Tuesday Oct 4
Our house overlooks the Hvitá river - hard to believe that Gullfoss is not far upstream. We begin the Golden Circle, those "must see" sights, in the middle at Geysir. Sulfurous, boiling, and belching, the geyser erupts every 20 minutes, and if you watch closely, there are telltale signs when it is getting ready to blow. There was a huge gift shop here with fun items as well as beautiful (and expensive!) clothing and wool wear.
Wondering how Gullfoss or Golden Falls, could surpass the magnificent falls we had already seen, I was again awestruck by its layered beauty and power. With a flow of 109 cubic meters per sec, Gullfoss casts mist and rainbows high into the air. Spray from its deeply dug canyon whipped like rain around us. At flood stage, the falls can carry 2000 cu m/sec and overflow the canyon - just unbelievable. With today's weather, we were lucky to catch the rainbows - but I didn't see the golden light or chest of gold for which it is named.
Pingvellir sits on the tectonic plate boundary where North America and Europe are tearing away from each other at a rate of about 3/4 of an inch a year. Walking alone the rift (there is a paved path) was dramatic with fissures on either side and the cliffs above. This is also a very historic place for Icelanders, being the spot of the first general assembly or Alpingi, back in Viking times, 930 AD. There is the Lögberg or Law Rock, now marked by the Icelandic flag, where the laws were read, the wallsL acting as a naural amphitheater, projecting over the gathering of people, traders and entertainers who assembled. Trials were held and sentences carried out. For the most serious crimes, there was a large pool for drowning women and chasms for burning at the stake. The water is so cold, (2 degrees C) that your heart would stop in ninety seconds - burning would take longer, I fear.
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