The Golden Circle
Friday 7 Sep
Reykjavik, Iceland
What an incredible day that was for the most part made possible by the amazing tour guide Enard Tor Johansson.
I got back from the northern lights tour around 2am, maybe a little earlier. As I said before my hotel was just across the street from the bus stop and I felt completely safe, the area was well lit and there were still people walking around. I completely crashed and had the best five hours of sleep I’ve ever had (I may be exaggerating but it felt good to sleep).
Up & at ‘em at 7am, I ate my cinnamon bun from the day before and decided to bring my backpack with me so that I could haul my GoPro and other junk around. I checked out and was able to store my suitcase at the hotel to retrieve when I returned after confirming someone would be there.
The bus was supposed to be there at 9am and I started getting worried when it didn’t show on time because of how prompt the one had been the day before. I met a fun girl named Anabela and she will actually be in London on Monday so we may hang out. Another couple was waiting for the same tour bus as me so that made me feel better and at 935 he showed up with everybody else on board and we did a quick change somewhere (I forget where) to get on a bigger bus and then we were ready to rock and roll.
There were some fun ladies from Florida on the bus, two students (one from China and one from Norway?) that were living in Iceland for the semester. I sat next to Katie, a solo traveler of similar age to me who grew up in Maryland (near the wild horses) and currently resides in… MICHIGAN while she’s doing her residency. What are the odds?! We took a picture together so our moms can chill and know that we make friends during solo travels! There were seventeen passengers in total plus Enard, the driver. He’s been to the states multiple times (including Boston!) and works with horses for a living. He was very happy and positive as was our group so all together we thrived through this bus trip!
Our first stop was a little strip mall with restrooms, a bakery, and a few other stores. We got breakfast and coffee and headed out for Kerið, a volcanic crater lake along the Golden Circle in southern Iceland. We spent about 20 minutes there so Katie and I walked around the mouth of the crater and then went down to the lake. Natural wonders are such thought inspiring sights!
On the way to Faxi waterfall Enard told us insider info like how what to do you if you get lost in an Icelandic forest - you stand up. We also learned that the colors of the Icelandic flag all have meaning; blue symbolizes the many lakes and rivers and the sky, red the volcanoes, and white the glaciers. Faxi was very very nice. Its on the river Tungufljót (your guess is as good as mine) and it’s a popular place for salmon fishing. The weather got a bit warmer and the sound of the waterfall and the wind together made for a peacefully noisy adventure.
The plan was to pass the Geysir and go to Gulfoss waterfall next and then circle back - Enard seemed really well aware of timing and other tour groups. Every place we went to we were almost the only ones there at least for a little while. All of a sudden there was an enormous amount of traffic and Enard knew what it was but I think he was worried we’d be upset for the delay (non176-212F)e of us were). He went to investigate and low and behold… it was RÉTTIR!!! This is an annual event that happens in Iceland in September. Thousands and thousands of sheep get herded down from the highlands by people on horses and dogs. It is a huge event that attracts a lot of people to come work in Iceland for three weeks. We were stopped for about an hour and we got to walk up the road and watch the sheep be headed across. It was unlike anything I’ve ever seen! I feel so lucky to have witnessed part of this cultural tradition that has gone on for centuries.
We made it to Gullfoss pretty quickly after they reopened the road, it is located in southern Iceland on the Hvítá river. Gullfoss means “golden waterfall” and it is thought to be so named because of the rainbow that appears when the sun hits the mist (there are two other proposals as to why it’s called Gullfoss if you wanted to google). Another gorgeous site on the tour and we got to see the rainbow even though the weather was being temperamental!
Enard has been involved with horses his whole life and as we passed a farm with some horses out front for people to pet he stopped and let us see an Icelandic horse face to face. They are beautiful and pure bread for their temperament and gait. There were four horses, two of which were far happier and more congenial than the other two. We pet them and some people gave them horse candy. Some people were also really into taking selfies with them.
