Finally…Iceland!! The beauty and diversity of this country was astounding. There is no denying that the island is alive and bubbling right under your feet.
My opinion might be skewed, but I think the best way to see the hidden corners of a country is on the back of a horse. Joe and I spent the morning riding two unique Icelandic horses through the Reykjanes peninsula.
View from the horses.
My unwilling model.
Joe’s horse had the best hairdo I have ever seen!
Where can I get a mop like that?
After 11 trains, 8 busses, 7 airplanes, 5 ferries, 1 horse ride, and uncountable hours in the car, we were ready for some R&R and the Blue Lagoon! The water is 102oF and is recycled every 40 hours. The unique color comes from a mix of mineral salts and silica.
This shot of the Lagoon is from the "creeper's balcony"
Volcanic rock, silica, and milky-blue water.
We totally got photo bombed while snapping this one. Nice work kid. I bet your parents are proud.
Photo Bombed!!
The best thing about being in Iceland in June is that is it light 24 hours a day! It is so easy to lose track of what time it is, but we didn’t care. As long as the sun lit the road, we were on it. We actually took the long way to the Blue Lagoon, drove to the southwestern tip of the peninsula, and stumbled upon Gunnuhver Hot Spring. Located at the boundary between the North American plate and the Eurasian plate, the area is a bubbling, boiling, steaming, seething model of the Earth at work.
The colors were amazing!
We get it...it's hot.
Whilst driving to our next stop, Joe spotted horses running on the top of a hill…without riders. They ended up coming right down the road we were on. We are not sure where they were coming from, or where they were going, but there must have been over 100-head being herded to somewhere. It was really cool to see!
Arriving at Gullfoss after 10pm, we had the entire place to ourselves! The grass is really that green, due to the continual mist coming off the falls.
Our last stop for the day (mind you this is approaching 11pm), was Geysir. This is the original geyser, after which all other geysers are named. Sadly, it only erupts 2-3 times a day so we didn’t get to see it. Strokkur, however, blasts every 3-6 minutes, so we watched it over and over and over!
Strokkur geyser
So, does that mean lira, rupees, and a few others are allowed?!
When we arrived back at our hotel around 1am, it was still bright as could be. Quite a day, filled with unbelievable sights.