Iceland review - 2013, Síða 72

70 ICELAND REVIEW
gullfoss (‘golden waterfall’) is the turning point. But be-
fore reaching gullfoss you pass Þingvellir national park
on road 36, a unesCo World heritage site, and lake
laugarvatn with its geothermal pool and steam bath at laugarvatn
fontana. the next stop is the geyser strokkur; just wait 15 minutes to
see it erupt.
a tourist trap? no this is nature at its best, the real thing.
after admiring gullfoss, take a different route back, passing the
greenhouse areas of laugarás and reykholt and skálholt Cathe-
dral, before reaching the volcanic crater lake Kerið. the last stop on
the list is the greenhouse town of hveragerði, where europe’s only
banana plantation is located. on the way to reykjavík, you cross the
lava fields of hellisheiði mountain pass. a great way to see new land
in the making. and look in the rear view mirror as in the far distance
you’ll see the volcano eyjafjallajökull.
Bon voyage.
The Golden loop
The golden Circle is a
300-kilometer (200-mile)
loop, running eastwards
from the capital to the
wonders of South Iceland.
WORDS AND PHOTOS By PÁll STEfÁNSSoN