A Trip Around the Golden Circle!
Þingvellir was the first stop in day 4 of our adventures in Iceland. Massive rivers resulting from glacial melt. The rivers feed a lake that has been there since the last ice age. This lake is fed with nutrients and contains fish such as Artic Char. The water here never freezes, and remains at 4 degrees Celsius. Near the lake, an island approximately 2000 years old is found, a result of a volcanic eruption.
Inside the Þingvellir park, the landscape is a result of glacial melt. Observing the horizon, cirques, arêtes, glacial valleys, horns and troughs are seen. If you are strolling through the walkway just past the visitors center, you are walking through a split through the Mid Atlantic Ridge and one of its many fissures. There is no black sand found at this location because it has not received the same amount of erosion compared to other stops along our trip.
This park has great geologic as well as cultural value. This is where parliament was held in Iceland until 1850. For 3 weeks every year, leaders would meet here to resolve disputes. Since there was no police to enforce laws, it was up to the people to deal with their issues (often in a savage way). Executions, duels, and the banishing of unruly Icelanders occurred here. The last executions happened in 1832 Square mounds of rock and earth are found throughout the park. These mounds were the booths where the leaders would sit during these meetings, and each mound would be exclusive to each leaders, much like an assigned seat in class. This is where the religion of the Icelandic people was decided. In the year 1000, it was decided that the people would be Christian, much to the dismay of the Pagan people.
We had lunch at 64⁰ 13’ 32”N, -20⁰ 20’ 18”W overlooking a waterfall. This waterfall is a nick-point, and is called Faxy (which is also a horse name). There is a salmon ladder on the side of the waterfall. A salmon ladder is a structure designed to allow the ability for fish to make their way back upstream after swimming over the waterfall. This allows for the fish to reproduce throughout the river.
Friðheimar is a tomato farm that produces tomatoes strictly for Iceland. The farm is massive, and produces approximately 370 tons of tomatoes a year. The tomato plants are organized in a way where each plants receives water and nutrients through different tubes. We tried a couple of their delicious cherry tomatoes, as well as their tomato beer. The farm utilizes the hot 95 degrees Celsius water found underground to heat their greenhouse. Lights are run 17 hours a day to provide light to the tomatoes. Bees for pollination and flies to combat plant damaging insects are imported and released in the greenhouse to preserve the health of the tomato plants. The greenhouse is a beautiful, warm oasis for vegetable lovers, contained in an environment in which the tomatoes would surely perish if it wasn’t for the genius and innovation of the Icelandic people.
Our last stop on day 4 took us on a challenging upward climb on a crater from a splatter cone volcano. Scrambling up the trail with loose basalt under our boots provided a trial for everyone both up and down the trial. Rows of 5 craters are lined along the landscape. This crater is called “fire castle” and is approximately 636 feet high.
Day 4 was a challenging and interesting day. The strong Iceland winds couldn’t blow out our drive for adventure, and left us ready to take on the next journey.