Unsurprisingly, I woke up to the rain. But not for long: I took advantage of a lull to fold the soaked tent before it started again. There's always that fine line between folding a wet but dry tent, or waiting for it to dry out a bit and then folding it up again in the downpour. It's a matter of perspective. I opted for the first option.
We warm up in the overcrowded campsite kitchen (not glamorous, but honestly I couldn't see myself making coffee/tea outside in the rain). The day's schedule was apparently light... or so we thought.
Fjaðrárgljúfur
First stop at Fjaðrárgljúfur Canyon, which I had already seen in 2016. This spectacular canyon, carved by the Fjaðrá River, is almost 2 km long and 100 m deep. Its steep, moss-covered walls give it an unreal appearance. Of course, since 2016 it has been widely "Instagrammed" (it exploded in popularity after a Justin Bieber music video in 2015 😅). The result: paid parking, built-up footbridges, and a steady stream of visitors.
And that's when we let our guard down... forgetting that in Iceland, when it doesn't rain, it's not a sign of good weather, it's a prelude to the worst: wind, fog, or rain (at best). And bam: fine, insidious rain, deadly for our Gore-Tex.
So it's completely decatrempes that we return to the car.
Decatrempe (nf): Advanced state of dampness where technical clothing, mid-layers, and even underwear merge into a single human sponge. Symptoms: cold, dubious humor, and the feeling of having jumped fully clothed into a lake.
Even my underwear was soaked. Apart from a pair of pants, I was ready for exhibitionism.
Luckily, we find a cozy little cafe-restaurant. Gabrielle takes out her brushes and paints the nearby waterfall with gouache, under the curious and amazed gaze of the Polish staff.
Warmed up and satisfied, we returned to see the waterfall that had just been captured in real life, then we treated ourselves to a “linner” (a fusion of lunch and dinner, a concept patented on site).
Svartifoss
In the evening, we set off hiking to Svartifoss, "the black waterfall." Famous for the hexagonal basalt columns that surround it, it also inspired the architect Guðjón Samúelsson for the facade of Hallgrímskirkja Church in Reykjavik. Less impressive in terms of flow, but incredibly graphic and mineral.
Night, Icelandic version
Finding a place to sleep becomes a real headache in this region: sublime landscapes, but omnipresent "no camping" signs. At 9:30 p.m., night falls quickly. Gabrielle luckily finds a track leading to a beach. Perfect... until 4:30 a.m., when the rain and especially the wind rage. The car shakes, the tent squeals. At times, we wonder if the tent will burst before the car topples.
No lie-in this time. And we're starting the 25th without coffee.
#Fjaðrárgljúfur #Svartifoss #CanyonLife #IcelandicNature #IslandVibes #EpicLandscapes #WaterfallHunting #IcelandCascades #GoldenCircleEscape #BeyondTheCrowds #LandOfFireAndIce #TravelTales #GoreTexFail #Decatrempe #SoakedToTheBone #AdventureNotComfort #IcelandWeather #MeteoDantesque #TravelHumor #VanLifeIceland #TentLife #LinnerTime #ExplorerSpirit #RoadToNowhere #InkavikJourney #IslandRoadtrip #ArtAndTravel #GabriellePaints #NomadicLife #UnpredictableIceland
