Steve to London, we had to say good bye in Reykjavik, hopefully not for too long, both looking forward for the next holiday on two wheels.
Let's sum it all up. You could certainly say: Sore chapped hands and lips, pneumonia and hypothermia, giardia and flatus, constant headwinds and snow in June, go to Iceland! But more than that: Unspoiled nature, friendly people, breathtaking views! Take your bike there and enjoy!
Grenoble, Sept 21, 1997
Steve and Axel
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