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Our optional hot breakfast this morning was to cook your own egg on the hot-springs oven. The rye-bread is also baked in this oven overnight and brought steaming to the breakfast table. What a beautiful setting to eat your breakfast overlooking the River Varma from the conservatory.
This morning our little group of intrepid explorers is complete with the arrival of Elham. Why is she so late? Well that will be to do with the three flights she had to endure from her home in Bahrain! So, let me introduce you to our little band. I will go from the front of the bus!
On the front seat are sisters and PE teachers, Lisa and Mel, both keen photographers. Lisa keeps us amused with her quick wit while Mel tries to keep her under control!
Opposite them sit Phil, a fanatical 'Hammers' supporter and his wife, Lynn. Both are keen photographers.
In front of us is life-long partners and intrepid globe trotters, Jim and Roy, also keen photographers (are you beginning to see a theme developing here?).
Across from us is Elham, who you have already been introduced to.
I'm not sure about the seating arrangements behind us but, Jonathan was our first late arrival. He captures everything on his cam-corder and wanders far and wide to make sure he doesn't miss anything.
Michele and Janice are behind him. Michele is a truly talented photographer and I think Janice is a spy!
Jerry, Anne and Victoria are the final family. Victoria is the daughter and she is something big in the City. Jeremy has a degree in photography and , like Jon, wanders further afield for that perfect shot. We later name Anne, Lady Anne of the Arctic!
Spending time with all these talented photographers has inspired me to get a decent camera for next time, although I am convinced that it is more the talent behind the camera than the camera itself!
We set off at 8.00 to begin the Golden Circle tour, heading back in the direction from which we came yesterday. We pass through a village that has more hot springs than any other in Iceland. The earth's crust is so thin here, only single storey buildings are erected and they don't have any cellars. Kristberg tells us all about the lakes, rivers and mountains as we pass by including all their unpronounceable names. It's a fascinating tale all the same.
We are traveling from the Eurasian tectonic plate to the American tectonic plate. Both these plates are drifting apart at a rate of 2 cms every year causing an indentation that is 7km wide called no-man's-land. This is very worrying to me.
After passing by a huge fissure in the earth, we stop at the biggest fresh-water lake on the island, Þingvallavatn (the Icelandic letter Þ sounds like 'th'), which is fed by glacier water. The water travels from the glacier, through the lava bed taking 17 years to arrive. However, it never surfaces and enters the lake from the bottom. Kristberg shows us the signs to look for that show where it is entering the lake.
Connected to the lake is Silfra, a freshwater fissure between the continents and a popular location for divers due to its unique qualities. The visibility in Silfra exceeds 100m, making it some of the clearest water in the world, and divers and snorkellers dive and float between the American and Eurasian continental plates. There are even places where they can actually touch both continents at the same time.
Our first main stop is the ancient Parliament site of Þingvellir. Þingvellir is the national shrine of Iceland. It is a key location in Icelandic history as the oldest existing parliament in the world, the Alþingi, first assembled there in 930 AD. Þingvellir has for this reason been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Þingvellir National Park was just one of the Icelandic locations used for the popular TV series Game of Thrones.
The most impressive thing for me was the towering wall of lava rock that is the edge of the American tectonic plate. It is part of the North Atlantic Rift System. Only five weeks prior to our visit, the Tarmac path leading from the visitors' centre collapsed without warning into a deep fissure in the ground.
A short drive away is the magnificent two-tiered waterfall of Gullfoss, or Golden Waterfall. But first, some hearty meat soup! The waterfall is located in the canyon of Hvítá River.
The water cascades down two steps, one 11 m high, and the other 22 m, into the 2,5 km long canyon below. This canyon was created at the end of the Ice Age by catastrophic flood waves and is lengthened by 25 cm a year by the constant erosion.
Above the waterfalls are dangerous rapids. Kristberg tells us about daredevils, who forded the river there. One of them was a young man, who watched his father’s sheep every summer on the west bank of the river. On the other side, a young woman did the same thing for her family. They started shouting across the river and became acquainted that way. Eventually the young man proposed to the girl across the river and she accepted on the condition, that he came right away across to seal their agreement. He did that and of course, they lived happily ever after.
