Iceland Vacation, Day 3

This morning we departed Reykjavík and drove northeast to Thingvellir National Park. It is the original meeting place of the Althing, the Icelandic parliament, starting with the Vikings in 903 until the last session there in 1798. (Now the Althing meets in a parliament building in Reykjavík.) Thingvellir also has geographical significance: it is a rift valley in the divide between the North American and Eurasian continental plates, with the gorge caused by tectonic forces as the movement of the plates has torn apart the lava fields there.

(Click on any photo to enlarge it.)

Almannagjá Gorge

Looking east out of the gorge toward the waters that flow south into Thingvallavatn, the largest natural lake in Iceland.

The Icelandic flag marks Lögberg, meaning law rock, the location for the Althing, where laws were recited and legal disputes were heard.

The Thingvellir church is a wooden structure built in 1859 at the site of one of Iceland's oldest churches, originally built there just after Christianity became Iceland's official religion in 1000 A.D. Near it is the national cemetery and the Icelandic prime minister's summer residence.

This water flows from the waterfall that is pictured next ...

Nate, Angie, Susan, I, Lisa, and Marcus posing beneath Öxarárfoss, the waterfall caused as the river Öxará flows over the Almannagjá rocks toward the Thingvallavatn lake.

Afterward we drove to Efstidalur, a historic family-run dairy farm dating back to the 1750s. We ate in their farm-to-table restaurant (beef/vegetable soup, cauliflower soup, and smoked trout on homemade bread) at a table with a window that looked into the barn, where several cattle were lazily munching on some hay.

Then we drove to Geysir, the main geyser located in a hot springs area with boiling mud pits and other geysers. It is the steaming hole in the upper left corner of the photo. I snapped this pic just after it had erupted--I was leaning past a crowd of other photo takers, so this isn't my best work.

Our next stop was Gullfoss, a two-tiered waterfall on the Hvitá river.

Obligatory scrapbook pose at Gullfoss.

Then we went to see Kerið, a volcanic crater lake. Minerals from the soil color its water a beautiful aquamarine. The walls of the crater are basalt and volcanic scoria. Afterward we had supper (fresh fish) in the town of Hella at the restaurant in Hótel Kanslarinn. Then off we went to our accommodations for the night:

We stayed in glass igloos! Each couple had our own igloo, outfitted with bed, heaters, lamps, and a table and two chairs. Nate and Angie also arranged for each igloo to have champagne, chocolate, and grapes waiting for us. We slept facing north so we would have good views of the Northern Lights throughout the night.

Yes, this was the view through our glass ceiling! This is just one of very, very many Northern Lights photos, some taken when we first went to bed and others taken in the middle of the night (after waking for a trip to the restroom).