Iceland Day 6, Part 2: Golden Circle - Geysir, Strokkur, Gulfoss, and Þingvellir

We continued along the Golden Circle route: our next stop took us to the geysers Geysir and Strokkur. 

Iceland Day 6, Part 1: Golden Circle - Kerið and roadside waterfalls

We awakened to more grey drizzle - not an uncommon sight for us, as February in Iceland very closely resembles Seattle's late fall through early spring (though definitely with more wind chill.)

However, we weren't about to let the clouds get in our way.  Today was our the Golden Circle photo tour with Tony, the owner of Iceland Aurora.  He's another Englishman who fell in love with Iceland.  It's no wonder he has so many amazing pictures on his website; from his backyard hot tub he has an absolutely spectacular view of the aurora borealis.  

Iceland Day 4, Part 2: Snæfellsness peninsula photo tour

Foggy landscape near the Spirit of Snæfellsness

Much of the drive is still obfuscated in fog, but as we make our way around the tip of the peninsula, there's a break - first in the mist, and then in the clouds. Suddenly, what was a dark and rainy day becomes sunny and too warm for jackets. Now that we've rounded the peninsula, Owen explains, the mountains are boxing the fog in behind us. We're hopeful that the rest of the drive will be this clear.

It's time for lunch, so we stop at the local gas station in a town. Here, unlike in the US, the convenience store food is actually made fresh and to order. They have hot dogs (pylsur), fish and chips, hamburgers, soft serve ice cream (popular in all seasons), and a gambling machine. In a small village such like this, it's one of the main gathering places.  It's much different than I expected - with its several industrial buildings, it's a pragmatic and modern, rather than being the quaint, fishing town I imagined.

Iceland Day 4, Part 1: Snæfellsness peninsula photo tour

A cliffside house on Snæfellsness peninsula

This morning it was John and Audrey's turn to rise early(ish) with us in preparation for our Iceland Aurora photo expedition to the Snæfellsnes Peninsula. After seeing the great reviews, the prospect of gallivanting around Iceland in a superjeep and, moreover, honing our photography skills on a private tour seemed too good an adventure to pass up.