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…<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

First up was Keri\u00f0<\/strong> 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”. Keri\u00f0<\/strong> 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! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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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! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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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! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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