Golden Circle Tour

Thursday, December 07, 2023
Reykjavík, Reykjavíkurborg, Iceland
We were down for breakfast a few minutes after 7:00. The tour bus would pick us up at a stop only a few blocks from the hotel at 8:30.  The bus was at capacity with about 20 of us.  Klaus was our driver/guide. He is German but moved to Iceland eight years ago. 
It was pitch dark when we left the city. We made a “comfort” stop after about 45 minutes. The first tour sight and stop was at Kerid Crater with a frozen lake in its center. The eastern sky was just starting to show the orange glow of sunrise, so pictures were pretty cool.  However, the 30+ mph wind gusts made it almost impossible to walk the rim. It was especially dangerous with the path full of protruding lava rocks. 
Our next stop was the “small” waterfall; Faxi. It may have been small compared to our next stop, but it was huge with a powerful flow. Maybe only 30 feet in height but several hundred feet wide.  Klaus dropped us at the lot at the top of the falls and we walked the 1/4 mile to the base of the falls.  The sunrise in the background made the falls that much more impressive.  
Next was the “big” waterfall, Gullfoss (the golden falls). This was a long canyon with a series of cascades and roaring falls. The temperature was in the lower 20’s with strong winds. You could only have your gloves off for a few minutes to take pictures.  The cascading flow was as much ice as water, a spectacular sight. 
We stopped for lunch at a hot springs (geothermal area) where Strokkur Geyser blew every 5 to 10 minutes. Each eruption was brief and probably rose about 30 feet.  The whole area, probably five square acres, was filled with steaming pits, but only the one geyser.  Klaus told us that nearly 90% of Iceland’s power comes from geothermal.
The rest area had several cafeteria type restaurants and a dozen gift shops, oh, and dozens of tour buses in the parking lot. We had coffee, granola bars and trail mix.
Our next and final stop was Thingvellir National Park, one of Iceland’s three NPs. Its main feature is the tectonic plates that separate North America from Eurasia. The plates have separated, forming a deep canyon between the two. They continue to drift a couple of centimeters every year. We walked a mile or so along the fissure. It was a beautiful walk through the Rift Valley below the cliffs. We tried to walk to a waterfall but the walk was treacherous and we saw a couple of people fall down so we decided it was not worth the risk. Klaus dropped us at a lower lot and picked us up at the NP headquarters. From this spot, we could look down and see where we were last  night witnessing the Northern Lights.
We decided we really liked the food hall in the market so we walked there for dinner. After checking the menus for each place, we ordered from the lamb restaurant. Sue had 4 excellent lamb chops with a salad and Dave a pita stuffed with lamb slices, cheese, lettuce and tomato (Iceland’s version of a gyro). Restaurant prices, in general, seem pretty expensive; however, when you consider no tax and no tip, it is quite reasonable.  

Comments

2025-02-16

Comment code: Ask author if the code is blank