One of the great things about the house we were staying in was that it is near the "Golden Circle" tourist route. At the house, although we could see the lights on in other houses nearby, we were pretty sure there were no residents anywhere nearby for km around. However a short drive took us onto the Golden Circle route where tour buses from Reykjavik would do the whole circle in a day. Fortunately we had a lot more time on our hands and so could do it at the most leisurely pace and even better time it to avoid the buses which seemed to travel in convoy.
The first outing for us was Thingvellir National Park. Our house looked right into this across the lake and it's a site of both cultural and geological importance. Not only is it the location of the world's oldest parliament (the modern Icelandic parliament traces its history back to summer gatherings here of the first Norse settlers) but it's also where the European and American tectonic plates are pulling apart. A dramatic landscape with lots of crevices including one huge one which is often described as "the" rift between continents. We had fun jumping from "Europe" to "America". Quite otherworldly in places it was easy to see why it was used in "Game of Thrones".
Driving in winter could be a bit of a hazard. The roads were plowed but, especially when it "warmed" up to above zero we found it icy. The biggest problem however was the wind and when it blew snow across the road, sometimes just for stretches of a km or so but often reducing the visibility to almost nothing. We were grateful for our 4WD with studded snow tyres but saw some other drivers in less suitable vehicles had come to grief.
Iceland is the home of the original "Geyser" in a town called "Geysir". Like most Golden Circle attractions there was no admission charge, and warning signs were minimal. It was a freezing wind the day we went and very icy and slippery around the boiling pools. Fortunately the geyser is very regular and we could see it blow several times. There was also an excellent restaurant and store complex across the street where we could warm up.
Perhaps the highlight of the "Golden Circle" is the waterfall at "Gullfloss" and it was easy to see why TripAdvisor rates this the number 1 attraction in Iceland. The river runs into a deep cleft in the continental rift, the sides frozen in fantastic shapes of ice.
Everywhere we went we saw fields with Icelandic ponies near the road, doing their best to stay warm with their thick coats. We just had to stop and say hello.
Finally after a day's touring there was nothing better than to soak in some hot water from the plentiful geothermal supply. Fortunately the house had a hot tub:
But not too far away there was a lovely public pool complex called the "Secret Lagoon". Less well known, less crowded and less expensive than the more famous "Blue Lagoon" (which was closed while we were there anyway) it was amazing to soak in the natural lagoon. It was very hot in places but we could move around to find a spot which was just right. It was partially illuminated by a glass house complex, seen all over Iceland, lit night and day to grow mostly tomatoes and cucumbers. These photos were taken about 5pm when it was well dark and we could see why the lights are needed.
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