A traveller's reflection: Iceland 2018: 07 The Golden Circle Tour

"If you can see the positive sides of everything, you'll be able to live a much richer life than others..."

(Geysir Geothermal Field)

Day 07: 18 February 2018 (Sunday)
Route: Vik – Reykjavik the Golden Circle Tour
Hotel: Park Inn by Radisson in Keflavik

Started the Golden Circle Tour early in the morning and visited more tourist attractions.

(The sunrise viewed from our room)

Thingvellir National Park is a historic UNESCO site and a national park in Iceland, east of Reykjavík. It's known for the Althing, the site of Iceland's parliament from the 10th to 18th centuries. On the site are the Tingvellir Church and the ruins of old stone shelters. The park sits in a rift valley caused by the separation of two tectonic plates, the North American tectonic plate and the Eurasian plate with rocky cliffs and fissures like the huge Almannagjá fault.

(The Sun Dial at the entrance of the faults)

(Some write-ups on the Tectonic faults)

(A large crowd walking through the faults)

(Walking in between two continents)

(The view of the valley)

(A walk in the woods)

The last time we walked in between tectonic faults was in Pakistan during our Silk-Road Adventure in September 2015. It was really a wonderful feeling walking between two continents!

Geysir Geothermal Field is believed to have a surface area of approximately 3 km square. Most of the springs are aligned along a 100m wide strip of land running in the same direction as the tectonic lines in the area, from south to southwest. The strip is 500m long and culminates near what once was the seat of the lords of Haukadalur.

(Strong smell of sulfur in the air)

Strokkur is a fountain geyser located in a geothermal area beside the Hvítá River in Iceland in the southwest part of the country, east of Reykjavík. It is one of Iceland's most famous geysers, erupting once every 10 minutes. Its usual height is about 20 m, although it can sometimes erupt up to 40 m high. We waited for the geyser to erupt but to our disappointment, it was a small one. We had seen a bigger one at Waimangu Geyser in Rotorua, New Zealand.

(The crowd at the geyser)

(Waiting for the geyser to erupt)

(An eruption every 15 minutes)

We had a buffet lunch at The Geysir Glima Restaurant then later visited the souvenir shop..

(Seafood buffet for lunch)

(Souvenir shopping after lunch)

Gullfoss is an iconic waterfall of Iceland offering a spectacular view of the forces and beauty of untouched nature. Gullfoss is located in South Iceland on the Hvítá River which is fed by Iceland´s second biggest glacier, the Langjökull. The water plummets down 32 m in two stages into a rugged canyon which walls reach up to 70 m in height. On a sunny day shimmering rainbow can be seen over the falls.

(Near zero visibility to the waterfalls)

We boarded a huge Adventure Truck and drove to Langjokull Glacier. Langjökull is the second largest ice cap after Vatnajökull. It is situated in the west of the Icelandic interior or Highlands of Iceland and can be seen clearly from Haukadalur. Its volume is 195 cubic km and the ice is up to 580 m thick. We drove to the highest point of the ice cap at Baldjökull which is about 1,450 m above sea level for a panoramic view of the surrounding.

(An Adventure Truck to the Longjokul Glacier)

(The truck is equipped with off-roading tyres)

(At the highest view point)

(Minimal visibility of the surrounding area)

The Blue Lagoon geothermal spa is one of the most visited attractions in Iceland. The spa is located in a lava field in Grindavík on the Reykjanes Peninsula, southwestern Iceland in a location favourable for Geothermal power, and is supplied by water used in the nearby Svartsengi geothermal power station. We had a slot for the pool at 7.30 pm but none wanted to go for a dip. Instead we had time to shop for beauty products and souvenirs.