Travel Buddies: Pete & Joan

Living the Dream, One Trip at a Time

THE GOLDEN CIRCLE

This was a great day of touring the famous Golden Circle Loop. We had sunny skies and mild temperatures all day as we visited three major stops.  Among these natural and historic attractions…..we began to get a view of the diversity of landscape that is Iceland.  We can easily see why the nickname “land of fire and ice” is so appropriate!


We arrived at Pingvellir National Park where we could observe, and walk through, the great fissure which is slowly separating the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates plates(at the rate @ 2 cm per year.)

Two people joyfully standing on a wooden walkway in Þingvellir National Park, holding hands and smiling, surrounded by rocky fissures and a distant crowd enjoying the scenery.
Two people joyfully posing on a wooden path surrounded by rocky cliffs in Þingvellir National Park, Iceland.
Husbands and wives are standing in different plates of the earth!!

We viewed the “assembly plains” and Law Rock, where the Icelandic chieftains from different parts of Iceland gathered annually, starting in AD930, to make all the important decisions.  It was also the spot where in 1944, the modern day Republic of Iceland was proclaimed.  

Aerial view of Þingvellir National Park showcasing the lush green landscape with a winding river and several structures in the background.


This is a 1859 church built on the site of an earlier church built from timbers of St. Olaf, sent from Denmark (@1000AD.)

A small white church with a black roof and green shutters set against a blue sky, with two visitors standing in front.

Unfortunately, we somehow missed seeing the spot where the Oxarfoss River plunges over the cliff face into the valley.  But a good stop, with plenty of hiking steps!


On the road again….our next stop was Geysir…the steaming, bubbling and boiling geothermal field.  Only one geyser, Stokkur, is predictable & erupts about every 10 minutes.  

Erupting geyser Stokkur at Geysir geothermal area, with a crowd of spectators in the background.

Bill’s keen observation skills saw that it erupted right after a dome formed over the opening, so we were able to catch some good pictures and video!  It went about 50 ft. in the air, lasting only briefly.

Our last stop….Gullfoss…was a beautiful, thundering waterfall. It had two stages of water (coming from the interior of Iceland)…. which eventually dropped 70 ft. straight down into a narrow gorge.  We hiked out to get closer to the falls, where we could really feel the mist.  (Joan also enjoyed picking up photographic tips from Jackie about camera angles.)

A panoramic view of Gullfoss waterfall in Iceland, showcasing two stages of cascading water dropping into a narrow gorge, with a rainbow visible in the mist.

Across from the entry to the falls, we could also see two glaciers. By this time the tummies were asking for more than peanut and nut bars, and we were soooo fortunate to find a most unique restaurant for our dinner! It was called Frioheimar Tomato Farm Restaurant.  

Indoor greenhouse filled with rows of tomato plants, featuring both green and ripe tomatoes, with a visitor walking in the background.

We dined right in the greenhouse, surrounded by rows upon rows of vertical growing tomatoes, bees buzzing about doing their pollinating, and fresh pots of basil (with scissors for cutting!) on each table.  The menu was totally tomato!  We chose the all-you-can-eat tomato soup and bread.

We all agreed that it was the best tomato soup any of us had ever eaten!  They even served tomato ice cream….but we were too full of homemade bread and soup!  This farm sends tomatoes all over Iceland on a daily basis.

A green greenhouse filled with rows of tomato plants, featuring a wooden table set with plates and food, alongside sunflowers and various plants.
A flowering plant with pink blossoms in a greenhouse, surrounded by tomato plants and indoor seating.

It was a bit slow getting back to the B&B…lots of Sunday drivers returning home I guess!  We enjoyed a drink, listened to Bill’s wonderful harmonica playing, and Joan retired early while Jackie and the boys stayed up talking, and talking and talking!