This morning, Jay and I decided to skip breakfast since we were being picked up and taken to get our car and begin the self-drive portion of the trip. We were taken to the car rental place along with two other couples. Jay told me to go inside and start the rental process while he waited for the bags to be taken out of the van. By doing that, we ended up getting in line ahead of the other two couples. Good thinking on Jay’s part.
They upgraded our car to a slightly larger Ford SUV hybrid. It does not use a traditional key; instead, you have a remote fob in the car and push a button to start it. That takes some getting used to.
The weather this morning was chilly, in the low 40s, and rainy. It rained or misted on us the entire day—very different from yesterday, which was bright and sunny.
We got in the car and headed for Geysir, located on the famous Golden Circle route. Geysir was dormant for many years until June 17, 2000, when Iceland was hit by a series of strong earthquakes that caused it to start erupting almost daily. Nearby is Strokkur, a smaller geyser that erupts every few minutes. People stand there with their cameras ready, waiting for it to erupt—and when it does, it is breathtaking. You cannot touch the water because it is 100°C and will cause burns.
After the geysers, we headed to Gullfoss, which is very close by. It is a two-tiered waterfall that drops almost 105 feet into a long, narrow canyon. If you park in the upper lot, you take stairs down to a walkway. Follow the path to the end, and you will be standing right next to the falls. It is beautiful. The walk to the falls is downhill, so you must walk back uphill and then take the stairs back to the upper parking lot. There is also a lower parking area for handicapped access, so visitors do not have to take the stairs.
We were going dogsledding today and were due there at 4:00. We were not sure exactly where it was, but we knew it was near Selfoss. We found Selfoss and then needed to find Hólmasel. We finally figured out that the small blue signs with names on them were farm names, not road names. Hólmasel was a farm name. We found the farm and got dressed in coveralls they provided, which covered all of our clothes and kept us warm and clean.
Since there was no snow, we went dogsledding over grass in a wheeled cart. The dogs were Greenland sled dogs. They were mostly white, very friendly, and clearly well cared for. The staff treats the dogs very well, and you could tell they were loved. They hooked up 12 dogs to the cart, and Jay and I climbed aboard. The ride was fast and fun, though still cold and misty. Afterward, we watched them feed all the dogs and then went around and petted each one. They must have had about 30 dogs in total. In addition to the sled dogs, they also had huskies. All of the dogs were very friendly.
Next, we headed to Seljalandsfoss, another waterfall. This one is 131 feet high, and it is possible to walk behind it by following a path. Finally, we went to Skógafoss, another waterfall that is almost 200 feet high. There is a legend that the first Viking settler in the area hid a treasure in a cave behind the waterfall. It is also a very beautiful waterfall.
Then it was time to find our hotel. We knew it was somewhere near the town of Vik. We drove into Vik and looked everywhere but could not find it. I finally stopped at a store, and the clerk had a map and was able to show me exactly where it was. We had driven right past it without noticing the sign. After checking in, we drove back to Vik, about seven miles away, to find a restaurant. We found a place off the main road with only a small sign over the door; if we had not seen the tables inside, we would not have realized it was a restaurant.
After supper, we returned to the hotel.
The hotel is very small, with just a few rooms. Our room has two twin beds, a desk, and a TV. The bathroom has a shower but no bathtub. It is simple but clean and perfectly fine for one night.
