Off on our big adventure we go – a private (well, not ship) Grand Golden Circle Tour with BusTravel Iceland.  We are off and at the shuttle stop with plenty of time, because there has been some confusion as to exactly where BusTravel will pick us up.  They keep saying they pick us up here at our pier (which is the Korngardur) and their pick up info says Skarfabakki which is the main cruise terminal pier about a 10 minute walk away.  The helpful port security/info man tells us we have to go to the other pier – and after a few back and forth messages with the tour company, we confirm we do indeed need to take the shuttle over there.  Ok. First hurdle done.

We find the waiting area easily enough, there are tons of buses and people standing about near the HoHo bus ticket office, and there we wait until the BusTravel bus arrives.  It’s pretty seamless after that – the guide calls our name, we hand over our tickets and aboard we go, easily finding 2 seats together and hanging out while all the other passengers board.  Fingers crossed it will be a good group. 

And there we wait. And wait.  A group of 5 or maybe 6 missed their pick up and is taxiing over here, incredibly late.  They keep calling the guide to tell him they are on the way, but still.  We end up sitting for about 15 minutes before they finally arrive and then are upset they can’t sit together.  Um.  Duh.  Our hopes for a good group are dissipating.

Finally, we are off, out into the countryside covered in Volcanic smoke – while the eruption didn’t affect us in terms of travel, it sure affects us in terms of smokiness and breathing.  Eek.  Worse than any seasonal allergies, that’s for sure.  Along the way, Jorri our super guide, explains that the Golden Circle in Iceland refers to three primary sights along a 180 mile route that circles to the west of Reykjavik, geyser and thermal ponds, the famous Gullfoss waterfall and Thingvellir Park, the location of the original parliamentary and where the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates meet and drift apart plus a bonus visit to a volcano crater.  Our 1 hour+ ride to the Kerið Volcanic Crater Lake takes us out into the smoky landscape, with sandstone hills rising up and disappearing into the smoky air, acres and acres of moss stretching out to the horizon and little lakes and ponds with isolated cabins perched along their banks.  Gorgeous and sort of surreal in the smokiness. 

Arriving at the Kerið volcanic crater lake we have free time to wander around the caldera that is filled with gorgeous blue water.  Part of the Western Volcanic Zone, the 180 ft deep, 560 ft wide and 885 ft diameter red volcanic rock crater is one of the three most recognizable volcanic craters in Iceland, aging in at a young 6,500 years old. Formed by a cone volcano that erupted and emptied its magma reserve then collapsed into the empty magma chamber, it is filled with water that is the same level as the water table – not a result of rainfall.  The water never drains and rises and falls with the water table – anywhere from 23 to 45 ft in depth.  It’s a gorgeous area – the blue water vibrantly contrasting with the dark volcanic rocks around the perimeter.  We wander all the way around, carefully watching our steps so we don’t fall into the abyss down there!  Gorgeous walk around nature.

Back on the bus, we prepare to head to Geysir Geothermal Area in Haukadalur – but of course, who should be late arriving back to the bus?  Yep the same 5 that delayed us in the first place.  Sigh.  There’s always gotta be somebody – or in this case 5 somebodies – who disrespect everyone else who are following instructions and on time. Once we are finally on our way, it’s a little over half an hour to the park where we have a ton of time to walk around and get something to eat for lunch if we want.  We had scoped it out previously and decided to go to the little grill and have the Fish and Chips because everything else looked like it would take too long and be more expensive.  Well, this was incredibly expensive!  Holy cow!  $30 USD for 2 little pieces of admittedly good (but not great) fish and a bunch of fries.  Yikes!  Should have brought food from the ship, but who knew the portions would be this small? 

Oh well, we’re fed, so after a restroom stop we head out to the main attraction – the Strokkur geyser, which can shoot hot water up to 65 feet in the air.  Cool. Or hot as the case may be.  Threading our way through the crowds (crazy busy here) across the street, we initially pass a bunch of what are called fumaroles – vents in the earth’s surface that emit steam and gas into the cool air as well as a stream that is between 175 and 200 F.  Steamy!  Arriving at Strokkur we are able to watch a few eruptions, some bigger than others but all so amazing and powerful. 

Circling around the geyser, we head off into the geothermal park to watch other wonders, like the bubbling mud pots that boil up through loose ground.  They are mesmerizing to watch and so sulfur-y – eek.  And people are standing there in the fumes.  Yuk.  Watching the beauty and amazing way the earth heats itself is one thing, standing in the fumes is another.  Eek.

