Reykjavik, Iceland... Part 1 of 2

The weather prediction was rain and I had not intended to rise early for sail in to Reykjavik this morning.  Checking my in-room weather Bow camera it looked dry so I went out on deck at 0630 and was able to capture our sail in. Our driver from Isafjordur was able to arrange for a tour in Reykjavi for us.  Frissi picked us up at the port and we were off on the Golden Circle Tour of Pingvellir National Park, Geyser Geothermal Area and the Gullfoss Waterfall.  Our first stop out of Reykjavik was the Pingvellir National Park, Iceland’s first National Park and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  This area is a keystone of Icelandic cultural history…The first settlers put down their roots in South Iceland in the 9th century.  As the society developed, it was decided an assembly could help with disputes and create a fairer society. Pingvellir was chosen as the assembly site and in 930, it became Iceland’s and the world’s first parliament.  Then there was the dramatic landscape…  Pingvellir is the meeting point of the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates.  We walked between the deep valley between the plates that created some stunning geological sights.  This is the only place in the world where the Mid-Atlantic Ridge is visible on land with a sheer cliff face that is actually the corner of the North American continent.  Iceland's land mass was formed from the magma that bubbled up as these two plates moved away from each other. Today, the plates are still moving slightly each year.  For you Game of Thrones fans many scenes were filmed in this area.  Leaving the park, we stopped briefly at the village of Laugarvatn located alongside Laugarvatn Lake, a geothermal lake with the geothermal mud pools where they were cooking bread beneath the sand.  Just down the road, Frissi took us to a working farm specializing in homemade ice cream…the Salted Carmel was delicious.  From here we drove through the Haukadalur Valley with volcanic landscapes of steaming vents and chimneys and as we got closer to the Geysir geothermal area, the activity became more dramatic.  We walked through the surrounding Haukadalur Valley Geyser area admiring the many hot springs, smaller geysers and bubbling mud pots. The highlights of our walk was the Stokkur Geyser.  This geyser erupts every few minutes, shooting hot water as high into the air.  We patiently waited for the Stokkur to erupt and we managed to get three eruptions…by far the last one was the most spectacular.  Next, we had a short drive to Gullfoss, one of Iceland’s most famous waterfalls. Gullfoss originates from the second largest glacier in Iceland Langjokull.   From different viewing platforms we watched as water thundered over 2 drops, falling a total of 105 feet to a canyon below…. this is a truly astounding marvel of geology.  Frissi stopped at Fridheimar, a Hydroponic Greenhouse where they grow tomatoes for Iceland.  They import bees from Holland to help to pollinate the tomatoes.  As well, they have a flourishing restaurant business serving tomato soup and homemade bread.  This enterprise alone has eliminated the requirement to import tomatoes into Iceland…Local knowledge!  Not far from the greenhouse we stopped at Faxafoss Waterfall, as smaller version of Gullfoss…serene with no tourists.  There were two viewing platforms and a salmon ladder for the fish to climb the waterfall…a nice stop.  Next Frissi took us to the Skalholt settlement with its sod church hall and lovely Church alongside.  This church had a museum in the basement with artifacts uncovered in the past few years including a stone coffin…plus we left the basement via a 30-foot underground tunnel to the outside and believed to have been used in the original settlement.  The rain did not hold us back and we made a stop at the Kerid Crater.  This crater was formed by a volcanic eruption 6500 hundred years ago and is part of a northern row of craters in this area known as the Tjarmarholar.  Even though it was torrential rain, the crater was a beautiful blue color.  The water in the crater does not drain but changes level due to the water table. Heading back to Reykjavik we took a detour down a side road to the ON Thermal Electric plant…it was amazing to see the above ground piping used to support hot water heating to the residents of Reykjavik.  Despite the weather we had a wonderful day and Frissi gave us a great tour…  Another great day in Iceland!