The boiling, the freezing…and the in between

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The day was filled with anticipation of snowmobiling on a glacier. After using this as incentive to drag them away from the horses and dog, there was a little feedback and accompanying moaning heard when we discovered that our tour had been pushed back a few hours. No matter, this gave us the chance to explore some of the other local hot spots…literally.

First stop was actually not hot but wet - Gulfoss, translated as Golden Falls. Not quite golden but large and damp, and a sight to see nonetheless. Next stop, Geysir geothermal area, for some boiling water and mud and a spewing geyser, Strokkur, who belches forth approx 20m in the air every 8-10 minutes, or more frequently if you’re not paying attention. Very cool to see, particularly the water drop back down the plug hole once he’s done for that 10 min period.

But we’d filled our morning with enough frivolities until the wait for the main event became too much, and it was time anyway. Jumped on the super truck for a bumpy ride through the snow to Base Camp on Langjokull glacier before we suited up Barney Stinson-style to try our hand at some snowmobiling.

A quick lesson on the brake, throttle and not a lot else saw us released onto the glacier. Lucky there’s not a lot to hit out there as those things are a bastard to turn, particularly if your skis are wedged in someone else’s tracks. We gradually got the hang of it and managed a bit more speed, ably encouraged by the peanut gallery in the back seat.

Zipping along the fresh snow in a world of pure white with just a few white peaks in the background was absolutely magical. I actually managed to break the school zone speed limit at a few points. It felt a little like a James Bond movie and I kept looking over my shoulder to make sure there wasn’t a bikini-clad woman about to shoot me from behind.

We stopped for some photos before heading back to Base Camp to desuit and drive back to the car. A little relaxation was in order after all that adrenaline so we drove to Secret Lagoon for some hot springs soaking. Custom dictates that you have to shower naked before entering the springs and this was accompanied by a high level of angst from the teenager…I longed for the days of the freedom and gay abandon of Kinosakionsen.

Lucky the angst was overcome and we soaked away our worries before returning to our cosy horse farm for some dinner, some wine and some well-deserved rest!

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