2025 NW Passage, Iceland

Today I did the Golden Circle tour. Pick up at 8.30am again outside of the hotel. However, today it had been arranged for me to have a seat at the front of the bus by Michaela (guide from yesterday). Today’s guide was Gonsalo who was just as good but quieter. Our first stop was the Thingvelir National Park where you can see the divide between two tectonic plates- the North American plate and the Euro- Asian plate. In reality, you stand on the North American side and look across towards the Euro-Asian side. What you do see is how the ground is being pulled apart by the movement of the two plates both at the edge and right across to the other side. This is also the site of Iceland’s first parliament. Those with more energy could walk the mile up to a waterfall but I went with Gonsalo to the pick up point in the bus.
Our next stop was the Efstidalur Dairy Farm where they make just delicious ice cream. Apparently the cows in Iceland were first introduced in the 11th century and have remained ‘pure’ ever since. This makes their milk creamier. The ice cream was certainly creamy and, after 1.5 days driving around the Icelandic countryside, these were the first cows seen. They were indoors so this could be reason why. From here we went to Geyser Hot Spring. This is the site of the original geyser which is now dormant. However, another geyser, Stokker, erupts every 4-5 minutes so we all stood there with phones on video waiting for the eruption. I eventually managed to get most of an eruption on video. Again for those with energy, there was a climb up to a high vantage point but I couldn’t see the point. Just after we left this park, Gonsalo quickly pulled into a small parking area where there were Icelandic horses that could be fed special horse candy. These horses are bred for a certain type of gait and have a similar story as the cows on the island. If one is sold and leaves Iceland, it can never return.
Gullfoss Waterfall was our next stop and this is one impressive waterfall. It’s fed by a large glacier that is visible on top of the nearby mountain. There are numerous vantage points to view the waterfall so Gonsalo dropping most of in the top car park and drove the rest down to the second peak which was just below. There was quite a lot of spray in the air as the water thundered over the falls so photos were a little problematic as were the hoards of tourists taking selfies or photos of each other. Most in the group walked out to the middle vantage point which was right next to the water and came back quite damp.
Lunch was at the Fridhelmar Tomato Farm - which sounds to be an odd choice but surprisingly not. We were in a large glasshouse where they grow 4 different types of tomatoes and there is also a cafe and bar set up. After a short introduction to the business ie where the heat and water come from, the use of bumblebees and some family history, had lunch. There were tables reserved for the group and everything on the menu was tomato bases even the beer. I had a tomato, cheese and basil tortillas and everyone had to try the beer. This was very light with a slight tomato aftertaste. Very surprising and quite delicious.
Our final stop was the Kerio Crater lake which is very vibrant in its colours but as one unimpressed tourist said to me as I was walking up to the viewing area, “it’s just a big hole in the ground “! There were numerous walks around and down to the lake but as it was raining not everyone did these.
Some interesting things about Iceland- there are no trains here. This is because there are earthquakes every day but are too minor to feel. However, over time the land gets shifted so this means the rails would move. The roads are certainly uneven enough. Roads are also built higher up than I have seen elsewhere. There is a paved shoulder but then it falls away very quickly. Virtually all of the soil I saw was black - volcanic. There are large areas covered by lava fields from past eruptions.
We were back at the hotel by 6 pm so time for me to start the packing process ready to fly to London on Sunday.Lue lisää