The Golden Circle tour allows visitors to get
in touch with some of Iceland’s most famous and exciting natural
phenomena. Our first stop was at the Þingvellir (Thingvellir) National Park. Þingvellir is one of Iceland’s most historic sites as
it was here that Iceland’s first parliament was founded in the year 930
AD.
From Þingvellir we headed toward the
world-renowned geothermal area around the Geysir hot spring. This is the
one spouting hot spring that all the other's have been named after. It rarely erupts, but it's neighbor "Strokkur" erupts every 4-7 minutes. There were many springs in the area, and it was neat seeing the steam rising from the ground. My video of the eruption didn't turn out well, but I found this video online that shows exactly what Strokkur looks like as it erupts! It was amazing!!
From there we continued on to Gullfoss (“the Golden waterfall”)
where your proximity to its edge is so close you can feel the spray of
the glacial water on your face. Personally, it was a bit too cold to have icy crystals pelting you, but the view was worth it!
And then... What we'd all been waiting for... A snowmobiling tour
on Langjökull, Iceland’s second largest glacier! This was such a cool experience. You haven't lived until you've sped around on a glacier at 55 km/h. It was amazing! The sun was shining down on a blanket of snow. It was so beautiful!
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| Langjokull Glacier |
When I got home, Benjamin and I went to Subway, and then to the store for some candy. In Iceland, all candy is 50% off on Saturdays. There was a horde of children, dragging their parents into the store to get bags of candy! I got some gummy worms, sour gummys, skittles, and a few weird looking pieces, that ended up actually tasting pretty good!
What at amazing place! I can't believe how beautiful it is there -- everything is just spectacular! It looks like you are having a great trip. Do your hosts speak English, or are you all just managing in sign language? I know you didn't have time to learn much more than a few polite phrases in Icelandic. Please keep blogging about your adventures -- I want to hear all the details. You make me want to pack a bag...
ReplyDelete:-)
I haven't met an Icelander yet that doesn't speak English. Every now and then, the family will begin talking in Icelandic (probably forgetting I'm in the room). That is pretty fun to listen to! I have learned a few words just through hearing them talk to each other, and yell at the dog...Haha so far, all is well! (Oh, and I learned the word for tramp/skank...lol)
ReplyDeleteYou might think you are joking, but I will convince you to go somewhere with me!!!