Day 12 – Iceland Overlanding

After an excellent night’s sleep we get back onto the bus and do the reverse drive along the scenic Route 93 and stop to take a walk up to the Fardagafoss waterfall. We stop at another spectacular waterfall, now there’s a surprise considering that there are over 10,000 in the country!! Will there come a time when we get waterfall fatigue??

We continue our drive through the mountains and head for the south coast. Iceland is just vast and we continue to marvel at the majesty of the mountains as they swoop down majestically to the wide silent fjords. We stop for lunch in the small fishing village of Djupivogur.

Djupivogur is one of the oldest ports in Iceland, established since the 16^th century when German merchants transported goods to trade.  It’s a low-key town with a rich idiosyncratic creative vein running through it.  We wande around town and fall upon the contemporary art museum, ARS LONGA – CONTEMPORARY ART MUSEUM displaying a range of work of both Icelandic and international artists. We lunch outside in the sunshine. After lunch we visit “The Eggs of Merry Bay” an art piece by Icelandic artist Sigurður Guðmundsson. Each granite egg represents 34 different eggs from species of birds that nest within the Djúpivogur area. The largest one is the Red throated diver, the signature bird of the town. The Eggs are positioned on top of concrete pillars that were used by the fishmeal factory Bræðslan next to the Eggs. Our final stop in Djupivogur is Gallery Freevilli, where one of Iceland’s most eccentric locals guides us through his collection of ecletic knick-knacks made from wood, bone and even teeth! The outbuildings and grounds are absolute crammed with his collection.

We board the bus and travel further along the coast to the town of Hofn which has a fantastic view up to the Vatnajokull Icecap – Europe’s largest glacier. Our campsite has the sea on one side and a glacier on the other – WOW!! It also has a great selection of resturants at the nearby harbour and we escape for another date night, this time for pizza and beer.