The next of the last southern stops on our road trip before we would head back to reykjavik was diamond beach and Vatnajökull glacier.
These two stops were about 400km from Reykjavik and are located on the south coast of Iceland.
Like almost everything else we discovered during our road trip, these stops are also among my highlights. Both are attractions that you have to see if you want to fly to Iceland. They were so breathtakingly beautiful, the venues give you such a calming feeling surrounded by nature and fresh air you forget for a moment the hectic pace of everyday life. No heavy traffic far and wide, no high noise levels, just the sounds of the ocean splashing against the black sand and the birds flying at high altitude. A very relaxing road trip, which brings you closer to nature and makes you appreciate everything.
The diamond beach is a miracle which shines and sparkles in the bright sun, which to our luck had shined that day.
I was completely flashed from the first second on the beach and it was one of the reasons why I wanted to go to Iceland and started to work on this road trip. Such a phenomenon of nature I certainly wanted to see for myself at least once in my life.
The reason why ice is washed up here at all is a glacier tongue of Breiðamerkurjökull. It is only a tiny offshoot of the huge Vatnajökull, which covers a large part of southeast Iceland. The ice calves here in the glacier lagoon Jökulsárlón, breaks away gradually and then drifts gently towards the sea. It can take several years from the breakup to the drifting away, that's how long it takes until the ice is drifted forward towards the river. The exact duration depends on the size of the iceberg and external influences such as temperature, wind etc. Logically, the density of the ice also plays a role. When the ice at the front of the glacier breaks away it is estimated to be over 1000 years old. This is how long it takes to reach the front of the glacier tongue.
Many many beautiful pictures were taken at this beautiful locations, which I want to share with you and inspire you to maybe book a ticket to Iceland?
Diamond Beach
Vatnajökull Glacier
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