The Golden Circle tour

Friday was set aside for the popular "Golden Circle" tour. A minibus picked us up from our hotel at 8:30 and took us to the coach terminal. Onto one of it appeared about three coaches doing the tour that day, and we were off.

First stop was a village whose main feature seemed to be as a coach stop for tours like ours. Lots of expensive souvenirs to buy, and an opportunity to get coffee or an ice cream. After that, there was a stop at quite a picturesque waterfall - although the guide didn't seem quite sure what it was called. Then onward, to the first "headline" attraction on the trip, the more well-known Gullfoss waterfall, which was a little more spectacular.

On further to Geysir for lunch, and some time looking at and photographing the geysers, including Strokkur, which was erupting every few minutes. It's easy to get just a little too close, and get a little damp with water verging on hot as a result! In fact, from one of several pools in the area, there was a little stream running down, which I tested to see if it was warm - it wasn't - it was hot! Apparently, on average two tourists a week are scalded. Just glad I wasn't one of them.

After leaving Geysir, it was on to Thingvellir (or Þingvellir in Icelandic). This has a very significant place in Icelandic culture. It was the site of the first parliament under the Viking settlers, and continues to have a significance to the present day as the summer residence of the prime minister. It was here that the decision was made that Iceland should be a Christian country in 1000 AD -uniquely accomplished without undue bloodshed - although pagan practices continued to be permitted so long as done in secret, including eating horsemeat, worship of the pagan gods, and leaving unwanted children out to die (although thankfully the later didn't continue to be tolerated for very long!)

The proximity to the mid-Atlantic rift wasn't quite as dramatic as I'd hoped - not sure what I was expecting to see, but the area seemed quite sedate compared to what it clearly is capable of.

From there, back to the hotel around 17:00 - a full day, but recommended as a way to see a lot of the popular attractions of Iceland in a short space of time.

Back for dinner at the Madonna Italian restaurant just a couple of doors up from the hotel. A little later I left the family back at the hotel, and went to the Dubliner pub, for a pretty good pint of Kilkenny - at 650 ISK about as cheap as a pint comes in Iceland. The much talked-about Reykjavik nightlife was not much in evidence - maybe a little early for that I guess, but it seemed more comparable to a very quiet Tuesday in what would be called a lively town in the UK.