the golden circle, iceland (4)
Halló visitor.
It is 1:45 AM. I just got in bed. As it turns out, Iceland does get dark, which I learned the hard way. I've been on the road since, like, 6 PM. I made some pretty bad decisions, like hiking a waterfall at 12 am, but I'm here now and I'm going to tell you what I did today.
My day started off in Reykajvik. I overslept and my access code for the bathrooms didn't work anymore, making me wait for someone to open the door. After a quick shower, I hit the road for Þingvellir National Park right away. I ate breakfast there ($16 for a sandwich and cup of yogurt!) and began the trail.
It was alright. The sights were obviously pretty great. I also caught sight of my first Icelandic waterfall, Öxarárfoss. Most of the park that I saw was a kind of canyon between two rock walls, and then it went into a more typical trail that goes through trees and stuff, but I already see plenty of that in New Jersey, so it was time for me to dip.
Pictured: You know, the canyon between two rock walls that I was talking about.
I walked back to the van and made some coffee that was better than expected. I hit up Geysir next. I found Geysir to be way better than Thingvellir. The geyser itself was cool, the eruption was awesome to look at, and the mountain there was so beautiful.
Pictured: A poor picture of the Geysir eruption. You can really feel my excitement in this shitty photo.
I was really looking forward to eating at Friðheimar, the tomato restaurant, but I learned it closes at 4 PM (why?), so I ate a pretty good $32 fish and chips at the Geysir restaurant. I then went to Gullfoss waterfall. It was incredibly beautiful, powerful, and aesthetic.
Pictured: Gullfoss.
At this point, even though it was bright as morning, it was 9 PM, and the Vík campsite was 2 hours away, so it was really time to get going. I needed a snack and a bathroom trip, but wherever I stopped, everything was closed. I drove 30 minutes to get to a gas station that was on the way; I was under the impression that the gas stations would have 24/7 services. I was wrong... I had to google "bathrooms near me" and drive 20 minutes to the nearest one.
As it turns out, the nearest bathroom was actually at Seljalandsfoss, one of the most famous Icelandic waterfalls. I'm really glad I stumbled upon this. It was super fun and you can actually go behind the waterfall. It wasn't that late yet, so there were still some other tourists there. I got to walk behind the waterfall; an awesome experience.
Pictured: Seljalandsfoss. 11:16 PM. My clothes got soaked from the mist.
The campsite was an hour away... it was late. I hit the road feeling satisfied, but there was one thing still on my mind... Skogafoss. This very famous waterfall was on the way to the campsite, and I just had to see it. This was probably a poor decision. I was super scared during the whole hike due to the time and darkness, but I needed to do it to satisfy my mind. It kind of felt like more of a duty than a leisure activity. The view was great, though, and the dramatic black shadowy mountain was very unique.
Pictured: Skogafoss at 12:21 AM. I forgot to turn off night mode on my phone, but believe me, it was quite dark.
From here, I headed to the campsite, finally satisfied for the day. I am here at Vík campsite, and the reception was closed, because it is very late. I will pay in the morning.
Tomorrow, I will head to Reynisjfara black sand beach, and hike some epic trails at Þakgil. Talk to you later!
Bless bless,
Ayaan