Nils Jessen
Certified travel blogger
My blogs
Mount Esja - The city mountain of Reykjavik
For everybody that aims to stay in Reykjavik temporarily Mount Esja is a must-see: The city mountain of Reykjavik! On saturday we left in the early morning (at least by our standards) - together with a friend, Hrönn, and two of her grandchildren. It was the first real hike for the kids so of course we had to be perfectly equipped. They even brought hiking sticks, with which they ran off cheerfully. Nils and I were still about to wake up while the little ones jumped back and forth, instructing one another how to use the sticks correctly. After the first 5 minutes I already carried the first
Glacier Expedition on Sólheimajökull - Where the Ice is blue...
For the first time in days we could actually see the winter sun breaking through the clouds, as we arrived at the Solheimajökull-Glacier, which's name fittingly translates to “Home of the sun”. And for a change, this has to be noted, we were actually on time… but then we spent so much time changing clothes and eating some snacks that we had to run, in order for our group not to leave without us :D From the moment we had arrived in Iceland this had been my big dream: Standing on top of a glacier. So far on our roadtrip, as well as on a few hikes, we’d always only passed the ends of glacier
My Trip To The Golden Circle
No matter how long you are staying in Iceland, 2 days, 2 months or 2 years, the Golden Circle includes everything you really HAVE TO see. An hour and a half later than expected (time management…) we set off to Thingvellir together with our good friend Jan. Thingvellir is the Icelandic word for: “The plain of the national assembly”. From the 10th century on the Chieftains representing all parts of the country met here once a year to discuss the law. Nobody wrote down the law in that time, so they needed a lawspeaker to recite the legislation (and had to set faith into his good memory). One
Lavatour - Iceland on Horseback
The real way of experiencing the Icelandic landscape: On horseback, with nice guides and a cool company! Although I still can't feel my bottom anymore, it was really worth it! Hier kommt ihr zur deutschen Version Whereas Nils and my sister each had had riding lessons for at least one year, my experience with horses based only on a two weeks vacation at a horse farm, about 11 years ago. So I was accordingly excited when we finally entered the stable, after the safety instructions and a warm welcome from our tour guides from Íshestar. Then we were assigned our horses - that’s important, HOR
Laugavegur - Day 3 - Hiking through the Highlands
We have hiked all the way from Landmannalaugur to Thorsmörk with the worst weather conditions and the most beautiful views! Our third Day... (Den deutschen Artikel finden Sie hier: German Version) The other hikers probably hated us this morning, when my alarm clock ringed at half past 5. But we really wanted to see the canyon nearby - and the last bus from Thorsmörk back to Reykjavik was going to leave at 4 pm. We couldn’t believe our eyes when we pushed open the hut’s door: Could that really be the SUN blinking at us? The day kept its promise. The first time on our trip we actually felt
Laugavegur - Day 2 - Hiking through the Highlands
We have hiked all the way from Landmannalaugur to Thorsmörk with the most terrible weather conditions and the most beautiful views! Our second Day... (Den deutschen Artikel finden Sie hier: German Version) Warning: A tropical storm this afternoon. So we got up accordingly early, to cross the two rivers of the day and to reach our next destination, the hut in Emstrur, BEFORE the storm was coming. Luckily, the tshirts and socks which we had hung up in our sleeping room had dried over night. (The geniuses we are, we hadn’t used the rain capes of our backpacks the day before... So we had had
Laugavegur - Day 1 - Hiking through the Highlands
We hiked all the way from Landmannalaugur to Thorsmörk with the most terrible weather conditions and the most beautiful views! Our first Day: (Hier gelangen Sie zur deutschen Version: German Version) We had planned this trip for weeks: a three-days-hike through the Highlands, from Landmannalaugur to Thorsmörk. And week after week we had to postpone it, as first I got sick and then my girlfriend the week after. That’s why it felt kind of surreal to actually enter the bus which would bring us to Landmannalaugur, our overloaded bagpacks shouldered. The bus looked like a normal city bus. There
The Icelandic Roads
Been cut off by a sheep already..? Well if not, then you have probably not been driving with a car in Iceland! Here you will find more curiosities about the roads of Iceland: Hier finden Sie den Artikel auf Deutsch: German Version According to the Icelandic people we have met so far the increasing tourism has changed the situation on the roads in Iceland dramatically: While 20 years ago scarcely anyone living outside the city owned a car, the market for cars is now booming. Nowadays, the roads are crowded, it gets more and more dangerous to drive, Iceland almost faces the situation of an ove
Superjeep Self-Drive tour through the Highlands
The farther I felt my way through the river, the higher the water rose around us, till it almost reached the windows. "Please, don’t let it touch the engine, please don’t…" My heart skipped a beat. Carefully I pushed the gas pedal a bit stronger. Nothing happened. A bit more… and I felt the wheels spinning. But the car didn’t move. We were stuck… The Icelandic Highlands… Last week we had crossed them by foot, for this weekend we had borrowed a superjeep to go through this experience by car, too. Of course not exactly the same path we had hiked… But every now and then we reached a spot that
On the Hunt for Northern Lights
We crossed the Icelandic Highlands with a Superjeep, looking for a place without any light pollution to get good shots of the Northern Lights... And it worked! (Für die deutsche Version dieses Artikels, klicken Sie bitte hier: German Version) After a day full of potholes, gravel roads and near-death experiences while crossing rivers (whereas the word “death” probably refers more to our car :D ), our stomachs were given a good shake and the three of us - Nils, Jan and me - were quite exhausted on the last 200 km to Reykjavik. All I wanted was to return to a paved road with a smaller risk of
My blogs
Mount Esja - The city mountain of Reykjavik
For everybody that aims to stay in Reykjavik temporarily Mount Esja is a must-see: The city mountain of Reykjavik! On saturday we left in the early morning (at least by our standards) - together with a friend, Hrönn, and two of her grandchildren. It was the first real hike for the kids so of course we had to be perfectly equipped. They even brought hiking sticks, with which they ran off cheerfully. Nils and I were still about to wake up while the little ones jumped back and forth, instructing one another how to use the sticks correctly. After the first 5 minutes I already carried the first
Glacier Expedition on Sólheimajökull - Where the Ice is blue...
