Iceland in January 2: Golden Circle

Even though we got a late start on our second day in Iceland, we still got a beautiful sunrise as we headed for the "Golden Circle," Iceland's most popular destination. Did I mention that, on that day, sunrise was at 10:58 a.m.? But, it is preceded by a lovely dawn.

10 a.m.!

Our first stop was Þingvellir, a site of historical, cultural and geological importance. It lies in a rift valley that marks where the North American and European plates come together (the most noticeable continental rift in the world – about 12 feet wide at points).

An icy/snowy walk

It is at the northern end of Þingvallavatn, the largest natural lake in Iceland ...

Sunrise view

... and is also the site of the first parliament (Alþingi) in the world. It was established at Þingvellir in 930 and remained there until 1798. Þingvellir National Park was founded in 1930, marking the 1000th anniversary of the Alþingi. It was later expanded to protect natural phenomena in the surrounding area, and became a World Heritage Site in 2004.

Winter in Iceland

We trusted the GPS and, as a result, missed the first exit to the Visitors Center, so we toured in the opposite direction from the tour I took last summer. Some of our weather fears vanished as the sky turned gorgeous blue. 

Rift line

And, the snow and ice was gorgeous.

This is the fault between continents

Close-up

We briefly explored the bottom, then went in search of the Visitors Center – finally found it, got stamps in our NPS passports, took a few pictures and had some hot chocolate.

Then, we headed on to Geysir, Iceland’s most accessible geothermal area. I had also been there last summer and knew that, compared to Yellowstone, it is very unimpressive, but it is on the way to Gullfoss, has a nice café and is a “must see” anyway.

Geothermal area

It was pretty crowded and seemed not too icy, so we didn’t pull out the crampons. That is a mistake I did not make again! As we neared Strokker, the active geyser, it got icier and icier, so walking was treacherous and the sun went away and the wind picked up. 

Geysir

We watched a few eruptions and picked our way back to the café, where we lunched on perhaps the best mushroom soup ever made. By the way, Geysir is named after the original geyser (after which all others in the world are called), which no longer erupts. It is pronounced either guy-sir of gay-sir, depending on who is talking.

Then, on to the real goal – Gullfoss waterfall (translation “Gold Waterfall,” although it’s more silver and blue in the winter).  On the way, we saw the first of many Icelandic horses (more on them later).

Icelandic Horses

Gullfoss is a truly glorious and massive waterfall. Even though we lost the sunlight, the waterfall did not disappoint. 

Gullfoss

Now, with our crampons on, we could walk more confidently. It was windy and below freezing, but the icy waterfall was spectacular. 

Iceland’s iconic waterfall plummets 104 feet in two stages into a canyon with walls as high as 230 feet. It makes a turn as it falls and, thus creates a triangular outcrop.

Freezing waterfall

Unfortunately, the overlook at the edge of the waterfall was closed. The logical, cautious part of me understood – you would not want to slip into those falls – and the part of me that wants to stay warm was a bit relieved because I imagine it would be a very windy walk with both the actual wind and the wind off the falls. But, I would have liked to get right up to the edge.

Photo: Caty Stevens

Still, it was gorgeous and definitely a winter must-see. It’s also fortunate that it is there and can be visited. In the early 20th century foreign investors wanted to buy Gullfoss from farmer Tómas Tómasson to harness the power to produce electricity. Tómas declined to sell but did lease it. His daughter, Sigriður Tómasdóttir fought to have the rental contract voided in courts to prevent damage to the site. The trial lasted years and Sigriður even threatened to throw herself into the waterfall if the construction began. Her legal attempts failed, but the contract was voided due to the lack of payments. 

A ghostly view

Her fight to preserve the waterfall brought to people´s attention the importance of preserving nature, making her Iceland´s first environmentalist. In 1940, her son acquired the waterfall from Sigriður´s father and later sold it to the Icelandic government. Gullfoss was designated as nature reserve in 1979 to permanently protect the waterfall and allow the public to enjoy this unique area. And, like so many beautiful places in Iceland, there is no admission fee and no parking fees. You can just drive up and enjoy!

A chilly Caty

And, here’s a comparison between summer and winter.

Summer

Winter

After Gullfoss, we drove toward our evening’s destination, the Ranga Hotel in Hella. Caty selected it because it is in a dark area and the staff wakes you for aurora, so we could sleep instead of getting up every two hours to check.

Alas, as we approached the Ranga, the weather turned really nasty. Extremely windy, ice pellets, rain. The road in was icy and the parking lot was iced over with deep snow on the sides. It was pretty bleak. It felt like we were arriving at midnight. Turns out it was only about 5:30 p.m.! That sub-arctic winter really messes with your mind.

We had a lovely dinner in the dining room – Caty had steak, I had cod and we split a delicious hot chocolate cake. 

Pleasant after a cold day

We talked with our server and noticed the beginning of a theme. Many of the service industry people are not Icelandic. She was Austrian.

The Ranga is very nice - rustic and comfy ...

Our room

... with a freaky hallway.

Can you just see some twins at the end of the hall?

As I continued to check the weather, we became increasingly concerned about driving in the West Fjords. So, we changed our itinerary. We cancelled the ferry and the hotel in West Fjords and tried to book another night at our guesthouse in Grundarfjörður, our destination on the north side of the Snæfellsnes Peninsula. It wasn’t available, so we picked a different guesthouse in Grundarfjörður and then a night at the Hotel Búðir, which is on the south side of the peninsula. Then we rearranged the rest of our nights and added more time near the glacial lagoon on the south coast of the country. 

New plan

These were all good plans. We figured that it would give us more time to see the peninsula and more time on the south side, as well. Plus, we wouldn’t die driving on the worst roads in Iceland or get stuck if the ferry was cancelled for weather. We did all this with no penalties.

Then, we slept – no aurora, but a chance to recharge.

The day was also an illustration of what we experienced almost every day: weather that changed frequently and didn’t always match the forecast. Roads that were alternately clear, icy or snowy. Generally, the forecasts were worse than the actual weather. Also, after Ranga, the temperatures rose and were seldom much below freezing and were often above freezing.

Trip date: January 16-27, 2015