Oh no, oh no, please go slow 

Our Iceland on steroids day began early, 7:30 AM we were on our way.  Our vehicles we oversized “Jeeps” with seating for 8 plus our guide and driver.  The tires were big and there were 3 steps to get in.  We were on our way to tour the Golden Circle.  Our first stop was Thingvellir National Park.  It was here in 930 that the first parliament formed and the country of Iceland began.  Iceland over the ages has been “owned” by several countries, but became independent on June 17, 1944.  The day we were touring was their National Day.  It was fun to be out among the locals celebrating.  Our cars were decorated with the Icelandic flag and we looked like a small parade with our 10 vehicles following each other.

It was another cold and rainy day, but we forged ahead with our cheery guide who delighted in singing Icelandic songs to us.  After the National Park, we headed “off road”.  Our driver took great pleasure in hitting all the bumps in the road.  Then we were at Geysir.  There were bubbling “pots” of water and several geysers.  One was very regular spouting every 10 minutes.

After lunch at Hotel Geysir, we were off to Langjokull glacier, one of Iceland’s largest.  We were ready to go snowmobiling!  We had to put on warm suits that covered us from neck to ankle.  Then we put one overshoes to protect our feet and to keep our shoes dry.  Then a balaclava for our heads and neck followed by a helmet.  The final layer was rain gear, because it was still raining.  Then we waddled out to our keeps for the ride up the mountain side to where our snowmobiles waited.  Instructions were given on how to run them and we were off.  The ride was bumpy and we had to go fast to keep up.  Poor Bob, who was driving, had me behind him squealing and asking for him to slow down.  After about 12 hours – really 30 minutes – we stopped to take photos and change drivers.  We did not change, since we would probably still be out there going slowly.  The ride back was complicated by the rain and sleet storm, almost causing a white out for us.  We finally got back to the starting point and we had champagne waiting for us.

We returned our many layers of clothes and started back.  We did detour a bit to ford a river in our jeeps.  Quite fun!

Our last stop for the day was a giant waterfall, Gullfoss, one of the largest in Europe.

We did not have a group dinner, but were given money to dine on our own in Reykjavik.  Bob and I went to a restaurant called Laekjarbrekka.  We had fabulous lobster soup and Icelandic fish stew, which was delicious.  Dessert was Icelandic pancakes, which were like dessert crepes, filled with fruit and whipped cream. Yum!  The people at the next table heard us talking and asked where we were from.  When we told them Fort Myers, Florida, the woman said she was from Naples, Florida.  Crazy world we travel in.

It was a wonderful day!

Fitbit – 15042 steps, 22 floors and 7.12 miles