Iceland
Kópavogshreppur

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    • Day 1

      Willkommen auf Island

      January 13, 2020 in Iceland ⋅ 🌬 0 °C

      Der Flieger war wirklich halb leer, so hatten wir unsere Reihe für uns und konnten uns etwas ausbreiten. Aber nach einem Film und ein paar kurzen Serien setzen wir auch schon zur Landung an. Etwas unruhig aber letztlich souverän setzt der Pilot den Fliege sanft auf.
      Bis wir zum Gepäckband gelaufen sind, sind unsere Koffer auch schon dort. Im Ankunftsbereich müssen wir dann etwas warten auf unseren Shuttle zur Autovermietung und stellen dabei fest, dass erstaunlich viele Asiaten hier sind .... Pärchen oder in kleinen Sechsergruppen, aber auf keinen Fall in großen Reisegruppen wie sonst.
      Während der Wartezeit wage ich es nach draußen zu gehen und stelle fest, dass es wie erwartet gar nicht so kalt ist, so um die 0 Grad. Aber ein heftiger Wind peitscht mir um die Ohren. Nach 40 Minuten kommt unserer Fahrer und bringt uns in 10 Minuten zur Vermietstation. Obwohl in unserem Paket schon eine Vollkasko für unseren Mietwagen enthalten ist, buchen wir noch eine “Sandsturmoption” dazu, nachdem uns der Vermieter Bilder von einem Auto gezeigt hat, wie so ein Auto nach einem Sandsturm aussieht. Sicherlich hat auch etwas der gerade tobende Wind unsere Entscheidung beeinflusst.
      Wir bekommen auch noch die wichtigste Homepage von Island genannt: auf www.safe.is findet der Reisende alles wichtige zum Thema Autofahren auf Island.
      Wir packen unseren Krämpel in den mit Spikes ausgerüstete 4x4 SUV und fahren los, denn schließlich haben wir noch 4 Stunden Fahrt vor uns.
      Bis Reykjavík kommen wir auch gut voran, die Straßen sind größtenteils schneefrei, nur hier und da ein paar Eisplatten, aber dank der Spikes alles unkritisch. In Reykjavik biegen wir auf den Highway 1, auf dem man die komplette Insel einmal umrunden kann. Highway ist etwas hoch gegriffen, denn eigentlich ist es eine gut ausgebaute Landstraße, teilweise zweispurig, dann mit Mittelleitplanke, aber eigentlich einspurig.
      Der Wind kommt konstant von links, so dass man doch etwas gegenlenken muss. Irgendwann fliegt auch noch Schnee waagerecht von inks nach rechts. Die Sicht wird immer schlechter, dunkel ist es ja sowieso schon seid der Landung. Dann kommen Straßenschilder und ich weiß gar nicht recht, ob ich jetzt eigentlich links oder rechts an dem Schild vorbei muss, um auf unserer Route zu bleiben.
      Hier ist der Punkt gekommen, wo wir beide entscheiden umzudrehen und zurück nach Reykjavík zu fahren. Unter dieses Bedingung noch so weit zu fahren macht keinen Sinn.
      Katja ergoogelt uns ein kleines Hotel etwa 20 Minuten Fahrt zurück in Richtung Reykavik. Auf der Rückfahrt sehen wir auch die drei Schneepflüge wieder, die uns vorhin entgegen gekommen sind. Diesmal stehen sie auf der anderen Seite und sperren die Straße. Das macht definitiv Sinn wie wir jetzt wissen.
      Das Hotel ist klein aber fein, das Zimmer skandinavisch modern eingerichtet. Wir essen noch unser letztes belegtes Brötchen aus Deutschland und schauen uns mal die Homepage www.safe.is an. Und jetzt sehen wir auch die gesperrten Streckenabschnitte und nützlichen Informationen zum Wetter, vor allem zum Wind. Das eigentlich gebuchte Hotel rufen wir auch noch an und sagen Bescheid, dass wir nicht mehr kommen. Erstaunlicherweise müssen wir keine Stornogebühr bezahlen, denn wenn “The road is closed, the road is closed”.
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    • Day 4

