Visit to Iceland (2): Golden Circle
On our first full day in Iceland, Silvia and I left our hotel at 8.30 am and only returned at 6.30 pm as we went on an organised tour called the Golden Circle, a round trip of some 300 km involving four stops. The weather was cool and sometimes misty but generally excellent for such a venture.
The first stop was at a place called Frudheimar which is a greenhouse cultivation centre specialising in growing tomatoes with no use of pesticides but the help of geothermal heat and 600 bumblebees.
Next stop was the Strokkur geyser which is the most energetic spout in Iceland erupting every 5-10 minutes up to 15-30 metres into the sky. All around is bubbling earth and the smell of sulphur. This is where we had a light lunch
The most spectacular destination was Gullfoss (Golden Falls). This is a 32 metre crevice made up of two cascades – one of 11 metres and and the other of 21 metres – with a thunderous flow of water and excellent vantage points.
Finally, we visited Thingvellir National Park which is a UNESCO world heritage site. The world’s first democratic parliament the Althing was established here by the Vikings in AD 930. At this point on the globe, the North American and Eurasian continental plates drift apart which creates some wonderful rock features.