Gullfoss Waterfall in Iceland

The Gullfoss Waterfall on the Golden Circle in Iceland is truly spectacular. We visited during the winter and the falls were mostly frozen, which made them even more beautiful. It was a very cold day and the observation decks were being hit by the spray from the waterfall, making it even colder as we stood and took photographs. It is an amazing display of the forces of nature at work.

Powerful Waterfall
The Start of the Canyon
Amazing Beauty

Gullfoss Waterfall translates to Golden Waterfall and is probably one of the most photographed images in Iceland. The waterfall is created by the flow of the Hvítá (White) River as it flows into a canyon. Although we could have hiked around the waterfall to see it from various views, it was way too cold while were there to take the time to do that. It was the last of the places that we visited as we drove the road that loops around several famous locations outside of Reykjavik known as the Golden Circle.

We Were Very Cold
Panoramic View
Looking Down at the Second of the Falls

As popular as Iceland has become as a place to visit, Gullfoss Waterfall can be quite a busy spot as tour buses travel there throughout the day. Watching the water as it flows down the two steep steps down into the canyon is almost mesmerizing. It was definitely a highlight of our time in Iceland and should be included as part of any visit to the island.

Seven Falls and the 1858 Restaurant in Colorado Springs, Colorado

This is a sponsored post on behalf of Seven Falls and the 1858 Restaurant.  All opinions are our own.

The View from the Front of the Restaurant

We were invited to come to Seven Falls and to have dinner at the 1858 Restaurant, which are both operated by The Broadmoor. There are many beautiful places to see when visiting Colorado Springs and Seven Falls should definitely be one of the top sites on your list. Not only are the falls themselves beautiful, but the entire canyon that creates the backdrop for the waterfalls is truly gorgeous. Having lunch or dinner at the 1858 Restaurant, which sits at the base of the waterfalls, is a perfect way to end a day of hiking around the park and climbing the stairs along the falls.

Seven Falls from Eagles Nest
Views of the Canyon
Seeing the Waterfalls Up Close
1858 Restaurant
Gorgeous Scenery

During the summer months, to get to Seven Falls you catch a free shuttle from the Norris Penrose Event Center, which takes about 15 minutes to drop you off at the entrance. Once inside and having purchased your ticket, you can either walk the .8 of a mile to the base of the falls or for an extra $2, you can catch a tram. As long as you are relatively fit, we would recommend just walking up to the falls and enjoying the beautiful scenery. At the base of the falls, you will find a souvenir shop, restrooms, as well as the 1858 Restaurant. There are two ways to see the falls. One is to climb the stairs or take the elevator to the Eagles Nest, which is a platform with wonderful views of the cascading falls and also has a gift shop. The other is to climb the 224 steps that will take you up close and personal to the series of falls that make up Seven Falls.

Walking the Road to the Waterfalls
One of the Trams
You Don’t Want to Miss These Views
Climbing the Stairs Next to the Waterfalls
Amazing Waterfalls

In addition to viewing the falls, there are also a couple of hiking trails, one that is about a half hour round trip and the other is about an hour round trip. The longer trail will take you to Inspiration Point where you will be rewarded with wonderful views of Colorado Springs and the plains beyond. The other will take you to Midnight Falls, which is another small waterfall. If you are truly adventurous, you can also zip-line inside of the park where you can soar high above the canyon below. Having zip-lined several times in the past, we decided not to do so on our visit to the park.

Hiking Trail
People Getting Ready to Zip-Line
Steep Climb to the Top
Beginning of the Trail
Looking Down from the Stairs

After visiting the Eagles Nest as well as climbing the 224 steps that took us to the top of the waterfalls, our legs were quite exhausted. Especially if you are not acclimated to the altitude of Colorado Springs, give yourself plenty of time to scale the steep steps and take time to stop and rest. We were definitely ready for dinner after climbing and hiking inside of the park. The 1858 Restaurant offers a fine dining experience in a casual atmosphere with reasonable prices. We had the Chicken and Dumplings as well as a Rocky Mountain Trout with Chile Verde Sauce. We also had spicy Wild Boar Green Chili and a side of Macaroni and Cheese. Everything that we ate was absolutely delicious and the service was friendly and attentive. We would recommend to anyone to visit the restaurant even if they didn’t want to climb the steps to the top of the waterfalls.

Trout with Chile Verde
Inside of the Restaurant
Chicken and Dumplings
Front of the Restaurant
Macaroni and Cheese

Seven Falls should definitely be on the agenda of anyone visiting Colorado Springs and we truly enjoyed our time in the park and at the restaurant. It is a great way to see some of the best scenery in the area without having to spend hours hiking our driving miles outside of the city.

Eagles Nest from Below
Restaurant Bar
View of the Falls
Wild Boar Green Chili
Looking Down at One of the Seven Waterfalls
Starting Our Climb
Natural Beauty

 

Frozen in Time

Have you ever wished that you could stop time? For those of you who are old enough to remember, there was an old Twilight Zone show where a man has a magical stop watch that will freeze time for everyone but himself. There probably isn’t a day that goes by that we don’t wish we had our own magical watch, but obviously that is never going to happen. The closest thing that we have to stopping time is through photography, where we can capture a moment in time and relive it forever. One of the things that we enjoy is seeing photographs of water that was in motion, but has become instantly frozen in the lens of the camera. Seeing these images are probably the closest that we will have to stopping time, so until we find our magical watch, we will have to make the most of the time that we have.

Fountain in Athens, Greece
Geyser in Iceland
Fountain in Coroico, Bolivia
Waterfall in Bolivia
Fountain at Piazza Navona in Rome
Trevi Fountain
Another View of Geysir Starting to Erupt