Monday, August 10 - GSA tour day 2

After another delightful breakfast, we loaded our suitcases into the little trailer and hopped into the van for the start of another day of learning.

Our first destination was Þingvellir.  Þingvellir literally means parliament plains.  Another quote here: "The Alþing general assembly was established around 930 and continued to convene there until 1798. Major events in the history of Iceland have taken place at Þingvellir and therefore the place is held in high esteem by all Icelanders. Today Þingvellir is a protected national shrine. According to the law, passed in 1928, the protected area shall always be the property of the Icelandic nation, under the preservation of the Alþing."

Icelandic laws were memorized by the law speaker, and 1/3 or them were recited each year at the assembly site.  It was held in an area protected from prevailing winds that had good acoustics.  It is now a World Heritage Site.  If interested in learning more, start with http://www.thingvellir.is/history/the-law-rock.aspx

Historic Þingvellir - photo by Nona

 

Nona was the world traveler in our group.  She has also lived for periods of time in many locations and continents.  Her current residence is in Vienna.   Her work is just as diverse, and I felt an instant bond when I learned that she enjoys (and knows and works with) classical music, including opera.  She had great advice for me about visiting Australia and Antarctica in the future which is now written on those pages of my bucket list booklet.

At Þingvellir we first visited an earthcache related to the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, and next found a traditional cache.  That was followed by a rescue mission.  When I first started my list of caches to be found in Iceland, there was another traditional cache located here.  Over the last few months I saw this one get archived due to new barriers to prevent environmental damage.  The reviewer who archived it mentioned that if someone could get permission to pick it up, that would be appreciated.

As no one had yet done that, I worked with the reviewer to get the needed information, and while the rest of our group waited at the barrier, Matt and I literally ran to grab the cache and remove it.  Everyone signed the logbook, and off we went for our next adventure.  The reviewer kindly unlocked the cache page for a few days so that we could all log our "find."

The container that is no longer litter

Jóhann had told us that there was only one place in Iceland, near Þingvellir, where people could battle each other.  It was on an island.  A person could be challenged to "go to the island" meaning something like a duel.  If you decided not to fight, you were "running from the island."  After picking up the container, that's what I felt like - I wasn't going to fight, I was running from the island.  Just another adventure along the way.

Back in the van, we headed for Geysir.  Geysir in Iceland is the first geysir to be described in print.  Our English word geyser is a derivation of that.  The word Geysir is from the Icelandic verb geysa, meaning "to gush."  It rarely erupts at this time.  It did revive a few times due to a ditch being dug and an earthquake.  Jóhann told us that for special occasions, they add soap to lessen surface tension, triggering eruptions.  Due to environmental concerns, this is now rarely happens.

A few meters away is a very reliable geysir, Strokkur.  It erupts at least once every 10 minutes and reaches heights up to 40 meters.  In the height rankings, it is just below Old Faithful.  Jóhann taught us to watch for more bubble activity in the surrounding pool, and then to have our cameras ready.

First eruption for us

Third eruption for us -

better than waiting hours at Yellowstone

Lunch today was at a location where we were able to learn about Icelandic horses and about greenhouse techniques.

Most Icelandic horses have five gaits, walk, trot, pace, canter and tölt.  Not all have pace, but all have
tölt, during which there is always at least one foot on the ground.  It can be a very fast pace, and the person conducting the demonstration showed us that you can carry a full pitcher of liquid while going very fast and none is spilled.  She said that it was important when carrying milk so that you didn't have butter by the time you carried it any distance.  The horses themselves were very calm and quiet - anyone could walk up to them and touch them.

Tölt demonstration

 

After the demonstration, we moved inside - inside the greenhouse where they were growing cucumbers.  There the details of growing cucumbers and other fruits/vegetables were explained.  It requires constant care - making sure enough leaves are removed so that the plant's energy goes to the fruit; having the bees to release to pollinate all flowers; constantly adding new plants and removing plants; having the correct humidity; and many other things.

Huge plants growing in tiny containers

 

Cucumbers

 

Our lunch there was tomato soup like none other I have tasted.  Just the right herbs and spices.  This was accompanied by many types of bread, still warm from the oven.  I am not usually a "bread person" but when it's this good, I indulge.  Throughout the tour we had delicious breads to dip in our soup or to eat plain or with butter.  Nona started it by buying a loaf here and offering us pieces of it during our drives that afternoon.  The bread seemed to multiply, and one of the things we heard frequently while driving was, "Want some bread?"

Van #1

Off to Gullfoss.  You know you are going to see something beautiful, but are totally unprepared for the beauty once there.  As you start your walk, you only see a crevice.  Then it opens up and so did my mouth in awe.  We spent well over an hour there, walking the various paths and simply enjoying the falls.  Yes, there was an earthcache and a multi-cache there, but they paled in comparison.

Enjoyment at its finest

 

The story goes that the owners of the land were going to sell it to foreign investors to generate electricity.  One of their daughters, Sigríður Tómasdóttir, said that if they did this she would throw herself in the falls.  She went to Reykjavik with a horse, and once there was bewildered.  A lady introduced herself and ended up introducing Sigríður to her son, a new lawyer.  This lawyer helped her save the falls by preventing the sale from happening.  It's a saga, of course.

Happily, Gullfoss was sold to Iceland and is now protected.

While we wandered around, we heard a humming overhead.  Others caught on faster than I did because it was the first time I have seen a drone.  I guess it was a quadcopter?  Once I knew what it was, I kept waiting for it to nose-dive into the falls.  It didn't, and the pilot made a beautiful landing into his friend's waiting hands.

By now it was late afternoon and time to head for the night's guesthouse.  It was in an open field with horses in a corral and sheeps wandering around.  A little stream was nearby.  We settled into our room, and Liz headed off for a walk with Debbie and Mike.  I wandered nearby enjoying a few quiet minutes of time to let everything from the day sink in.  I was feeling good.  I had been able to keep up with the others on the tour.  I was truly beginning to realize that I had regained my health.

Dinner was - leg of lamb.  My serving was a lot more tender than the one last night, and I ate everything on my plate as well as everything else that was served to us.

Time for a bit of reading before tucking ourselves in for the night.