By Li

After a lazy late start, we went down for a simple continental breakfast. Afterwards we went to the local leisure centre which was a bargain for geothermal heated pools approx £15 for all of us.

There was various temperature pools, huge water slide, obstacle course and the pools were warm. The kids had fun chilling out and I enjoyed relaxing in the 38 degree pool.

We headed into town for lunch and found a Vietnamese restaurant. William and Tony opted for Beef Pho noodles, Rebecca had summer rolls (with vermicelli noodles) and I opted for grilled pork with rice and salad. All was rather tasty.

Couldn’t work out what to do in the afternoon so we decided to find a drinking spot and park ourselves there. We found the Loft (hostel bar) with a roof terrace. The kids enjoyed table football and Tony and I enjoyed the terrace in the sunshine.

Several hours later, we are still chilling out in the Loft Bar, the sun is shining and we sat outside albeit with some blankets.

Our last meal is at an Italian restaurant where me and the kids had seafood linguine and Tony had a spicy pizza. It’s still daylight outside at 8pm.

Let the packing commence …..

By Li

Last breakfast at our guesthouse. The host was very nice and was grateful for some of our unopened food we had to leave behind as we won’t have cooking facilities in our next stop. The pate was the key item he loved. It turns out it was made with smoked sheep head, a delicacy. Tony’s face was a picture as he’d eaten some the previous night. He did say it was a jellied in some parts and not great. LOL might be the eyeballs.

All packed up and out the doors by 10.30am, we stopped off at a geothermal power plant en-route to Reykjavik. It was very commercialised and the exhibition was aimed at the adults more. Not worth the cost that we had to pay. We actually preferred the hydro energy plant we went to the other day. However, some bits were interesting and you could see in to the plant.

We arrived at our hotel and it is very basic compared to the other places we stayed in but we have a quintuple room with 3 beds on the top mezzanine. The kids enjoyed having their secret floor.

We found some lunch in a foodhall and went shopping afterwards. Tony and I picked up a few pieces in 66 degrees North (an Icelandic brand and expensive). Kids picked up a few souvenirs.

We wrapped up the day with a walk down by the harbour and then dinner at the ‘Old Iceland Restaurant’, very nice cosy place and the food was good although the lamb still didn’t meet Tony’s expectations after having a fantastic dinner at one of the hotels we stayed in.

By Tony

Breakfast was again pretty basic, but fine. I could do with some bacon and egg though!

We went to a bread making place, we followed a 45-50 year old man, who led us through a narrow path to a lake, where people were kayaking on the lake. He stood next to a small mountain of dirt, and he chose me to dig the bread up, he gave me a big spade and I started to dig. I found the bread, he took the pot of bread out of the hole and put it into the lake and washed it. He opened it then in a few seconds, we could smell the bread then after that we went to the hole again and we decided to dig down to the pool of boiling hot water.

We saw it bubbling up and down then we put the new bread in the hole and covered it up with the dirt, we made the mountain again then I placed the stone on top the mountain and claimed the bread as mine. We went back to the building and then we tried the bread and with butter and trout on top. It was very nice.

By William

After that session we headed straight for the pool. Mummy and I went into a different passage, to get changed, to Daddy and William. Once I was changed, I was ready to jump (well step) into the pool.

The first one I went into had these black, plastic obstacle things in (this was probably my favourite pool). Next I went into a pool that looked like a mini swimming pool (about 5 meters). The 3rd pool was really strange as there was stones/gravel on the floor. Finally there was the 4th pool which was boiling and was round like a hot tub. I also did a challenge so William and I could get a slushie. The challenge was submerging myself into a freezing cold lake!

Overall I enjoyed my time in the pools and I think Mummy, Daddy and William liked it too.

By Rebecca

We left the hot pools and travelled the 30 minutes to Gullfoss. Li and I have been before, but it’s still worth going to. On arrival the first thing we noticed, as it was hard not to, was an enormous bus with enormous wheels!

Onto the waterfall itself, and it remains as before, pretty spectacular. We couldn’t walk much around as some of the path was closed, but we still were able to get great views.

Leaving Gullfoss, we headed for the geothermal area where the eruptions occur quite regularly in a geyser named Strokkur. We did have to wait for it a little, but eventually it came good and demonstrated the awesome power of nature.

By All of Us!

We cracked breakfast this morning by arriving significantly earlier than yesterday, as a result we discovered a great selection of fruit, cheese and ham, as well as, unexpectedly, donuts!

