The Golden Circle

We spent Spring Break this year on a tour of Iceland, followed by a trip to Paris (you can guess which was my idea and which was Betsy's).  Though it wasn't exactly spring in Iceland, its starkness was captivating.  The vast landscapes were often reduced to three or even two colors (white, gray and brown), made more powerful by the force of the wind or the cold.  Nate alternated between joyful exuberance and burrowing into our shoulders to avoid the elements.  He was, as always, a super trooper of a traveler, and often had more energy and patience than us.

This first post contains pictures from the Golden Circle, a tourist friendly route through southwest Iceland that stops off at Thingvellir National Park, Geysir (a famous geyser that has essentially become the namesake for all other geysers worldwide) and Gulfoss waterfall.  The beauty, wonder, and strength of nature displayed in these three locations, so close together, filled our first full day in Iceland.

Our first stop, about an hour outside of Reykjavik, was Thingvellir ("Assembly Plains") National Park, a sprawling expanse of fields, lakes, ravines, rivers, and forests. It was the sight of the first Icelandic General Assembly in 930, where the island's entire population of 60,000 people gathered to hear the laws and settle disputes.  Assemblies were held annually until 1798.  

The church and structures above were right across from Logberg ("Law Rock") where the laws were recited.  The Church harkens back to the year 1000, when Iceland adopted Christianity as its religion, against the wishes of its pagan priests.

Though the park has political and historical significance, our primary interest was simply in getting into the Icelandic landscape.

 The roads in Iceland were, surprisingly, not overly manicured in the winter. Snow was often left to drift off or get packed down into ice. After making several stops in Thingvellir, we headed northeast to Geysir.

Strokkur, a part of the Geysir Hot Springs area, erupts every few minutes.  We stayed until we couldn't feel our noses and then went inside the visitor center for pizza.  After warming up, we headed another ten minutes up the road to Gulfoss.

 Gulfoss is the second largest waterfall in Europe (not sure how you measure such a thing -- length, height, water volume?) and packed a wallup.  I don't think Nate even saw the waterfall; the wind was so strong, even from this distance, that he buried his head in my shoulder the whole time we were there.

 On the left side of the picture, you can see the rail of a walkway that offers extended views during summer months.

 We crossed this river on the way to Vik, in southern Iceland, where we would spend the night.