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Published: August 20th 2015
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We woke to another fine day, we have got to like this weather after the wet start from Reykjavik seven days ago. It was Nikki's 50th birthday today and Nigel must have mentioned it to Asgeir, our guide, because before we set off he and the driver came down to the back of the bus where we were seated and sang Happy Birthday in Icelandic to her.
We drove through beautiful countryside to Deilartunguhver, which is the world's largest and powerful hot water spring with a flow rate of 190 litres of water per second. The homes and businesses of Borgarnes and Akranes use this water for heating and close by there were tomatoes growing in hot houses also using the water for heating. There was a stand of bagged tomatoes with an honesty box so I purchased a bag for Nikki (200kr) for her birthday present so she and Nigel could have them for their lunch.
We also stopped in the tiny hamlet of Reykholt which it not only sits in the wide open spaces of the fertile and pretty Reykholtsdalur Valley and it has memorial to Snorri Sturluson (1179 -1241) who was an Icelandic historian, poet, and
politician. There is a statue of him and also it is where his small geothermal pool is locate. It was right by his farm and probably connected to his house by tunnel.
There has always been a church since the 11th century in Reykholt and although a new church has been erected, it was the old church which was built in 1886-1887 which interested us, as it is as close to original form as was possible when it was restored in 2001- 2006. It was small but a really nice with a neoclassical ambience, reflecting the influence of the Reykjavik Cathedral. These features included the coffered vault, and the ornamentation of the pew ends and the pulpit. I especially loved the old American organ harmonium, and the colours within the church.
Our next stop was at the not only stunningly beautiful Hraunfossar waterfalls (Lava Falls) but they are also a natural phenomenon because the water seems to magically appear though the lava. Whereas actually it is a clear cool spring that surges through the ground and runs in rapids down into the Hvitá River. The waterfall Barnafoss (Children's Falls) is where the channel of the Hvitá narrows and
it is there that the river has carved out bridges and stone arches and sculpted the rocks with its violent force. With every site in Iceland there is always a tale that goes with why it is named the way it is and it always seems to involve death. In this instance it was one Christmas Day and the household at Hraunsäs went to attend mass, with the exception of two children who were to stay at home, When the people returned, the children had vanished but their tracks led to the river. There was rock arch over the waterfall and the children are believed to have fallen off the arch and drowned, so their grieving Mother had the arch destroyed to prevent the recurrence of such a tragedy.
We left our lunch stop at 1:00pm and spent several hours driving through spectacular scenery as we travelled over the rugged Kaldidalur mountain pass. We managed to find a spot in the middle of the pass where we could get off the road, so we could take some photos of being surrounded by mountains and glaciers. When there was a huge patch of last Winters snow still lying beside the
road, another stop was made so some who had never walked on snow could, while the child-like adults threw the stuff at each other.
After going through the pass we came to Lake Pingvallavatn, Iceland's largest Lake, and Pingvellir National Park which is a UNESCO site. This National Park is a fascinating area for its geology and that it is the ancient site of the Icelandic parliament Alpingi, founded in the year 930. A walk through the ancient site is so worth it for its beauty as you walk through the fault line area between the North American and European tectonic plates .
From there it was a short drive back to Reykjavik where it all came to a sudden end, with some dropped off at another hotel, others disappeared to their rooms, and the guide and driver drove off into the sunset.
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