This will be forever referred to as the ‘wet’ day in Iceland. It was about 40 degrees and drizzling with gusty winds and after two stops at Gullfoss and Geysir we were absolutely soaked. Thankfully this was also our lightest driving day so we did as much as we could and then grabbed some beer at the local Vínbúðin and hung out for the rest of the afternoon at the hotel to do laundry.
Gulfoss is a very popular falls with a large parking area and even a snackbar. It’s known as the Niagara Falls of Iceland for it’s massive amounts of water flowing into a canyon. Unfortunately, the combination of bad weather and massive spray made it very difficult to get a good shot. We choose the lower parking area as it was a quicker walk to view the falls.
We had to drive past Geysir upon visiting Gullfoss so we found a parking spot to check out the hot springs. We saw the small geysir erupt three times while we wandered the path, surprising people who were a touch too close. After our trip to Yellowstone National Park last fall this small set of geysers and pools wasn’t as impressive to us.
Faxifoss is located just off the main road and there is a parking area from where you can view the falls. Typical of waterfalls in Iceland, this was a short drop but the wide river still made it picturesque. Alas, we saw no arctic char running the ladder on the left.
The waterfall I was most excited to see, Hjalparfoss (‘Helping Falls’), was where we stopped for lunch. The river is split in half by rocks, so the falls looks like a couple holding hands. The picnic tables weren’t an option due to the level of wind and rain, so instead we ate in the car with a view of the falls.
‘Helping Falls’ and how I looked the entire day
Our last stop of the day was Urridafoss, a river cascade only 6m high, but with an immense water flow… definitley helped by the moisture raining down on us while taking these photos.
After heading back to our warm and dry room, we decided on Thai takeout from Menam. Due to cost and assumed portion sizes we split the panang chicken curry. Unfortunately, it had hardly any spice or seasoning so we compromised with crumbled bacon chips to enhance the dish. Maybe we just chose poorly, but I would not recommend this place.