The Golden Circle

 First, I have to tell you that sundown is at 11 pm and sunrise is 3 am.  We are thankful for black-out drapes.  Had a wonderful sleep last night so the whole world seems better than after a night on the plane. 

Breakfast was at the hotel buffet.  Tourist season has just started and the hotel is full of tourist —many young people.  Our group is definitely the elder statesmen of the crowd.  The 7 am breakfast buffet line was very long and slow.  It was a beautiful sunny day with occasional sharp winds.  

Our day started with a tour of Thingvellir National Park where the original ruling body of the country met.  Iceland did not want a monarchy so representatives (and their horses, etc.) met during the summer to determine laws for the new country. Next we stopped at a thermal area where the earth is so hot that they can put bread —more like plum pudding —in a container, bury it a foot or so down, leave it 24 hours and eat the cooked product.  It is right beside a body of water where we put our hands in the water and found it to be very hot.  Weird to feel the earth be that hot! Our next stop was a restaurant where we were served lamb meat soup (No, I did not ask for the recipe), good rye bread and plenty of butter.  With our full bellies, we walked to the Geyser area and watched several geysers - none as big as Old Faithful, but still pretty showy.  

Our last stop was Gullfoss - golden falls—the most famous waterfall in Iceland.  Water from the Langokull glacier flows into the Hvita River. When it reaches the great canyon, it falls in two stages more than 100 feet.  Back on the bus for a 2 hour ride back to Reykjavik.  

We invited Beverly, a new found friend from the Red Group, to join us for dinner at the Seafarer, a local favorite, which is near our hotel.  We stood in line, ordered our food which included lobster soup, grilled shrimp, grilled sea trout, grilled vegetables, and a bottle of wine (courtesy of Beverly). L & D, this was very similar to the Crab Cooker in California including good homemade crusty bread.  Time for bed!