Iceland Day 1
Our plane arrived around 7:30 AM at KEF International Airport. The airport is relatively small. There is a 24 by 7 supermarket inside the airport, although prices may be relatively high. Once we got the rental car, we headed to a nearby supermarket. Kronan and BONUS are usually situated next to each other. Kronan operates from 8 am to 8 pm, while BONUS is open from 10 am to 8 pm. There is a diverse array of food options available. Particularly enticing to us are the local seafood and lamb. It's advisable to prepare enough food for the entire trip. Due to our tight schedule and the concern about crowded restaurants in tourist areas, we choose to dine out only once a day.
Time to start our exciting road trip. The golden circle route is considered to be a “go-to” tour for a first time tourist as it is a way to see some of the natural highlights of the country, featuring three key attractions: Thingvellir National Park with its historical and geological significance, the Geysir Geothermal Area known for its erupting geysers, and the stunning Gullfoss Waterfall, one of Iceland's iconic cascades. which means "golden waterfall" in Icelandic, and is The name Golden Circle derived from.
A 70-minute drive took us to Thingvellir National Park. This area marks the fault line between the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates, which are still separating from each other. In the year 930 AD, Iceland's parliament was established at Thingvellir, making it the world's oldest continuously operating parliament. Thingvellir is home to Iceland's largest freshwater lake and the Silfra Fissure, ranked among the top three cold-water diving sites globally. You can touch the European continent with your left hand and the American continent with your right hand.The iconic Blood Gate from the Game of Thrones was filmed here. While Thingvellir National Park holds significant historical importance and features the unique Silfra Fissure, The overall scenery is moderate or average when compared to other locations. I would recommend a quick exploration.
In 46 minutes, we reached our second destination, Brúarárfoss. GPS brought us to a closed road. Driving back a couple of minutes, there is a small parking area. From this point, a 3.5-kilometer walk passing through wildflowers, cotton fields, and slippery mud trails takes you to the waterfall. After walking for about forty minutes, The thunderous roar of a mighty cascade serves as a reminder that we have arrived at Iceland's bluest waterfall. Located in a private area with few visitors, Bruarfoss is a hidden paradise . The moment we laid eyes on the first-tier Hlauptungufoss, it was almost unbelievable that such a stunning marvel exists on the earth. Continuing upwards along a gently sloping stream, passing Midfoss, we reached the highest point. Here, a horizontal bridge spans the waterfall, providing a view of water flowing down numerous small channels into the central crevice, forming a spectacle akin to the precious jewels. The grand and vast landscapes of Iceland, the romantic and blissful Tiffany blue hues, the lively and dynamic waterfall all converged in this moment, creating an incredible surprise. Initially tired, the kids spent over three hours playing here and were reluctant to leave when it was time to go. During our visit, the weather was perfect with bright sunshine, allowing us to shed our jackets. It’s definitely one of my favorite spots on this trip.
Our original plan after Bruarfoss was to have dinner at Friðheimar, the tomato organic farm, but we missed the last appointment at 3:30pm. So we headed directly to our first accommodation in Fluðir. For dinner, we enjoyed locally sourced fish and shrimp, accompanied by pizza from a nearby store. Iceland boasts the world's purest air and water – turning on any tap releases the clearest and most refreshing mineral water. In iceland House doors require both hands to operate – one hand to hold the latch and the other to open the door. This design is likely due to strong winds.
Given our fatigue from the flight, we decided to take it easy and call it a night at the hostel after our meal.
Lesson from day one 1: Try your best to have dinner at the organic tomato farm. Number 2: Maximize activities during nice weather. It turned out our first day had the most pleasant weather during the whole trip. The next morning the rain was so heavy that we could barely go outside. After dinner, we could have visited Kerid crater and secret lagoon. So the next day, we could have plenty of time to visit Gullfoss then Kerlingarfjoll mountain if weather permitted.
