What makes Iceland a very unique country to visit is the fact that a lot of the land is like moonscape, which was created by the volcanic and geological activity in the country. I had seen it already on my first day (heading to Reykjavik from the airport) and on every subsequent tour I've taken, but day 4 was the first time I managed to take a decent photo of it. Here's an interesting quote from this link: The whole of the central highland plateau of the island is a beautiful but barren and uninhabitable moonscape - so much so that the first American astronauts were sent there for pre-mission training.
The first stop is the Nesjavellir Power Plant. A guide from the plant briefly explains to you how power is generated and sent to the city. You are also given a bit of a tour inside.
We get to pass by the beautiful Lake Þingvallavatn…
…on our way to the next stop, Þingvellir. Þingvellir is where the Icelandic parliament Alþingi was founded way back in 930, This makes it the oldest known functioning parliament in the world. Apparently, this is where the tectonic plates meet, providing such amazing rock formations.
Before we left, one of the people on the tour suggested we take a drink from the water flowing from one of the streams there, so we did. The water is so fresh and clean!
We then head towards the largest waterfall in the Western side of Iceland – Gullfoss. Aside from the size of the waterfalls, what makes this such a must-see is the fact that isn’t one big drop but a series of small (or well, relatively small) ones. Kinda like rapids, but on a much grander scale, making Gullfoss very interesting and beautiful.
Even better is that you can actually get really up close and personal to the falls. Here’s a photo I had taken of me standing right next to Gullfoss.
The tour continues to the Strokkur and Geysir hot springs. Geysir very rarely erupts i.e. it can actually be dormant for years at a time, but Strokkur erupts every 4 to 10 minutes. If you want to take a good photo of even video of it, you have to keep a steady hand and have your camera ready. The water does go up pretty high!
We make a brief stop in Skálholt church, the ancient seat of Icelandic bishops...
Before making our way to our final destination: the volcanic crater Kerið. I’m not sure if it’s still active but the crater is filled with beautiful blue-green water.
But my day wasn’t over! Once I get back to Reykjavik, I have a pretty hefty dinner (my first decent meal since I got to Iceland) before I collect my stuff from my hotel and take a bus to the domestic airport. I was now heading to Akureyri, which is in the Northern part of Iceland. It was from Akureyri that I would be taking the Jewels of the North tour (which would then bring me to Dettifoss waterfall).I got to Hotel Kea (a really nice hotel with an amazing breakfast spread!) in Akureyri shortly before 10pm and one of the guys in the same plane I took apparently was checking into the same hotel. We start talking to each other while in line to check in, and I learn that he is Austrian. I told him it what a coincidence it was because Austria was my next stop. We then decide to grab a few beers. I was running short on funds and was already over-budget, but in all my travels, I never got to experience hanging out in a local pub and having a few beers, so now that I had temporary company I decided spending a few (or well, several) extra bucks would be worth it. I ended up having four pints of Viking, the local beer:
It was a good ending to a long and tiring day, and I rested quite well that night (thanks to the beer!) which I needed for the long day I had ahead.
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