Editor’s note: First off, a huge congratulations to TRT writer Sam Spector on the birth of his third child. Any of you who follow his writing will know it won’t slow his travels much. Here he talks about Iceland, a perfect day trip from the capital. For more of Sam’s writing, click here to visit his index page.

This week, I became a dad… for the third time. I was often told that I would not be able to internationally travel once I had kids, as it is just too hard… LIES! My eldest, Miriam, will have been to over 20 countries by her 4th birthday. With that said, as my wife and I were pushing our two toddlers around Seoul, South Korea in November, all the while she was about 6 ½ months pregnant, we realized that while we plan to do many future trips with all three of our daughters, that probably for the next 5 years or so, we would do more trips where instead of seeing every church, museum, and palace, we would go to tropical islands for rest and relaxation or trips where we can do relatively short drives to see beautiful towns and scenery. In thinking about that, we reminisced about our very first international trip we ever did as parents, which was to Iceland.

While I will do another article on Reykjavik, the liberal, lively, modern capital of Iceland, this article is about phenomenal attractions only an hour away from Reykjavik, which includes a trip to Iceland’s first capital and parliament. This day trip is referred to as the Golden Circle, and while there are many little places that you can visit on this journey, I hit what I believe to be the highlights: Þingvellir (pronounced Thingvellir) National Park, Geysir, Gullfoss Falls, the Secret Lagoon, and Kerid Crater. I have put these in order to minimize your drive time, which, if you do a full circle, starting and ending in Reykjavik, should be 3 hours, 45 minutes or so. I recommend doing all of these in the summer, when it is warmer and when the sun rises early and does not set until the late hours of night, or even wee hours of the morning, as sometimes Iceland has nearly 24 hours of daylight that time of year, given that there is so much to see and do. I chose to rent a car, even though I found the car rental agencies to be sadly less than honest in Iceland, because it gave me more flexibility to explore at my own pace, especially with a 10 week old at the time, but there are also many organized tours from Reykjavik.

Beginning with Þingvellir, this was not only Iceland’s first national park, but it was also Iceland’s first parliament, with Þingvellir literally meaning “parliament plains”, making it a UNESCO World Heritage Site. From 930 until 1798, for over 850 years, Þingvellir served as the parliament of Iceland, and the modern parliament still has ceremonial meetings in the park. However, what is also fascinating about Þingvellir is that it is a geological wonder of the world, as you can walk literally between tectonic plates between two continents, as this is where the North American tectonic plate separates from the Eurasian tectonic plate. It is absolutely extraordinary to walk down the wooden pathway with giant rocks that are tectonic plates above ground rising on either side of you, knowing that on one side of you is North America, and on the other side is Europe, and you are somewhere in between. For scuba divers, this is a top destination as in the park is the Silfra Canyon, where you can dive between the tectonic plates. However, if like me you do not dive, there are still numerous paths you can walk around and enjoy beautiful plateaus and waterfalls. At one such lookout, I stood next to a young couple, who got engaged in that moment! A fitting place for such a wonderful moment.

The next stop on the Golden Circle is Geysir. Living in Salt Lake City, I am a 5 ½ hour drive away from perhaps the world’s most famous geyser, Old Faithful in Yellowstone National Park. What I did not know is that the word “geyser” comes from Geysir, Iceland and that Geysir means in Icelandic, “to go quickly forward.” Approximately 900 years ago, the geysers of Geysir first formed as the ground opened up over a lava dome. Take a bit of time to walk around the paths to get up close to the various sulfuric pools and geysers. Many of the geysers are inactive, and the Great Geyser, which can shoot boiling water 200 feet into the air, rarely erupts. However, to see some action go to the Stokkur Geyser, which typically erupts about 50 feet in height, but can get up to 130 feet high, and erupts every 6-10 minutes.

Only 10 minutes down the road is Gullfoss Falls. Though it certainly does not have Niagara Falls’ height, I was reminded of North America’s iconic falls by the immense power of the water at Gullfoss. During the summer, when the glacial ice has melted, Gullfoss is believed to be the most powerful waterfall in Europe as the water plunges down the two-tiered falls about 100 feet in total into the Canyon of the Hvita (White) River below, which is aptly named due to intense white water at the falls. Gullfoss literally translates as “Golden Falls”, which some say is because the water looks golden when the sun hits it, and others recall an Icelandic myth of a greedy farmer who threw his pot of gold into the bottom of the falls so that nobody else could claim it after his death. Legend is that the pot of gold is still at the bottom of the falls. Walk along the pathway and you will get great views of the falls from above and up close, you will be amazed by their strength and beauty.

After having visited these three spots that are all within a 50 minute drive, head down to the Secret Lagoon. While tourists flock to the world-renowned Blue Lagoon near the airport, the Secret Lagoon offers a more relaxed and intimate atmosphere that feels less of a tourist trap (that said, I loved the Blue Lagoon and highly recommend it!). The Secret Lagoon is a geothermal hot spring, which after being founded in the 1800s, became Iceland’s first public pool, a major part of their modern culture. Surrounding the pool are walkways and tiny houses called “alfhol” or “elf houses.” Icelanders will leave little gifts outside of these houses, and a common misconception is that the elves live in the tiny houses, when the tradition is that Icelandic elves are actually the size of normal people and the homes were put there to warn people that elves live in the surrounding hills. Take some time to relax and soak your muscles in the warm water while enjoying the beautiful Icelandic nature that surrounds you before your final stop of your full day tour of the Golden Circle.

On the way back to Reykjavik, your final stop is at the Kerid Crater. Approximately 9000 years ago at this location, a volcanic eruption occurred leaving a round crater that is 890 feet across, 560 feet in width and 180 feet in depth. Basalt formed by the cooling lava left steep pink walls, and at the bottom of the crater is a bright blue, small lake. The top of the crater’s rim, which forms a perfect caldera, showing that it was indeed a volcano, is only seconds from the parking lot, and to walk the entire circumference of the rim takes about 15 minutes. You can walk the steep trail down (be careful! I and others slipped and fell doing so) to the water below. The pink rock, the green moss, and the bright blue water make a beautiful short hike that can be easily done by people of all skill levels and will leave you with gorgeous pictures and memories.

When you arrive back in Reykjavik, you will be amazed at all you saw in just one day. While each of these five spots on its own is a highlight of the “Land of Fire and Ice,” their proximity makes them all accessible in a memorable day, which will stand out as likely the best day of your trip to Iceland.

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