Iceland Log Day 4: Golden Circle

Felicita Hawes
May 9, 2024
3 min read

Swiss Mocha & The Golden Circle Drive

Day 4: Starting our day walking on the European Faultline, Largest Fresh Water Lake, and a soft dip into Sky Lagoon

This was the day me and my little sister set out on the Golden Circle like two chaotic adventurers on a quest, stopping at every waterfall, crater, and geyser that even hinted at being photogenic. Which were broken into moments of fun while trying to avoid the tourist crowds.

Step‑by‑Step Golden Circle Itinerary (Sister‑Trip Edition)

Stop 1 — Þingvellir National Park (8:30–10:00 AM)

Kick off the day by driving to Þingvellir, where the Earth literally splits in two — perfect for sisters who occasionally need “space,” but not that much space. In that moment in time we did. Þingvellir turned into a dramatic “choose your continent” moment.

Things we did:

Walk between tectonic plates while arguing over who gets which continent
Take dramatic “don’t talk to me, I’m in a rift valley” photos
Wander to Öxarárfoss and pretend you discovered it first. It’s scenic, peaceful, and the ideal place to warm up your adventure energy before the chaos begins.

Stop 2 — Geysir Geothermal Area (10:45–11:45 AM)

Next, we found ourselves over at the bubbling, steaming land of Strokkur — basically Iceland’s version of a sibling with zero patience. Geysir became a competition of who could predict the next eruption (neither of us won)

What we did together:

Try to guess when Strokkur will erupt (I was wrong every time)
Jump 10 feet when it finally blasts into the sky
Take selfies with steam clouds that make us look like we were summoning ancient powers It’s dramatic, unpredictable, and great for inside jokes like “that’s you before coffee.”

Stop 3 — Gullfoss Waterfall (12:00–1:00 PM)

Rolling up to Gullfoss, where the water thunders into a canyon with the energy of someone who’s done with everyone’s nonsense. Which we probably have-- since Gullfoss misted us both so thoroughly we looked like we had walked through a cloud.

What we did together:

Walk the viewpoints while holding onto each other so we didn't blow away
Get misted and blame each other for not bringing a waterproof layer
Capture photos that look like you’re on the cover of a fantasy novel. It’s powerful, iconic, and the kind of place where you both go quiet for a second because… wow.

Stop 4 — Kerið Crater (2:30–3:00 PM)

By the time we reached Kerið Crater, we were running on snacks, inside jokes, and pure sister‑powered non-sense. This volcanic crater was filled with bright blue water and surrounded by red rock — basically Iceland’s version of a mood ring.

What we did together with chattering teeth:

Walk the rim while debating who would survive longest in a volcano movie
Head down to the water for photos that make your feed look unreal but neither of us really post so its memories for ourselves only. It’s colorful, quick, and gave us both a second wind.

Return to Reykjavík for Sky Lagoon (5:00–6:00 PM)

Both of us drove back with tired legs, full hearts as we had gotten over our grumpy morning mood swings, and 400 new photos — 300 of which are identical but “actually different." then ended up being on a corrupted SD card.

Though we were not entirely done just yet... for the — the grand finale —we had out appointment at the Sky Lagoon. Sliding into that warm, steamy water after a full day of adventuring felt like being lowered into a hug made of geothermal magic.

We sure floated, laughed, recapped the day, and watched the sun dip low over the ocean, feeling like two heroines who had absolutely conquered Iceland. It was when we had our heart to heart, as only sisters can do. Maybe I will write about that some other time. But for now, that's between me and her, and the winter wind.

Until next time...