Reykjavik, Iceland – Turn-around day - Golden Circle

Aug 7 - 8:00 – Reykjavik – Turn-around day - Golden Circle & departure for Greenland

After breakfast we sailed back into Reykjavik. We could hear music for those disembarking and looked out to see everyone from the Captain on down were lined up to say goodbye to each passenger as they left. The music was “Time to Say Goodbye”. Did I say, “above and beyond?”. It was hard not to cry.

Greg going down the stairs to "Time to Say Goodbye"

We had an excursion booked for our turnaround day in Reykjavik, so we had to leave through the gambit while they all said goodbye. We said we’d be back.

We went to the bus stop where we were to meet our Golden Circle tour. It was late but finally the bus arrived, and it took us to the main bus station where we had to find the bus that would do the actual tour. This was not an Iceland Pro Cruises tour and was run by a local operator. (though IP set it up for us)

This was really the only rainy day that we had on both cruises. It came almost at the end of the tour, so wasn’t too annoying.

We had several stops on this trip and the first was the greenhouses of Fridheimar, where they grow most of the tomatoes for the country. It would have been a great place to have lunch, but it was still morning.

photos from the bus

the Greenhouses of Fridheim

they have bees for pollinating

outside on their grounds

Then we continued on to Thingvellir National Park, where Iceland’s ancient parliament convened, and the hot spring of Nesjavellir, the world-famous Geyser area. This was one of my least favorite tours of the trip. (though it seemed most enjoyed it) If you have seen Yellowstone’s geysers then this wasn’t much. Mostly, the dissatisfaction with the tour was the long-winded boring guide. He talked non-stop and my head screamed “just SHUT UP”. He just kept saying the same things over and over.

We had some time to grab some fish and chips for lunch at the National Park. Despite the guide saying he would give us some peace and quiet for the drive back, it wasn’t in his wheelhouse, so he continued to yammer all the way back.

Geyser Center

there is only 1 that erupts every 15 minutes (they rest just boil)

From there we stopped at Gullfoss waterfall, which plunges 230 feet (70 meters) in three stages into a narrow rock chasm.

back in the bus

the upper view

the lower view

We had one last stop in Thingvellir NP to see where the two tectonic plates that separate Iceland into the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates. Iceland sits on top of the Mid-Atlantic ridge, a 25-mile-long crack in the ocean floor. The Silfra Rift is considered one of the greatest dive sites in the world. This is where it started to rain and we turned back and got some ice cream instead of walking in the rain to see where the parliament building used to be. 

back in the bus

start of the tectonic plate walk

They would drop people anywhere they wanted at the various stops, and one was at Harpa which was right next to the cruise ship, so we chose to do that vs going back to the main bus station and then getting another bus back to the same bus stop on the other side of the ship. (it was easier to find from the ship)

Too close to dinner to grab another hot dog from the famous stand, but we went in search of a grocery store to pick up some snacks and sodas for the fridge. We found some gelato and enjoyed that before wandering back to rejoin the ship for the Greenland cruise.

gelato stop

on the roof of a building

our towel swan for the Greenland cruise

We went to the Welcome Aboard buffet and had to do the mandatory Lifeboat Drill again. One lady a couple of cabins down from us saw us going and said it was only for the new passengers, but our names were on the list, and we had to attend, and she and her husband were hunted down to attend as well.

Time for dinner and another mandatory info meeting. It was nothing new, so we left. The expedition leader was now Dorothee and the Cruise leader was now Bernd. 2 new expedition staff joined as this cruise was almost full. No Road Scholars on this one so it was pretty much all Germans except for about 18 of us English speakers. Many of the expedition staff had their families on board. (a perk they offer when there is room) A single German woman sat with us, and she spoke English well. (I think she was a retired Neurologist) We encountered her often over the course of the cruise and again at the post hotel and ride to the airport.

Tomorrow, we have our first sea day as we start the journey from Iceland to Greenland and since there is a 2* time difference we got to set the clocks back 1 hour tonight for an extra hour of sleep.

Reykjavik, Iceland - Golden Circle https://photos.app.goo.gl/XEXtWtreB2omDKae8