Day 2: Got up this morning at 8am to find that it snowed/was snowing a bit outside. I got ready for the day and went downstairs to get breakfast. Kassandra and I would meet in the lobby at 9:30am to begin walking to the bus terminal for our 10am Golden Circle tour. While waiting in the lobby I see a shuttle pull up so I go out and ask if he’s going to the bus terminal and he says yes. Somehow I convinced him to let us get on so we did (I’m glad because I don’t know if we would’ve made it on time walking).

Our guide Gudrough took us to the Thingvellir National Park where we got a chance to see the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates. The view there was stunning with the rock formations and snow. You could get photos from different angles and I opted to get a hyperlapse video which turned out nice. It began snowing while we were there and afterwards I quickly browsed through the gift shop onsite and found a pair of gloves I was satisfied with getting as a souvenir (and I needed gloves because I left mine at home).

After that our next stop was at the Great Geyser which encompassed an area full of geysers with one being bigger and more active than others. This geyser known as the “Great Geyser” had a tendency to react every 5-20 minutes. With smaller geysers around, we stopped to take pictures before getting near the biggest one (we could smell the sulfur-like smell). As we were approaching it sprouted upward and it was big. Those that were able to get the shot then moved out of the way and we stepped forward in position ready to see another one just like that. After about 7 minutes following a smaller one, a bigger one happened and that was good enough for us.

The snow was coming down more now and there was a restaurant onsite here where we chose to eat. I got fish and chips that came with coleslaw and bought a drink (it was ok, nothing special but I made the meal into 2 meals because it was expensive). When it was time we boarded the bus again and headed to the last stop which was the waterfalls (Gullfoss Falls). Oh my goodness the waterfalls were picturesque! I was able to capture some postcard worthy pictures of just them and heard that they were frozen the other day.

There was an opportunity to capture them from up top or you could go down lower (why not do both though which I opted for). With a gift shop on the property and our guide saying they had the best hot chocolate there (it was ok), I wanted to set aside some time to allow me to browse and purchase. We departed from there at 1:30pm heading back to Reykjavik and got back into town close to 4:30pm. The tour company was nice enough to drop us off at our hotel and we went in and relaxed for a few hours. Here are some of the things I learned on the tour:

• The Vikings found Iceland around 1874

• Iceland has history of vikings, trolls and elves

• “Smoke bay” basically translates to Reykjavik

• Many people have cars in Iceland as there are no trains but plenty of buses

• The Icelandic sweater has 2 layers of wool like the sheep

•Thingvellir National Park was established in 1930 (and this is where we’ll be snorkeling tomorrow)

• The North American plate and Eurasian plate at the park is the only place you can see the divide above sea level

•The artic fox has been here since the ice age. In the winter it’s white and in the summer it’s brown (but not all of them change colors)

• Fishing season starts in April

• 22% of Icelanders are immigrants

• There are many chicken, sheep, horse and cow farmers

• Iceland is not allowed to import horses so even in competitions out of the country afterwards, you have to sell the horse

• Geysers can erupt up to 560 ft high

• Water and steam that sprouts up is a geyser

• Hot water that bubbles is a hot spring

• More people own their houses and more rent apartments

• 90% of houses are heated with a hot spring

• There is a tomato ice cream

After relaxing for a few hrs at the hotel, we walked to a nearby grocery store so that I could get a few things. Then looking for food, Kassandra opted to get Thai food (as I figured I’d eat my leftovers from lunch). It was snowing again so afterward we retreated back to the hotel for the night. What an adventurous day doing a tour of the Golden Circle (which happened to be included in our trip package deal). That was the highight of the day.