In 1930 and 1948, the river was flooded to the brim of the canyons and both times bridges further down river were swept away. Early in the 20th century the farmer of Brattholt, who owned the water rights of the river contracted them to an English firm for a hydroelectric power station. The farmer’s daughter opposed this and even threatened to throw herself into the foaming water to prevent this happening. She fought bravely alone until a young lawyer, who later became the country’s first president, came to her aid. Together they managed to save the waterfalls and she was commemorated by a monument in the canyon by the waterfalls in 1978.
We make our way to the very top of this cascading beauty, feeling the spray long before we see any sign. Then it's down a hundred or more steps to get up close and personal with the second tier. By this time we are quite wet!
Next we visit the spouting geyser Strokkur and Kris tells us how to spot the tell-tale signs that it is about to explode. It didn't disappoint as it spouts every 4 to 8 minutes, once we even got a twicer! The area became active more than 1000 years ago and comprises more than a dozen hot water blow holes.
On the way home we visited a smaller waterfall.
The weather today has been decidedly cooler and breezier.
We stop at the supermarket, or Piggy Bonus, as Steve likes to call it, for provisions for tomorrow's journey. We then call in for ice-cream in Heveragerði. Icelanders love ice-cream, whatever the weather. I must admit, it was the biggest "small" portion I've ever seen.
This evening we enjoy an interesting dinner in the company of an Icelandic family in their beautiful home. They welcome us into their beautiful home with a shot of schnapps, some rotten shark and some dried fish! They only eat rotten shark once a year, in February, goodness knows why they would want to eat it at all. I understand that in the old days, it may have been all you could get to eat, along with the horse meat, but that's no excuse for torturing yourself even if it is only once a year. I never knew that neither shark nor skate have kidneys which is why their flesh tastes so strongly of ammonia.
Steve makes a valiant effort in the food department and tries everything.
The best thing is a selection of beer and wine which we are invited to help ourselves to. The next course is smoked salmon, fish pate and reindeer pate. Things get really interesting when the tasty cheesy potatoes and succulent lamb and gravy are produced.
This is a great opportunity for us to get to know each other a bit better, we are really lucky to have such a lovely group to spend our holiday with.
Dessert follows shortly which is a biscuit base with Icelandic skyr (yoghurt), topped with fresh fruit. It is accompanied by tiny maltesers and chocolates. What a very enjoyable evening, great food and great company.
This morning our little group of intrepid explorers is complete with the arrival of Elham. Why is she so late? Well that will be to do with the three flights she had to endure from her home in Bahrain! So, let me introduce you to our little band. I will go from the front of the bus!
On the front seat are sisters and PE teachers, Lisa and Mel, both keen photographers. Lisa keeps us amused with her quick wit while Mel tries to keep her under control!
Opposite them sit Phil, a fanatical 'Hammers' supporter and his wife, Lynn. Both are keen photographers.
In front of us is life-long partners and intrepid globe trotters, Jim and Roy, also keen photographers (are you beginning to see a theme developing here?).
Across from us is Elham, who you have already been introduced to.
I'm not sure about the seating arrangements behind us but, Jonathan was our first late arrival. He captures everything on his cam-corder and wanders far and wide to make sure he doesn't miss anything.
Michele and Janice are behind him. Michele is a truly talented photographer and I think Janice is a spy!
Jerry, Anne and Victoria are the final family. Victoria is the daughter and she is something big in the City. Jeremy has a degree in photography and , like Jon, wanders further afield for that perfect shot. We later name Anne, Lady Anne of the Arctic!
Spending time with all these talented photographers has inspired me to get a decent camera for next time, although I am convinced that it is more the talent behind the camera than the camera itself!
We set off at 8.00 to begin the Golden Circle tour, heading back in the direction from which we came yesterday. We pass through a village that has more hot springs than any other in Iceland. The earth's crust is so thin here, only single storey buildings are erected and they don't have any cellars. Kristberg tells us all about the lakes, rivers and mountains as we pass by including all their unpronounceable names. It's a fascinating tale all the same.
We are traveling from the Eurasian tectonic plate to the American tectonic plate. Both these plates are drifting apart at a rate of 2 cms every year causing an indentation that is 7km wide called no-man's-land. This is very worrying to me.
After passing by a huge fissure in the earth, we stop at the biggest fresh-water lake on the island, Þingvallavatn (the Icelandic letter Þ sounds like 'th'), which is fed by glacier water. The water travels from the glacier, through the lava bed taking 17 years to arrive. However, it never surfaces and enters the lake from the bottom. Kristberg shows us the signs to look for that show where it is entering the lake.
