Day 5: Reykjavík to Selfoss
We woke up early, there is an hours time zone difference here, so we are an hour behind the UK and two behind South Africa.
Gray was picked up from the hotel to collect the hire car, then returned for Robs and myself and all our luggage. It was an interesting drive out of Reykjavík in our Hyundai Hybrid. Firstly negotiating highways and traffic circles in a left hand drive and then having a smart car beeping at you for everything it perceives as potentially untoward.
Car and driver (as well as back seat drivers) settled into a somewhat symbiotic relationship as the journey progressed on the classic ‘Golden Circle’ route. This region is famous and a big tourist attraction as it shows the geological diversity of the island.
We started at the Pingvellir National Park. It is a site of the continental rift splitting Iceland between the North American and Eurasian Continents. It is also a place of historical significance, the Icelandic parliament was established in 930 AD and in in 1944 Iceland celebrated their independence from Denmark at this site.
We walked through the rift of this UNESCO World Heritage site. It was beautiful but we also realised that, although it was spring here, we had to bundle up warmly each time we left the car. The wind and cold was like nothing I have ever experienced.
We took a detour to the Ljòsafoss Power Station. Iceland is very ‘Green’, in terms of renewable and sustainable energy methods, such as hydropower, wind and geothermal energy. Unfortunately the station was closed for visitors.
Our next stop was the exquisite Keriò Crater. The 55m crater is 3000 years old. The water at the bottom of the crater had iced over. Robs climbed down to the icy lake, while Gray and I braved the winds at the top.
Our next stop was just as impressive, the Stokkur geyser, in the Geysir geothermal area. The geyser erupts around every 10 minutes, giving us a couple of opportunities to witness the bubbling water shoot up into the sky, leaving a trail of steam as it subsides.
By mid afternoon we were weary and windswept and in need of warmth and sustenance. Friòheimar Tomato Farm was just the perfect place. We entered the warm greenhouse that uses geothermal energy to grow harvests all year round, producing 370 tonnes of tomatoes annually.
The restaurant in one of the greenhouses boasts an exclusively tomato based menu. I had the best Bloody Mary ever and Robs tried the tomato beer. We had the Icelandic burrito cheese with heirloom tomatoes, then their signature tomato soup, followed by cheese cake with green tomato jam. All was super delicious and for anyone visiting Iceland, this stop is a must.
Our stop for the night was guesthouse in the pine forest in Selfoss. Unique in that there aren’t many trees in Iceland.
Pandas in Africa 