Island Tag 2

And of course our day started later than planned, how could it be otherwise? We had planned a special start to this day - bathing in a natural hot river! The river of Hverageroi was not so far away - at least the parking lot wasn't. On foot, you enter the mountains where the hot springs are hidden behind mountain peaks. The further you go, the hotter the water gets. However, it is a steep climb uphill and it takes time (especially if, like us, you constantly stop and take photos or enjoy the view). It took us almost an hour and a half to reach the source, but it was worth every step! The river stretched out before our eyes, not very deep but wonderfully warm. There was a lot going on and people were crowded at every turn. There were walkways on the side to pass by and places to leave things, and occasionally small wind shelters to change clothes. And you should do that quickly because the wind up there is really cold! It was even more pleasant when we finally lay in the water and could relax. And that's exactly what we did! Bathing in hot springs is always an incredibly pleasant feeling. The body relaxes in the warmth and simply lets itself be and rest. Of course, the great view and the fact that we were lying in a real river made it even cooler.

We made the return journey faster and also saw sheep being brought down from the mountains. In autumn, the sheep that had been outside all summer have to be brought in with horse and man. At the rest house, we ate the traditional meat soup of Iceland and discussed our next steps over a hot chocolate.

The colorful mountains were our next destination, but we realized that we couldn't reach them with our car alone. You would have needed four-wheel drive for the way there, and you have to order that separately. Trying it with a normal car is really not recommended in Iceland, as the roads can be dangerous. You should really follow the maps and signs here. A little disappointed, we turned to other attractions of the Golden Circle. The big Geysir is quiet and only erupts occasionally, but the smaller one shoots up every few minutes. I find it impressive how much power the water has and how much pressure builds up underground to shoot it up into the air - every few minutes, all day long! Boiling hot water curls up on the surface and gathers together moments before it suddenly explodes into the air with tremendous force. It smelled strongly of sulfur everywhere, but it was really interesting to be able to watch this natural spectacle.

The big waterfall Gullfoss is just a magnificent sight. It's windy and loud, and you feel terribly small - insignificant in the noise and the rushing water, truly a force of nature in itself. We only stayed here briefly because it was already getting dark and the wind was biting. Not once this week did we manage to be at one of the accommodations before sunset, even though we promised ourselves every time.