Connected to the lake is Silfra, a freshwater fissure between the continents and a popular location for divers due to its unique qualities. The visibility in Silfra exceeds 100m, making it some of the clearest water in the world, and divers and snorkellers dive and float between the American and Eurasian continental plates. There are even places where they can actually touch both continents at the same time.
Our first main stop is the ancient Parliament site of Þingvellir. Þingvellir is the national shrine of Iceland. It is a key location in Icelandic history as the oldest existing parliament in the world, the Alþingi, first assembled there in 930 AD. Þingvellir has for this reason been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Þingvellir National Park was just one of the Icelandic locations used for the popular TV series Game of Thrones.
The most impressive thing for me was the towering wall of lava rock that is the edge of the American tectonic plate. It is part of the North Atlantic Rift System. Only five weeks prior to our visit, the Tarmac path leading from the visitors' centre collapsed without warning into a deep fissure in the ground.
A short drive away is the magnificent two-tiered waterfall of Gullfoss, or Golden Waterfall. But first, some hearty meat soup! The waterfall is located in the canyon of Hvítá River.
The water cascades down two steps, one 11 m high, and the other 22 m, into the 2,5 km long canyon below. This canyon was created at the end of the Ice Age by catastrophic flood waves and is lengthened by 25 cm a year by the constant erosion.
Above the waterfalls are dangerous rapids. Kristberg tells us about daredevils, who forded the river there. One of them was a young man, who watched his father’s sheep every summer on the west bank of the river. On the other side, a young woman did the same thing for her family. They started shouting across the river and became acquainted that way. Eventually the young man proposed to the girl across the river and she accepted on the condition, that he came right away across to seal their agreement. He did that and of course, they lived happily ever after.
In 1930 and 1948, the river was flooded to the brim of the canyons and both times bridges further down river were swept away. Early in the 20th century the farmer of Brattholt, who owned the water rights of the river contracted them to an English firm for a hydroelectric power station. The farmer’s daughter opposed this and even threatened to throw herself into the foaming water to prevent this happening. She fought bravely alone until a young lawyer, who later became the country’s first president, came to her aid. Together they managed to save the waterfalls and she was commemorated by a monument in the canyon by the waterfalls in 1978.
We make our way to the very top of this cascading beauty, feeling the spray long before we see any sign. Then it's down a hundred or more steps to get up close and personal with the second tier. By this time we are quite wet!
Next we visit the spouting geyser Strokkur and Kris tells us how to spot the tell-tale signs that it is about to explode. It didn't disappoint as it spouts every 4 to 8 minutes, once we even got a twicer! The area became active more than 1000 years ago and comprises more than a dozen hot water blow holes.
On the way home we visited a smaller waterfall.
The weather today has been decidedly cooler and breezier.
We stop at the supermarket, or Piggy Bonus, as Steve likes to call it, for provisions for tomorrow's journey. We then call in for ice-cream in Heveragerði. Icelanders love ice-cream, whatever the weather. I must admit, it was the biggest "small" portion I've ever seen.
This evening we enjoy an interesting dinner in the company of an Icelandic family in their beautiful home. They welcome us into their beautiful home with a shot of schnapps, some rotten shark and some dried fish! They only eat rotten shark once a year, in February, goodness knows why they would want to eat it at all. I understand that in the old days, it may have been all you could get to eat, along with the horse meat, but that's no excuse for torturing yourself even if it is only once a year. I never knew that neither shark nor skate have kidneys which is why their flesh tastes so strongly of ammonia.
Steve makes a valiant effort in the food department and tries everything.
The best thing is a selection of beer and wine which we are invited to help ourselves to. The next course is smoked salmon, fish pate and reindeer pate. Things get really interesting when the tasty cheesy potatoes and succulent lamb and gravy are produced.
This is a great opportunity for us to get to know each other a bit better, we are really lucky to have such a lovely group to spend our holiday with.
Dessert follows shortly which is a biscuit base with Icelandic skyr (yoghurt), topped with fresh fruit. It is accompanied by tiny maltesers and chocolates. What a very enjoyable evening, great food and great company.
- comments
Chris H What a fantastic sight! I'd spend all day looking at that.