The Golden Circle
Good morning Day 2! After a fully packed day 1, we didn’t really have time to shop at the supermarket or even figure out where the kitchen in the hostel is located.
Up at 7:30am have to be at the bus stop at 9:30. Seems like a good amount of time but by the time we were dressed and leaving the hostel it’s already a bit after 8. We have to find breakfast and snack/lunch. I had read that although the tour bus will stop for lunch, the places it stops are tourist traps with high prices so it’s better to bring your own lunch.
We try to run into a supermarket but it doesn’t open until 10am so now I’m starting to get nervous because we have an hour to find food and get back to the bus stop.
There is a cafe called Kaffitar nearby so we end up there. Croissant ($6), 2 cappuccino ($13), breakfast sandwich, 2 bagels, 2 orange juice boxes, ham sandwich ($13)...I know, a lot of food but we’re planning for breakfast and snack! So another “breakfast” over $50. Suddenly the $17 breakfast at the hostel is seeming reasonable!
The tour bus is big, the tour guide is very nice, everyone gets an audio guide which automatically runs based on gps location. We booked Reykjavik Sightseeing hop on hop off bus however, it was again, not quite what was advertised. This tour bus group did not have any more freedom than any other group. In the end, it was fine. I think we had plenty of time. How many times can you really watch a geyser erupt?
10am sunrise over the frozen tundra.
First stop was a National Park that sits on the continental ridge between North America and Europe. We walked in between continents essentially. While grabbing a hot chocolate in the store, I looked at the prices of sandwiches, expecting something astronomical ....nope. $7 for basically the same sandwich that I paid $13 for at the cafe. Very very annoying.
In between the park and the geyser, we stopped at a little natural hot spring spot which was super cool. The water was warm and in some spots it was boiling. It all smells terribly like sulfur (aka fart).
Second stop was the geyser. We watched it erupt maybe 8 times. It got to all different heights and trying to take pictures of it was super funny. I kept missing it or pressing record too late. Of course Adam got great videos soooo I just had to steal his!
The last stop was the Gullfoss waterfall. It was huge and we were basically viewing it from the top. I think I would have liked it better if I was seeing it all green in the summer rather than covered with ice in the winter. I found it a little scary actually. Water is so powerful.
Basically everyone who visits Iceland does the Golden Circle tour. I imagine renting a car might allow you to see more cool places but I also think the summer would be better to see everything green.
