Stracta Hotel – Hella.

Our last day! Fortunately not mine as I had 5 days in Reykjavik after the tour ended, but it was the last full day of the tour, and so far it had been wonderful, informative, always punctual but with plenty of time to browse, wander and take photos.

Today was “The Golden Circle” day and it started off with a visit to the Friðheimar Tomato Farm. Boring? Well you’d think so, but it definitely wasn’t.

Rows and rows of tomatoes in huge greenhouses, they are grown all year round and have their own resident “greenhouse” bees. They also grow cucumbers and basil with the odd geranium flower grown as a sweet treat for the bees. The latest technology supplies green energy from a borehole close by ensuring a constant temperature is maintained year-round with the pure Icelandic water and organic pest control contributing to Friðheimar’s commitment to sustainability.

The tomatoes tasted divine, not like the supermarket tomatoes we are fed at home! And as for the drinks – I had a ‘Healthy Mary” which consisted of green tomato, lime, ginger and honey. It also tasted divine, the waiter was cute too!

There was tomato ice-cream, tomato cheesecake and an almost endless variety of other tomato-based products. My fellow travelers assured me they all tasted wonderful.

A few steps away from the greenhouses stood the stables. On our way around the ring road, we saw the sturdy, Icelandic horses grazing in the fields. We were about to see them close up! They were beautiful, with soulful eyes gazing at us between their long fringes. Most allowed a pat but after submitting to several hands they would turn to face the back wall presenting us with their rear and their swishing tails. I suppose if I were a horse I’d get fed up with people patting my face too!

We wandered outside for a demonstration of the 5 gaits of the Icelandic horse. The final demonstration was the Tölt where the rider held a full glass of beer then proceeded to move around the arena at a fast pace. To our amazement the glass was still full when the ride was finished.

Back on the bus we headed for the Geysir Geothermal Area.

After viewing from a distance I needed to get closer! I found a spot in the circle and waited, the water in the pool was calm. Then a slight bulge formed on the surface of the water, it grew and grew until eventually the bubble burst and a stream of water gushed into the air, again accompanied by quite a few Wows. Including my own!

As with many areas in Iceland the Geysir environment is incredibly fragile and is now protected but there was plenty to see from the path surrounding the area. Bubbles broke the surface of some small pools and steam hissed from others where signs warned that the water temperature was 80-100°C.

I decided I needed to add to my selection of souvenir mugs that I seem to pick up in every country I visit, like the food the choices were many but I couldn’t see any mugs that appealed.

It was here that I became foul of the monetary exchange rate, for the second time in 24 hours. That morning I decided to withdraw cash from the ATM. To this day I’m not sure why as everywhere took card, but who knows how the brain works at times. I entered the amount I wanted – approximately AU$50, so I entered 50,000Kr. When I looked at the receipt my mind went blank – I’d withdrawn AU$500. What on earth was I going to spend it on – almost everything I was going to do in the next 5 days was prepaid!

There was nothing I could do about it so I kept calm and carried on, all the while giving myself a mental slap. As well as mugs my souvenir purchases around the world consist of relatively small glass animals. During my souvenir browsing at Geysir I couldn’t find anything made of glass but did see a small wooden bird for what I thought was a reasonable price.

Well, that got rid of a bit of the cash, but to this day I look at that bird and just shake my head! I don’t even know what type of bird it is!

Any disagreeable thoughts that remained about the blessed bird departed when we arrived at our next destination.

Gullfoss!

Over the last seven days I’d stood and gazed in awe at a number of beautiful, amazingly powerful waterfalls. The drifting mist and roaring sound as the water rushed over cliffs were unbelievable. I thought I was “waterfalled out”, I thought I seen them all, but nothing prepared me for the power and incredible beauty of Gullfoss.

It was a moment which brought tears to my eyes and a lump to my throat and if anyone had spoken to me I doubt I would’ve been able to reply. Despite the people around me it was a moment to set the senses tingling.

Trivia: Gullfoss, in the Hvítá River is well known for its double falls. Translated to Golden Falls, the first drop is 11m, the second 21m giving a total height of 32m. The canyon walls into which the waterfall drops are 70m high. In 1907 foreign investors speculated that Gullfoss could be used to generate electricity. The owner’s daughter, Sígriður Tómasdóttir fought a legal battle with them for many years to save the waterfall. Eventually, in 1929, the investors couldn’t keep up with the costs and they withdrew. The waterfall was later sold to the Icelandic people and the entire area is now protected.

After I caught my breath, I strolled down the path. There are three viewing platforms, each one taking you down a level to check out the falls. Which one was the best? I have to say, I really liked the lower two because it felt like I was about to be swept away by the rushing water!

When I returned to the top level, however, I was greeted by a rainbow, it was a sight to remain in the memory, always. And for anyone visiting Iceland it is a must-see destination. Once again, I was pleased that my aging legs had carried me down and back up, although I have to admit it was so gorgeous I would’ve actually crawled back up the path if I’d had to, such was my determination to get to the bottom level!

Our final destination of the day and the tour was Thingvellir National Park, where the tectonic plates are separating at a rate of approximately 2 cm a year. Cliffs flanked on either side, with a gentle stream flowing downhill toward the ponds below. Upon reaching the summit, the formation of the solidified lava was remarkable; it appeared almost poised to resume its descent. The fissures in the rocks ranged from narrow to several meters apart, and the view, yet again, was truly breathtaking.

Iceland is a truly amazing country, it had been on my wish list for many years and I was so grateful that it lived up to my expectations.

I now had 5 days to explore Reykjavik independently and take day trips to places not visited in the tour. For anyone wanting to explore the country on a tour I can highly recommend GJ Travel!