North Iceland and Myvatn
More great weather today, 14 °C almost all day. According to the Vedur site, the weather would only get a bit cloudy in Akureyri that evening. The day's itinerary took us to Myvatn via Akureyri and its life-saving photo shop named “Pedro Myndir” so long awaited by my Canon camera…
To reach our guesthouse on the road between Akureyri and Goðafoss, we decided to take road 76 and the Siglufjördur, Ölafsfjörður, and Dalvik fjords. The drive was pleasant except for those terrifying single-lane tunnels that go on for several kilometers around Siglufjördur. Typically Icelandic, these tunnels have oncoming traffic so you have to park on the side while waiting for the car in front to pass, a bit claustrophobic for me...
The fjords were impressive and stopped at Dalvik to stock up on groceries at a “Bonús” shop. We then arrived in Akureyri a little before noon and finally time for me to finally go to Pedro Myndir which was...closed. It was Sunday after all (which we didn't think about being on vacation) so the shops, or at least most of them, were closed. I'd have to come back tomorrow. We stuck around Akureyri to eat at the “Bautin,” quite a nice spot and their mutton was very good.
From Goðafoss to Myvatn
Once we had eaten our fill and checked in at the Edda Hotel near Goðafoss, we left for Myvatn and the sites we knew by heart but wanted to see again: the colors of Namafjall, the walk in Krafla (Leirhnjukur), and the ascent of Vìti.
A swim at the Myvatn nature baths (Jardboðin) was well deserved. Much fewer people than at the Blue Lagoon, and incidentally much cheaper (2,800 kr). Basking in 38 °C water in the middle of this lunar landscape around Myvatn is really very special, I loved it.
In the evening we decided to eat at the Vogafjòs farm (cowshed café) where we had been back in 2006, a restaurant in the middle of the farm with the cows grazing next to you, quite unique. In 6 years, the restaurant had grown so much! There were no longer 1 but 6 servers, nearly 20 tables compared to 3 or 4 in 2006...
The food, and the particularly popular meal (Lax), were still as good as ever. Finally, on the way back, with the beautiful light of the day I decided to go to Goðafoss around 11:00PM to take a few photos with in the crepuscular light. This waterfall was as beautiful as ever, and then, at this hour, it wasn't too crowded...
