This morning after our buffet breakfast - which left Connor in withdrawal as there was no bacon - we met our guide Mike in the hotel lobby at 9am ready to head off on our first Icelandic adventure. We were very pleased when Mike let us know he had spoken with the horse riding people for us and had arranged for us to ride on Sunday - he would drop us off after our Reykjanes Peninsula trip and return us to the hotel after riding.
Today we were heading off to do the Golden Circle, one of the most popular trips in Iceland. We drove to Thingvellir National Park which is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Here we got to see where the Vikings held their first outdoor Parliament in 930AD and law rock - the area where all new laws were proclaimed. This site was used again when Iceland finally gained independence from Denmark in the 1940s.
While we were here we saw Almannagja Canyon where the two tectonic plates are separating, the Nikulasargja penny pool and Lake Thingvallavatn which is Iceland's largest freshwater lake. This was so David could dive the Silfra Fissure and lake - he dived between the two tectonic plates with amazing visibility.
This was an interesting experience for David because it has been a long time since his last dive and he had never dived in freshwater or a dry suit before. Mike was fantastic at arranging the dive and liaising with the dive company to ensure David had everything he needed and was well looked after. Trying to get into the dry suit liner was made to look easy when we watched David try to squeeze himself into the dry suit itself. One of the funniest things was that David's dive buddy would be the Dive Master, Jenny. Mike asked her if she spoke Icelandic and she said no. He asked her where she was from and it was funny to find Jenny was from Nottingham and had only been in Iceland for 4 days!! 2 days longer than us!!
Once David was all geared up we walked with him to the dive entry point and listened to the briefing. This was very funny as the snorkelling instructor explained about the visibility, the tectonic plates, the route they would take through the fissure and……. all the amazing things they definitely would not see on this trip as it was the wrong time of the year. Hmmm.
While David was diving Mike took the boys and I to see a beautiful nearby waterfall - Oxararfoss (or Ax river) falls.
The boys liked walking on the snow to get to the falls and then of course climbed up on to the lava rocks for a better view. They also liked listening to Mike talk about how the rocks were really trolls who had been turned to stone when the sun rose. He even pointed one out that looked just like Bart Simpson.
When David returned from his dive and managed to extricate himself from his dry suit he confirmed that the visibility was incredible but there was absolutely nothing to see but rocks and some greenery. He did however get to hold one tectonic plate in each hand. It was then time to head off through the valley before a brief stop for lunch. It was great having Mike along to help us choose and order food that the boys would be likely to eat.
Next it was on to the hot springs area of Geysir. We would soon discover that it is often many many years between eruptions for Geysir itself. Thankfully the slightly smaller Strokkur, right near Geysir, erupts approximately every 7-10 minutes. We were fortunate to see it erupt many times. The force is incredible. We also got to see Little Geysir and some coloured thermal pools. Even the run off from these Geysirs is between 80-100 degrees and therefore must be avoided.
Our next stop was the magnificent Gulfoss (Golden Falls) waterfall. It was very windy but it was worth the walk in the freezing cold as the falls were very beautiful.
We also chose to stop at Skalholt Cathedral which is where the last Catholic Arch Bishop of Iceland was beheaded when Iceland was forced to become Lutheran. The cathedral has had to be rebuilt repeatedly over the years due to being destroyed in volcanic eruptions. The current cathedral is simple but beautiful in design. It has simple yet beautiful stain glass windows and the mosaic on the altar was incredible. The boys also enjoyed being able to see the secret tunnel under the cathedral.
Next to the Cathedral they have also built a replica of what the Arch Bishop's house would have looked like made from wood and peat and moss. There is considerable controversy that this was built so close to the Cathedral and that it used original historic stones without permission from the National authorities. It was very interesting to see though.
After driving a little further we also stopped at the beautiful Kerio Crater Lake where Bjerk performed her first concert out on the lake when she was 13 years old. The colours were stunning.
Our final stop on the way back to the hotel was Faxi falls. We have never used a private guide before but Mike was awesome. He was so helpful and knowledgeable and was able to point things out and tell us so much about the history and culture of Iceland. He was very entertaining and told the boys many stories about giants and trolls. Overall a fantastic start to Iceland.
What a fantastic and amazing place! Thanks for sharing your adventure with us - we are green with envy. You all have done so much that returning home will seem mundane by comparison. From what the boys write it is clear that they well and truly have the travel bug. Keep blogging and providing such a detailed and interesting account of your travels.
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