The morning of our second day started early. WAY early after a red-eye flight, touring the peninsula, watching volcanoes, lounging in the Blue Lagoon, and volcanoes. (Again.)
But we didn't have time to sleep in. We had Iceland to see. And in particular, we were doing the Golden Circle. It's a famous day trip from Reykjavik. It visits three different highlights.
Our first stop was Þingvellir National Park.
Þingvellir was full of geologic wonder and history. And people. It's where the European and American plates are pulling apart. We walked from America to Europe and didn't even get our feet wet. We did have to dodge bugs, though. And the people.
It was probably like that back in the year 930. That's when the first political gathering was held. The Iceland parliament met in the area until 1798 when it was relocated. What struck me was that we think things are old around here if they are 100 years old.
Next stop: Geysers! Erm... geysirs. Actually, Geysir. The Geysir Geothermal Field is notable because it's where the word "geyser" comes from. Although the original geyser, Geysir, is no longer as punctual, there are other geysers that make up for it. Every five minutes Strokkur erupts with a spray.
We had a tasty meal before walking out to the geysers. The recommendation was to watch for a huge bubble just preceding the eruption. Ooh! Aah! The crowd goes wild! Worth a stop. Definitely.
Next was a quick stop to buy horse candy. Mmm... horses. They make the best candy. Wait. No. It's not made by horses. It's not made of horses. It's treats to feed the horses. There were a couple of Icelandic horses next to the candy shop who knew exactly what they could expect from anyone that stops.
Just beyond was Gullfoss. It's a truly amazing waterfall unlike anything I've ever seen. And I've seen a lot of waterfalls. It's huge. It's right angled. It's not purple, but I bet when the sun hits it right you get a rainbow from all the mist that's thrown up.
Maybe I'm making it seem like there were too many people. It wasn't unlike the major attractions in the United States. Old Faithful in Yellowstone is as crowded as Geysir was. The crowds at Gullfoss were no worse than Snoqualmie Falls. It's just for a recluse like me it was a bit much.
We stopped and bought "horse candy" (for the horses, not made from them) so we could give scritches. We visited a crater with a lake in the middle of it and an old church/cathedral in the middle of a field. We had dinner in a greenhouse in a town that specialized in growing tomatoes. (This latter stop was awesome and very relaxing.) We crashed at the house right around sunset which was also nearly midnight. That took some getting used to. (Who am I kidding? We never figured it out.)
I get that the Golden Circle is a great one-day tour of a bunch of Icelandic highlights. Having done it, we won't do it again. In fact, I would have rather driven to Snæfellsjökull National Park. But I guess that just means we have another easy day trip out of Reykjavik on our next visit.
