The Golden Circle

Over three weeks in Iceland and no "Golden Circle"??? We haven't been avoiding these geological treats like we have some culinary treats; the most famous of attractions just weren't on our biking (or hiking) route, and we wanted to save them to see with Tina anyway. It's a good thing we did, because when Gummi heard we were going to take a bus there, he said, "That's ridiculous, I will take you." The only problem was that he was leading day trip glacier hikes during our last two days in Iceland. "No problem, we only need four hours and we will have plenty of light!" So Gummi met us at other Gummi's apartment for a quick dinner after his trek before chauffeuring us around. He liked the potatoes and green salad, but looked at the quinoa salad like it was putrid shark. We had "flat kaka og honkey cut og a tub of butter" in the fridge as a backup.

Thingvellir is the national park that was the meeting grounds of the old parliament and, more interesting, the only place on Earth where there is a divergent plate boundary on land. We walked through separating rock (we were lucky enough to not have it separate at the time); had great views of the lake where people dive in the crystal clear, icy water; and felt a dramatic sense of history in Iceland's sacred ground. Thousands of people were there earlier in the day and the swarms would return the next morning, but we left the park at about 9pm after seeing just four other people enjoying the peaceful calm of of the light summer night.

The main attraction at Geysir is a geysir called Strokkur that sprays/spews/spouts/erupts every 5-6 minutes. The bigger geysir, Geysir (after which the town and all other geysirs get their name), hasn't put on its show for over twelve years. The sprays we saw were probably 50 feet high and were preceeded by teasing bubbles and ripples that built excitement as the pressure built underneath. This was definitely cool to see, but the surprising secondary sights pushed this stop beyond expectations. Strokkur lies (lay?) in a field of steaming hot vents, boiling cauldrons of water, caves filled with eerily calm 100 degree C water, electric blue pools of water, and steaming streams too hot to touch. We had to share our front row seats with about 20 fellow tourists (or perhaps it's the Icelanders who know to come at night), whereas Gummi said you can't get within about ten feet of the roped off area during the day because of the crowds.

Gulfoss was yet another spectacular waterfall. Though two-tiered, bigger and more forceful than others we've seen, and set in a dramatic canyon, driving specifically to see a waterfall raised expectations that were difficult to deliver, at least compared to stumbling upon one while biking or hiking. We saw just two photographers at the waterfall, and it was actually getting dusky departing at 11pm.

Overall, the Golden Circle was great - a touristy route that is so well traveled for many reasons. Having Gummi bring us around at our own pace and at night without crowds was ideal - we really lucked out. After dropping us at other Gummi's apartment at midnight, Gummi had to rush home to get a few hours sleep before leading his morning glacier hike at 7:30. He must sleep a lot in the winter.