Iceland's Golden Circle - Day 1 — My Travelling Soul

I'm having a tough time starting this blog post - there is so much to capture and talk about, so much to describe about this naturally beautiful, energy rich country. From volcanoes, glaciers, geysers, lagoons, icebergs, ice caves, waterfalls, mountains, lakes to the food and horses - and to think I only initially thought of it as a potential spot to see the Aurora Borealis.

It was so hard to decide what to cover in our 5 days and I so wish we had more time, so like most, the first day kicked off with the infamous Golden Circle route. Not being a big fan of large tours and since we were three we booked a car and driver through www.rentadriver.is and it was perfect, bit more expensive but totally worth it if you're a big enough group. Our driver and car were here sharp at 9:30am to kick start our Iceland trip. Now being a summer baby and having been on mostly summer holidays over the past few years, I'd forgotten what a winter holiday has to offer. Yes there's a lot of pack and getting dressed with the numerous layers can take forever but when you hit the road and see the snow capped mountains and the country side covered in a white blanket, it's a different site altogether.

Almost every spot we could pull over, we wanted to (and just about did). The fresh air, sun bouncing off the ice and snow and the peace and quite it brings. No matter how long I started I wasn't ever ready to get back in the car and go but sadly time does drive the day and so we finally made it to our first stop - Thingvellir National Park. A beautiful valley turned national park where on one side you have this massive wall, yes it reminded me of GoT Wall but without the snow, and this valley with the river on the other side. This spot is where the oldest existing parliament in the world first assembled in 930 AD and was also the place where they'd prosecute men and women for adultery, men by hanging them and women by drowning them in the river. Not the nicest piece of information but a historic and natural spot.

It's also protected as a national park for its unique natural features, Almannagja, a canyon formed between two tectonic plates where the water is so clear that you can go snorkelling. Not enough days for us to try this but I'm sure it would be beautiful even though unfortunately people have filled it with coins, clearly ignoring all signs against it.

Off again after walking around for a good amount of time, we are heading for our lunch spot which was in a small town where there was one school and a lagoon which served a simple yet delicious buffet, Icelandic soup is delicious, so many options. Recharged we are off to see the powerful waterfall Gullfoss. Along the way we got lucky and managed to see some beautiful icelandic horses, thing to note, do not call them ponies, the framers don't like that, even though they are smaller than most :)

At Gullfoss, unfortunately we weren't allowed to go right down due to the ice but you still can hear and see the force with which this river flows and turns into the magnanimous waterfall with two huge drops. Climbing up to view it from the cliff gives you a great vantage point and if you are one of those risky people, head out closer to the edge by the rocks, sit down, look over this beast and take in the force that nature has to offer, the fierce and powerful force of this element of the earth. I could have sat there all afternoon cause all I had at that time was a blank, peaceful mind, appreciating our planet and it's beauty in all its raw form. The sound along has a sense of calm and there, even as the cold wind blew, I sat, longer than expected until it was time to head out again and make our way to our the third spot.

Still revelling in the thoughts of the waterfall we suddenly see in the distance a whole lot of, what looked like smoke, but really was the steam from the geyser erupting. 80-100 degree Celsius hot, this spot was something else. One of the main ones has been inactive for a few years now but even the smaller one was a great sight to catch, erupting every 3-5 mins.

After a good hour walking around this geothermal area, enjoying the warmth the spot brings and grabbing a snack at the newly created tourist centre (yes Iceland is becoming more and more touristy so get there as soon as you can), we head back taking a different route which gives us the chance to stop by this 6500 year old crater at Kerio filled with water that's frozen over the winter - our last stop before heading back after this amazing first day in this country blessed with natural beauty. I swear it felt like we were getting a geography lesson throughout the day and it just reminded us how beautiful our planet is, or part of it that are still left untouched.

Pit stop by a cute little ice cream farm

Exhausted but hungry we were waiting for our reservation at the Fish Market which came highly recommended by many who've visited in the past 6 months. So we decided to go all out and make this our one big meal and it was the best decision for our bellies, probably not for our wallets but #wheniniceland. Going for the tasting menu which was ISK 11,900 we realise that not only is the country beautiful but their food is simply delicious. Fresh fish of all kinds and the most tender lamb I've eaten. This lavish 9 course meal left us absolutely satisfied and only slightly overfull ;) just perfect to hit the sack for an early start for our 2 day tour along the south coast of Iceland.