The Golden Circle is a route that ties together some of Iceland's most iconic landscapes and historical sights. We were a bit late in leaving because there was a mixup as to whether our hotel room included breakfast or not. It turns out that it didn’t but Vic was able to negotiate a reduced price of 2800 ISK, the equivalent of approximately CDN$36 for a basic buffet.
After breakfast, off we went to see some of Iceland’s most iconic landscapes and historic sites
First stop was Pingvellir National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and seat of the first parliament (the Alping), near the Oxara (Axe) river. It was here that Iceland’s population first gathered in 930 to hold an annual assembly which established a system of government. It was held every year until 1798. It’s also here that Iceland's largest lake, Lake Pingvallavtn, is located. It’s a wild, barren but beautiful countryside. Pungvellir - the Assembly Plains - is a wide 4 km long valley that marks where the North American and Eurasian continental plates are pulling apart at a rate of 1.5 cm every year. We walked down a path into a 2km long canyon past the rock where Iceland’s laws were publicly recited in Viking times. This rock was called Logberg (the Law Rock). Near here we could see overgrown traces of “booths”, which were the roofed campsites built as accommodations during the assemblies.
We walked past Drekkingarhylur, the Drowning Pool, which is a very picturesque pool at the bottom of some fast flowing water below a small waterfall. 18 women were drowned here from 1602 to 1750 for crimes. After learning about this I got the chills looking at the water. Men’s penalties consisted of hanging, beheading & burning at the stake.
We continued walking and saw a couple of waterfalls, a plain white church (Pingvellir Chirch originally built in AD 1000. The current church was built in 1859 with the tower being added in 1907) and the summer residence of the Prime Minister of Iceland. Not impressive for such an important man. Then back to the car to continue on our journey.
Next stop was Geysir Geothermal area. The largest vent, called Geysir, has been inactive for decades but Strokkur (the churn) erupts every few minutes. This place begat the word geyser in English. It was pretty spectacular. It started with a bubble at the vent and then water spewed up about 30 meters into the air.
Last stop was Gullfoss (the Golden Falls), a 2-tiered, waterfall that plunges into the Hvita River replete with a rainbow. It doesn’t get much better than this. You could hear the thunderous roar from far away.
We Mac sour way back to the hotel and went out for a seafood dinner. It was a great day.