The Golden Circle is a 190 mile route that highlights the unique beauty and diverse landscape of Iceland. From the power of Gullfoss, to geothermal geysers, and the expansive Thingvellir National Park, it was the perfect place for us to focus our limited time…with a few little side trips thrown in (more of those later)
Where we stayed
Who ever started Airbnb was a genius! Hotels are primarily found in the towns (which were few and far between) and ridiculously expensive. But the Icelandic gods were smiling on us when we found the Heidi Cabin. Right off 35, the Eastern side of the Golden Circle circuit, is the ideal little cabin that lets you experience Icelandic life. It is a one room cabin nestled next to mountains, surrounded by pastures and on a working farm. AND for only $150 for the night…half of what we would have paid for a room in Reykjavik! Out of all of the places we stayed on this trip, this was my favorite. The cottage, though next to two houses, felt private and secluded. It was warm and cozy from a day of rain, wind, and waterfalls. From the wooden windows that opened wide, we watched the midnight sun “set” and the Icelandic hor
Gullfoss
After checking in to the Heidi Cabin and adding another layer or two, we were off to Gullfoss and dinner. Gullfoss, on the Hvita River which stems from Langjokull–the second largest glacier in Iceland, falls into a 220 foot canyon in two stages. It was here that we realized that Iceland is not for stupid people. Only a small, thin rope about a foot off the ground and foot from the falls acted as a barrier between the slick, wet rocks and the raging river. Smart people stayed well away from that rope….stupid people…well you never heard from them again.
Ken had planned this fall at this stage of our trip because it had a restaurant. Up to this point in the day (about 6:45 at night), we had existed solely on that 2kg bag of Skittles that I had made fun of Ken getting at the duty free shop when we landed 8 hours earlier. Sounded perfect. It was not. The restaurant closed at 7:00 p.m. and the section with the stunning view was not open nor was the kitchen. I guess Icelanders don’t really care about their Yelp ratings. Luckily there was a cafe still open. Really, it looked like a nicer version of my high schools cafeteria. They, too, closed at 7:00. Meaning we were left with pre-made sandwiches on rock hard bread, wilted salads, and whatever soup you could scrape from the bottom of the cauldron. We both opted for a sandwich…and that’s it. No chips, no drink, no sweet treat. And at that point, those $25 sandwich tasted pretty good, but we both left disappointed and not quite full.
Though the waterfalls where gorgeous and in a perfect Icelandic setting, I think my favorite part of this trip (but probably not Ken’s, as he ended up waiting in the car) was the gift shop! Full of Icelandic woolens, I stopped trying to figure out the currency exchange rate, knew I’d be paying hundreds of dollars, and tried on every sweater they had until I found the perfect one. It only took 45 minutes…what was the rush…the sun wasn’t going anywhere.
The Geysir [sic] Geothermal Area
Armed with my new Icelandic sweater (yes, I put it ASAP over my thermal shirt, long sleeve shirt, pullover, and under my raincoat), we headed to the geysers. Only 10 minutes down the road, you felt like you were in a completely different world. I learned that for a geyser to happen, it must have a heat source, water, and “plumbing.” Here, the magma is close is close enough to the earth’s surface to heat Langjokull’s water that seeps into the ground to a boiling point before pushing it through cavernous underground tubes. Strokkur is the largest and most regular geyser in the Geysir Geothermal Area. Once you get over the smell of something close to rotten eggs, you can’t help but marvel at the beauty of the area. In one of the barely barricaded pools, you can actually see down into the geothermal vent. With steam floating above the bluest water, it’s a marvel that you can see inside the earth. It was getting close to 10:30 at night, but the the sun broke through the clouds and mingled with the mist giving a glow to the landscape. It was moment of pure beauty…if you breathed through your mouth. Just across the road is the Geysir Centre. Here mall food court meets Icelandic farm-to-table meets gift shop. It boasts one the most amazing Icelandic-wear store I had seen (okay…it was only the second, but it was way better than the place I bought my sweater at Gullfoss). Luckily for my credit card balance, they were closing and we had just enough time to grab a snack. Making our say back to the Heidi Cabin for the night was beautiful drive. In the permanent state of sunset, we watched as rain heavy clouds moved across the sky and mountains. To complete th picture, an Icelander road down the road with two Icelandic horses in tow and sheep grazed nearby. It was the perfect ending to a perfect day.
Thingvellir National Park
Our next morning was spent discovering some wonderful spots (more on that in the next post), but our last well-known stop on our Golden Circle tour was Thingvellir National Park. This beautiful place is steeped in Icelandic history. Thingvellir means “Parliament Plains” and was where clan leaders and their people would gather to hear the Law Speaker pronounce the Commonwealth’s laws aloud from the top of Logberg, or Law Rock, from 930 to 1798. The park covers over 35 square miles and sits in Almannagja, a rift valley caused by the separation of Eurasian and North American tectonic plates. It was mind-blowing to walk between these two towering rock formations knowing we were walking between two continents. We spent hours around Oxararfoss, a breath-taking waterfall that flows over and and into Almannagja. The Oxara River continues on between the tectonic plates and out into the Althing or the National Parliament gathering area. This beautiful place holds some dark history. A lovely stone bridge over a deep and calm part of the river is picturesque, but is also where Icelandic justice was meted out. Here at Drekkingarhylur, Drowning Deep Pool, women convicted of adultery were drowned and men where hung. I don’t know if it was knowing the history or the fact that there is know where else in the world like this, but I was swept up in it. I can’t full explain what it was like to stand on Law Rock and look over the area (Althing) that, for two weeks every summer, gathered together hundreds of Icelandic people for thousands of years before my nation was even created. Here Iceland decided to give up paganism and return to Christianity. Here you get a sense of the spans of human history. And all set against the edges of two continents. We only saw a portion, albeit an important and impressive, part of the Thingvellir, but there is so much more to experience, like diving in rifts, horseback riding next to faults, and hiking to abandoned ancient farms.
For our first time in Iceland, the Golden Circle was the perfect place to experience just a taste of what this fascinating country has to offer.
Tips:
- Be prepared to be a bit lost or turned around, especially in Thingvellir National Park. It’s okay and actually part of the romance of the trip. Who knows, a wrong turn could bring you to unplanned wonder.
- Don’t let the stories of crowds turn you off from these places. I don’t know if it is Iceland’s definition of crowds or that we happened to hit each of these spots at the right time, but I never felt crowded.
- Do it! Just book that flight…I promise you will not be sorry.
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