[Travel] Iceland Day 2 – Golden Circle

Day 2:

• Thingvellir National Park
• Geysir
• Gullfoss
• Seljalandsfoss 
• Skogar 

We woke up early even if we lacked sleep – we were up by 3am because it was already around lunch time in Manila. We called the kids and showed them the house. We miss them already!

Agenda for the day is the Golden Circle – it is a known and popular tourist route in southern Iceland. It contains most tours and travel-related activities in Iceland.

We started the day at the Thingvellir National Park – a UNESCO world heritage site and a  key location in Icelandic history as the oldest existing parliament in the world first assembled there in 930 AD. It lies in a rift valley that marks the crest of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and the boundary between the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates – you can even actually go diving or snorkeling in between these plates! It is a huge park, we were also lucky to see the lovely autumn colors in the park.

Next was Geysir. It was raining when we arrived, and since it was already time for lunch, we stopped by the diner to have soup and bread for the cold rainy weather.

The moment you enter the park, you’d think that someone made a big fat fart! Or someone just brought a lot of rotten boiled eggs. Haha! Ok, I may be exaggerating a bit. Though the Great Geysir is less active these days, its neighbor Strokkur did not disappoint. Strokkur is one of Iceland’s most famous geysers, erupting water 100ft into the air, once every 6-10 minutes. It was amazing to see how it spouts the water so high!

Next was Gullfoss.The drive going here was breathtaking. It was like driving in garden dream.

Didn’t realize as well that it was massive! We went closer too see it and saw the canyon where its water flows down. It was amazing. This was probably the most crowded site we’ve seen, so many tourists! Its funny because you can really separate Asian tourists from others even from afar because of their umbrellas!

Next stop – Seljelandsfoss, my favorite waterfall in Iceland – magical and breathtaking. You can even walk behind it. We were lucky to see it during the golden hour, which added more charm to its already marvelous beauty.

Hotel for the night was Hotel Skogafoss. Even though it was already dark when we arrived, we could still see the famous Skogafoss from the road, amazing!