For the first time in days we could actually see the winter sun breaking through the clouds, as we arrived at the Solheimajökull-Glacier, which's name fittingly translates to “Home of the sun”. And for a change, this has to be noted, we were actually on time… but then we spent so much time changing clothes and eating some snacks that we had to run, in order for our group not to leave without us :D From the moment we had arrived in Iceland this had been my big dream: Standing on top of a glacier. So far on our roadtrip, as well as on a few hikes, we’d always only passed the ends of glacier
My Trip To The Golden Circle
No matter how long you are staying in Iceland, 2 days, 2 months or 2 years, the Golden Circle includes everything you really HAVE TO see. An hour and a half later than expected (time management…) we set off to Thingvellir together with our good friend Jan. Thingvellir is the Icelandic word for: “The plain of the national assembly”. From the 10th century on the Chieftains representing all parts of the country met here once a year to discuss the law. Nobody wrote down the law in that time, so they needed a lawspeaker to recite the legislation (and had to set faith into his good memory). One
Lavatour - Iceland on Horseback
The real way of experiencing the Icelandic landscape: On horseback, with nice guides and a cool company! Although I still can't feel my bottom anymore, it was really worth it! Hier kommt ihr zur deutschen Version Whereas Nils and my sister each had had riding lessons for at least one year, my experience with horses based only on a two weeks vacation at a horse farm, about 11 years ago. So I was accordingly excited when we finally entered the stable, after the safety instructions and a warm welcome from our tour guides from Íshestar. Then we were assigned our horses - that’s important, HOR
Laugavegur - Day 3 - Hiking through the Highlands
We have hiked all the way from Landmannalaugur to Thorsmörk with the worst weather conditions and the most beautiful views! Our third Day... (Den deutschen Artikel finden Sie hier: German Version) The other hikers probably hated us this morning, when my alarm clock ringed at half past 5. But we really wanted to see the canyon nearby - and the last bus from Thorsmörk back to Reykjavik was going to leave at 4 pm. We couldn’t believe our eyes when we pushed open the hut’s door: Could that really be the SUN blinking at us? The day kept its promise. The first time on our trip we actually felt
Laugavegur - Day 2 - Hiking through the Highlands
We have hiked all the way from Landmannalaugur to Thorsmörk with the most terrible weather conditions and the most beautiful views! Our second Day... (Den deutschen Artikel finden Sie hier: German Version) Warning: A tropical storm this afternoon. So we got up accordingly early, to cross the two rivers of the day and to reach our next destination, the hut in Emstrur, BEFORE the storm was coming. Luckily, the tshirts and socks which we had hung up in our sleeping room had dried over night. (The geniuses we are, we hadn’t used the rain capes of our backpacks the day before... So we had had
Laugavegur - Day 1 - Hiking through the Highlands
We hiked all the way from Landmannalaugur to Thorsmörk with the most terrible weather conditions and the most beautiful views! Our first Day: (Hier gelangen Sie zur deutschen Version: German Version) We had planned this trip for weeks: a three-days-hike through the Highlands, from Landmannalaugur to Thorsmörk. And week after week we had to postpone it, as first I got sick and then my girlfriend the week after. That’s why it felt kind of surreal to actually enter the bus which would bring us to Landmannalaugur, our overloaded bagpacks shouldered. The bus looked like a normal city bus. There
The Icelandic Roads
Been cut off by a sheep already..? Well if not, then you have probably not been driving with a car in Iceland! Here you will find more curiosities about the roads of Iceland: Hier finden Sie den Artikel auf Deutsch: German Version According to the Icelandic people we have met so far the increasing tourism has changed the situation on the roads in Iceland dramatically: While 20 years ago scarcely anyone living outside the city owned a car, the market for cars is now booming. Nowadays, the roads are crowded, it gets more and more dangerous to drive, Iceland almost faces the situation of an ove
Superjeep Self-Drive tour through the Highlands
The farther I felt my way through the river, the higher the water rose around us, till it almost reached the windows. "Please, don’t let it touch the engine, please don’t…" My heart skipped a beat. Carefully I pushed the gas pedal a bit stronger. Nothing happened. A bit more… and I felt the wheels spinning. But the car didn’t move. We were stuck… The Icelandic Highlands… Last week we had crossed them by foot, for this weekend we had borrowed a superjeep to go through this experience by car, too. Of course not exactly the same path we had hiked… But every now and then we reached a spot that
On the Hunt for Northern Lights
We crossed the Icelandic Highlands with a Superjeep, looking for a place without any light pollution to get good shots of the Northern Lights... And it worked! (Für die deutsche Version dieses Artikels, klicken Sie bitte hier: German Version) After a day full of potholes, gravel roads and near-death experiences while crossing rivers (whereas the word “death” probably refers more to our car :D ), our stomachs were given a good shake and the three of us - Nils, Jan and me - were quite exhausted on the last 200 km to Reykjavik. All I wanted was to return to a paved road with a smaller risk of
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