We continue on around the park on a path that leads us to the big Geysir – which as the sign says, is dormant with rare eruptions.  The last big eruption was in 2016 – before that the biggest eruption occurred after earthquakes in 2000, when Geysir emitted water 400 feet into the air for 2 days, making it the one of the highest known geysers in history.  The word Geyser actually comes from Geysir.  Of course, since it is dormant, we aren’t lucky enough to see any eruptions, but you can imagine the power and spectacle just from looking at the size of the Geysir lake – eruptions must be stupendous.

Heading back to the bus, we pass the Litli-Geysir, a mini geyser that is just bubbling away then just enjoy the red lava rock landscape as we head for our trusty bus.  Where of course the same 5 folks are, yes, late once again.  Honestly!

Once we arrive at our next destination, the Gullfoss waterfalls, Jorri – our guide – to his credit – talks about when we need to return to the bus and how we have waited for this particular group at a couple stops and we will not be waiting for them again.  We need to stay on schedule.  We were mightily impressed!  Way to go Jorri.  Wish other guides were more like Jorri in their stern instructions and warnings. Would make tours so much more pleasurable…but I digress….

We have lots of time to wander here at the Gullfoss waterfalls too.  The falls are believed to be the most beautiful in all the country, with 29,000 gallons of glacial melt water pouring over its cliffs every second.  That’s second as in 60 seconds to a minute!  That’s 1.7 million gallons a minute.  And that’s in normal times, during the spring floods in rainy season that number multiplies astronomically.  Amazing. And amazing in its beauty. We start off walking on the upper cliffs to get an overhead view of the massive fissure waterfall, with its 2 falls – the upper falls 36 ft high and the lower ones 65 ft. Stunning. 

Backtracking along the path, we walk down to the lower viewing area, learning about the history of the waterfall, including the name, Gullfoss (Gold Waterfall), which most likely comes from the golden color of the water at sunset, or from the rainbow (you know, pot of gold at the end) which appears in the spray when the sun is shining – that we saw too! But there is a great legend about a farmer who had plenty of gold and couldn’t stand the thought of someone possessing it after he died, so he put it in a box and threw it into the waterfall – to be ever known as Gullfoss. (PS – no one has ever found that gold.) From this level you can really see and feel the power of the falls and the water. Truly an amazing sight – and an excellent visit here. 

To make it an even better visit, the tardy group is on time!  Yippee and thank you Jorri. 

And we are off – on time! – to the last destination of the tour, the Thingvellir National Park, where the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates drift apart, Jorri telling us it is the only place in the world we can stand with one foot in Europe and the other in North America.  We’re game!  During our 1-hour drive to the park, we go right past the Geysir area again, even more packed with people now than when we were there, and through gorgeous farmland with those really pretty, shaggy, yet adorable Icelandic horses – one of the purest breeds in the world, with unbroken or blended ancestry going back to the original Viking horses – past streams and marsh and moss covered landscapes to the outskirts of the park with a huge lake out in the distance.

Arriving here, we follow Jorri out to the viewing platform for a closer view of the lake and stunning scenery. 

Then we head off into the crowded, yet still amazing and scenic walkway through a fissure carved into the land by water eons ago – and up until 1967 was used as the main public road – with cars and all! – through the Thingvellir area.  Crazy.  Then it is out to the tectonic plates rift – over a little wooden bridge and through stunning landscape (well, it all is really – I keep using that word, but it just so applies, it is amazing out here). 

The rift itself is lined with craggy volcanic rocks formations that you can totally imagine moving during a shift – today and in history.  Even with all the people, it is a really magically incredible place to see and stand.

Fabulous!  Heading back up to the parking area, we shop a little in the store, buying the cutest little pom pom Icelandic Horse magnet then hop on the bus for our 45-minute jaunt back to the cruise terminal.  We cajole Jorri and the driver into letting us off closer to our terminal than the normal stop as there are about 5 others from the ship with us – an excellent end to an excellent day of touring.  Perfect!

Tonight for dinner, they are having a “Cultural Immersion” buffet in Windows, which we figure, why not?  Icelandic food – outside on the Sunset Bar deck – how can you go wrong?  It is a lovely evening, the buffet is good and the end of our first leg of our Quest adventure comes to an lovely end.  Tomorrow…..more Iceland touring experiences.