      10 km wandern

      November 28, 2023 in Iceland ⋅ ☁️ 1 °C

      Heute war ich allein, keine Touristen, kein Reisebegleiter, aber dafür wunderschöne Natur pur. Ich habe eine 10 km lange Wanderung um den Vulkankrater Grabrok, dann am Fluss entlang bis zu einem Wasserfall und auf dem Rückweg durch diese Lavafelder gemacht. Folge dem Weg, wo keiner ist, ist mir fast lieber, alles die bereit angelegten geschotterten Wege für die Touris.
      Danach bin ich durchs Hinterland gefahren, schmale Schotterpisten und auf 66 km sind mir 2 Fahrzeuge entgegengekommen. So berauschend die Landschaft ist, ich möchte keine Autopanne dort haben. Am Wasserfalleinstieg von Glymur war ich dann endlich auch mal vernünftig, es war schon nach 4.00 und nicht mehr lange hell. Ich bin die Tour nicht mehr gelaufen, Rückfahrt dauerte dann auch nochmal mehr als eine Stunde, es ist stockdunkel und ich bin von gestern ziemlich müde. Ich habe jedes Abenteuer genossen, aber für heute ist es genug.
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    • Day 38

      Stadt, Land, Fluss

      September 4, 2019 in Iceland ⋅ 🌧 9 °C

      Heute morgen starte ich schon früh. Bevor ich gehe, verabschiede ich mich noch von Regina. Das war eine super schöne Woche hier!

      Da ich am Vormittag das Auto in Reykjavik schon wieder abgeben muss, beeile ich mich. Ich mache mich auf den Weg nach Hveragerði zu einem natürlichen heißen Fluss, in dem man baden kann. Der Weg dorthin ist anstrengender und länger als gedacht, aber die Anstrengung hat sich gelohnt. Da es noch vor 9 Uhr ist, habe ich das Glück die aller erste zu sein und genieße die Stille.
      Auf dem Rückweg kommen mir sehr viele Leute entgegen.
      In Reykjavik gebe ich unser tapferes Auto ab und mache mich auf zu Reykjaviks Secondhandläden. Ich bin auf der Suche nach einem typischen Islandpullover und werde auch schnell fündig. Den Pulli ziehe ich nie wieder aus, so kuschelig und weich!
      Den Rest des Tages laufe ich durch Reykjavik und gehe ins Schiffahrtsmuseum und schaue mir eine Ausstellung über die isländische Fischerei an.
      Am Nachmittag treffe ich mich noch kurz auf einen Kaffee mit den Leuten, die ich Sonntag kenne gelernt hatte.
      Abends mache ich mich auf zu Lára und Simon, bei denen ich die nächsten Tage verbringen darf, so wie letztes Jahr auch schon.
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    • Day 12

      My name is Paul...and I'm a knitter !!

      May 19, 2017 in Iceland ⋅ ☀️ 6 °C

      Today we finally departed our home for these past 3 days ..."the farm".Turned out to be a great base for day jaunts and just relaxing at night. The staff were terrific and helpful in guiding us to some sites we may have otherwise missed. In addition....the owner enlightened me about how Icelanders shop.....on-line from China thru Alibaba OR flying to Edmonton with empty suitcases !! I have told you it is pricey here....even for the locals.

      Last night was busy there as 12 ladies were at dinner as part of a tour. During breaks between courses, they introduced themselves to the group and shared their stories as to who initially got them interested in their hobby. They were close by so it was impossible not to hear them. Initially I thought I was at an AA meeting. Turns out ......they all love to knit. Canada,US,Britain and France were accounted for. An annual junket....destination changes. What better place to hold a knitting meeting than Iceland? I did notice that the farm's sheep looked a little nervous this morning !!

      This morning when I returned the room key, all 12 were in a side room of the restaurant.....knitting.

      Farewell to "the farm"....we're headed down the road.....about 10 km to climb a crater before I've had morning coffee. We park,hop out and I ask a fella who just descended the crater if I need gloves ! "It's a bit windy up there but not cold." CRAP?...I need windy like Trump needs more controversy. We set off up the stairs and occasionally I have to stop and catch my breath. Catherine keeps on going like the proverbial Energizer bunny. She is the true trooper in this relationship. She trucks all the way to the top. Me? Nope.....stop 3/4 of the way.....no hand rails....too much wind....ain't happening !! Catherine gets some good pics and eventually returns. We descend and put a check mark beside yet another site. Not in our top 10 though.

      Next up is a photo op that we have been trying to get for 3 days. It's a cute pic but there is no where to pull off easily. We pass the site and it takes me 5 minutes to find a suitable place to turn around. We manage to find a roadway near the site and voila, Catherine gets some pics ....small,painted houses in a hill of lava,grass or straw....not really sure. Oh well, mission accomplished.

