Reykjavik & Golden Circle in Iceland

#Reykjavik_GoldenCircle_Iceland

As we get to leave on our Golden Circle Tour, i first visited the seaside boardwalk in Reykjavik to view The Sun Voyager (Solfario) which the artist Jon Gunnar Arnason created as a dream boat to represent hope, progress and freedom

 

The Golden Circle takes about one full day to complete taking in Thingvellir National Park, Geysir Geothermal area and Gullfoss Waterfalls

On the road for a 300km (190 mile) journey
Rental vehicles are an option, but i took a Tour Bus with professionals who know the road conditions (depending on what time of year) plus are familiar with the route and all admissions paid up front (for parking your rental) so saving time to actual see this amazing geography 

Inside the Thingvellir National Park (UNESCO Heritage Site)
Its that part of the world where the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates meet ( it moves 2.5 centimeters or 1 inch apart per year) thus creating a dramatic landscape

In this area earthquakes happen everyday but are too minor to be felt plus there has been no volcano eruption for over 2000 years......but still are not considered extinct

Another fact i did not know many people come here for the diving and snorkeling because of the tectonic movements which has formed ravines
So from that they fill up with the meltwater from Langjokull Glacier (look for my blog on that adventure as i went inside it) which has travelled underground through a very porous lava rock which acted like a filtration system which creates clear blue waters to explore

The most famous of these ravines is Silfra (considered one of the worlds top dive sites)
But it requires a drysuit certification ( because the temperature is only 2C of 35F ) at least ten logged dives and then verified by a qualified guide on site

Within the park we have paths that are clearly marked plus Park Rangers are on patrol
Why you ask the strict rules;

1) The moss that covers the lava rock throughout the area is incredibly delicate, so those who decide to veer on the marked routes have damaged much of it which will take years to recover
2) When people throw coins into (what they think is a wishing well 😕) the heavy metals have seeped into the lake which has raised it to unsafe levels
3) People staying at the campsites here have been known to leave behind their waste, hard to believe that humans are this stupid or ignorant 

Up Close with the Gullfoss Falls that has a drop of 32 meters (105 ft)

The early history of this area; some foreign investors wanted to harness the falls for electricity which would have destroyed this marvel of nature
The daughter of one of the owners (Sigriour Tomasdottir) was strongly against this idea and through fierce determination plus eventually through her lawyer (Sveinn Bjornsson who would become later the first President of Iceland) they got the contract annulled

Then Gullfoss became the property of the people of Iceland

KeyTip; There is a sculpture memorial for Sigriour that sits by the falls......so look for that on your visit

Other Facts about Gullfoss Falls;

1) In Icelandic Gullfoss means Golden Waterfall as it has a yellow-brown color due to the fact that the glacial water carries a lot of sediment carved from the earth
2) It has the largest volume for a waterfall in Europe plus was named in the top ten of the world for just its awesomeness
3) It was protected as Nature Reserve in 1979 for all of us to enjoy

Was traveling on the Ring Road (Route 1) that circles the entire island
The 1300 kilometers (821 miles) connects most of the inhabited areas  this country

Iceland has hundreds of rivers with many originating from glaciers, spring meltdown fed streams or runoff type waterways

Because of its unique geological setting, Iceland gets to leverage its geothermal energy which provides heating plus hot water to 90% of homes and businesses here

There are rules to follow if your considering White Water Rafting here in Iceland
Depending on the river there are age restrictions, safety procedures and of course environmental responsibility

Back to Reykjavik (means smoky bay) with some interesting facts;

1) Its the most northern capital city of a sovereign nation
2) First settlement here was in 874 AD
3) The language comes from a North Germanic history which is related to Norwegian, Swedish and Danish......so from Old Norse that was spoken by the Viking settlers
4) The country does not have a military ( but is part of NATO) plus the police here do not carry guns thus why the city and country was named the safest in the world
5) Beer was banned until 1989 because of prohibition era.
But the fishermen returning from overseas would return with some gifts 😅 while others would come up with their own mixture of using non-alcoholic beer and a shot of Icelandic Brennivin (schnapps)

Walking inside the Harpa Concert Hall that uses a glass facade in geometric shapes that changes color during the day with the sunlight 
It opened in 2011 and is home of the Iceland Symphony Orchestra plus Icelandic Opera

Looking out from the Harpa into the Brokey Yacht Club which is the oldest and largest in Iceland

Onto my next  😀
Thanks Iceland for many amazing adventures and memories