We’re getting reasonably swift at packing now, so was out of the hotel and on the road quickly after breakfast, heading for our first destination, a couple of waterfalls around 30 minutes drive

When we first pulled up in the car park Mummy and I both said that we shouldn’t have a walk around the waterfalls because we had to pay for the car park, we didn’t really feel like doing it but I am grateful we did take the opportunity!

We walked to the first waterfall and found out that there was a passage behind it. The view from behind the waterfall was amazing. The very small amount of water was silhouetted against the the bright blue sky. Of course something had to go wrong, turns out that Mummy had lost William’s sunglasses case. So we had to spend the next 10 minutes hunting for it.

Once Mummy had found it, we took a short walk next to a stream. We stopped a few times in some caves and chasms along the way. When we got into the sunlight we saw people laying on the grass (only in one area though) which was quite strange. Then I looked into a chasm and found a HUGE WATERFALL inside! It was so cool because there were stepping stones through the water and onto a bank in the chasm. There was a giant rock that we climbed onto a took a few pictures of (no not the rock, us and the waterfall).

By the time we were out Daddy and I had realised why people were laying on the grass. They were soaking wet and so were we! William I got a bit bored so we started playing pooh sticks. By about the 3rd go Daddy started to join. It was so annoying because after Daddy joined in he basically won all of them.

☹️☹️☹️

After a while, we had to stop because Mummy needed the toilet (unhelpful). So we went these horrible porta-loos. Next we went back to the car and drove off (broooom broooom)

By Rebecca

When we arrived at the Secret Hot Springs, at first me and mummy saw a monster truck, then we realised it was a public truck, for tourists.

Daddy and Rebecca and mummy and I went into the building where the hot springs were then we had to take of our shoes then mummy and Rebecca went to a different changing room. Daddy and I went to the men’s changing room we got undressed and did not put our swimming trunks on as we had to shower without them.

We put our swimming trunks on then we went to the pool (outside) then mummy and Rebecca arrived from the women’s changing room the we sat in the pool 2 hours and played. We went into the pool and found floats that looked like armchairs and a seahorse that was blue. Some bits were very very hot in the pool. Rebecca and I found crocodile shaped floats and the tooth squirted water.

Mummy went into the bar and got a Pepsi for Rebecca and me, and mummy got a Prosecco and daddy had a beer. Mummy, Rebecca and I went outside the pool and saw small spouting geysers. After we saw a big geyser with smoke coming out of it. We left after a hot shower with slimy soap. I enjoyed the heat of the water and playing with Rebecca on the crocodiles.

By William

After the secret hot springs, we managed to dive in to a supermarket and pick up a few ingredients for dinner the next few nights.  Tonight’s dinner was chicken fajitas with nachos. Managed to make some salsa too. 

The owner of the guesthouse was very nice and cleaned the trampoline for the kids. He also treated us to sample some Icelandic delicacy Hákarl which is fermented Greenland shark (very toxic if not fermented properly). The pieces were ever so very small (as I believe it’s very expensive), it tasted very chewy and the smell was like a strong ammonia and the flavour was like sun dried scallops with a very strong horrible lingering taste. The kids declined after they found out it was shark, so I ended up having 2 pieces as Tony declined. I didn’t want to appear ungrateful and throw it in the bin given how much a small tub costs. However, it did take several herbal teas and some dime pieces to get rid of the taste.

By Tony

I’d be planning todays hike for a while and was looking forward to it. The aim was to walk up next to a river, following the hike known as Fimmvorduhals Trailhead

After quite a basic breakfast we headed off, and it was lovely not to have to drive anywhere as the start of the trail is right next to the hotel. The starting point is actually Skógafoss Waterfall, which is pretty spectacular.

Following some great photo opportunities we headed up the steps, 426 in total the kids tell me, next to the waterfall. Photos from the top were taken and the we headed onto the trail itself. It’s around 15 miles total, but point to point so you need to get a bus back, or walk back again. Neither of which was going to happen so we planned on around 3 or 4 each way

Following the trail was spectacular, waterfall after waterfall, amazing scenery and canyons all the way!

Some of the hiking was a bit tricky, having to climb over ice sheets, through waterfalls and across rivers; however, this was great fun with the kids.

After around 2.5 hours, we climbed out final peak, had some packed lunch and then headed back. Li recorded 15Km by the end, which we discussed over a beer on the bar terrace. Dinner was again in the hotel restaurant, it’s not a patch on the last hotel; however, reasonably decent food, and a view that’s amazing.