      Next stop...Borganes. I know...we've been there, done that. But today the local market is open so we have to pop in. Nothin' to see her so let's go next door to that great coffee house overlooking the bay/fjord/ocean (pick one). Eventually we leave and head for Reykjavik. Crossing the bridge out of Borganes, we get a new view of the town so stop to get some more pics. OK.....off to the big city.

      The drive is more memorable than we expected including the 6 km tunnel that costs 1000 kronor. We have an apartment booked and a Garmin loaded with an address. I get more roundabout practice enroute which will do me in good stead in St Thomas someday. We are in the burbs of Reykjavik...about 15 minutes from the city centre. The building is owned by a corporation....relatively new....we score a studio. BONUS is across the street so we grab a few staples and actually cook dinner.

      Tomorrow...downtown Reykjavik for the day plus we are attending that Icelandic Saga play !! Should be fun trying to keep all of that straight.

      You will notice one pic of our car dash.....it was 15C today(best day yet) BUT Cath had the heat up on her side of the car!!!
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    • Day 14

      Reykjavik....Icelandic for "Canada East"

      May 21, 2017 in Iceland ⋅ 🌙 6 °C

      Today we commuted from the 'burbs into downtown Reykjavik. An easy 15 minute drive along an expressway that London(Ont) coulda/shoulda built 40 years ago. We found a place to park....not an easy task....and headed for probably the city's #1 attraction--a church. Not just any church mind you.....this one is recognizable the minute you see a photo of it so rest assured we attached one here for you!!

      We proceeded to wander around the busy streets with their painted walls and found the main shopping street. Plenty of people...no shopping bags. That is a sure sign of trouble. As we have been saying all along, it is pricey to shop here. Regardless of that, the street is bustling with people, cafes, skateboarders and a "bride to be" in a onesie !!

      We needed to return to the car to ante up some more $$ for the parking meter. As we headed back, we stopped at a bakery we had seen within minutes of leaving the church. It was lined up out the door so we promised ourselves we would return. And we did. OMG!! Two cinnamon buns and a coffee later, we make our way to the corner where there are platforms, not benches. We sit and inhale our treats alongside numerous others. When done, we cross the street to take a pic of some very colourful doors. Three fellows walk by and one heads to the backyard of these homes. As he does,his pal makes an aloof comment which in turn draws a response from me. His comeback is "but we're not Americans." That's OK, neither are we." And so the conversation begins. The 3 are here "working" for US....as in, you and I. They are with our Air Force and helping fulfill Canada's obligation to NATO. Seems we send planes and support to Iceland every 3years.We protect Iceland's air space. These fellas are support staff to the pilots and planes. They confirm that the planes we saw several days ago in Akureyri were indeed Canadian fighter jets. Amongst the funny revelations during our chat was that one fella was married (past tense) to a gal from Cath's original neck of the woods. Small world, eh?? Anyways, we gave them some tourist tips which was funny indeed considering these guys had been here a month and had another month to go . They returned the favour by telling us we could park at the church for free. Fair trade.

      A short while later we encounter 2 young gals who are looking for a bank. Turns out they too are from Canada and ,along with about 10 other gals, are here for a bachelorette weekend !!!! From friggin' Nova Scotia to Reykjavik for a girls' weekend?? Kids today,eh!!! Anyways, banks here are closed Saturday and they were having trouble even finding an ATM. Catherine was able to help them solve their problem BUT wasn't invited to tag along for "the party."

      Tonite we attended the comedy "Icelandic Sagas" at The Harpa, Reykjavik's beautiful concert hall at the harbour. Hey Port Stanley, maybe you should build one of these at our harbour!! Anyways, the show was very funny and Cath had a cameo at one point .

      A very productive day. Tomorrow, Laundry and more cinnamon buns.

      Pics...."bride to be", the church, the bakery, 3 painted walls
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    • Day 14

      All cleaned up.....

      May 21, 2017 in Iceland ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C

      It is Sunday in Reykjavik and what better way to spend one's vacation than doing laundry? We scoot into the city to the ONLY place that offers public Laundry service...The Laundry Cafe. Less than two hours later--mission accomplished...off to the bakery for warm cinnamon buns as our reward.

