📍 ///optician.inclement.chemistry
It's been sunny for three days now, and it feels amazing. There are very few clouds on the horizon, which is almost surprising.
It's a bit of a stopover day before heading back to the capital for the various adjustments before the Highlands and the South. A lot of driving, but we still start with a semi-wild hot spring by the roadside: Hellulaug. Nestled by the sea in a small natural stone pool, this 38–40°C spring is free and open to all. We dive in with a direct view of the fjord, a simple but quite magical experience. When we reach it, it's already noon – time to drive from Breiðavík on a rutted road, half of which is under construction, which slows us down considerably.
At the last minute, we catch the 2 p.m. ferry. It's no shorter than the road, but it cuts the driving time by about 2.5 hours. This time, we won't stop at Flatey, a small island in the middle of Breiðafjörður Bay, where I had already stopped in 2008. Once inhabited by about a hundred people, it now has only a handful of permanent residents. Famous for its timeless calm, its single street lined with colorful houses, its seabird colonies, and its small church decorated by the artist Baltasar Samper, the island is also a popular destination for Icelandic writers and poets. Gabrielle will have to leave that for another time.
Arriving in Reykjavik, we sit down on a terrace and are immediately approached by some locals—two musicians and a chef—who are taking advantage of the nice weather to kick off the evening in a bar. They invite us to follow them elsewhere, but tired, we prefer to look for a place to sleep. Tomorrow, we have a lot to do. They loved Gabrielle's work and gave us a lot of tips for the future.
Tonight, we're sleeping in an unlikely place: between a soccer field and the parking lot of some kind of center that looks like an ice rink. It's a huge contrast to the last few weeks. If we don't end up at the local police station, we'll be able to roam the city again tomorrow.
#IcelandRoadTrip #Reykjavik #Hellulaug #Flatey #Inkavik #TravelSketchbook #Vanlife
