兩日三夜由意大利到冰島，還差最後一天的行程前往我們的最終目的地：Latrabjarg｜Our journey hadn’t finished from Italy to Iceland, we’re getting to our final destination, Latrabjarg, on the last day of our 3 days 3 nights journey.
冰島 Keflavik 國際機場是24小時開放的，但就不准人在機場蓆地而睡。原先我們都像其他人一樣，呆坐在冰冷的坐椅上，但卻越坐越累越冷，所以最後便找了一個暖氣機前位置，偷偷開了地蓆而睡。不過也沒睡多久，大約凌晨四時便陸陸續續有很多人到機場搭早機，將我們吵醒了。
天其實已經全亮，不過還是太早，所以最後待到差不多六時才離開機場，開始截車前往這個馬拉松行程的最終目的地：距離大約361公里外，位於冰島西北方的 Latrabjarg。
由機場到 Borgarnes
在機場外截了大約15分鐘便上了一車，司機是在離機場不遠的旅館工作，所以他只是將我們帶到往首都 Reykjavik 的公路口便放下我們。不過一下車，很快就有另一架私家車停下，司機是剛送家人上機正在回程的途中。大約半小時多，便在首都外圍的公路上放下我們。
雖說冰島人少，但原來首都這裡的早上上班時間交通也很繁忙的。不知是否公路太繁忙不能停車，又或是人們都趕著上班，所以截了大半小時都沒車停下。最後我們邊走邊截到了一個巴士站，剛好那裡會有每小時一班的57號巴士途經 Borgarnes（我們的必經中轉地），所以便決定不再截車，改坐巴士。因為雖說是「夏天」，但清晨時這裡都還是只得6度多點，再加上我的鞋子入了水，雙腳冰冷，低溫又餓（還沒吃過什麼東西），都是坐巴士算了。
冰島的公營巴士公司叫 Straeto，所有巴士都有免費 WIFI，而長途巴士還可以信用卡付款。由 Reykjavik 外圍到 Borgarnes 車費每人大約 kr 1700 （大約12歐元），車程一小時多點。不過一上車我就又睡著了，沿途風景好像也不錯，不過好像每次一睜眼都是那個山，也不知是他們太似，還是我在發夢，好像走了很久還未到的。
在 Borgarnes 下了車，卻發現每天只有兩班車前往 Stykkisholmur，而我們已經錯過了早班的車，下班車要六點多才開。為了趕及往 Stykkisholmur 坐每天只得一班，下午三時半開的渡輪往 Breidafjordur，我們決定再次截順風車。
始終郊區人少車少，較多熱心人願意停車相助，所以這次很幸運，很快便有一對法國遊客停車給我們，他們還要都是前往 Stykkisholmur 的。所以最後只用了個半小時，便走完這96公里，下午一時多便到達了。
Stykkisholmur
下車後第一件事便是買船票，票價 kr 4300（大約 30 歐元）。不過售票中心的姐姐跟我們說，上網訂票有九折，還跟我們說這裡有免費WIFI，給了我們 password。不過正當我想訂票時，網站卻說船票已經售完（！）回頭再問售票中心，原來網上優惠有限額，不過那個姐姐知道後，還是以九折價售票給我們，哈哈！
還有兩小時才開船，便小遊一下 Stykkisholmur。這裡雖然小，但美，很冰島，有雪山，有北歐風教堂，有迷李燈塔，有清澈見底的海岸。遊覽完，順道在這裡作最後補給，因為我們的目的地是個鳥來生蛋的地方，最近的商店是在45公里外的小小鎮內，據聞價錢是連冰島人都說貴的。
上船了，這架渡輪是人車兩用，車有車上，人有人上。船一開，我便又睡著了。媽呀，真的太累，已經是三夜三天在途上了，除了在柏林的床上睡了數小時，其他都是巴士呀，飛機呀，船呀，橫七豎八的隨便睡睡而已。
在船上睡睡醒醒，三個小時後終於到達彼岸的 Breidafjordur。不過旅程還未完，我們還有最最最後的一程接駁車來接我們。這程卻是性價比最低的一程：45公里承惠每人 kr 3500 （25歐元）！
究竟為什麼千山萬水，長途跋涉，都要來到這個遙遠的北方之國的北方之地Latrabjarg 呢？就是因為我們將會在這裡渡過三個月的工作生涯，在一間酒店打工！
Iceland’s Keflavik Airport opens 24/7 but camping/sleeping on floor are not allowed. We were like everyone else just sitting on the cold steel bench at first but were getting so tried and cold that we couldn’t care less if it’s not allowed to sleep on the floor anymore. We moved to a quiet corner in front of a heating radiator and opened our mat to have a nap. However, people started to flood in at 4am to catch their early morning flights, we were woken up soon after.
