Iceland Golden Circle

Day 4

We woke up to pouring rain this morning. Scott was the first one up and made an executive decision to let the rest of us sleep in. Very much appreciated because it had been a night of restless sleep for all of us. While the weather was a discouraging start to the day, it ended up being a much-needed relaxing morning. Our original plan was to hit up the major Golden Circle sites: Gulfoss, Geysir, Þingvellir, including a stop for lunch at Efstidalur II, and possibly visit a thermal springs if time allowed (considering either Secret Lagoon or Fontana Geothermal Baths). Since we saw the Kerid Crater the day before, we were already able to cross that off the list. From the past couple days experience, we knew that with the rain coming down hard, it would be difficult to push the kids in this weather. We decided to stay at the cabin until lunchtime and keep our fingers crossed that the weather would improve in the meantime.

Talking over our new options, we had to decide which sites were “must-see” for us, and we ended up with a tentative plan to go to Geysir and then Gulfoss after lunch and then see if we would be up for anything else after that. The drive to Efstidalur II was dreary but still scenic, passing lots of farms with cows and horses and sheep. The kids never got tired of pointing out all the animals. We were excited about eating at Efstidalur II because we knew that the dining room overlooked stables with cows, and we expected watching the cows to be good entertainment for the kids.

Our lunch did not disappoint! The restaurant/farm was adorable, and we even had the dining room mostly to ourselves. It appeared that the rainy weather was keeping other tourists away. We all ordered burgers, which were outstanding. Scott and I devoured ours while the kids mostly just ate fries. We tried bribing them with ice cream to eat their burger but no luck. The first floor of the restaurant is a popular ice cream shop, so this was kind of a bummer for all of us, but we couldn’t go back on our rule at that point.

Geysir / Strokkur Geothermal Area

With full bellies, we loaded back in the car to head to Geysir. The rain had let up and weather for the afternoon was looking promising. Parking here was very easy. There was a visitor center and a paved parking lot. The area looked busy but we were able find a parking spot with no problem. From the lot, it was a short walk across the street to the active geothermal area. The sulfur smell was noticeable right away, and steam was rising from several places along the path. You could even see water bubbling up in many spots. The path was well marked but only ropes restricted you from the geysers and bubbling mud. So we made sure to keep an eye on the kids to prevent any running off or running into a dangerous situation.

The main attraction in this geothermal area is the Strokkur geyser. The Great Geysir is the largest geyser in the area, but in recent years its activity has dropped way down to maybe a few eruptions per day. Along our walk to Strokkur, we also passed some smaller geysers, Little Strokkur and Little Geysir. There was a decent crowd waiting for the next Strokkur eruption, but still plenty of space to get a good spot to watch. Even with the ropes in place, we quickly saw that they did nothing to prevent tourists from getting wet and/or getting a steam bath from the eruptions. Our first eruption was exciting, made even more exciting from an unexpected second eruption almost right after the first. Tourists posing for pictures in between the eruptions had to run for cover as the steam and water blew into the crowd. It was hysterical! (Everyone was fine.)

Since the time between eruptions was pretty short (5-15 min), we walked around the ropes to the opposite side for a different perspective and wore the kids on our shoulders to give them better views. Of course now the wait for the next eruption seemed to take forever but then the water in the geyser started bubbling and there she went! The joke was on us this time as we ended up getting our own steam bath. Scott was taking a video of this eruption and you can hear my maniac laughter as the steam cloud hit us. Even though we knew it might happen, it was still so startling! The Great Geysir was located beyond Strokkur but no eruptions for us that day and we were ready to move onto the next site.

Considering the ease of visiting this geothermal area and the excitement of watching multiple Strokkur eruptions, this might have been my favorite stop on the whole trip. Sure there were other attractions more impressive at face value but they usually involved longer drives or hikes and wetter or windier conditions. The geysers were fun for all four of us and there was relatively minimal safety concerns and zero issues with keeping the kids engaged. I’m so glad the weather cooperated with us in the afternoon.

