More Adventures in Iceland

Friday, September 5

Ula had created a fantastic itinerary for three days of land exploration and I had arranged for a rental car and a place to stay in Vík for one night. Peter went off to pick up the car, I packed snacks for the first day of adventure along the Golden Circle, a popular route for tourists. We found that the spectacular waterfalls close to Reykjavík were mobbed with people; a long line of a couple hundred visitors snaked from the parking lots to the cascading water and we did not want to be part of that experience.

Our first stop was on the edge of Thingvallavatn, the largest natural lake in Iceland. It is situated on the Reykjanes Ridge, a part of the Mid-Atlantic Rift, where the North American and Euroasian tectonic plates are separating. People have erected numerous cairns of various sizes on the rugged plain where we stopped for our first break from the drive. Of course, superstitious Shalako had to place a stone on one of them to ward off otherwise certain misfortune. 

Cairns near Thingvallavatn

Shalako placing a stone on an arched cairn

Thingviller National Park has both geological and historic significance. Geologically, it marks the crest of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, which can clearly be seen, particularly at Almannagjá, where it is possible to walk within the tectonic fissure to where the Öxará River forms a waterfall called Öxarárfoss. (This means Öxará Falls; the Icelandic language is very literal.) Near the falls was the site of punishment for crimes, which included hanging and chopping off heads for men and drowning for women. 

Peter descending into Almannagjá

Öxará River

Ula, Enis, Shalako, Sherri and Peter at Öxarárfoss

Almannagjá and Thingvallavatn

Historically, Thingvellir is important as the site of the annual parliament, the Althingi, from 930 until the last session held there in 1798. The Althingi (meaning assembly fields) is the oldest surviving parliament in the world. After Iceland came under Norwegian rule in 1262, the Althingi did not have legislative power, but sessions were still held at Thingvellir annually until 1800. All free men could attend the assemblies, which were usually the main social event of the year and drew large crowds of farmers and their families, parties involved in legal disputes, traders, craftsmen, storytellers, and travelers. (Unfortunately, we did have time to visit the actual site of the assembly.) Althingi is also where independence from Denmark was declared on June 17, 1944, with crowds of thousands attending the event (in the rain, of course).

Having only eaten snacks in the car, we stopped for a late lunch at Laugarvatn Fontana, a spa and geothermal bakery where bread is baked in a whole in the ground for 24 hours before being dug up and served. At the cafe, we took advantage of the buffet of two vegetarian soups and white bread with pesto, gorging ourselves on the delicious fare. After, the others enjoyed the geothermal bread. (I don't like rye, so I didn't have any.)

Our next stop was the Haukadalur geothermal field. The word geyser (from the Icelandic verb "geysa," meaning to go quickly forward") comes from Geysir, first mentioned in written sources in the early 13th century, which is the earliest named fountain hot spring. Geysir itself rarely erupts now, sometimes not for many years at a time. Close by is Strokkur, which erupts to a height of 15-20 meters (49-66 feet), although it can sometimes go as high as 40 meters (130 feet). The white plume of water and steam occurs every 6 to 10 minutes but lasts only seconds. There are also mud pots and other geothermal features in the area. We were fortunate that the skies had partially cleared and a double rainbow stretched low across the sky.

Strokkur geyser

Sherri and Ula in front of the rainbow

A mud pot

Geysir

Steaming springs

Bubbling hot spring

We traveled on to our next destination, Gullfoss, an enormous waterfall in the canyon of the Hvítá River. The river flows down a wide, curved three-step staircase before plunging in two stages (11 meters or 36 feet and 21 meters or 69 feet) into crevice about 20 meters (66 feet) wide and 2.5 kilometers (1.6 miles) long. In the first half of the 20th century, plans were developed to use Gullfoss for hydroelectric power. Sigríður Tómasdótttir, daughter of the co-owner of the sheep farm around the falls, is recognized as Iceland's first environmentalist for her legal actions and numerous treks to Reykjavík, sometimes by foot, to meet with government officials to stop the project. Although she did not win in court, her efforts spurred public attention and led to the acquisition of the area by the Icelandic government for permanent conservation in 1979 (22 years after her death). 

The thundering water and the surrounding rugged landscape are truly awesome, and we took numerous photos from every vantage point. As luck would have it, another rainbow appeared during this stop on our tour. 

Gullfoss' three staircase drops and first plunge

Ula, Enis, Shalako, Peter and Sherri at Gullfoss

The river plunging down into the canyon

Rainbow over Gullfoss

Our final stop was Kerið Crater, a volcanic crater lake. It is one of four craters along the 800-meter fissure called the Tjarnarhólar row, formed through explosive volcanic activity and is elliptical, measuring approximately 55 meters (180 feet) deep, 170 meters (560 feet) wide and 270 meters (890 feet across. The walls of the crater consist of basalt and scoria. We walked around the top of the crater and then took the stairs down to the water's edge, where we also circled the lake.

Kerið Crater

Sherri, Peter, Enis and Shalako by the lake

Our last stop of the day was in Selfoss for a late dinner at the Old Dairy Food Hall in Selfoss. We arrived back at Mantra quite late and went directly to bed in order to rise early the next day for more adventure.