For our fifth day of our exploring Iceland, the land of fire and Ice, we had ambitious plans, with three major attractions on our list. We left our elegant but dimly lighted room in the Geysir Hotel and headed for the dining room, anticipating another delicious and expansive breakfast. We were not disappointed. A huge buffet, offering practically every breakfast item one could imagine was set up in there (shown above), all sorts of foods located in an extensive area behind the spot this photo was taken.
Notice the steam
Look through the windows above and notice the steam rising from thermal areas just across the road. Notice also the parched land and rock just outside the windows. a feature I assume the hotel’s landscape architect left natural to reflect the nearby thermal areas. Also located nearby is the Great Geysir, one described in print in the 13th Century, and the source of our word geyser. The Great Geysir has pretty much run out of steam, so to say, and it rarely erupts these days, but another good-sized one is just a short distance from the hotel.
Strokkur
Known as Strokkur, this geyser erupts frequently. Since we were so close (Strokkur is just a couple hundred yards from the hotel), Anne and I went to see it do its stuff, examining various hot bubbling springs on the way. A group of maybe 50 folks stood upwind from Strokkur, their phones and cameras at eye level. We joined them, and within a couple of minutes, WHOOSH!! Off it went. Strokkur’s water source heats quickly, and it erupts every 4 to 10 minutes, often spurting its plume of boiling water up 100 feet into the air or more.
After our inspection of the engrossing thermal area (which reminded me of similar spots in Yellowstone National Park), we set off in our trusty Land Rover to explore more of Iceland’s diversified topography, our first stop being another watery wonder, Gullfoss, the most photographed waterfall in Iceland.
Google maps told us it was a short trip from Geysir to Gullfoss, and it was. When we arrived and stepped out of the car, the wind was whipping wildly (I had to grab my cap), turbulent water was pounding nearby, and the sun peeped out!
We made our way to near the roaring falls and paused with opened-mouth awe at the tumbling waters, their churning force. Anne walked down further down the path to where the mist was swirling and shot the video below. It’s best viewed on a full computer screen. After you click the play button in the center, I recommend you watch it in full view by clicking the symbol in the lower right corner. You’ll need to press your ESC button to come back to this view afterward. (I mention this because you may be as nontechnical as I am.)
We then returned to our car via another path, covering some 2.5 Km on that late afternoon ramble. By then it was time for us to return to our base at the Geysir hotel. We had reservations for a special dinner that evening. Although our 2022 birthdays had occurred months earlier, we planned to celebrate them again while in Iceland. Anne piloted our Land Rover back to Geysir, thus completing the roughly triangular route we had followed on this inspiring day.
Once back in our ultramodern Geysir hotel, not to mention our dimly lighted room (although the lighting was irritating, the hotel overall is great), we had time to freshen up and even mix cocktails before wandering down to the hotel’s restaurant. Anne had alerted the staff to our special dinner, and we were offered glasses of champagne to set things in motion.
Ken, the writing is fine, the photos—and particularly the video—are better than fine. Charley
Thanks, Charley. Little can compare with the rumblings of roiling water.