Fjaðrárgljúfur Canyon
When we left Hunkubakkar Guesthouse, where we stayed the night, the owner told us there was a really beautiful canyon just 2 km further down the road that we should really see. Nothing about it in our Lonely Planets and Rough Guides, but as it was really close we decided to check it out. Fjaðrárgljúfur Canyon (yes, I am also not quite sure how to pronounce that exactly...) is the perfect example on how beautiful Iceland really is. This thing is literally in someone's backyard (the gravel road going there is the road that takes you to the guesthouse), not even in the tourist guides, but SO stunning! While doing a little research for this post I even found out it served as a filming location for Thor: The Dark World. That Tom Hiddleston might have walked here, makes it even more beautiful ;-)
Skaftafell National Park
After a half-an-hour drive we finally reached the southern periphery of the Vatnajökull: Skaftafell National Park. It's many glacier tongues stretch out onto the plains and are clearly visible from the Ringroad. And again, also the Vatnajökull has been the filming location for several movies en television series, including the James Bond movie A View to Kill, Batman Begins and Game of Thrones.
 Vatnajökull in Game of Thrones |  Vatnajökull in Batman Begins |
Our last stop before heading back to Reykjavik was the glacial lake Jökulsárlón, another gorgeous place frequently used as a filming location.
 Jökulsárlón in James Bond: Die Another Day |  Jökulsárlón in Lara Croft: Tomb Raider |
The lake is only 60 years old, and was created by the retreating glacier tongue. The deep gorges that the glacier left behind were filled with meltwater and large blocks of ice. These icebergs gather at the mouth of the lake's shallow exit, melt down into smaller ice blocks and roll out into the sea, only a kilometre away. There you can see the ice blocks on the black sand beach , thrown back onto the land by the sea. It really is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been to....
When we arrived there was a large group of seals fishing in the lake and enjoying the sunshine. Along the coast a group of whales could be seen from the shore. I tried to talk a little 'Seal' to the nearest seal, and although I was a little rusty, I did think he understood what I was talking about (I did however receive some weird looks from some other tourists there) ;-)
 Or maybe it was because I was trying to do snow angels on a block of ice.... |  "Ort Ort Ort!" (Translation: "Yes indeed, great day for fishing!") |
Black sand
The beach
After that we had a long ride back to Reykjavik, but it was totally worth it!
