Jackie and Paul went on a puffin tour  (they saw thousands!!) and I stayed in (I have seen puffins before) and enjoyed a slow morning with my  coffee and reviewing the day’s activities ahead. We had gone to a grocery store yesterday and bought breakfast items and sack lunch items for today because we are driving the Gold Circle. It wasn’t a great day weatherwise today either but that didn’t stop us. First stop was the National Park Vatnajokulspjodgardur National Park (or at least this is as close as I can spell it, the Icelandic language has some weird looking letters my computer does not compute!) There was a beautiful overlook but a lot of walking would be involved so for a variety of reasons, we opted to drive on. I had purchased the Get Along Guide for the Gold Circle and that guy is so amazing. I highly recommend his guides whenever you are driving through a National Park. So much history and folklore. Man, these Icelanders really believe in their trolls, elves, and hidden people. Known as huldufólk, these magical, human-like beings in Icelandic folklore live in a parallel society within rocks, cliffs, and lava fields. They are deeply woven into the culture, and many Icelanders still respect their habitats—sometimes even rerouting roads or altering construction projects to avoid disturbing their dwelling sites. 

It was a beautiful drive overall but not near as otherworldly as Akureyri. First stop was the Helgufoss waterfall. This was about a 10 minutes drive down a dirt road, climbing over a fence with the ladder provided and a short walk to see the overview of the falls.

I have wanted to see and taste the rye bread that is cooked underground in Iceland as soon as I read about it and today was the day. It is nothing like our rye bread; it more resembles a sweet bread but this version was not near as thick or sweet as the version we had on the food tour. But it was still yummy! We then walked down to the beach to see the “ovens” the bread is cooked in.

It is very difficult to describe Brjuarfoss. The pictures will have to do that for me!

Gullfoss is the mother of all Icelandic waterfalls. The power and majesty of this scenic wonder is mind-blowing. 

Its name means “gold waterfall” probably because certain sunsets will lend a golden glow to the water.