seydisfjordur—hidden gem in the east
2:27 PMit was sad that our time at jokulsarlon, hali and the amazing breakfast was about to over. an incredible beach during the low tide in h...
2:27 PM
it was sad that our time at jokulsarlon, hali and the amazing breakfast was about to over.
we left quite early in the morning, right after breakfast, and hofn was only around 70 kilometres away from jokulsarlon. so our plan to have lobster for lunch at hofn didn't work out. but we did stop by and take a look around this little fishing town. i really liked how this little town was surrounded by both mountains and sea. but i was glad we didn't stay a night in hofn, because except for lobster eating, i didn't think we would find anything else to do.
plus, our destination that day was amazing.
we drove alone the east coast. on our left was the mountains and on our right was the ocean. it was a pretty fascinating drive.
until we started to get lost.
road number 1, or the ring road, was supposed to be the main road of iceland. so when the navigator told us to enter road number 96 when we got to the town called breiddalsvik, we were skeptical. because that secondary road was 50 kilometres longer, why not take the main road? also, we were hungry and would like to get to egilsstadir as soon as possible.
we decided to turn and continue on the ring road, which headed towards the inland. at first, it seemed fine and the surrounding was beautiful. the navigator kept telling us to 'make a u-turn' but we ignored the voice and laughed at it…you stupid navigator!
after 30 kilometres on the unpaved road (with no other cars to be seen) came the snowy mountain we had to drive over. a narrow, gravel road with a metre tall snow wall on each side, i couldn't believe we were on the main road of this island.
for a moment, we wanted to make a u-turn and give the navigator an honest apology. but that meant 80 kilometres more to drive. and out stomachs were growling. fortunate, a car was coming from the opposite direction. so i asked the driver and he said the road wasn't that scary, and once we were over the mountain, we would hit a paved road again.
so we believed him and became a bit more relax to the point that we were able to enjoy the scenery. looking down to the white valley from up high, the sight took my breath away.
it was about ten kilometres (which felt like an hour drive) and the road was better. we saw a lot of frozen lake on our way, but there were much more to come.
after a quick meal and grocery shopping in egilsstadir, we continued on the scenic route, route 93, to seydisfjordur. this tiny town and the scenic route are highly recommended by lonely planet. and even when all we could see was snow on the mountains, it was beautiful.
about 5 kilometres before we arrived at our destination, there was this amazing gufufoss on the right side of the road. i didn't know if it was so stunning for us because it was the first snowy fall we had ever seen.we spent quite some times there photographing before we moved on. (quite some times for us is about an hour or so…)
out hotel tonight, hotel aldan, was very lovely vintage style hotel. (and was also the most expensive one during our stay) i fought an urge not to scream out loud with delight when i saw my bed, an alcove bed, my dream bed.
just wow. i loved it.
our room smelled like paint and the breakfast wasn't that great, but that was alright. i had a great night on my dreamy bed. and the town was absolutely charming, especially with snow.
we had some pizzas at bistro skaftfell. pizzas seemed to be the only thing on the menu when we visited. probably because it was in winter? but that had wholewheat crust pizza which was quite cool. and the atmosphere in the place was very friendly. on the second floor of the bistro was an art centre. the exhibition they showed wasn't quite understandable for me. they were like art-art works, very abstract.
cafe lara, known for its local beer, was closed for renovation. we strolled around town for a while until it got colder and i started to freeze.
really gorgeous little town, but during this time of the year, one night was enough.
*NOTE* look for reindeers while driving in the east/northeast area! unfortunately, we didn't see any. but the map said they were normally in this part of the country
an incredible beach during the low tide in hofn
we left quite early in the morning, right after breakfast, and hofn was only around 70 kilometres away from jokulsarlon. so our plan to have lobster for lunch at hofn didn't work out. but we did stop by and take a look around this little fishing town. i really liked how this little town was surrounded by both mountains and sea. but i was glad we didn't stay a night in hofn, because except for lobster eating, i didn't think we would find anything else to do.
plus, our destination that day was amazing.
we drove alone the east coast. on our left was the mountains and on our right was the ocean. it was a pretty fascinating drive.
where mountains meet sea
until we started to get lost.
road number 1, or the ring road, was supposed to be the main road of iceland. so when the navigator told us to enter road number 96 when we got to the town called breiddalsvik, we were skeptical. because that secondary road was 50 kilometres longer, why not take the main road? also, we were hungry and would like to get to egilsstadir as soon as possible.
we decided to turn and continue on the ring road, which headed towards the inland. at first, it seemed fine and the surrounding was beautiful. the navigator kept telling us to 'make a u-turn' but we ignored the voice and laughed at it…you stupid navigator!
after 30 kilometres on the unpaved road (with no other cars to be seen) came the snowy mountain we had to drive over. a narrow, gravel road with a metre tall snow wall on each side, i couldn't believe we were on the main road of this island.
for a moment, we wanted to make a u-turn and give the navigator an honest apology. but that meant 80 kilometres more to drive. and out stomachs were growling. fortunate, a car was coming from the opposite direction. so i asked the driver and he said the road wasn't that scary, and once we were over the mountain, we would hit a paved road again.
from the scariest road, down to the most stunning valley
it was about ten kilometres (which felt like an hour drive) and the road was better. we saw a lot of frozen lake on our way, but there were much more to come.
on the scenic route to seydisfjordur
after a quick meal and grocery shopping in egilsstadir, we continued on the scenic route, route 93, to seydisfjordur. this tiny town and the scenic route are highly recommended by lonely planet. and even when all we could see was snow on the mountains, it was beautiful.
about 5 kilometres before we arrived at our destination, there was this amazing gufufoss on the right side of the road. i didn't know if it was so stunning for us because it was the first snowy fall we had ever seen.we spent quite some times there photographing before we moved on. (quite some times for us is about an hour or so…)
out hotel tonight, hotel aldan, was very lovely vintage style hotel. (and was also the most expensive one during our stay) i fought an urge not to scream out loud with delight when i saw my bed, an alcove bed, my dream bed.
just wow. i loved it.
our room smelled like paint and the breakfast wasn't that great, but that was alright. i had a great night on my dreamy bed. and the town was absolutely charming, especially with snow.
a view from aldan's restaurant window
lovely little blue church, the famous building in town
cafe lara, known for its local beer, was closed for renovation. we strolled around town for a while until it got colder and i started to freeze.
really gorgeous little town, but during this time of the year, one night was enough.
*NOTE* look for reindeers while driving in the east/northeast area! unfortunately, we didn't see any. but the map said they were normally in this part of the country
