In the evening after settling into our hotel, it was still totally bright out so we decided to get ahead on the next day's agenda and visit Þingvellir. Here is the Wiki entry on this cool place.
"Þingvellir (Icelandic: [ˈθiŋkˌvɛtlɪr̥], anglicised as Thingvellir, is a national park in the municipality of Bláskógabyggð in southwestern Iceland, about 40 km northeast of Iceland's capital, Reykjavík. Þingvellir is a site of historical, cultural, and geological significance, and is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Iceland. The park lies in a rift valley that marks the crest of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and the boundary between the North American tectonic plate and the Eurasian. To its south lies Þingvallavatn, the largest natural lake in Iceland.
Þingvellir is associated with the Althing, the national parliament of Iceland, which was established at the site in 930 AD. Sessions were held at the location until 1798."
This attraction is one of the many attractions on the Golden Circle which is a smaller entry level version of the Ring Road which runs the entire coast of Iceland. The Ring Road takes about a week or longer if you take your time and we did not have that much time so we picked the Golden Circle which can be done in a day and we added a trip to Vestmannaeyjar and the area just east of the ferry terminal for that island. It was a perfect itinerary for 4 days.
So get ready to be inundated with waterfall pics, because both Iceland and Norway are chock full of amazing waterfalls.
But I digress, the birds is what you are here for....
White Wagtails are common in Iceland, but that doesn't mean I did not stop to appreciate them.
Greylag Geese likewise.
I actually did not see many Red-breasted Mergansers in Iceland. Here was one of them.
Red-necked Phalarope
Common Snipe
Icelandic Flag
Whooping Swan
We ate dinner that night at a sandwich shop called Lemon. I think it was a chain. The bread for the sandwich is on a kind of flatbread. Real salty and yummy. I highly recommend it.
Next morning we were back on the road and went past Þingvellir again on our way to Geysir which as you may have guessed is known for it's geysers and also it's clothing brand for moody teenaged Icelanders.
Common Snipe
European Golden Plover
Two happy people celebrating 15 years of love and marriage.
Next stop Geysir!
Fantastic updates! We were able to stop over for just a brief day last year and it was spectacular. We ignored Reykjavik completely and headed all the way up to Snaefellsjoekull National Park and back in that one day. Looks like we managed to see a lot of the same birds. Isn't it stunning there?
ReplyDeletecongrats on the first 15 years! - a good start
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