The next day, the ship docked in Reykjavik for an overnight stop and a turnover (end of cruise segment, some folks go and some folks come). We took the longest tour offered, called The Golden Circle. First stop, the geyser field:
That water is coming out of the ground at around 300 degrees because Iceland is sitting on a hot spot. Thanks to the geothermic activity beneath them, Icelanders burn nothing to provide heat...no coal, no oil, and no electricity. All the heat is provided by using the natural hot water, which is pumped in. The electricity for the pumps, lights, etc. is also provided by water: turbines. And they produce more electricity than they can possibly use.
Next stop, the Gullfoss waterfall. Beautiful, and very near a glacier.
This glacier is different from the ones in Greenland as this one is "creeping". Its temperature is around zero Celsius so it is not so hard frozen. It moves faster and is less dense. Some bold souls mounted vehicles like these and went driving on the glacier.
We understand that the big bus is a military vehicle and the Mercedes is actually about three different automobiles combined into one, with adjustable tire pressure commanded by an app. They have one purpose and that is driving on whatever they encounter be it glacier, sand, or lava.
So look here:
A pile of rocks, you say? Technically correct, but, this pile of rocks is actually the edge of a tectonic plate made into a national park, the Thingvellir. Iceland is the only place on earth where two plates meet on land. On one side we have the North American plate and on the other, the Northern European plate. They are slowly moving apart, causing this rift to open up. Google Thingvellir National Park or Tectonic Plates in Iceland and you'll get the whole scientific poop.
The next day was the turnover, so we took the shuttle to Reykjavik and wandered around. A day at sea brought us to our next destination, the Faeroe Islands.
