06.44 We have awakened with various strange things on/in our brains. I had the theme song to an old Swedish radio program, Christer had the Fraggle Rock song and Roberth anxiety. Now water is boiling in the kettle here in the room. That water will be poured into my thermos and later mixed with instant coffee. During the night it was hard to open the door to our room. We have no private toilet; it is in the hallway a short distance away.

08.13 Now all things are mostly done. We have eaten breakfast and got in contact with the car rental company. They will come here to the hotel to pick us up in an hour. Christer and I pack the last things. Roberth’s off to buy some ”smell good”, scented water. The accommodation has been good but with a little extra low ventilation however. The biggest drawback is the stinking water but you can not blame the hotel on the volcanic Iceland for having tap water with a sulfur smell.

08.58 There's a towel on the floor. On my bed is the backpack that I bought in 2000. Soon, the backpack, the rest of our belongings and also we will leave the room here at the 4th Floor Hotel.

09.07 Roberth was almost recruited to a horse excursion as he stood and waited for our pickup. All went well and now we leave the hotel with the transportation to the car rental office in the outskirts of the city. There will be a stop for a pick-up on the way there.

09.21 Three passengers joined at Reykjavik's domestic airport and now the journey continue towards the office. I hope that the journey from there is just as good for us as it is now. It's not just the water that smells of sulfur today, the whole Reykjavik is embedded in a faint odor of sulfur.

Peter signs a contract before our car is retrieved.

Our vehicle is checked before departure.

We have made today's first stop west of Hella.

The Hekla volcano is visible from a distance.

10.04 We're at the combined car company and car rental where we'll pick up our pre-booked car. We have arranged with several insurances and all papers are signed. We also got some useful information from the guy who helped us. Although he was Icelandic, he spoke a distinctive British English. Now let's get in the car and set off. We'll be travellling in a silver coloured Ford Fiesta which has an automatic transmission and has gone a full 16 kilometers before this day.

10.17 We are now, after a little spin in the local area, up on route 1. Roberth sits behind the controls. A liter of diesel costs 236.10 kronor, Icelandic that is. It will be 14,66 in Swedish kronor or US$2.

10.32 Our journey in Iceland has unexpectedly become a city tour of Reykjavik. Because of poor signage, we were first going north, and then we turned and ended up in Reykjavik's western parts. Now we are heading back to the place where it all started to get wrong.

10.44 Suddenly things started to happen. Robert’s phone rang and Christer discovered the exit road south towards Vik. We entered that road and might now be on the right track.

11.12 Our little journey has taken us past a snow covered mountain area where we met a plow car. Now we pass Hveragerdi with geothermal heat and greenhouses. We have 120 kilometers to go to Selfoss. The snow is gone and we can see Icelandic horses to the left of us.

11.41 The landscape is dry and hilly. The volcano Hekla is visible at the horizon. It is one of Iceland's most active volcanoes. It is calm and completely covered by snow right now though.

11.52 We have made a stop to stretch our legs at Söluskálinn Landvegamót. In the distance is as mentioned earlier, Hekla. Here you can fill up at the OB, Odyrt Bensin and also buy horseshoes in a small shop at Olis. We're not doing anything of that kind.

12.45 We've reached the day's first sightseeing stop, the waterfall Seljalandsfoss which is one of Iceland's most photographed locations. We just had a little snack break in the car. It is time to move out of the car to look at the views here.

Seljalandsfoss.

Behind the waterfall.

Christer is trying to take good photos without getting a wet camera.

Jagged cliffs along the coast of Vik.

13.01 I stand behind the waterfall Seljalandsfoss. The clothes as well as the travel journal are wet. There is a walking path that goes around the entire waterfall. You can see it from what ever angle you prefer.

13.21 We have walked to and photographed a small waterfall near the major one. The fall visit this time is over, and soon I'll take over the driving of our car. We take, in the spirit of democracy, turns with the driving and have a rotation system in the vehicle. One person drives, one is the estimator (calculates distance, selects appropriate places to stay on, etc.) The third sits in the backseat and is supplier of whatever is needed.

14.02 On our left we have a mountain with the glacier/volcano Eyjafjallajökull that stopped air traffic in Europe in 2010 through the ash clouds that occurred during the outbreaks here. We also passed Skógafoss, a beautiful waterfall that we just drove past because it looks almost exactly the same as the waterfall we had just visited.

