We got a bit of a late start on the Golden Circle day trip because the puffin tour was switched from Sunday to Monday because of the weather. So we rented the car from a dealership in Reykjavik, and headed out. First stop was just a spot on the side of the highway where people were making inukshuks so we did that. Then we went on to Thingvellir National Park, (Þingvellir in Icelandic – the “Þ” is a Th sound) which is where the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates meet. And of course there are waterfalls. There are waterfalls EVERYWHERE. The big waterfall we stopped at is Öxarárfoss. At least that’s the FIRST one we stopped at.
After Þingvellir we went on to the Kerið Crater which is a volcanic crater lake. It’s beautiful.
Next we had lunch at the most amazing restaurant, It is on a farm called Friðheimar, and there is a restaurant and a wine bistro. We didn’t have a reservation for the restaurant so we ate in the bistro, but OH MY GOD it was so amazing. It was so good we went back a few days later and ordered the exact same thing. I’m not usually a fan of tomato soup, but this was to die for. And the cheesecake had a green tomato jam on it that I bought a jar of because it was so amazing.
Then on to the geyser, called Geysir or sometimes called The Great Geysir. It’s pretty great. It erupts every 5 to 10 minutes so you just have to wait and watch. And it goes about 20 metres high with boiling water, and everything smells like sulfur. And the area all around is filled with bubbling water.
Also, I can’t describe the scenery. It’s like being on another planet.
