Iceland's Golden Circle Tour
One of the popular tours in Iceland is called the Golden Circle because it goes to the "Golden Falls" waterfall. This huge waterfall is supposed to be beautiful and impressive. The ship offers tours here but we decided to book ours through the Iceland4Us travel website. That way we would be on a smaller bus and hopefully get a better experience - we did.
CJ and I got off the ship and went through the small guard station and past the gift shop. It was easy to find the tour because the guide was holding a sign. After everyone got on the bus the driver collected the fees - we were the only ones to pay in cash. The Golden Circle tour also goes to a spot to see an erupting geyser, called Geysir (it is where the word comes from). Our plan was to go to the waterfall before the geyser to hopefully beat the other buses.
The first stop was at a mall in a small town where the a store owner had a problem even before he built his store. There was a fissure through the land he bought to build the store. He decided to build anyway and put in a glass ribbon in the floor so people could see into the fissure. There were even lights in the bottom to make it clear what you were seeing - very cool. After a bathroom/coffee stop we went to see a hole in the ground where a house used to be. The area is a volcanic region and hot water can break through to the surface at any time. One homeowner discovered that a hot water leak was below his foundation. Two days later his house had been moved before the hole in the back yard swallowed it. All that we saw through the fencing was the 15' deep house-size hole that was left.
We did make it to the waterfall before most of the other buses. In the restaurant/gift shop I bought a pair of mitten/gloves because it was cold outside. CJ and I walked down the wooden path to where it forked at the stairs. Left gave an overview of the waterfall while down the stairs allowed access at the falls top level. We stopped for some pictures a few steps down before we split - CJ went left and I went down the stairs. When I got to the bottom, I could feel the mist from the waterfall. It got heavier as I walked closer. Soon my camera lens filter was filled with water droplets. I decided to go back up. In retrospect I should have kept going as the path curved away from the mist.
Notice at the left edge of the picture the two people on the rocks. This will give you an idea of how big the waterfall really is.
The waterfall is huge, beautiful, powerful, and in two sections. After the water pours down from one height it turns 90° and pours over another bank almost as wide as the first. We were very impressed. A few shots from up top was enough to make sure we had some good pictures. Then it was back to the restaurant for some excellent lamb stew and an odd chicken panini.
The geyser water forms a bubble first. |
Then the bubble bursts with hot water. |
The water seems to reach the clouds. |
The geyser stop was also great. The old geyser, Geysir, has quit being reliably active but there is a new geyser, Strokkur. that erupts every 7 - 10 minutes as well as several hot pools that steam in the surrounding area and the Haukadalur valley we were in. We took pictures from afar with the people as silhouettes and then from up close. The water forms a bubble just before the eruption occurs but it was hard to get a picture of the bubble. The eruptions went high into the air and seemed to merge into the clouds in the pictures.
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It's not a regular wishing well but people throw coins in anyway. |
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After the geyser stop we went to a national park Þingvellir. This is a beautiful area that was the site of the early parliament where the assembly met. Our stop allowed us to view some of the pools of water in the deep crevasses. The clouds reflected in the clear water. A path led away to an overview and then up a hill to another parking lot. I headed out with two of our bus mates while CJ stayed with the driver on the ride around. The river snaked through the landscape and contrasted nicely with the earth when I looked back from the view point. The path up the hill was not steep or too long and soon CJ joined me as we looked out over the national park land.
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CJ asked our driver if we could stop for pictures of the Icelandic horses that were in the fields of willow up to their knees. He said he would if he could find a spot. We passed the power plant where hot water is used to make electricity. Our driver explained the process as we went by but no more horses in the fields. So we stopped at a ranch where horses were for rent. The driver asked the owner who said he just put the horses out to pasture but we could go see them there - we did. Everyone got out and the horses came to visit - it was a highlight of the tour.
