August 14 – Golden Circle Tour

 The weather continues to be cold and wet. A good day to take a bus tour. We took a tour to see the natural beauty of Southern Iceland. Iceland is a very active geothermal area.  There are multiple active volcanoes and more hot springs that you can shake a stick at. The means the we were able to see some amazingly beautiful sights.

This famous tour is called the Golden Circle. It leaves Reykjavik and goes northeast to Thingvellir National Park. Then it goes east to the Geysir Geothermal Area. From there it continues east to the Geysir Geothermal Area and then returns stopping at the Kerið Volcanic Crater. It was a six hour tour and was well worth the time.

The Thingvellir National Park is considered one of its most famous sites in Iceland. It has great significance in both the history and geology of Iceland. In 930 AD, the world’s first parliament was established in Thingvellir by Vikings, making it the oldest parliament in the world. Surprisingly the parliament is still active and fully functioning. Recently their election elected a new president for a four year term.

Thingvellir sits right on the only visible section of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. We walked along a pathway that allowed us to stroll through the rift valley that separates the diverging tectonic plates that are home to North America and Eurasia respectfully. So, in the space of a couple of minutes, we were able to walk from North America to Europe. Along the walls of the pathway, you can see the layers that have been deposited from many volcanic eruptions in the past sixteen millions years.

The bus driver brought his dog on board. Its name is Bjarndýr, which sounded like “Bouncy” and is Icelandic for bear. It was a very well behaved dog and extremely friendly.

Next on our tour was the Geysir Geothermal Area. The area is a geothermal park sitting on top of a vast boiling lake of sulphur infused water. As you enter the park, you can see at least a dozen steam vents. The smell was not as bad as I thought it would be, but it was still noticeable. We were told not to test the temperature of the water pools as we could get severe burns. The attraction of the area is the Strokkur geyser, which erupts at regular intervals every 8 minutes. Its white column of steam and boiling water can reach as high as 30 meters.

Gullfoss, is one of Iceland’s most iconic waterfalls. Gullfoss translates as the ‘Golden Falls.’  It is located in the Hvítá river canyon in Southwest Iceland. The water in Hvítá river travels from the Langjökull glacier, before falling 32 meters in two stages at the falls.

It is a spectacular display of power. For many generations, there have been battles to harness this power for hydro electric power. Thankfully the environmentalist has won each battle, leaving this amazing sight pristine.

Our last stop was the Kerið Volcanic Crater. Kerið, is a volcanic crater lake located in the Grímsnes area in south Iceland. It is one of the most visually stunning geological wonders that we have seen for a long time. This beautiful blue gem is a mere 6,500 years old, the caldera is approximately 55 meters deep, and is made up of an iron enriched red volcanic rock. The lake at its base varies from 7m to 14m, depending on the areas water table. I was able to trek down to the base using a very wet and slippery path. Going up, I was reminded that I’m not as young as I used to be. It took several minutes to get my breath back.

Our trip back to Reykjavik was uneventful.  The one exception was a village that we passed, which is found on top of an area full of hot springs. Our guide told us of a household that woke up to find that their house was being filled with boiling water. Steam is one of the main fuels that feed the power generating plants. Our guide told us that his heating and electricity bills were extremely low in comparison to other countries.

This evening, we met up with Janet, Keith and Olive for drinks. The rest of the cruise crew should be arriving tomorrow.

R.I.P. – Jill. You will be missed by your many friends.