We were up by 7:00am to get ready for our first day in the Golden Circle. Mike went out and tested the car, which started with a little love and prayer. We left it running while everyone ate breakfast, got ready, and headed out for the Silfra fissure. The sky was clear when we left, but in typical Iceland fashion, it started to snow like crazy as we got near Thingvellir National Park. As we got closer to the park, we could see the giant lake and it was really pretty. We got to the parking lot and walked over to the snorkeling adventure where Mike and the boys got suited up for an exciting swim down the Silfra fissure. In the 45 minutes it took to get everyone in their group all ready to go it was blizzard, sunny and nice, and back to snow and blizzard by the time the girls and I headed back to the car to wait for the boys to finish up with their excursion. After getting the girls warmed up in the car, I headed back over to the snorkeling area to see if I could see the boys floating between the tectonic plates. They weren't at the beginning so I walked along the beautiful trail down to the end and waited where I eventually saw them finish their incredible journey along the Silfra fissure. I was surprised when I didn't see Peter come out of the water. The poor kid had gotten sick at the beginning and ended up not being able to go. We think his suit had gotten too tight around his neck. Oh well. There was definitely more to see in Iceland so all was not lost.
After gathering everyone back at the van, we decided to head up the snowy trail to go on the Almannagja Ravine Walk. After scrambling up the somewhat slippery trail we finally made it to the walk that led us up in between the North American and European plates. We walked around up on top, looked at the beautiful view of Thingvellir National Park, took a picture next to the Iceland flag, and headed back down the trail. When we got back to our car, the rental car company was already there with someone to swap our van for another one. Hopefully this van wouldn't give us too many problems. We hopped into the new van, which was essentially the same van, and headed to see the Oxararfoss Waterfall. This was one of the coolest waterfalls we have ever seen. It was such a fascinating waterfall with tons of rock boulders at the bottom. The kids had fun enjoying its beauty and playing in the little nook they found near the waterfall. Mike had written Iceland in the snow and we took pictures of the kids next to it. As we were leaving we noticed that all the other tourists did the same. It was kind of funny what we started.
By this point, everyone was getting tired and the sun shining in on our car made most of fall asleep. However, we had one more stop on the way back to the cabin. Only a short 5 minute from our drive we were able to see the Kerid Crater. It took a little convincing to get everyone to join. We all walked around the upper part of the crater and then everyone except Andrew took the little walk down to the bottom of the crater. It was all frozen over and covered with snow but it was still neat to see it. Madeline was such a great little hiker. She didn't skip a beat and we all had to walk fast to keep up with her. Most people that passed her commented on how cute she is. It's true...she does get a lot of attention from strangers.
Back at the cabin, we all enjoyed eating, relaxing, and sitting in the hot tub. In fact, it was kind of a complete day as we got to see the Northern Lights while sitting in the hot tub. It came and went quickly and it was kind of faint, but we did see it. It wasn't bright enough to photograph but it was clear enough to tell what it was. It was really cool!
Back at the cabin, we all enjoyed eating, relaxing, and sitting in the hot tub. In fact, it was kind of a complete day as we got to see the Northern Lights while sitting in the hot tub. It came and went quickly and it was kind of faint, but we did see it. It wasn't bright enough to photograph but it was clear enough to tell what it was. It was really cool!
itinerary
