If you ever have the opportunity to have an “extended layover” in Iceland, I have the perfect itinerary for you–the Golden Circle. This was our last day in Iceland, but it makes the perfect one-day snapshot of all Iceland has to offer–a volcanic crater lake, a soak in a hot springs pool, a thermal area with geysirs, fumaroles and mudpots, one of the most magnificent waterfalls I have ever seen, and a walk between the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates! All in one day! I was so happy this was the day my brother, Matt, got to join us. After we left for Germany, he continued for a few days in Iceland on his own and did one of Iceland’s most popular hikes–not sure I could have kept up! Maybe next time…
So, this post will share this Golden Circle snapshot of Iceland by following our itinerary and photos from our third and final day in the land of fire and ice. But I also have a question for you if you stay tuned until the end. I am going to share a sign I saw in the bathroom in Iceland and have since seen several times on this trip. I don’t really undesrtand, but apparently it’s a “thing” worthy of posting signs in many public facilities across Europe. I am legitimately asking what it’s all about becasue my imagination is running wild.
First up was Kerið Crater, but first a quick Icelandic language lesson: the funny looking lower case d with a like through the stem is pronounced like a “th”. Kerið is a volcanic crater now filled with a gorgeous lake. You can hike a path down in the crater around the lake as well as around the rim. Check out the colors–the red, red rock, the almost fluorescent greenery, and the blue-green of the water. It was even prettier in person!
Notice what you don’t see in these pictures–fewer photos of Celeste! Want to know why? It’s because of the other thing you don’t see in these pictures–the midges were back! This was the second spot we encountered these pests and Celeste was not a fan so she kept moving almost constantly. The one picture of her is her fanning them away from her face! This is also where she lost…and recovered… her bank debit card! We were a little panicked for a few minutes! Some kind person returned it to the ticket booth.
I think I’ve mentioned this before–we do a lot of picnic lunches to cut back on costs. Plus, you want to know a great way to see what real life in a country is like–visit the grocery stores. You learn a lot there. So, here’s what our picnic stop in Iceland looks like. Not pictured is the dried fish we tried. I think it was cod–very high in protein and the kids mostly liked it. What we learned the hard way— don’t leave the open package in a car while you swim in a hot spring pool for a couple of hours!
Next up was the Secret Lagoon. I can’t even describe how awesome this place is. While at first glance it might seem like just a swimming pool, look closer! The whole pool is surrounded by a thermal area that you can explore by a boardwalk. Literally right next to the pool is a geysir and hot springs pool. Watch the video at the end. In fact, the overflow from these areas is what heats the pool.. and let me tell you, it was HOT. They were actively cooling it the day we were there. **I was taking photos with my phone in a special waterproof case and didn’t do a very good job wiping water droplets off the case so some of these pics are blurry. However, some of it is just the steam from all the thermal activity. This place is uniquely Iceland!
After several hours of relaxation in the Secret Lagoon, we made an “educational” stop at a local tomato greenhouse and restaurant: Friðheimar. We didn’t have a meal here, but we walked through the greenhouse to see how crops are grown in Iceland and enjoyed some of their specialty drinks at the bar. It was a learning experience and this place was super cute!
We continued around the Golden Circle in our counterclockwise direction with our next stop at one of the most amazing waterfalls I’ve ever seen. Gulfoss. I love it here! It basically has two levels to it and when you first approach it from the parking area, the second level looks like it flows underground as it disappears from sight into the canyon. Lots of pictures of this, but you can’t really sense the power and majesty of it!
Very nearby was the Geysir hot springs area. This reminds me a lot of Yellowstone National Park–an active geothermal area with geysirs, mudpots, hot springs, and that characteristic sulfur smell! The main feature is the Strokkur geysir that erupts regularly. We caught a couple videos of it which I am attempting to post here. Try to catch the beginning of the video–I love the bubble that forms just before it erupts.
Our last stop of the the day was Þingvellir National Park (Thingvellir). This is a location you can see the meeting point of the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates in a beautiful setting. Maybe I was just tired at the end of these long days of sightseeing, but this was a less impressive site than I had imagined. It was kind of cool just for the novelty of being able to say you walked along the fissure of two divergent tectonic plates.
One of our favorite features of this stop was the bathrooms with the best view I’ve ever seen! You bet I took pictures!
We stopped on our way through Reykjavik for fish and chips dinner and then on to our cabin by the airport. Our cabin was near the ocean so we checked out a nearby lighthouse for a top secret mission. I will share that special story later. And btw, I know I’ve mentioned this before–but it doesn’t get dark in Iceland–that lighthouse picture of Genevieve is at 11:30 pm!!!
Now for the big question. I first saw this sign at the Geysir basin area in Iceland, but have seen it many other places since then. Why is this a necessary sign? I am legitimately asking because it seems so random to me, but it must be a “thing.” Are there places that people climb up on the toilet to squat? Please do share if you know (I’m kind of afraid to just google it…)