Gulfoss

A short drive from Geysir, we headed straight for Gulfoss, the biggest waterfall on our Iceland itinerary. As soon as we parked the car, we knew the wind would be an issue. You could hear it roaring against the car and see clothes on other tourists whipping around. Being unsure what to expect as far as safety for the kids, we brought bracelet harnesses for both kids and A’s pack with us. There is a short walk from the parking lot on a boardwalk path across a flat plain toward the Gulfoss overlooks. It was so windy it felt like the kids were going to blow away! You really had to lean into the wind to make any headway toward the waterfall. The parking lot for Gulfoss is at the top of the river canyon, so for the first overlook, you have to climb down many stairs. Once we reached the bottom, we got our first good look at the impressive Gulfoss! The roar of the rushing water and wind added to the drama of the enormous waterfall, and the sight was spectacular.

It had been tough getting the kids down the stairs to this point so we fully intended on heading back to the car, but then J saw the overlooks up the river by the first cascade of the waterfall and became absolutely insistent on going there. Literally screaming “I GO THERE” with emphatic pointing to make sure we understood. Alright, kid, you win this one. He was certainly in the explorer mindset and this was the kind of situation that we fully support indulging. So we pressed on along the gravel path hugging the canyon wall.

The walk itself was not difficult; the slippery gravel made it a challenge to keep your footing at times (while wrangling one toddler each), so it ended up being a decent workout. Stopping for pictures along we way, we made it all the way to the first overlook at the beginning of the waterfall. The noise was deafening and A had had enough at this point. To be honest, I was pretty overwhelmed too. Climbing up and down the slippery rocks at this overlook was pushing my safety comfort zone. Scott ended up putting A in the backpack carrier for the return hike just to alleviate some of the stress. He was once again a true superhero, wearing A and still wrangling J. Thankfully we made it back to the car uneventfully, just very tired (those stairs!) but VERY proud we made it to all of those viewpoints. The power of Gulfoss was humbling to witness.

A brief conversation led us to the decision of heading back to the cabin for the day. It was already late afternoon and any of the other attractions we had in mind were either too much of a time commitment or were too far out of our way at this point. We did decide to try visiting Þingvellir the next morning and getting to Reykjavík later than originally planned. So at least we would be trying to make up some of the time we had lost this morning.

Icelandic Horses

Since day 1 of our trip, we had been keeping a stash of apples in the car in case we saw a chance to feed some of the gorgeous Icelandic horses. Finally on the drive from Gulfoss to Selfoss, we spotted a group of horses near the road right next to a place to pull of and park. As soon as we pulled over and got out, the horses wandered right toward us. They must know that tourists sometimes bring treats! The horses were stunning and their coats velvety soft. The kids LOVED getting up close and petting them. They loved the idea of feeding them too, but ultimately got nervous (understandable) when the horses bent down to take a bite from the apples. So Scott and I were the primary horse feeders. This was just a quick stop but it was really fun and definitely left an impression on the kids. This was the only time we stopped to feed horses during the trip, but we wish we had made the effort to do it a few more times. Even back home in Houston now, J will occasionally ask to feed the horses when we see any in a roadside pasture.

As per our usual routine, we spent a relaxing evening with dinner in the cabin. The kids got to watch some cartoons while Scott and I caught up on the latest college football happenings of the day (one downside of travel in the fall). Since this was our last night in Selfoss, we also packed up as best as we could in preparation for another chaotic morning.

Day 5

For the first time on our trip, we woke up to nice weather! I actually had to dig out my sunglasses! Yay! We packed up the car, checked out of the cabin, and set off for Þingvellir National Park.

Þingvellir National Park

As we got closer to our destination, we had some great views of  Lake Þingvellirvatn, since  we had to drive around the lake to reach the entrances on the other side of the park. At first we didn’t realize that there were multiple entrances and parking lots around the park, but we luckily ended up parking near the Öxarárfoss waterfall. This was a fun hike from the (almost empty) parking lot. This waterfall flows right into the ever growing gap between the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates, so we got to see both the waterfall and the tectonic plate gap! Actually, at this location the gap is one of the largest places, basically a canyon, and called the Almannagjá. The landscape was striking, and I tried to get the kids to do some poses “pushing apart” the plates. It was really amazing how everyday brought us different scenery and attractions.

After this short hike, we drove around to the main visitor center for more views of the lake and the park. It was all beautiful, but the crowds were getting bigger and we were ready to head to Reykjavík for lunch. For the first time on this trip, we had trouble finding parking here and inched in along the backside of the parking lot.

This was our last stop along the Golden Circle, and I am so glad we were able to squeeze it in. Everything we saw lived up to expectations and more. Next up, a day trip to Reykjavík!