Sunday, May 21, 2017
We have decided to travel the country 'anti-clockwise" as they say here, and tour the Golden Circle for our first day on the road. This route is a very popular tourist trek as it takes you past waterfalls, geysers, national parks & historical sites. The roads are all paved and well-marked so it is a good place to start.
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| This morning we already decided to take our first "detour" and instead of driving to Reykjavik to hit Road 1, we chose the more scenic route, first to Grindavik town proper and then along the coast following road 427 as suggested by our waiter who has lived in this area of the country all his life. |
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| We were warned that the weather in Iceland can change very quickly and learned on this day's drive that the landscape changes quickly too. We began in lava fields, drove past lush green towns and through brown mountainous passes. |
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| We stopped in the tiny town of Hveragerdi ("hver" means hot spring) at this geothermal kitchen for a snack but the restuarant was closed on the Sabbath. |
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Weird Iceland fact: there are no forests.
We did find this small area of small trees by a beautiful river stream...
haven't made it to the Golden Circle yet... |
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First stop on the Golden Circle: Thingvellir National Park
This park is a key location in history as it is the site of the world's oldest parliament held in 930 AD and Iceland continues to hold significant national events & celebrations at this venue such as the foundation of the Icelandic republic and the Millennium of Christianity. |
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| It also has unique geology... |
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...and a beautiful water feature with great big rocks perfect for sitting to have a snack or something more sinister...
In medieval Icelandic history, the capital punishment for men was a beheading or burning at the stake and the women were drowned just around the corner from this waterfall in a shallow pool known as Drekkingarhylur- the "drowning pool". |
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It turned out that we had great sunny weather but the temperature was more subjective...
Some were comfortable in hat & jacket while another had to shed his layers! |
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| The official summer residence of Iceland's Prime Minister at Thingvellir |
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| Amazing how the color of the sky matches the boy's shirts! |
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The Silfra fissure is a crack between the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates and is fed by groundwater that is actually meltwater from the Langjokull glacier, Iceland's second largest glacier, about 50 kilometers (30ish miles) away.
This is a top snorkeling and diving site because of the clarity of the water and rarity of being able to swim between the continents. You must use a dry suit as the water temperature is about 38 F and be over 16 yrs old to swim.
Maybe next time...! |
Our second stop: Geysir Geothermal Field
There were many geysers and hot springs in this area. Some small and some large...
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| Strokkur- called "the most energetic spouting spring in Iceland" spouts every few minutes to a height of about 40 meters (130 feet). |
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| Boys trying to outrun the hot water spray |
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| Great bubble before the eruption... |
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| Such power!!! So impressive! |
Next we visited one of the most iconic waterfalls of Iceland- Gullfoss ("gull"= gold & "foss
= waterfall). It is on the Hvita (white) River and is also fed from the Langjokull glacier.
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| Magnificant... |
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| ...and a rainbow to go with it! |
Our last stop of the day- Kerid Crater Lake-
a volcanic caldera with red volcanic rock, green moss and turquoise water...just beautiful.
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We were able to walk the rim and hike down to the water's edge.
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After a very full day, we headed to Hotel Grimsborgir in Grimsnes and the boys got in another hot swim, this time in a regular sized tub...just right outside our room
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