Iceland – Day 2

Day 2 was a long, busy day.   We picked up our rental car in the morning and headed out for the Golden Circle – Þingvellir National Park, Geysir, and Gullfoss – with a few extra stops along the way.  Just getting there was an adventure – the car is a diesel with variable transmission therefore shuts off at a complete stop, the gear shift is on top of the steering column and the driver frequently turned on the windshield wipers rather than putting the car in gear (gotta admit….the windshield was quite clean today!).

Þingvellir National Park was our first stop.  This site has historical and geological significance for Iceland.  Historical significance is that it was one of the oldest democratic processes.  The Apingi (parliamentary meeting) met yearly, where the Lawspeaker recited the law to all of the gathered people and decided disputes.  This was the seat of Iceland Parliament for 8 centuries, which is amazing because it is close to nothing!  No town surrounds it, no town is close.  Everyone converged on this location for the Alpingi / Parliament meetings.

The geologic significance is that it sits on two tectonic plates – North American and Eurasian –  that move apart about 2.5 centimeters each year.  When walking through part of the park, you’re literally walking between continents.  There are lava fields, basalt formations, a stream, wide ravines opened up by centuries of earthquakes (they measure seismic activity nearly every day at Pingvellir).  There has been no volcanic activity for 2000 years but they are not considered extinct here.  We took a nice stroll from the visitor’s center all the way to Öxaráfoss, a lovely waterfall at the end of the path.

Next stop was an unexpected one.  We found some Icelandic horses standing along the fenceline who looked in need to attention (okay, not really….we just HAD to feed them and pet them).  It was a little tricky walking on a decline in tall grass next to barbed wire, but we made it!  Jay and Blake picked grass to feed a couple of the horses.  Most of the horses weren’t intereested, but three were quite happy to get the “greener grass”.

Geysir Geothermal Area was stop #3.  When approaching the geothermal area, one is met with the lovely aroma of sulfur.  If you’ve never experienced the smell of hot sulfur water you have missed nothing in life.  There is one active geyser that frequently erupts – Stokkur.  We walked around the park, looked at the orignal geyser (Geysir) which was last active in 2000, stopped after an earthquake hit the area.  We also checked out some of the smaller hot pools which might eventually become geysers some day.  To ensure we got the best views and amazing pics of Stokkur we waited and watched about 12 cycles.  The first eruption we saw was anticlimactic as it shot maybe 5 feet in the air.  Some of the eruptions that followed were maybe 50+ feet high in between several small eruptions.

Stop #4 isn’t on a normal Golden Circle tour, we knew about it from our previous trip.  Down a bumpy gravel road (part of which is marked as “no cars, 4×4 only”) not too far from Geysir is Haukadalurkirkja, a quaint church with a small cemetary surrounding it.  Just outside the cemetary fence is a rock marking the grave of a famous troll.  Trolls are famous you say?  In Iceland they are….because trolls are REAL here!!  Just beyond the troll’s grave is a beautiful rushing creek/stream/river edged by lucious green banks.

After that small detour we headed to Gullfoss, a breathtaking two-staged waterfall.  The first cascade is about 36 feet, the second cascade is about 69 feet, and the canyon walls are up to 230 feet in height.  We checked out the view from the top and then headed to the bottom for a different view.  Walking on the lower level provides an amazing, up-close view of the falls.  Be prepared to get wet as the spray from the sheer force of the water is amazing and on a windy day such as today, everyone is fair game for a bit of spray.

Final stop was Kerið Lake (crater lake) which was formed by a volcanic crater.  It was later in the evening when we were there so the vibrant blue of water wasn’t obvious to us, but we could see how clear the water was.  After a brief stroll around the rim of the lake, we headed back to Reykjavik.  It was still daylight and after 9 pm!

The trip to Reykjavik was mostly without incident.  The main road back was closed due to road repair so we were routed on a lesser road.  Traffic was moving but seemed a bit jammed up.  We realized that the jam was caused by three houses that were being transported by semi.  Houses you say?  Yes – houses!!  The houses pulled over after several miles and we wre able to pass.

After stopping for dinner, we rolled into town around 11:30 pm when it was finally getting dark.  It’s 12:30 am now and finally looks like nighttime should.  Tomorrow – more adventures by car, just in a different direction!