Iceland - Part 2

27 Dec 2015 . category: Travel . Comments
#Iceland

Day 2: The Golden Circle

We drove out from Reykjavik that morning looking for Raufarholshellir, a wonderfully named lava tube cave that was supposed to be breathtaking. Our guidebook told us that it was off the main road, some number of kilometers away from a certain intersection. Unfortunately, we had a bit of trouble finding any sort of marked main turn-off, so we began taking any ones that seem remotely possible… On the first one, our car-related bad luck began. There was a tiny mound of snow, and Aaron decided to slow down before going over it, getting us stuck! Thus, we have to step out of the car and dig it out:

The Vermonter in me that’s used to AWD vehicles driving through inches of snow was quite disappointed. It was also around this time that I learned Aaron had basically never driven in more than a light dusting of snow…splendid!

We tried another turn off, and basically ran around the rocky Icelandic wilderness for 10 minutes, thinking that the hidden entrance to the cave might be just on the other side of outcroppings, but unfortunately found nothing but disappointment. Here’s a wonderful picture of me in that wilderness:

Finally, on our third try going back the other way we realized that there’s this huge turn-off with a big sign and marked parking lot that we missed the first time due to the glaring sun…oops. Walking into the cave itself was quite treacherous…but I thankfully managed to not die. It was really quite magical inside, with the wintertime giving rise to beautiful ice stalagtites/mites. The quiet drip of water amidst the ice catching the light was nice and peaceful.

Next came the most popular parts of the Golden Circle: Thingvellir, Geysir, and Gullfoss. The weather here took a turn for the worst, becoming snowy and overcast, but the destinations were nonetheless beautiful (especially Gullfoss). Geysir itself was a bit disappointing, as the namesake geyser no longer erupts.

Perhaps the highlight of the day was Seljalandsfoss, a waterfall that you’re able to walk behind. The way the light catches the mist creates beautiful rainbows:

Unfortunately, we were also completely and utterly soaked by walking behind the waterfall… despite my prediction that we wouldn’t get that wet. Here’s an artsy picture of my glasses while we were getting drenched (the wind was blowing the water every which way):

We ended our day in Vik, where we also began our cooking adventures by making beautiful pasta creations from pre-packaged bags! We also got the authentic and annoying hostel experience, sleeping on top bunks with little clearance (I thankfully hit my head only once) and loud-ish neighbors.

Other visited sites: Skogafoss.

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