14.30 My driving has taken us to Vik, the town on the Icelandic mainland which is furthest south. We have stopped at the petrol station N1 and entered Vikurskali restaurant. We are not alone here, a lot of other tourists have stayed here for lunch too. My comrades had soup of the day and I have BBQ burgeri with fröskum, burgers and fries. It has been a beautiful trip along the way here and we've seen Surtsey and Heimaey islands off the coast here.

15.23 We have reached Eldhraun, a 12 meter thick lava from the volcano Laki eruption 1783-84. The rocks are green, covered with moss or something like that. The Laki eruption caused the global natural disaster Móðuharðindin. Poison clouds from the eruption killed 75% of Iceland's livestock and 21% or 10 000 of the island's population. The fallout from the eruption also killed 23 000 in the United Kingdom and the deterioration of the environment with included crop failure years afterwards claimed to be a trigger for the French Revolution in 1789.

16.08 A stop has been made and it says Núpsstađur at the sign here. We have stopped in order to perpetuate the barren but beautiful views in this area. There are large steep massive looking down into or up out of the sea. The giant Vatnajökull glacier is not far away now.

Our journey goes through a barren landscape.

Green stones on the lava plateau Eldhraun.

Roberth is learning more about Iceland´s geography.

We are approaching Vatnajökull.

Christer at a heap of stones on Skeidarársandur.

16.41 My session behind the steering wheel is over. We stop at Skeiđarársandur, a flat area between the Vatnajökull and the sea. It is time to pick up the thermos with water heated on this morning and bring out the instant coffee. I want coffee. A flat and gravelly landscape is sprawling around us. Here you can also see the towering mountains. We are quite close to Vatnajökull. The huge glacier is 8 100 km², has a volume of 3 100 km3. The ice is at its thickest 1 000 meters thick.

17.32 Christer is now driving our car, the radio sings "Sweet surrender" and to the right of us is the Atlantic ocean.

17.55 We have stopped at the lake Jokulsárlón. Here Vatnajökull calves and sends chunks of ice into the sea. On the ice blocks and in the air is a variety of birds. We have also seen some seals swimming around. Here it is tranquil, beautiful, adorable, and peaceful. Best of all is perhaps that the sun has cast away the clouds around it and heats really nice. Too bad we do not have much time. Here one can stay long.

18.24 Below us is Gerđi. Above us is a mountain with terraces, steps, in the grassy slope between the mountain and the road is countless boulders. We are approaching this day's final destination. We will have, when we do that, driven almost 500 kilometers this first day of car tourism.

A glacier meets the sea.

A happy seal took a swim.

Christer at the wonderful lake Jökulsárlón.

Scenic views along road 1

19.36 We have a new home. We are in room 6 at Guesthouse Hvammur (http://www.hvammurinn.is) in Höfn, a cozy little community in the middle of nowhere in southeast Iceland. Now we will unpack before we go out and eat something somewhere, something. Here, just as in Reykjavik, we rushed up to the room before we checked in at the nether floor. To our defense can be said that we did not see any staff at all when we came here.

20.08 Today there will be dinner at Kaffi Hornid (http://www.kaffihorn.is), a restaurant housed in a wooden house in central Höfn. We choose between rein deer burger and fish. There are plenty of people here, basically just tourists. There are other dishes here but unfortunately, the prices are quite hefty. We have to order something affordable.

20.45 Reindeer burger with blue cheese, vegetables and cinnamon was delicious. Now I ordered a coffee, without cinnamon.

21.20 We're back in the room again. On the way home we saw the local teenagers who hung out at the town hall and tried to look cool. Is no better alternative, one can hang at a municipal building, why not? It is time for terrace-/evening beer. Höfn is a nice but very quiet community. Michael Schumacher who ended up in a coma when we were out travelling around the New Year is left in a coma. More positively, Skellefteå AIK are Swedish champions in ice hockey.

22.37 I am, with Viking beer in my stomach, ready to finish the day. It has been a beautiful journey that gave lots of nice memories.

22.46 It is good that tomorrow sometimes between 08.00 and 10.00 Roberth´s doctor will call him about his recent stomach problems, a likely gastritis. The bad thing is that it's Swedish time. In other words, the doctor may be on the phone already 6am if things go badly. Poor Roberth!

