Yesterday we left Jo & Sharifs place early for more adventures. Arriving at Luton the four of us boarded the plane for a nice leisurely flight over to the wilds of Iceland. We landed and after a few troubles with our hire car made our way into Reykjavik and checked in to our hotel. The evening consisted of a nice feed of traditional Icelandic food, followed by a traditional downing of 1ltr of Jack Daniels. Feeling quite content we retired for the night knowing we had a big tour planned for tomorrow. This morning we were up quite early to prepare with a nice breaky. Sharif was in a little town, a little town called struggle town. After much persuasion we convinced him to join us so we piled in our car and headed off down the road. We were off to do what is known as the golden circle. As we made our way about 9.30am the sky was still dark. The roads were quiet as we clicked over many k's until we arrived at our first stop Pingvellier National Park. The light was starting to spread it's rays across the sky as we started taking snaps of this amazingly baron landscape. It's beauty is something we haven't ever experienced and is the reason why we are here. We climbed back into the warmth of the car and headed to where the first parliament was created in the 800's. Here we wandered down from the lookout and walked on ground where Vikings had once stood centuries ago making plans for their people. But once again it was time to move on, and after an hour we were at Geyser. Any guesses what we had come to see? Yes that's right, an amazing gift shop. We looked around for a bit before deciding to see what else was there. Amazingly there was these waters that are heated by the geothermal energy of the earth to 100 degrees. In one of the pools cold water runs down which cools the top of the water. This creates pressure under the water which every 10 minutes causes the geyser to blow. The sound is amazing as it blows 50 meters in the air. It was a beautiful show of power by mother earth, and combined with the smell of sulphur and steam rising from the waters, makes this a sight that is so rare in this world. But it was time to move on as the sun peaked at 1.30pm on the horizon. Our final site was Gulfoss falls about 20 mins away. We arrived and as we stepped from the car the wind was carrying razor blades. It was the coldest we have experienced for a long time. That didn't matter though as these falls are impressive. Humungous in size and coated with ice on the cliffs they are awe inspiring and scary at the same time. The biggest falls any of us have ever seen. We stayed for as long as our bodies could handle the temperature, which wasn't long, before saying goodbye and starting our journey back home. Our trip home involved a few stops. First off we stopped to make friends with some Icelandic ponies. As soon as we stopped they came over, about 20 of them. This was in the middle of nowhere with nothing around, they really are that friendly. We fed them some apples and gave them plenty of pats. They loved the attention, especially the ruffling of their manes. Their fur was so thick and soft and we didn't want to say farewell. Alas with no spare seats we had to leave them behind. As least they still had each other. After a bit of snoring from my travel buddies we pulled in to see Kerio, a 6500 year crater located in the lava fields. It was only Jac and I so we took some snaps and headed back to the car. On the way back down the path Jac stepped on some ice which made her slip over. She hit hard and was very lucky she was all wrapped up as it could have been bad. Thankfully it will just be some bruising. We continued on chasing the last of the light and had a quick drive around Selfoss before our final leg up and over the snow capped mountains, past the hothouses and back to Reykjavik. We rested for a while before going out for dinner, followed by a chat in the lobby, before retiring for the night. We were going to do a northern lights tour however it was too overcast so we retired for the night. It didn't matter though as what we have seen today is very special. The sights were amazing but the travels around the island were very unique. It is wild and a very bleak and harsh landscape, one that could take your life quite easly. How people not only settled, but survived this country defies belief. It is both unique and yet terrifying. So beautiful but so different. And it's these things that give us that never-ending love and desire to travel.