Iceland Day 4

Edit for the reality, the feeling, because it is pretty...

... you guess which.

The Golden Circle 

Is one of if not the most popular routes to take when visiting Iceland. Thingvellir National Park, Geysir geothermal area and Gullfoss waterfall are all in this area. We used Getaway to Iceland Tour for this trip and they were excellent. The guide was a local Icelander and was kind and knowledgeable.

These first couple images were from a short stop we made on the side of the road just before we got to Thingvellir National Park. The name Thingvellir means “Assembly Plains,”. The Alþingi, Iceland’s parliament, was here around 930, making it the oldest operating parliament globally. 

This park is also on the North-American and Eurasian continental plates. These plates are spreading about two centimeters a year. A lot of the park lies in the space between the two plates.

I really liked the light on the landscape here. Maybe too much.

Thingvellir National Park

Those buildings are still used when foreign dignitaries come to Iceland as this was the place of the original Assembly.

The wall of rock on each of these photo is the North American plate. I liked this shot with the moss covered stone with the wall behind it but the "little" rock hanging between the two larger ones in the top right is what made this one the winner.

This is the shot that messed up my lens, for a brief time. It was cloudy but I guess not cloudy enough to shooting into the sun.

I noticed this haze in the next couple shots and when I looked at my lens I noticed a bunch of condensation on it. Day 4 and I already ruined my lens, the only lens I had. oh boy.

Backup Camera

I decided not to worry about my lens for now and just enjoy the day and use my iPhone if i wanted to take a picture.

This scene really caught my eye. Not the most iconic Icelandic scene, these benches could be anywhere but the still water and the reflections along with the beautiful back drop demanded attention.

This old farm in the distances hit "Icelandic Gold", a hot spot that now provides geothermal energy to the surrounding area.

Spa

My lens did recover and condensation did go away.

Our next stop was a small spa. The locals and tourists go here for the hot baths.

and some come to bake bread. Under each rock is a pot with backing bread in it. Ladies come in the morning and burry their pot and come back later to pull out a pot of fresh backed bread.

Gullfoss Waterfall

The taller rock in the upper fall is the" Lady in the Water". Sigríður Tómasdóttir (1871-1957) loved these falls and made sure they were never sold and kept from the people. Her story was one of many about keeping hte natural beauty of Iceland open to everyone and not privatizing it.

These falls were impressive and beautiful.

The water never stops. Panning right down the canyon the Gullfoss Waterfall has carved small modest falls modestly contribute to the flow.

I could not choose between these two even though they are quite similar.

I really like the tone and color of this shot.

The plums of steam are of one of our next stops the Geysir, the father of geysers. Literally this is where the name comes from (according to Icelanders')

The mist was intense and I wish I could have captured it in all its grandeur. I knew when I was taking these photos that I wanted to convey it's vastness but knew I wouldn't be able to.

More indecision of which photo to use. Are they both that good or equally underwhelming?

Sometimes it is better to turn away form the obvious subject.

The Horses

A quick un announced stop to see one of the things I have always wanted to photograph in Iceland...

THE HORSES

Originally when we were planning this trip we were going to rent a car and drive around the island. I figured I would see some horses and be able to stop and take some photos of them. Once we decided to not rent a car and take organized tours around the island I had given up on any great encounter with these famous beasts.

Then between the Gullfoss Waterfall and our stop at the geothermal springs our guide asked "Would anyone like to feen the horses?"

These animals are prized in Iceland for their strength and stamina. Despite their "small stature" they are in fact exported and bread with other breads of horse to increase their offspring's strength and stamina. How ever we were told in the winter they did need shelter.

This is the shelter. A few boards to "block the wind". these are some tough little horses.

Too many pictures for wone day. Day 4 will continue...