Whew! We’ve had a long day today but I’ll try to hit the high points. Reykjavik is home to their government seat and half of Iceland's population. It's name means "smokey bay" because of the steam that rises from its many hot springs. It sits on a bay beneath Mt. Esja.
Our excursion called “The Golden Circle” lasted 8 hours and began with a visit to the massive Gullfoss Waterfall followed by lunch at a local restaurant. From there we were taken to Geysir and Strokkur, an area of bubbling hot springs. Lastly, we drove to Hveragerdi where the north Atlantic tectonic plate meets the European tectonic plate with the result being the formation of the island of Iceland. As we rode along, the landscape had an almost "other worldly" feel. It is covered by many lava fields - some stark rock and others covered in green moss or other vegetation. We learned that the color depends on the age of the formations.
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| Gulfoss Waterfall |
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| small gurgling spring |
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| map showing spring locations |
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| landscape of hot springs |
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| onlookers waiting for next geyser - every 5-10 minutes |
We enjoyed beautiful weather up until our last stop at Hveragerdi where it started raining. I didn't have an umbrella and didn't want to get wet so I stayed in the gift shop while Ronnie walked down to see the area where the plates meet.
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| Ronnie's panoramic shot |
The coach bus was very comfortable and the scenery was gorgeous; however our guide almost drove me crazy with the most monotone voice I have ever heard. He talked the entire time and was a wealth of information; however I was ready to gag him by the time we got off that bus!
The island of Iceland is only 60-70 square miles – about the size of the state of Kentucky. It has 3 giant glaciers, one of which covers 8% of the islands landmass. The roads are very narrow (1 lane allows 2 cars, the opposite only 1). There are no McDonald’s or fast food restaurants and island supposedly has more sheep than people.
Icelanders also have some very interesting customs. Supposedly 30-40% of them believe in elves, and that can be seen in their gift shops. Some believe that the huge boulders that make up the lava fields are petrified trolls! Also, Icelandic kids don’t believe in Santa Claus but in the 13 Yule Lads. I asked our guide and he confirmed this.
It is a beautiful and very interesting country. If you ever decide to come here, you would only want to come in the summer! And even then, the weather might be less than ideal. We’ve been very fortunate that the weather has cleared for our last 2 excursions. There’s no way to see this beautiful place in just one day, or even the 2 we’ll be here. We’ll be out and about on the island today with lots more photo ops. However, it’s almost impossible to get decent photos through a fast moving bus window. Hopefully we’ll have a different guide today!
I forgot to say that our time in Reykjavik completes the first segment of our 51 day journey. We also received these goofy certificates on that accomplishment.
Barb: in a way it reminds me of a "new" Yellowstone with all the geysers and springs etc. Volcanoes are interesting. We tend to think of God finishing Creation, but He finished all the creation processes...as a programmer nerd, I used to think of the "code" God had to plan and execute, or have ready yo execute. The photos are astounding. I wish I could smell it too.
ReplyDeleteYes, He just keeps creating and creating! And His fingerprints are everywhere! As for the geysers we saw, they also reminded me of Yellowstone but not as many and not as colorful. Still an amazing sight to see though!
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