This morning we flew from Akureyri to Reykjavik to continue our discovery of amazing natural phenomena in Ísland. The clouds kindly parted making the 35 minute flight a lesson in geography. From the mountains in the north to the ridges left by retreating glaciers in the middle, to the Mýrdalsjökull glacier in the south, the view was continally outstanding.
Iceland Air placed a shared journal in every row which previous passengers had used to comment on their experiences. I was so busy looking out the window that I didn’t take time to add my two cents worth, but what a lovely idea!
Our first stop on this remarkable day was at þingvellir National Park (the þ is pronounced as “th” as in them). I wrote in a previous post about the two tectonic plates under Ísland moving in different directions – in fact one of them is turning. This is having the effect of splitting the island. Magma from below fills the gap, or in the case of our location today, a valley was created when the crack opened up and the land settled into the gap.
The other matter of note about þingvellir National Park is that it was the site of the country’s first parliament and supreme court. We noted a stage being set up nearby for “political speeches.” The politicians are celebrating their 1918 independence from Denmark. The actual day is December 1st but who wants to give political speeches in a national park in the dark in December?? Here is a seletion of photos of the serene valley created by continental drift.
Next stop on the Golden Circle was the Geysir hotspring area. Europeans have been visiting the Geysir – all other geysers in the world have been named after this one – since the 16th century, and no wonder, the show is pretty spectacular. There are many pools of steaming water. The difference between the steaming pools at Námafjall in the north is that these are water and the Námafjall pools were mud. Both pretty stinky though!
The original Geysir has stopped erupting but its neighbour a few feet away struts its stuff every few minutes. Notice the bubble that forms a second or two before the eruption. I took this video with real time speed. Be sure to watch the following video Shelley took in slo-mo. Check it out it’s remarkable!!
I was thinking nothing could top the Geysir when we arrived at the Gullfoss, “foss” meeaning waterfall, on the Hvítá River. This is the largest waterfall in Ísland and actually comprises two levels, the first dropping 11 metres (36 feet) and the second 21 metres (69 feet). The spray from the bottom of the falls soaks you as you walk by and the roar of the water makes conversation challenging.
Our last stop was not on the usual Golden Circle route. Skálholt Cathedral has been in this location in one form or another since 1056 and was the seat of the bishop in the south until 1785, and the site of early schools. After 1785, the bishop’s cathedral was located in Reykjavik. There is a listing of all the bishops to date – quite a remarkable list! There are stained glass windows, somewhat unusual for Íslandic churches, and an interesting mosaic behind the altar.
We have only two more touring days left. Ísland has been remarkable. The weather has not always cooperated, but that is due to an unusual high over England and a cold spot in the North Atlantic. This is Ísland’s coldest and rainiest summer on record!
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