Twenty Days in Iceland, A Photo Travelogue

Day 5: Thingvellier, Nesjavellir

This day marked the start of our 10-day bus tour (Mountain Highlights with GJ Travel). We had a very small tour group consisting of Oskar (our guide) and Bjartur (our driver), Michael and Shaked (a grandfather and his 13-year-old grandson, both from Israel), Michele and Jean-Pierre (retired couple from France) and the two of us.

We began by visiting one of the three must-see destinations near Reykjavik. Thingvellier, a rift valley created by the separation of the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates. The valley is the nations most important historical site. Iceland's parliament met here for the first time in 930 AD soon after the island was permanently settled. The geology and the beautiful moss-covered cliffs made it an appropriately inspiring location to determine the future of the country.

That afternoon, we hiked in the "hot zone" above the Nesjavellir geothermal plant. There are numerous hot springs, streams and small pools. The plant has bore holes reaching down 2000 meters allowing hot water to emerge at temperatures up to 380 degrees C. The whole area looks like a set for a science fiction film; there are silver steam pipes, geodesic domes for the hissing bore holes and large plumes of steam rising up from the power plant.

Our guesthouse for the night continued the space station motif with its odd, modular and very utilitarian design. Japanese workers installing a new turbine hurried silently through its corridors on their way to and from their rooms.