      We stroll around the old town area, harbour and bay. The city appears to be undergoing a transformation from old to new. Sleek high rise buildings(likely condos) dot the landscape along the bay and construction cranes are in abundance. Reykjavik is pretty enough but seems too sterile for our liking. It is hard to believe that we are still in Iceland when comparing the city to what we have seen prior to arriving here on Friday. I guess we miss the countryside charms of glaciers, waterfalls ("foss") and perilous roads!!

      I will say this....Reykjavik sure is clean.

      Our suburb is also under the development knife. New buildings all over the place and more on the way. You would think with all this development and tourism boom, someone would think to build a laundromat? We are across the street from a restaurant supply biz that also sells high end appliances. We asked if they could hook up a washer/dryer for us to use after hours? After all, what better way to sell your product than by having people try them out? It was worth a shot!

      One final bit of trivial knowledge for today. We discovered why the Icelandic hot dog is so popular/famous. They are made with lamb. They aren't baaaaaad.

      Tomorrow....The Golden Circle. Can't wait.

      The pics.....The Harpa concert hall, line ups for hot dogs, Viking ship art at the bay, walking trail along bay, more painted walls
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    • Day 15

      Paging aJohn Denver

      May 22, 2017 in Iceland ⋅ ☁️ 13 °C

      It's Monday and we have had this day pencilled in for months. It is "Golden Circle" day and we are very excited to return to "the road." The Golden Circle isn't really anything other than a marketing idea to promote several sites. We start our day at Pingvellir National Park. It is jaw droppingly stunning for its harsh beauty and its historical significance. If you follow Game of Thrones, this is where a sword fight between The Hound and that giant,blonde woman was filmed. Upon seeing the scenery here, the episode came flashing back at once. We score a bonus "foss" here....Oxararfoss. It is not the biggest we have seen but would handily win in the category of "Best Mini-foss".

      We then set our sights on Laugarvatn, a mere blip on a road map BUT home to a well respected restaurant, "Lindin." We normally have not stopped for lunch so today is a treat for both of us. Considering it is mid-afternoon, the place is quite busy. Lunch scores thumbs up from us both. Time for a gusher or two.

      Next up....Geysir. THE original. All future geysirs were named after this one. It doesn't really have a name BUT it likely boasts the largest tourist info,gift shop, restaurant,etc building that we have encountered at any site. Cath gets video of the geysir blowing its top a few times and we wander through the shop before leaving empty handed. We agree that because of the large touristy building, Geysir truly is a tourist "trap" but not in a bad way like Lundy's Lane in Niagara Falls.

      OK.....stop number 3 of 3 coming up. It's time for another (and possibly last in Iceland for us) "foss". We make the short trek to Gullfoss. You may recall that I said we visited Dettifoss and that it was possibly the mother of all waterfalls? Well, we have a new #1 folks. Gullfoss wins in a landslide vote as our favourite waterfall.....and believe me, we saw a LOT of them during our travels. It has everything you would want......speed, power,beauty. One of their info boards stated that it moves water faster than The Falls at Niagara Falls. Can't honestly say I would want to know who jumped into the water to test that so I'll take their word as gospel. Again.....white water rafters need not apply at this "foss."

      WHEW. What a day. As Denver sang, "thank God I'm a country boy." We were so happy to hit the road again. We agreed that finishing with 2 days on the road is the perfect ending to our time here in Iceland. Reykjavik versus the entire country is so polar opposite and for us, we came here to see the natural beauty and experience some natural phenomena.

      Oooops, wait a sec......seems I forgot one last thing. Speaking of natural phenomena. We ended our day at "The Secret Lagoon", a hot pot fed by a natural hot spring. It is in Fludir, yet another pimple on the map but oh, so worth finding. We soak our day away chatting with a couple from Seattle. She and Catherine are both enjoying a Somersby Cider which is not available in Seattle so now we have another person to deliver Somersbys to when we visit the gang in Portland !! The Secret Lagoon was our 6th pool/hot pot/hot tub spot during our trip. Heck, we barely dip our toes into the lake at Port Stanley and we live there!

      Tomorrow....pack and go. Small road trip followed by a move closer to the airport and the return of the rental car.

      Pics....Cath at Oxararfoss, us in Pingvellir Park, 2 "Canada" geese in Pingvellir, 2 shots of Gullfoss, Gullfoss info board
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    You might also know this place by the following names:

    Kópavogshreppur, Kopavogshreppur

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