Iceland - Day 2 - Golden Circle

Day 2 and it is dang difficult to crawl out of bed when it is still oh so dark out.  Today is Golden Circle day and we really should be up and moving already since we have a stop to make first.  We get dressed and go downstairs to the wonderful breakfast that is ready for us.  Oh my -- what a tremendous amount of food.  It reminds me of the breakfasts that I had when in Brazil.  Meats, cheeses, bread, fresh fruit and vegies, etc.  It also has cereal, yogurt and some wonderful little pastries that Mister can't get enough of.  It is a great start to the day and we are ready to go.  Our errand takes us to Icelandic Farm Holidays to book rooms for the rest of our trip.  We want to stay along the southern edge for a few days at some farmhouses and they can book them for us.



When we arrive, we discover that we will be able to drive around the entire island and that they have farmhouses all throughout it.  This is a surprise because we assumed that the roads would not be open.  What fun!  We try to determine if we have enough time and it looks like we will, so we arrange for farmhouses along the south, east, north and west.  Now back to the books to make sure we know what sights to watch for.  This takes longer than we expect, but soon we are on our way for the day.  Heading north out of Reykjavik, our first destination is Thingvellir (I would love to spell it in Icelandic, but alas, I do not have the correct characters on my keyboard so am going more with how it sounds.)  The sun is starting to rise as we are driving and so several stops along the way for pictures is a definite must.  At times it appears as though we are on a road to nowhere and the lack of other humans is definitely noticeable.

Thingvellir is host to a great deal of history and natural geography for Iceland.  Parliament was started here in 930 and remained there until 1789 - How amazing is that?  The entire population (60,000) would gather to hear the law and settle disputes from Law Rock.  We were able to walk the cliffs, see the Oxarafoss (we learned that foss meant falls and so these are the falls that were created by the Oxara river), and view the Peningagja, a deep and narrow lava fissure flooded with peacock-blue water that is so clear you can see the glinting coins well-wishers have thrown laying on the base.

As we leave the area, we continue the drive and are able to get near the small church that stands as a reminder that the country adopted Christianity as the national religion.  The pulpit inside dates back to 1683.


We stop at a bay into the lake and Mister gives me a photography lesson -- I am sure he hates these moments with another stubborn redhead, but I am slowly learning.

Back on the road, we see the beautiful Icelandic horses and I am mesmerized by them.  We come upon a group that are standing right near the road and it only takes me about a second to get out of the car and spend some time with them.  It has been years since I was around horses, but I have never lost my love of them.

Alas, I have to leave them, but the rest of the Golden Circle is ahead of us and daylight disappears so quickly.  Passing Geysir Hot Springs Area, we are trying to see Gullfoss before sunset and hopefully get some great pics.  We miss it by about 1/2 an hour, but it is absolutely beautiful anyway.  We walk down the icy paths and are enthralled with it's size and sound.  It is roaring!  The frozen edges of blue add dimension and depth creating pictures in our minds that will last forever.

As we climb back up to the visitor center, we decide to stop for a hot drink and a snack.  The cafe is huge and offers a great selection.

 After a short break, we are back in the car and zipping down the road to Geysir before it is dark.  We park right near Strokkur, a punctual Geysir erupting every few minutes. It is so fun to watch the ground breathe near the spout as it gets closer to eruption.  Cameras ready!  We try several times to catch it and enjoy the sunset in the background.  I love it and want to stay for awhile.  A quick around the boardwalk seeing steam vents everywhere and back to the car.

From here, we are going to take a different route back into Reykjavik and as it is dark now, we are able to see things that during the day would not be as visible.  The lights are so pretty on the lone farms and churches.  We return via Hveragerthi, an area in which a great deal of Iceland's fresh fruits and vegetables are produced in greenhouses.  The greenhouses are lit up and you can even see tomatoes growing in one of them.  Another photography lesson for me and I love this pic (obviously it is not the first pic I took -- ha ha -- about the 10th).

We arrive back and rest for a little while in our room and then go downtown for dinner at a restaurant that no longer exists.  Next choice, the Laundromat Cafe which actually has a working laundromat connected and appears to be a local hangout as it is packed for dinner.  We then decided to drive back out towards Thingvellir and park along a quiet dark road and hope for Northern Lights as it is a clear night.  We score and are rewarded with a beautiful show and are able to get a few pictures that do not do justice to them at all.  Additionally, a meteor shower was in full swing and that was amazing to watch as well.

It is after midnight as we head back for some much needed sleep.  What a great day!