Saturday, April 13th:
It was a bright and sunny day, so after a hearty breakfast we headed to Þingvellir National Park.
Þingvellir was where Iceland's annual parliament was held from 930 AD to 1798 AD. It is located on the norther banks of the Þingvallavatn, which is Icelands largest freshwater lake. Joyce told us that Þingvellir is a sacred site to the Icelandic people since it's where the parliament began, major historic events have happed here, and it represents a the founding of the country and the time when it had self rule.
We drove up along the east side of the lake until we reached the trailhead for the Öxarárfoss. The trail to the waterfall is literally the Mid-Atlantic Ridge!
This is where you can see the North American and Eurasian Plates above the water! The plates crashed together and created the mountains in Iceland and now the plates are moving apart from each other at about 1 inch per year.
[Me nerding out about geology]
[Plates]
[Öxarárfoss]
[Joyce and I at Öxarárfoss]
Joyce then headed back to the car and told us to explore the area. She would drive up to the top of the ridge and meet us up at the Visitor Center when we are done.
We took our time and hiked up to the top of the ridge.
["Take a picture of me between the plates!"]
[Þingvallakirkja]
This bridge was recently put in after the ground collapsed. This is where the plates are moving apart and there is a lot of earthquakes in the area.
We made it to the top of the ridge and now I understand why Joyce wanted to wait for a sunny day to come here. Look at that blue lake!
[Another map sun dial]
We met up with Joyce at the Visitor Center and then went through an exhibition that is all about the history of Þingvellir.
We then continued our drive along the west side of the lake.
[Sheep!]
On the southwest side of the lake is a large, old lava field. This is where Interstellar was filmed!
We then drove over to the ION Adventure Hotel which is right next to a large geothermal plant.
[ION Adventure Hotel]
At the back of the hotel is a bar that has HUGE windows. When the Northern Lights are spotted you will get a call from the front office and you can go to the bar in your PJs and watch the lights. Sounds fun!
We went into the hotel and ordered lunch which we ate in the Northern Lights bar.
I want these but they are so expensive and HEAVY!
After lunch we went outside to see the geothermal pool that is under the bar.
We continued our drive around the lake and stopped at this beautiful frozen bay.
[Eating the cleanest ice on the planet]
[Horses!]
[Úlfljótsvatnskirkja]
[Ljósafossstöð - Hydroelectric power plant]
After we finished our lake drive we went into downtown Selfoss. This area is expanding and they have plans for the downtown area to double in size in the next couple of years. Tourists are realizing that staying in Selfoss is more convenient than staying in Reykjavík.
We walked over to to Groovis where we got ice cream treats. The ice cream is made with skyr and it is so creamy and delicious!
[Ice cream in a box - chocolate and vanilla swirl with chocolate sauce, cookie dough shavings, and sprinkles]
[Fresh doughnuts]
After eating our snacks we went back to our cottage to rest and shower before dinner.
For dinner we went to Rauða Húsið Restaurant (Red House) in Eyrarbakki.
Everything was amazing! I got the lobster pasta (creamy tagliatelle with langoustine tails, smoked paprika and chili, fresh herbs, parmesan cheese, garlic bread) while Josh and Joyce each got the lobster plate (langoustine tails on the shell with garlic butter and buttery bread crumbs, roasted baby potatoes, salad). The food was so fresh and the pasta was homemade. We got the lava cake and the Crème Brûlée (which was approved by Joyce 😊). You can tell they take pride in their food and service!
After dinner we walked out to the beach and watched the sunset.
Map of our day:
Today was the perfect day for exploring Þingvellir National Park. The wind was calm, it was sunny, and the temperature was just above freezing. Pair that with some delicious food and gorgeous scenery and I'm sold!
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