The Golden Circle Tour- Part 1

The first stop, Frioheimar greenhouse, were they use the warm geothermal waters to grow completely organic tomatoes.  I'm not a huge tomato fan.  I do like them, but with something, not by themselves.  But these were really good.  They serve tomato soup and apparently their bloody mary is on the list of Top 10 things to do in Iceland.   I did not try the bloody mary, but I did order a Good Mary, which is made with green tomatoes, ginger, sparkling water and lime.    It was delicious!

Then it was on to see Gullfoss waterfall.  The Traveling Hillbilly has seen quite a few waterfalls, including Niagra Falls but they never cease to amaze.    They are a reminder as to the true force of nature.

 

 

 

 

 

The Golden Circle tour - Part 2

The third stop was the Geysir geothermal area, home of the famous Strokkur geyser that shoots up almost 100 feet in the air every 4-7 minutes.   It's an interesting site to see the steam rising in pockets everywhere, then there is the amazing orange clay, contrasted agains beautiful greenery.    A very interesting site to see.  The water is beyond the boiling point, so too hot to touch!  Luckily there is the Blue Lagoon area, in Grindavik for some nice warm water soaking.  But more about the Blue Lagoon later.

Geysir geothermal area



Don't touch the water!

 

The famous Strokkur geyser

The final stop was the Thingvellir National Park.   But it deserves it's own posting.

Thingvellir National Park

This place is a must see while in Iceland.  Added to the World Heritage List in 2004, it is one of the most visited tourist sites in Iceland.  And for good reason, it's simply stunning.   As someone who loves landscapes, I could have spent all day here.   It is the most beautiful place the Traveling Hillbilly has seen since Plitvice Lakes in Croatia.    A lot of folks go here because it is where the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates are pulling apart (almost an inch a year) and they want to see the Almannagja,the biggest crack.  Or you can also go diving in the area, which I can't speak to, but as clear as the waters are, I'm sure it's amazing.

I loved it because of the amazing scenery and beautiful views.  I'll let the pictures speak for me.

 

 

 

Day One in Iceland

I guess I wasn't really paying attention to details so it was just an hour before I was heading to LAX that I realized my flight to Iceland was landing at 4am, not 4pm!   So my plan to land and head straight to the hotel for a nice dinner and a good nights sleep had to change.   I took an a bus to the main bus terminal in Reykjavik in the hopes of finding a half day tour or something to do before heading to Grindavik for my stay the Silica Hotel at the Blue Lagoon.  So just hours after landing at KEF, I was experiencing some of the most beautiful and unique landscapes I've ever seen.

I bought a ticket for the 7am Golden Circle tour from Reykjavik Excursions.  They also have a 9am tour, but there was no need for me to wait until 9.    The tour included visits to some of the main wonders in the area, including the Gullfoss waterfall, a geothermal area and the Thingvellir National Park..

Finally a little peace...

I've been working so hard and stressing over a home renovation.  But it's getting close and I'm starting to see a light at the end of the tunnel!  My peaceful retreat is close.

Traveling weather...

I've hit all kinds of weather in the last few days.  I drove in 80+ degree weather all day Saturday.  Got to my destination and it was in the 60s during the day and 30s at night.  A quick side trip where it was in the 70s and woke up to snow this morning. 

Sunrise this morning

Sunrise yesterday

Holiday Traditions

There are many things to like and dislike about the holidays.   For some those are one in the same, some people love shopping, some people hate it, some love travel, some hate travel and so on.  For me, one of my favorite things about the holidays in getting to connect with dear friends.   I love the traditions I have with them.   It's those friends that have been in your life through the good times, the celebrations, the bad times, the heart breaks, the ones you did some crazy things you probably shouldn't have done.   They are the friends that you don't see or talk to everyday.  In fact  you may go weeks or even months without catching up.  But when you do finally get together, you pick up like it was yesterday.  They take you back to a different time, a different place.

It all started on Tuesday 12/22.  I met a group of friends for dinner.   We ate, we drank, we ate some more, we reminisced and as always, they made me laugh til my stomach hurt!   After three hours of fun, I so hated to say goodbye, especially knowing all of us would probably not be together again as a group until this time next year.  Gathering for a meal with this crazy group is one of my favorite holiday traditions.

 The only that made leaving this crazy group easier was knowing I was hopping in the car for a road trip the next morning to see another great group to keep up yet another holiday tradition.   As I type this, I'm sitting in a "cabin" nestled in the Russian River Valley waiting for the rest of my friends to awake.  

Our holiday tradition is to "get away" and celebrate the holidays together.   Our get away shave been anywhere from South America, to Finland or even just a few days in some of the most beautiful locations California has to offer.  I look forward to eating, drinking and catching up with this group as well.

We all have holiday traditions, but spending time with dear friends is truly one of Traveling Hillbilly's favorites!   What's your favorite tradition?