7 days ago my island circle tour left Reykjavik.  Traveled first across southern Iceland (viewed waterfalls, geysers, icebergs & glaciers), looped up into the eastern fjords (discovered fish leather fashions), then encountered 3 days of unseasonable snow travelling over mountain passes in Iceland’s North (Viking snow swim in Mývatn).

Today, SUNSHINE 🙂 as we completed the loop through Western Iceland.

First stop – Deildartunguhver, the world’s largest and most powerful hot springs – gurgling at a piping hot 200°F.

WATCH my short clip ‘Deildartunguhver (Iceland)’!

2^nd stop – Hraunfossar & Barnafoss waterfalls.  A series of cascading waterfalls, Hraunfossar (Lava Falls) pours from a lava field lying under the glacier Langjökull.  In layman terms – BEAUTIFUL!

Barnafoss (Children’s Falls) on the other hand pushes through a volcanic rock canyon before also emptying into the river Hvítá.

Many Icelandic folk tales have been associated with Barnafoss, the most famous being about two boys from a nearby farm, Hraunsás. One day, the boys’ parents went with their ploughmen to a church. The boys were supposed to stay at home, but as they grew bored they decided to follow their parents. They made a shortcut and crossed a natural stone-bridge that was above the waterfall. But on their way, they felt dizzy and fell into the water and drowned. When their mother found out what had happened, she put a spell on the bridge saying that nobody would ever cross it without drowning himself. A little while later, the bridge was demolished in an earthquake.

Finale – Þingvellir (Thingvellir) National Park where the Alþingi, an open-air assembly representing the whole of Iceland, was established in 930 and continued to meet until 1798.  It was here that Christianity was introduced as the official religion of Iceland.  AND in 1944, Iceland declared its independence (from Denmark) at Þingvellir.

All super interesting but for me – Today’s Highlight: the Eurasian & North American tectonic plates jutting dramatically from the valley’s volatile surface.  An active fault line runs diagonally across Iceland (SW to NE) & is the source of earthquakes and major volcanic eruptions (every 4 years on average).

Amazing tour end – STUNNING!

Back in Reykjavik with 20 hours ’til my return flight to Denver.  Rest, relax?  Heck, no.  Shelled out a fast 5400 ISK (Icelandic króna) – tonite’s my last chance to see the Northern Lights!