Item 84: Reykjavik - Golden Circle Tour

Location: Reykjavik, Iceland

The second ash cloud that hovered over London in the week leading up to the last May bank holiday posed little threat to my fellow travel companions and I as we embarked on our long weekend to the capital of Iceland - Reykjavik.

Arriving at midnight, the skies remained the colour of dusk and the rude 5:30am beaming sunlight through our hotel room window only indicated that this is summer in the nordics - very long days, the exact opposite of the to the winter seasons where it's common to have almost 24 hours of darkness during winter. Reminder: pack eye mask!

As I travelled with a big group this holiday, we were lucky enough to book a private tour bus for ourselves. Off we went following the path of The Golden Circle to travel to one of Europe´s largest waterfalls - the Gullfoss. En-route we were let off the bus to visit Thingvellir, site of the World´s first Parliament. Unlike what is common in cities this meeting place was held outdoors so it's a natural site with cliffs and valleys - no controversial architectural buildings in sight.

The highlight of the route took us to the geothermal fields of Haukadalur to get up close to the geysirs. Erupting every 10 minutes, we waited surrounded by the subtle smell of steam and sulphur to watch the activity. For those of us who remember high-school chemistry, sulphur has the more familiar smell of rotten eggs.

It was a worthwhile day trip, taking almost seven hours for the return journey to view some very spectacular landscapes.

Item 84: Reykjavik - Golden Circle Tour? CHECK!