After a good breakfast, we left at around 10:30 to visit the Great Geysir, about 100km east. This the real thing, the geyser, after which all geyeirs are named. It used to blow hot water at 60-70m high – once it reached 122m – but it was clogged when, allegedly, some tourists threw stones in order to stimulate it. Nowadays it erupts 2-3 times per day, but it is much weaker than it used to be. Fortunately, Strokkur is just 50m away, a very reliable geyser, erupting up to heights of 30m every 6-10 minutes. We stayed long enough to see it erupting three times, one being a triple eruption!
We left to Gulfoss, only 10km away, a great double waterfall, 20m wide and 32m high. You can actually walk to edge and touch the water. The water spray guarantees that you will get completely soaked.
We stayed for lunch and in the afternoon we drove back west, past Reykjavik to the Blue Lagoon. This is the largest and most famous geothermal spa on the island. Very organized, you do not smell at all the disgusting sulfuric smell that we experienced in Reykjahlíð. Again, the feeling after one hour in the spa is amazing, you emerge loose and relaxed. There is a pool bar in the spa, offering non alcoholic beverages that you charge on the bracelet that you are given when you get in. The bracelet also serves as a locker key and you pay the balance on your way out. Very cool.
In the evening, we went again to the center and had dinner in Tapasinn, a nice and packed – on a Saturday night – tavern that serves tapas. Here you can taste traditional Spanish tapas along some very unique ones, like whale, puffin and kangaroo. On the way back we stopped for a night beer at the Irish Pub Dublin, but for more on this follow the Reykjavik link.