11/03/2016

Trips to take in Iceland - The Golden Circle [Part I]

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Being that neither of us could drive when we went to Iceland; the second best (and least expensive) option was to book a tour to see the sights.

We booked our Golden Circle tour with Grayline and were pleasantly surprised by how much we enjoyed the trip!

We arrived at the bus terminus by 6am and were well on our way shortly after. I struggled to keep my eyes open to begin with which I think was a combination of tiredness and motion sickness. It was too dark to see anything at that time so I didn't have to feel guilty about missing out on any dramatic scenery.

 About forty-five minutes later a scarlet streak spread across the sky separating the darkness. If I only got to see sunrise once in Iceland, then this one I would treasure.

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The guide changed up our tour since it was still too dark to visit the waterfalls and we ended up taking a detour to the Geothermal Energy Exhibition inside Hellisheiði Power Plant. These guys are way ahead of the pack when it comes to creating sustainable green energy!

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After the presentation we drove on a bit further and stopped at this beautiful location below. Sadly I didn't write the name down and it wasn't in the itinerary so if you recognise it, let me know in the comments :)

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When we arrived at Gullfoss Waterfall the sun was shining brightly but it was still bitterly cold. There are quite a few steps down towards the falls and it can get pretty slippery as Lloyd found out when he landed on his bum. It was quite amusing since he was so convinced that I'd be the first one to fall over  that week.

On making our way towards the view point, the first thing you can hear is the gush of the river. This, I can imagine was a quieter sound during the winter time since half of the waterfall was frozen over. Nonetheless, it was an incredible sight. Oh nature <3

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After awhile we were ready to warm up with a cup of coffee in the nearby cafe before heading towards Strokker Geysir; one of the most active and popular geysers in the south of Iceland. Since it erupts every 8-10 minutes you're guaranteed to witness it for yourself.

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It's the strangest thing. Despite large crowds gathered around, it seemed that everyone went silent while waiting expectantly for the eruption.  All of a sudden there is the subtlest of sounds as water shoots out of the ground at a high speed. It's almost peaceful when it happens.

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Wow, looking at these photos brings chills! It was SO cold.

 Check out my next post for part II :)

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