Now it was time for Geysir. One family owns a majority of the land that the geysers are on and it’s wonderful go them to continue to share that land with the world. There are multiple geysers as well as boiling mud pits and other hot areas. It reminded me a lot of Dante’s Peak! The smell of sulfur was in the air and you could hear the water boiling in some if the pools! The water was a balmy 80-100C (176-212F) although when Strokkur goes off and you get splashed from a distance it does not burn you so it must cool pretty quickly. I climbed up to a viewpoint and then down to the shop/restaurant area where we grabbed a bite to eat and then took off to Efstidalur, an Icelandic Dairy Farm! We each got a free cup or cone of their ice cream that they make fresh there. Katie and I both got salted caramel and it was TO DIE FOR. We milled around looking at the cows and the farm dogs and then took off for the last stop of the day.
We arrived to Þingvellir (Thingvellir in english) national park which is where you can actually see the North American plate and the Eurasian plate and the fissure between them above ground. It was a magnificent site to actually see this physical evidence of what you learn in elementary school science or geography. There is a place deep within the park where you can touch both plates at the same time but unfortunately we were not near it (bucket list item!). We admired the view and walked into the park a little with Enard, now in his wool sweater knit by his mother, telling us stories of the vikings.
Truly a perfect day, I was sad it had to end. Katie and I exchanged numbers and I gave Enard a big hug before running off to collect my luggage.
It went a little downhill (how could it not after having been the perfect day?!) because I entered my hotel to find no one at the desk and I literally needed to be at the bus stop at that exact moment. I was exasperated and had to stand outside for 15 minutes watching the bus stop like a hawk and waiting for someone to decide to come back to the hotel reception desk. Finally she appeared and the bus rolled up just after I got across the street. I made it to the big bus were I dozed off a few times on the way to Blue Lagoon Geothermal Spa.
The spa, while breathtaking, is also a huge tourist stop. I felt like there wasn’t great direction given because of how busy they were and in the rush to make my appointment I checked my luggage outside and forgot my GoPro and my waterproof phone case. Big mistake.
After entering the spa you are given a wristband and then expected to fend for yourself. I almost broke the turnstile because no one told me I had to scan my newly received bracelet in order to gain entry. The lockers had no instructions for use and there was only one changing room per like 100 lockers and only one bathroom in the locker room area - and you are (well, I was) made to feel like you should not go into the lagoon area with anything but your bathing suit and towel. Little did I know you can indeed go out to the main area, which includes restaurant, cafe, and bar, in your normal clothes. I’m sure it was obvious to other people and I was just flustered because of my day and the rush and having to be naked in front of a bunch of people.. oh, cultural differences. Anyway, Villimey had pointed out to us the previous day that ANY geothermal spa you went to it was required of you to shower SANS bathing suit (and yes, your hair, crotch, and everything) prior to entry and the reason for this is they cannot use as much chlorine (I don’t remember why but I know that’s what she said - I’m sure it has something to do with nature) so we need to keep It clean. Eventually I made it into the water and was immediately befriended by an outgoing lady named Sheena who had ditched her friend Rob at the restaurant to come get in the water. The wind was INTENSE at this point so my phone was getting splashed and the water (mix of salt and fresh) would spray you in the face. We found the area where you get your included silica face mask so we globbed those on and then waded to the bar to get our complimentary drinks. They had a variety of things to choose from but I went with the Icelandic beer, Gull. We also may have paid 30$ each for waterproof phone cases.
It got dark quickly so I suggest if you want to really take in the experience go earlier in the day because you can stay as long as you like. I would’ve liked to experience more daylight myself but at least I didn’t get sunburned. It did live up to the hype, the water was quite warm and it would’ve been very relaxing if the winds had not been so strong.
I got out at around 945pm to give myself sufficient time to change and get to my luggage before the place closed at 11 (it’s just outside the lagoon). I felt disgusting and couldn’t wait to take a shower but I will say the leave-in conditioner they offered (and suggested you wear into the water so your hair doesn’t get damaged) was really really nice. I had planned to take a taxi from the Blue Lagoon to my B&B, it was about twenty minutes away. Unfortunately I did not do my research well enough and I ended up spending 8800 ISK on that trip, which is around 80$. I didn’t let it get me down though, because I’d had a great day already and this taxi driver’s name was OLAF (like the snowman in Frozen!!!) and the guy who ran the B&B I was going to was actually his friend Hilmar. I also knew I wouldn’t have to pay anything the following day because they offer a free drop off to the airport (which is only five minutes away). I took a shower and crashed (5am wake-up call for London!).
BEST.DAY.EVER.
