Iceland Day 2 - Yesterday we encountered almost no one. We drove from wonder to wonder with the roads almost completely devoid of other travellers. Today I think we saw every tourist in Iceland. Every. Single. One. Today we toured the famed Golden Circle, comprised of Gullfoss (a really big waterfall), Thingvellir (the national park where two tectonic plates meet), and Geysir (basically a geyser). We finished the day by alternately soaking in hot geothermal pools and baths, and jumping into a freezing lake. More on that in a moment.

Now the Golden Circle is famous for a reason. All of these sights are indeed amazing, breathtaking, and beautiful...but holy moly the crowds. Many of who just shuttle between sights lingering just long enough to snap a quick photo.

To me, the difference between yesterday and today seems dramatic. Yesterday was peaceful, quiet, awe-inspiring. Yesterday I had the distinct sensation that we were travellers. And today we were definitely, most definitely, tourists. And one is not better or worse than the other. They are just different.

Also, that lake was shockingly, disturbingly, numbingly cold. And those boys went for a freakin' swim.