Day 39 – 17 August 2023 – Reykholt to Reykjavik, Iceland

A great homemade Icelandic breakfast this morning in the old farmhouse, it was a real treat with five different types of herring plus some home smoked Arctic Char (fish). The local cheeses, homemade jam, local salami, homemade breads, etc. Our farm hosts were very friendly & it was a great experience staying in the old family home.

It was only a short drive to Geysir, the original bubbling hot spring that all other exploding hot springs were named after. There were not that many others around as it was still early so we had a pleasant walk around the hot spring park with various size hot springs bubbling away & steam being released. The big original Geysir is now dormant, only becoming active when some significant volcanic activity is occurring nearby. It is a very large pool of steaming hot water. The active exploding hot spring is called Strokkur & this is spectacular erupting every 8 to 10 minutes blasting a spray of water with steam around 25 to 30 metres in the air. It was wise to stay up wind as the people standing watching downwind got drenched with the water. We stood watching for a while & could predict when it was going to erupt with the water surging & bubbling. It is spectacular when it erupts & the noise adds to the experience. We could see on the mountains in the distance another glacier, the Langjokull, it is again another massive icecap & must be feeding all the fast flowing streams we crossed over to get to Geysir. It was a good experience to see the original Geysir, however we expected more with the hot spring complex. The hot spring complexes that we have visited in New Zealand are significantly better.

Not far further along is Gullfoss, we can see the spray in the air from a distance & when we get to the carpark, we can hear the roar of the falls. It must be a big waterfall. As we walk from the carpark we start feeling the spray from the falls & the noise gets louder, then we see it. This waterfall is huge. There are people standing on the rocks near the falls & they look like ants next to the falls. The roar of the water is very loud & as people walk along the track to get close to the falls they are getting drenched by the spray. This is truly amazingly awesome to see. We walk back out through the souvenir shop, which is where the toilets are as well. Very important when travelling.

There is a lot of farmland on the road to Laugarvatn, a huge volcanic lake (everything is somehow volcanic related in Iceland). After that we start driving through a really, really large lava field, we are getting closer to recent volcanic activity as our next destination is Pingvellir.

Pingvellir is in a rift valley where the American & Eurasian tectonic plates meet & are slowly separating. This is evident by the distinct cliff line running along the valley, on one side you are standing on the American tectonic plate, on the other side you are standing on the Eurasian tectonic plate.  The tectonic plates are moving apart at the rate of 2.5 cm per year & earthquakes are felt every day in Pingvellir. This is the reason that Iceland is so volcanically active & another volcanic eruption could occur at any time. Today the weather isn’t all that cold but overcast.  Being near to the tectonic plates looks dark & foreboding, we didn’t spend very much time here, just relieved when we left.

Pingvellir is also historically significant as it is the site of the first democratic government in the world with the first assembly of over 30 ruling chiefs of Iceland held in 930 AD to discuss common law & to create a commonwealth. This institution was called the Alpingi & continued annually at Pingvellir until 1799 when the Danish colonised Iceland. After Danish colonisation finished in 1844 the Alpingi resumed in Reykjavik, where it continues today.

The rest of the journey to Reykjavik was through barren lava fields with cinder cones & old volcanoes all over the countryside. The road is very good & before long we reach Reykjavik & book into our motel. I return our rental car, thankfully not that far from the motel. Our total distance travelled during our brief stay in Iceland was 3,448 kilometres, an average of 287 kilometres per day. When I return we go for a nice walk in downtown Reykjavik again. It is a pleasant walk & we had a bite to eat at the end of town before walking back uphill to the motel.   

Iceland is an expensive place to visit, food, drinks, clothes, accommodation, fuel are all very expensive. Nearly all items have to be brought in by ship to Iceland. The only thing they have plenty of is rocks, water & volcanoes. The 2 weeks went very fast & it was very special.  We enjoyed Iceland thoroughly, it has a raw natural beauty nowhere else to be seen. Another good day.