In this Feb. 22, 2006 file photo tourists brave the weather to walk around the hot springs area at the site of Geysir, Iceland. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth, File)
(AP)
Other attractions include Gullfoss, a stunning double waterfall where water seems to cascade in every direction, and Geysir, a famed hot spot with pools and steam seeping through volcanic rock. The Great Geysir doesn't blow much anymore, but the Strokkur geyser shoots hot water every 10 minutes or less.
You can take a massive bus to these sites, but we preferred a Super Jeep ride. Our party rented three of the gigantic off-road vehicles, which gave us the freedom to book a snowmobile ride to the edge of a glacier and see chunks of blue ice the size of small cars. Our driver loved driving through rivers, too.
The temperature the day we toured was a few degrees shy of freezing, and there was a thick coat of ice on the ground frosted by a dusting of snow.
In other words, about as treacherous as you can get. Virtually everyone in our party slipped and fell at some point. It made you realize the difference between tourist spots in Iceland and, say, in the U.S. With these conditions, U.S. tourist spots would no doubt be closed, or the ice chipped, salted and sanded into messy oblivion.
Not in Iceland. You're responsible for your own safety. Gingerly heading down a path to get a closer view of Gullfoss, one woman slipped and if she hadn't grabbed a rope railing as she was sliding under it, she would have slid perilously close to the edge.
At Geysir, you can walk so close to the volcanic pools that if you're silly enough to stick your hand in to see if it's really as hot as they say, you can. Watch the kids.
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