It’s daybreak already but it’s still too early to leave the airport. We waited until 6am to start our hitchhiking to our final destination Latrabjarg, a place in the northwest of Iceland 361km away from here.
From airport to Borgarnes
Only 15 minutes we had our first car. The driver was going to his work not far from the airport. So we got dropped off in the main road to Reykjavik, the capital of Iceland. We had our second car almost right after. The driver was on his way back home after seeing his family off in the airport. He dropped us off just outside Reykjavik.
Though it’s a small country with small population, the traffic was still quite busy in the morning rush hour outside the capital highway. May it be too busy to stop, or people were hurrying to work, no car stopped after we hitchhiked almost an hour. We walked along the highway until we met with a bus stop. After we found that the bus #57 which goes to Borgarnes (our next town) would pass by there once every hour, we gave up hitchhiking and just waited for the bus to come. The Icelandic summer was still cold in the morning. It’s about 6C degree and my shoes got wet. I felt cold and tired to keep hitchhiking. After all, I didn’t really eat anything that morning and it’s my 4th day on the road.
The public bus company in Iceland is Straeto. All their buses have free wifi on board. You can also pay by cards on long distance bus. Just for local bus running within Reykjavik region, only cash is accepted and no change will be given. From Reykjavik to Borgarnes, it takes about a bit more than an hour, fee is about kr 1700 (around 12 Euros). I felt to sleep again once I was on the bus. The view along seemed pretty but all mountains looked quite similar whenever I opened my sleepy eyes. Probably I was just too tired to enjoy anything.
There are only two buses a day going to Stykkisholmur from Borgarnes. We already missed the first one when we arrived Borgarnes and the next one would come at 6 something. We would have missed our once a day ferry from Stykkisholmur at 3:30pm if we waited for the next bus to come. So we decided to hitchhike again.
There were much less people and cars going around in Borgarnes. It’s a small town only but generally, people are more willing to help in countryside. And so we got our ride very quickly there. Just about 10 minutes waiting, we got picked up by a French couple and they were also going to Stykkisholmur. We were lucky and It only took about 1.5 hours to finish this 96km journey and we arrived there at only 1pm.
Stykkisholmur
First thing first, we needed to buy our ferry tickets. It’s about kr 4300 per person (about 30 Euros, winter price). The young woman in the ticket office told us there’s a 10% off if we buy it online and she even gave us the wifi password to buy our tickets there. However, while I was trying to buy it, the website showed that all tickets were sold out (!). We asked her again and were told that online discounted tickets were limited BUT she could still sell us tickets on discounted price! Great!
We took our chance to visit this small town during our two hours waiting. Stykkisholmur is really small but it’s also very beautiful and very Icelandic with Icelandic church, lighthouse, and turquoise colour sea water. We also took our chance to stock up here before getting to our final destination Latrabjarg as it’s far from everything with the nearest shop 45km away. And the price is needlessly to say super super high.
I didn’t see any view during this ferry journey because I felt to sleep once I was on board. It’s been 3 nights and days on the road, you know. Except few hours sleeping on a bed in Berlin, I only slept few hours every here and where on bus, plane, and ferry. I was super sleepy and tried.
After another 3 hours floating on the sea, we finally arrived the other side of the bay, Breidafjordur. But hey, we hadn’t done yet. There’s still one final leg waiting for us. An arranged transfer was waiting to pick us up from the pier but the price was totally unworthy kr 3500 per person (25 Euros) for only 45km.
After crossing countries and cities and towns by bus, flight, ferry and car, we finally made it to this remote land Latrabjarg of this far north country Iceland. Why did we make a big fuss to come here? It was because a job was waiting for us here in a hotel. We’ll be spending our next three months working our ass out here to save money for traveling this beautiful yet super expensive country later.
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