Hitchhiking the East Fjords

Oh I was so wired the following morning! More good coffee for breakfast and a beautifully warm and sunny morning had me feeling pretty hyper. Although in a kind of ‘I’m going DO something’ way that meant I was knackered before I’d even finished thinking of what I was going to do! Maybe that’s the real reason I don’t drink coffee?

So that days plan was going to be a hitch to Höfn on the south east side of Iceland before hitching to Jökulsárlón for the evening and hopefully getting some awesome pictures of the icebergs (yup you heard me, icebergs)

I was really lucky and managed to pick up hitch in the mail van before I’d even left the town borders and was whisked to Rey∂arfjör∂ur in double quick time, through a little mountain pass...

There’s not an awful lot in Rey∂arfjör∂ur, but it does have some stunning scenery!


After leaving Rey∂arfjör∂ur, I managed to pick up a hitch with Robert,from Sweden. He was working on a farm a little way further up, planting trees on the mountain slopes (part of a government initiative). It was a pity he was working so close as he was a really interesting guy. One of those people you could easily hang out with for a whole afternoon and not realise that time was passing.

Anyway, not 2 minutes after I left Robert and managed to take this picture...

I was picked up by Daniel and Matthias (I think that’s the right spelling) from the Black Forest area of Germany (although I’m convinced Matthias was italian), who were on their way to Reykjavik. They were lovely lads and they managed to cram me into the back of their van for the rest of the journey to Höfn. Which for Daniel who was driving was probably the worst part of his trip. Not necessarily because I was there, just because the journey was really quite long and the road turned into the kind that you really need 4x4 for, not necessarily a little van. Still I managed to get some photos as we went. The jury’s still out for me on the East vs. West fjord debate I was having with myself.

By the time we’d got to Höfn though the weather was getting a bit cloudy, not only that but Höfn as a town, doesn’t really have that much going on. After stocking up a bit on food, (mini cinnamon rolls and strawberry AB mjölk. There’s only so many carrots a girl can eat) I caught a hitch to Jökulsárlón with ... who was going home after work. Just before we got there I got my first proper look at a glacier (I think this is Skalafellsjökull)...

Jökulsárlón is a huge glacier river lagoon formed when the glacier began rapidly shrinking. Erm I think this was back in the 40’s maybe. I’ll check the guidebook later. It’s also somewhere that I really, really wanted to go when I was first coming to Iceland. Not only did it mean I’d get to see icebergs, I’d be able to do it without the sea sickness that I’d probably get going round the Arctic in a boat.

If you make it to Iceland you HAVE to go. Yes, there will be tourists, but if you walk around the ‘lake’ a bit you’ll get rid of most of them within about 5 minutes Not only that but the place is simply stunning.

I could have quite happily spent all day/night there taking photos. In fact when I come back I WILL be toting a D-SLR of some kind and a car, that way I can get there as early or late as I like and indulge myself completely!