Day One: The Golden Circle
After spending three hours at the Hertz Rental car agency, and then another two at the first and only Costco in Iceland (life size elephant sculpture for $5,000 anyone?), we were off.
The Costco visit was actually something of a cultural experience. It had just opened on May 23rd. Apparently, before opening day, one in eight Icelanders had already become Costco members. Opening day was so busy that Iceland's Search and Rescue were called in to help manage crowds. Over 82,000 people-- a quarter of the population-- has joined a Costco Facebook group where people discuss Costco prices and goods. The reason for such excitement? Iceland is incredibly expensive. Prices for food and other consumer goods in Iceland are more than 70% higher than in the U.S. And although there are high shipping and labor costs, a report cited a lack of competition as another reason why it's so expensive. Icelanders we talked to were so happy to have a Costco, both so they could get reasonably priced goods, but also to drive down prices at other supermarkets.
We spent way too long at both the rental car agency and Costco, but thank goodness for sunlight almost 24 hours a day! All of those times I wished I just had a few more hours each day, they've come true! We first headed to Thingvellir National Park where we visited the Almannagja gorge. This is where the first Parliament was ever held in Iceland, in the open air.
It's also where the Eurasian and North American techtonic plates meet. You can almost touch them both at the same time!
The next stop was Geysir, which is the original geyser, meaning where the word geyser comes from. If you've ever been to Yellowstone, this pales in comparison-- a few small boiling pots, but Strokkur, the one that still regularly blows, makes me think of what Old Faithful must have been like decades ago. No boardwalk, just a bunch of people standing around a hole in the ground. Nothing fancy, no stadium seating and crowds in the hundreds, which it made it much more appealing.
We ended the day at Gulfoss (Gold Waterfall), the largest waterfall in Iceland. It was AMAZING. As I walked towards it, I literally said, "Wow." I was pretty bowled over.
The Costco visit was actually something of a cultural experience. It had just opened on May 23rd. Apparently, before opening day, one in eight Icelanders had already become Costco members. Opening day was so busy that Iceland's Search and Rescue were called in to help manage crowds. Over 82,000 people-- a quarter of the population-- has joined a Costco Facebook group where people discuss Costco prices and goods. The reason for such excitement? Iceland is incredibly expensive. Prices for food and other consumer goods in Iceland are more than 70% higher than in the U.S. And although there are high shipping and labor costs, a report cited a lack of competition as another reason why it's so expensive. Icelanders we talked to were so happy to have a Costco, both so they could get reasonably priced goods, but also to drive down prices at other supermarkets.
We spent way too long at both the rental car agency and Costco, but thank goodness for sunlight almost 24 hours a day! All of those times I wished I just had a few more hours each day, they've come true! We first headed to Thingvellir National Park where we visited the Almannagja gorge. This is where the first Parliament was ever held in Iceland, in the open air.
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