natural lanscape and water odor ?

---

Today taking the Golden Circle trip to visit some of the most famous natural attractions of Iceland. Got picked up at the guesthouse at 8 AM and the tour starts a few minutes before scheduled to depart at 830 AM. We are leaving the cosmopolitan behind on route to the Nesjavellir power plant. We are passing vast areas of snow-covered ground as the winterly cold season is still upon us. It is a beautiful lanscape of snow-covered peak mountains and nature blended together. very scenic. It is seemed untouched and is still like as in its original stage as of the early days. The Nesjavellir power plant opened in Sept 1990 by ultilizing the extremely forceful steam pouring out from the deep holes in the borehole field 2000 meters below the ground to generate electricity. It also produces at least 1600 litters of heating water per second and able to provide as a major source of hot water usage for the citizens of Reykjavik city.

When you turn on the faucet to receive hot water at the hotel or at home in Reykjavik, you'll smell a quite strong sulfuric odor. It is the chemical used to keep oxygen out of the pipes that transport water from the power plant to home. Why do we want to keep Oxygen out of the metal pipeline, because it will cause erosion and damage the pipe. HA !

Continued to the tour, we stop by Thingvellir which was the original site where the Icelandic parliament Althingi was founded in the year of 930 and continued to meet until 1798. Thingvellir national park is a world Heritage Site.
Historically, this was where Iceland started. Geologically, this is where America and Europe continents are seperated.

Then we arrive at the most famous-in-all-Iceland Gullfoss waterfall. Mass amount of glacial water forcefully drops to a 35 m (100 feet ) deep, a 2.5 km (1 and half miles) long narrow-canyon below. It is beautiful beyond words. It is grandeur. I'm glad to be able to see such majestic gift from the nature.

A short drive later, we are at the Geysir and Strokkur hot springs where every 10 minutes or so, the Strokkur will erupt and sprout hot boiling water from a cave up to a 20 meter height.

On the way to come back to Reykjavik, we have a photo-op at the blue-colored water Kerio volcanic crater.

---