Golden Circle + Reykjavík
Don't Wear Sneakers. Seriously.
The Golden circle isn’t a circle, and in winter, it isn't very golden most of the day either. But it sure as hell is awesome. Having a rental car is the way to see it, leisurely, and at your own pace. We stopped off along the way whenever something caught our eye and avoided being stuffed with a mass of other tourists in a bus like spoons in a drawer. The roads are perfectly drivable, even in the winter, with our two-wheel drive wagon, and besides, going off-road in Iceland is illegal. That being said, my nice puma shoes were not the best choice for the amount of hiking and walking around you will be doing. They are great for sitting in a car, yes, very comfy for that. It’s an all day affair, the drive, and there were parts we missed due limited amount of daylight this time of year, but it’s magical and worth every minute spent driving. It's only a taste of what Iceland has to offer, but man is it a great bite. Here's a couple favorites, and the gallery below, and I’ll let the photos speak for themselves:
Gullfoss Falls:
Strokker Geyser:
Nibbles the Horse:
Fiskmarkaðurinn
Our last couple days were a little more relaxed than the first couple. We toured more of the city, including the old town and water front area. Dressing up like Vikings in the Saga museum was…well, something we did, but unless you’re big into Viking culture and overpriced museums, I would take a pass. We had a fantastically epic meal at The Fiskmarkaðurinn, an almost nose-bleed expensive restaurant in downtown Reykjavik. It was amazing and if you’re going to splurge, it should be here. Afterwards we made another attempt at seeing the northern lights, but unlike our first night, had no luck. We spent the morning before our flight out at the Laugardalur og Háaleit, a huge outdoor public pool complex. It has multiple Olympic size pools, steam rooms, and no less than five big hot tubs of assorted temperatures and salinities. Sitting outside, watching the snow fall around us while we soaked in the pool was the perfect start to our last day. We finished up with some more shopping downtown, and after a quick lunch, headed to the airport.
Here's our indie album cover:
Album Cover?
I also had the worlds best hot dog here, at Bæjarins Beztu Pylsur, thanks to my friend Sarah's recommendation:
Bæjarins Beztu Pylsur
We didn’t get to the airport three hours early like Pancho would have preferred, but we make it there in plenty of time to settle in for the flight back. I’m finishing this post on the plane, watching Harry Potter, and thinking of how great a time I had with Kay and Pancho, and already looking forward to the next trip.
Where we stayed: Airbnb on Klapparstigur Street
What we did: Stokker geyser
Gullfoss Falls
Old town Reykjavik
The Fiskmarkaðurinn
Saga Museum
Big Lewboski bar
Bæjarins Beztu Pylsu - great cheap hot dogs and sausages Lots of roadside pony petting Icelandic Fish and Chip company - great healthy lunches and dinner, not too expensive