Guesthouse Hvammur, our home for one night.

Christer and Roberth walk towards this evening´s dinner.

Höfn

Peter and Roberth outside the restaurant Kaffi Hornid.

Tuesday 22nd of April

07.40 My nightly snoring has kept my friends awake. Roberth's doctor called early in the morning and left the message that something will be done if it all gets worse. There are no channels on our TV here in the room, too bad!

08.53 Sometimes it's good to think ahead. I will not put my small backpack with a map, guide book and travel journal in the back of the car when I should sit up front. We had breakfast in the ground floor of this great guesthouse and are now ready to leave Höfn and this accommodation.

09.06 Our journey with Christer behind the wheel has made a short stop. We stopped at Olis petrol station here in Höfn to refuel. It has been filled 30,75 liters of petrol for 7522 ISK. Our meter is at 481 km.

09.27 We travel eastwards from Höfn and follow the coast. It´s steep mountains to our left and a flat landscape and a sea with the low tide to the right. Right now our meter reached 500 km.

10.02 Austur-Skaftafellssysla is written on a rock. Djúpavogshreppur is written on a white sign. We look out over the roaring sea. We have made a stop for photography and more. It's wild, beautiful and monstrous. It's a little foggy but the fog keeps to higher ground along the slopes. Austur-Skaftafellssysla is a region and Djúpavogshreppur a small municipality with 458 inhabitants.

10.38 A mighty waterfall travels down towards the sea at our temporary resting place. One of the advantages of Iceland is that a random stop to stretch your legs often come with a natural experience. Now we must go on.

A photo stop along the sea.

A small part of road 1 is without asphalt.

We have reached Breiđdalsvik and Christer gives the car keys to the next driver, Peter.

11.05 We have passed Djúpivogur. The Hvitá River flows into Berufjörđur. Out in the fjord are some fish farms. According to the map, the road further ahead has a brown marking. We do not know what it means. We will soon find out.

11.12 The brown marking has been explained. We are now on a dirt road and have a smell of banana in the car. The banana scent has nothing to do with the dirt road, it is Roberth who is hungry.

12.10 Now, we stopped at a N1 petrol station in Breiđdalsvik. Here we have emptied our internal systems and bought more to stock up on in the small shop. The neighborhood here is reminiscent in some ways of the High Coast in Sweden, although it is difficult to pinpoint why. Now there is a driver change. I'll be putting myself behind the wheel and two pedals. The journal will be handed over to Christer.

12.27 We have just passed through Stöðvarfjörður with its famous mineral collection. This small village feels like a big city compared to regions we passed so far earlier today.

12.39 On the other side of the fjord we go along is the community Fáskrúðsfjörður which have an intense exchange with France and they have signs in both Icelandic and French, a French hospital and a French chapel. The reason is that French fishermen used to have the village as a base.

12.55 There have been break time. I am back at the writing. We are at Stuđlaheiđi, a moor area. We have switched from road 1 to road 96. Ahead of us awaits a six-kilometer long tunnel. We are having beverages and júlakaka bought at N1 in Breiđdalsvik. Christer are now more northerly than he's ever been before.

13.58 The trip through the tunnel went just fine. We swung out onto route 92 and up over the mountain. Suddenly the whole world around us turned white with snow. Now we are in Egilsstađir for a lunch at Skálinn, a combined petrol station and restaurant.

15.51 We left Egilsstađir and we turned onto Route 1 again. The journey has gone through a snowy mountain landscape. In the snow were two swans and on the radio, there has been advertisings for Fjällräven Kånken, the well-known backpack originating from my home area has once again appeared on one of our trips. Now it will be a driver switch. Here at the rest area with such beautiful views someone has left a nozzle and pipe from a spray bottle.

The tunnel which lead us to Reyðarfjörður.

Small farms far away from everything, typical for Iceland.

Lunch at Skálinn in Egilsstađir.

We are traveling through northeast Iceland in a winter landscape.

16.22 Bro u Jökulsá was written on a sign before the bridge we just crossed. Now we travel over a lava plateau called Búrfellshraun. This part of the Island is truly a wasteland. Basically, there are no villages, not even any buildings, just a path through a majestic landscape with huge expanses of mountain ranges in the background.

