Savvy Sightseer - tips and insights for seasoned travelers!
The "Churn" is part of a geothermal area where temperatures hover around 212°F.
Anglicized as Thingvallavatn, the national park's lake is the country's largest natural lake.
The golden mist gives the falls their name, which translates to Golden Falls.
Golden Circle Sights
A popular day trip from Reykjavík, whether by self-drive or coach tour, is the loop generally known as the Golden Circle. Along the way, sights are diverse and captivating. From a national park that straddles two continents to a double-drop stunning waterfall with a heartwarming history to an eye-popping blast of water forced upward from underground, a day on this route is well spent and long remembered.
Storkkur
At a geothermal valley about 70 miles northeast of the capital, we find the origin of the word “Geyser.” The term translates to "the gusher," & was given in 1780 to the phenomena of a great stream of water erupting from the ground after an earthquake. References to such a spectacle go as far back as 1294. The then so-called Great Geysir began to symbolize Iceland, drawing visitors from all over who wanted to witness water spouting almost 460 feet into the air. The white plume dramatically offset the surrounding landscape, a mixture of yellow, green and red from the elements of sulfur, copper and iron. It petered out over the years, due largely to human intervention, but now another geyser has taken the spotlight. Near the original is Strokkur, which conveniently blasts every 5 to 10 minutes to an average height of about 50 feet. On occasion, it will let loose a string of several eruptions, one beginning just as another ends.
Click the video link to the right and watch Storkkur in action.
Þingvellir Plains
With a depth of about 375 feet, this 32-square-mile lake hosts up to150 types of plants along its floor.
Translated as Everyman's Fault, the gorge is the boundary of the Mid-Atlantic Rift.
Iceland's flag marks the believed spot where the Law Council was held annually.
With a depth of about 375 feet, this 32-square-mile lake hosts up to150 types of plants along its floor.
Click on the photo above to open a slideshow of Þingvellir National Park
One of the most stunning scenes along the Golden Circle is Þingvellir National Park, anglicized as Thingvellir. In this gorge, you can witness the slow separation of the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates. A typical question is whether Iceland is part of Europe or North America. It is part of the Mid-Atlantic ridge which is the border between the two continents. Politically and most importantly culturally, though, it is considered part of Europe.
The 93-square-mile park has as much historic and cultural importance as it does geologic. It was crowned a UNESCO world heritage site in 2004, for its “deep historical and symbolic associations for the people of Iceland."
As settlers moved to the island, some sort of government became necessary. Starting in 930 AD, chiefs from around Iceland would meet annually at Þingvellir - literally "Assembly Plains." At the Lögberg (Law Rock), a speaker would stand and recite assembly (AlÞingi) guidelines, outline Icelandic law, recap the prior year’s session and talk about political matters of the day – making it the world’s first democratic parliament. After Iceland entered into a union with Norway in 1262, the AlÞingi still convened, but functioned more as an appeals court until 1798 when it was officially dissolved. The AlÞingi was re-established in 1843, and in 1881 moved meetings to the newly built AlÞingihuis, or Parliament House, in Reykjavík, where it continues today.
Gullfoss - a Magnificent Display of Raw Nature with a Touching Human Twist
Perhaps the most famous and photographed falls in Iceland is the Gullfoss. The Hvítá (White) river races to cascade down two ridges, one drop is 35 feet; the second is 70 feet more, into a rugged canyon whose walls reach up to 230 feet in height. The result is a stunning visual.
That rugged yet elegant landscape was almost marred in 1907 by greedy investors who wanted to build a hydroelectric plant and harness Gullfoss’s power for electricity, but the falls were on private property and farmer Tomas Tomasson refused to sell. In the end, though, the investors were given a lease for the land. The farmer’s daughter, Sigríður, launched a campaign against them. The effort took a physical toll on her, she’d walked – barefoot – 75 miles each way to Reykjavík several times to protest the venture. She even threatened to throw herself into the falls if construction started. She hired a lawyer, Sveinn Bjornsson, to negate the lease. A trial lasted years; but while she lost in court, she ultimately won, because by then the investors had run out of money and the lease was vacated. The family sold the falls in 1940 to the government, and the natural wonder became property of Icelandic people. In 1979 Gullfoss was designated a nature reserve to permanently protect it. The lawyer went on to become Iceland’s first president, and Sigríður Tómasdóttir to be considered Iceland’s first environmentalist.
Click on the image of Gullfoss below to see and hear the majestic natural wonder.
Heroic Sigríður Tómasdóttir is immortalized by a grateful nation.
Continue your trip through Iceland with a visit to the Iceland Home Page, Colorful Reykjavík or South Iceland pages.
For a taste of Reykjavík, try the delicious Cod Stew recipe on the Recipes Tab (under More).
