At the ferry port of Brjánslækur, I started to read the novell "Flateyjargáta", "The Riddle of Flatey" by the Icelandic author Viktor Arnar Ingólfsson. In addition to the criminal history, the book also refers to the book Flateyjarbók, the most extensive collection of manuscripts from the early Icelandic period, which was not written in Flatey, but was kept for a while in Flatey. The bishop of Skálholt, Brynjólfur Sveinsson, gave the Flateyjarbók in the 17th century to the Danish king, and it was not until 1971 that it was brought back to Iceland.
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During the ferry crossing the weather was clear (but windy) and you could see Snæfellsjökull in the distance.
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The evening and the next morning were very relaxed. There are no cars on the 2000m by 400m small island and today only 10 permanent inhabitants are registered in Flatey.
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I have not locked my bike on the island at night :), the ferry Baldur came back at 10.30am again ...
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A recumbent rider from Germany was on the ferry and we spent the night in the campground in Flatey next to the tent of a photographer, who has made some exciting book projects and is currently working on more and traveling with his family.
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Fishing is a big thing in Flatey, as almost everywhere in Iceland. Here, the catch is dried.
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I had the impression that all the inhabitants of the island gathered at the pier when the ferry arrived at noon ... and a travelled on to Stykkishólmur in the north of the Snæfellsnes peninsula.
(20) Snæfellsnes
Snæfellsnes is also called Mini Iceland, because on a small area all the charms of the large island are present. Lava fields
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... fjords ...
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... smileys in the fields and glacier-shaped mountains like the Kirkjufell, which was shaped as a Nunatak.
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At the west end of the peninsula is Snæfellsjökull ("snow mountain glacier") a 1446 m high stratovulcano and the entrance to the center of the earth according to Jules Verne ...
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The 412-meter high Gufuskálar built in 1959 is the tallest structure in Western Europe and served as radionavigation for the US Army until the mid-1990s. Today an Icelandic radio program is broadcasted on the long wave range.
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The weather got worse and the wind grew stronger. I walked around Snæfellsnes and went on a hike near the village of Arnarstapi along the coast. Great black-backed gulls, kittiwakes, fulmars and arctic terns.
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At a coffee break I saw that Iceland is apparently just being targeted by google ...
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In the evening, I visited the spatter cone Eldborg í Hnappadal near the farm Snorrastaðir. The 50m deep and ca 200m diameter crater is locateds in the lava field Eldborgarhraun and is very evenly shaped.
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The next morning towards Borgarnes the (head) wind began. Unpredictable side gusts also made it difficult for me to reach the Hvítá valley. Wet cold weather all day. I looked at the waterfalls of Hraunfossar, which seem to be fed directly from the lava field.
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A campsite with swimming pool in Húsafell, not far from the highland gravel road Kaldidalur, or Kaldadalsvegur, gave me in a copse windbreak for 2 nights. I met Danes and Dutchmen, who already spent their 9th and 7th holidays in Iceland and also waited there for the weather to improve.
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I spent a day reading in the tent and exploring the surrounding area by hiking until I continued next day with still not quite wonderful weather.
(21) Kaldidalur and Þingvellir
Kaldidalur, the "cold valley", between the volcano Ok and the glacier Þórisjökull is the shortest of the Icelandic highland roads.
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The road Uxahryggjavegur (it is a pleasure to write this tongue twister :)) was the main route to Þingvellir and the Althing from North and West Iceland.
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"Þing" means the Annual General Meeting, and "vellir" are fields. The Norwegian Vikings who inhabited Iceland met in June for 2 weeks for a legislative meeting called Alþing. Geologically, it is comparatively interesting in a fault embayment and is surrounded by four active volcano systems.
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Via Laugarvatn I went on to Stóri Geysir, the circle around Iceland closes in the next part: Seljalandsfoss this time with sunshine ...
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