16.38 We are, to say the least, getting tired of the gray-white black landscape with snow, rock and lava. A change would be welcome. Here and there appear some half meter high mounds which over the years has been used to mark the right path. An information board is incoming. Roberth goes to the side of the road with the car. It says Mývatn on the sign. We have reached one of today's sights. Mývatn is a lake located in an area of high volcanic activity. We are glad that it's April and we do not have to experience the mosquitoes that gave the lake its name.

16.47 We went on a little bit further and veered off the road at Námafjall Hverir. Here, it smells of sulfur, are bubbling mud and is a lot of smoke. We have discovered that we unfortunately lost one of the car's hubcaps, probably as we passed a bump.

17.03 It reeks greatly here. The smell of sulfur causes the entire area to be wrapped in a flavor reminiscent of gas from the stomach. We have looked at the boiling mud, felt the heat in the ground and been fascinated by Planet Earth's internal powers.

17.17 We left the geothermal area. With us we have memories of the place and the smell of sulfur sticking in our noses. Just after the start, we saw a small pond with eerie blue water. In the vicinity of it were some geothermal plants. Now we will take a lap around Lake Myvatn before continuing.

17.29 There was really nothing wrong with the choice to follow the lake. The sun shines on the water, its beautiful rock formations and spectacular scenery. Again, it's a completely different world here in Iceland. The area at the sulfur springs did not look like anything on earth, rather something from another planet. On the radio there is talk about something concerning Icelandair and a Japanese person is interviewed in English about his flight. That's all I understand. I wonder if something has happened.

Hverir, Mývatn.

Peter is escaping the sulfur smell.

Roberth just found out that the ground is hot here.

The geothermal energy is being used.

Christer is freezing at Goðafoss waterfall.

17.45 Again, it's snow and ice around us. Under the ice is Másvatn, a lake we have on our right. We wonder if we'll make a stop again before the final stop for today. It has actually become evening.

18.01 There is laugher outside. We have entered the shop Dala Kofinn Laugar. There is someone else who is laughing. We enjoy the newly purchased snacks.

18.23 More sights have been visited and photographed. We made a stop at Gođafoss (Gudafoss), a not so high, but a very powerful waterfall. All around us we have a typical mountain landscape with little twigs, moss and some remaining patches of snow.

18.43 Now we have crossed over and travels parallel to the river Fnjoska. It is about 30 kilometers left to travel today. It's been a long day but soon we will hopefully arrive.

18.54 Just as we thought the landmark parade was over for today was yet another breathtaking gem. Way down and down a steep mountain side offering views and a sun that was reflected in Eyjafordur, a truly magnificent number. On the radio there is talk of English football.

Hotel Akureyri

Akureyri, Iceland´s second city.

Akureyri has a very special Indian take-away restaurant.

19.14 Now we have arrived. Outside our hotel, Hotel Akureyri (http://hotelakureyri.is) in Akureyri is a car from the Faroe Islands. We stay in room 406, again! Now we will arrange up with things. This, 65° 41'0 "N is the northernmost I´ve kept a travel journal and Christer ever have been.

20.20 It's time to head out without either any other purpose or plan than to get some food.

20.39 We took a little walk through Akureyri and we´ve seen a church, designed by the same architect who designed Hallgrimskirkja in Reykjavik, Guðjón Samuelsson. Besides this, we also saw a special little hut that served as an Indian takeaway restaurant.

20.50 Tonight we will have dinner at the restaurant Bautinn (http://www.bautinn.is). We’re about to order from the menu now.

21.34 Three portions are completed, a serving of pizza and two servings of guillemots. Guillemot had a sharp, liver-like flavour. Together with it was served sauce, vegetables and lingonberry jam. We were for starters offered soup, salad and bread. Now we will pay, which is usually expected.

21.52 Yes, it was estimated that we paid for the dinners. Now we are on our way home. We walked up the long stairs up to the town's church. Some adolescents practiced some running up stairs. Now we are resting on a bench above the city and the fjord. It obscures the light and the birds chirping.

22.18 Now, we returned home and starting to get ready for the evening. Tomorrow we head south. It will be a shorter journey time. However probably something will pop up along the way. Before departure it will be breakfast and a walk here in Akureyri.

Tonight´s dinner restaurant was Bautinn.

Roberth and Peter are eating guillemots.

Akureyrarkirkja

Not much darkness these late spring nights.