On the third day of our cycling trip in Iceland, after a hearty breakfast, we set off for Fjaðrárgljúfur Canyon – an alternative to Hellisheiði, which we definitely prefer. Although this is a detour for us, costing us almost half a day, it allows us to bypass Hellisheiði, with which we have now made peace. As if Iceland agrees with our decision, we are suddenly accompanied by a dog who runs alongside our bikes in a cheerful and excited manner. We would love to take him into our group as a travel companion and continue touring Iceland with him, but we can see from his collar that someone would miss him quite a bit. We only manage to “shake him off” by asking a woman at a house to hold him, who also offers to contact the owners, as he would otherwise certainly have followed us all the way to the Arctic Circle.
The landscape is stunning, barren but beautiful. We follow a river flowing upstream to our right and finally reach Fjaðrárgljúfur Canyon in the evening. Iceland rewards us with bright evening sunshine shining through the canyon, making the water glow a brilliant turquoise. Although it is already late and we are very exhausted, we make our way down into the canyon once more, where we admire the meter-high basalt columns. The campsite also welcomes us with its well-organized layout and a small, heated kitchen area. In the evening, we all gather together, warm ourselves up, and eat dinner together. The night is cold, stormy, and rough.
