Yuriy and I have done a lot of traveling on our own, so we are always on the look out for travel buddies. With our wacky work schedule (we work mostly on the weekends), it's pretty hard to find travel partners. It was a pleasant surprise when Jessica and Matt, photographers from Canada, messaged and said they were going to be in Iceland at the same time as us (total coincidence)! And so we arranged to spend one day together at the end of our trip and beginning of their trip, and packed it full with activities.
We rented a Land Rover Defender for our day trip, a pretty big deal for the boys. I have to admit I was pretty enamored by it too. It was the perfect vehicle to explore the rugged Icelandic terrain.
We took a drive around the Golden Circle, a popular tourist route because it's so close to the city. We stopped at all the popular spots-- Þingvellir National Park where the first parliament is, a geothermal valley with shooting geysers, and the gigantic Gulfoss waterfall. Of course, we stopped far more often than that. It sure is nice to travel with fellow photographers who don't mind pulling over every 10 minutes for photos.
At the end of the day, we found some steaming hot springs and bubbling mud pots on the side of the road (crazy!), and couldn't resist taking some photos of each other before the sun went down. You can see some of Jessica's photos of us here.
One of the most memorable parts of the day was snorkeling in icy cold glacial water between two continents, but I saved those photos for a separate post. Check back soon to see us in dry suits and swimming caps.
- Julia
All geysers were named after this big guy, Geysir.
Because Geysir erupts so rarely, we mostly hung around Strokkur, another geyser that erupts every few minutes and shoots water as high as 30 meters in the air.
Gulfoss waterfall, one of the most famous tourist attractions in the country.
Recharging with burgers before hitting the road again.
