Iceland: Secret Lagoon and Thingfellir National Park

On our third full day in Iceland, we started out by visiting a thermal spring! We decided to pass up on the Blue Lagoon, the most famous hot spring in Iceland, after finding out that it's not really a natural hot spring -- it's runoff from a power plant nearby. It's also a lot more expensive since it's near the airport, and lots of people go there while visiting Iceland on a layover. Instead, we visited the Secret Lagoon in the town of Fludir. Unfortunately, I did not get to enjoy the hot springs because I was pregnant at the time, but everyone else in our crew did, including Charlotte! I got to watch them enjoying the nice hot water and taking breaks in the chilly air. There was a neat walking path around the outside of the swimming area, where you could see the springs and smell the sulfur. We ate lunch after they were finished enjoying the water, then headed out to Thingfellir National Park.

Thingfellir is located in the "Golden Circle" of Iceland, and is on the boundary between the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates. You can actually snorkel in the rift between the two plates! (But we didn't because it was freezing and requires use of dry suits. Not sure what it's like in the summer.) It's also famous in Iceland as it was the location of the yearly parliament meetings of the Icelandic tribes for nearly 800 years (ended just before 1800). It's very visually striking, with waterfalls and beautiful views across the valley. Charlotte enjoyed stepping through the puddles and riding on Granddad's shoulders for the chilly walk up to the viewpoints.

Oxararfoss (Waterfall)

Even though it was cold, Charlotte wanted to dip her hands in the water!
We took turns holding her so she didn't fall in.

Looking along the rift between the tectonic plates

Iceland's flag

View from the top!

After returning to the car, we drove back to Selfoss and enjoyed dinner in town at a pizza place called Kaffi Kruz. We ordered several unusual pizzas and they were all quite good! After returning to the AirBnb, Granddad and Charlotte got a few rounds of Memory in.

That night, after Charlotte and I had gone to bed, the rest of the crew headed out to try to find areas not covered with clouds to attempt to see the Northern Lights. After a couple of hours, they headed back, disappointed. No aurora love to be found -- just lots of fog.

View from the car during the Northern Lights quest