Final day of my weekend or how can a weekend have five days. Even the best trip ends at some point in time. And if you were wondering why my weekend had so many days, you may want to know how I count to five. Also, today I met François, I investigated a Fjord, encountered a lot of rain and learned to correctly park my car when it is windy.
The Finale = last days
in Iceland for me on this trip. How can a weekend have more than three days I have been asked when publishing my last blog entry. Well, it just a matter of counting. Day 1 for me was a Friday, Day 4 the Monday, a vacation day for me and today actually was the day which I met my business partners in Reykjavik. So this day is my final day.
Good morning and goodbye Hvolsvöllur – the final day
Usual procedure at the hotel, breakfast with a view of the mountains in the east. Almost completely covered by clouds today, some streaks of sun made it and created a wonderful atmosphere and a photogenic and dramatic sky. And was able to capture such a photo only a few miles down the road after having left the hotel.
However, the forecast for this day was not that promising: heavy rain and strong winds for the west of Iceland. And soon after I left the hotel it started raining. And it did not stop until Reykjavik.
For this day, I had planned to explore a little the Hvalfjordur fjord and head to Akranes, a little town north of Reykjavik.
Hvalfjordur
There was some sun when I passed Reykjavik. But entering the Hvalfjordur fjord on a rural road, it started raining again and should not stop any more. So I drove on for miles and miles through this magnificent landscape. And I was not really in the mood of stopping and taking photos in the cold rain.
But then I saw François on his bike. In his red rain clothes he was a welcoming colorful addition to the desaturated blues, greys and browns of the landscape. And his bike with it fat tires looked like it was made for the inland gravel roads.
At the top of a steep ascent I stopped and took a couple of shots of him, as he was struggling with rain and wind gusts (easily topping 10 bft). Soon, he had caught up with me and stopped. So we chatted a little bit about the weather, where he is from (France, of course) , when he came to Iceland and why he is cycling here. The bike with its enormous tires was actually built for the usual weather at this time of the year. That would have been snow and ice at temperatures just below freezing point. To both our disadvantage, we were encountering the 8°C, rain and wind.
Soon François was on his way again, uncertain if he would reach his planned destination. And indeed, he would have to camp earlier and get very wet, as I could read later on his facebook page. Only a few days later, he would abort his mission, rent a car instead and enjoy Iceland in a more comfortable manner.
On may way onward, I only stopped a couple of times for taking photos when the rain kind of stopped. But often I would only walk for a hundred meters before I got wet again. Luckily, A/C and seat heating would dry my clothes very fast.
At the turning point of the fjord (is there a name for this point?), I parked my car, opened the door and was not able to close it again. I really had to move the car to be able to close the door – just because the wind was so strong… Lesson learned: Take into account the direction of wind when parking a car in Iceland.
Akranes
Miles later I was at that shipyard with that old rusty boat everybody in the Iceland fora is talking about. Having seen only photos of it, I was surprised that people actually go there. The boat is located on a shipyard. Although nobody took any notice of me, it seems to by private property nevertheless. And there are trucks and cranes moving.
The other landmark I was able to visit without before I really had to head back to Reykjavik was the old Akranes lighthouse. There is actually a little museum/office next to it. And I think, access to the top is free. However, taking a couple of shots was the only activity I could allow myself for the sake of time. And soon I was on my road leading back to Reykjavik – my final day was soon to end and end too soon.
Reykjavik
Later, between meeting my business partners and having dinner at a fancy restaurant I had the opportunity to have a quick look at Reykjavik. Nothing out of the ordinary, just a walk around the harbor and downtown towards Hallgrimmskirkja – Reykjavik’s famous cathedral. Here are a few photos I snapped before doing serious business 😉
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