Nature's Power

Received an inquiry "what is a cairn". Definition is: a mound of rough stones built as a memorial or landmark, typically on a hilltop or skyline. We have done this in several places, most notably New Zealand.

Did not get the early start I had intended. Things were moving pretty slow this morning.. Woke up pretty stiff. I thought that by getting a car we wouldn't be walking as much. Not so. Yesterday we hiked at every stop.

A hot shower helped the old bones. All the hot water here is heated geo-thermally. So there is a bit of a scent - not too bad. Packed up the car and we were on our way to the geo-thermal power plant. This is the biggest in the country and about 1/2 hour from Reykjavik. Signed up for the tour and learned all about geo-thermal power and the creation of Iceland. The technology is amazing. After the tour of the plant, we drove up the volcano to take in the views of this structure.

Heading southeast on Rt. 1 to Seljalandsfoss. The highest waterfall in Iceland at 200ft high. It sits practically right on the road. Pulled into the parking lot - no buses - always a good sign. Not too many people milling about. Somehow we managed to get there in between the tour buses.After lunch, it wsa time to take a stab at walking up and behind the falls. Sat and fixed up our lunch and watched the falls. I was not terribly impressed at first, having seen several waterfalls. However, the closer I got, the more impressed I became. It was huge. There was a stairway going up at both ends that take you to the back side of the waterfall. Here we were walking through the mist again. This time I donned a rain jacket. A really incredible experience. Loved it and well worth the drive out. We came out of the falls into the sunshine. When you get to the other side, there is a path that leads to a few more falls but not much compares to this baby. The glacial water coming down was crystal clear.

What next? Thought we would go rogue and get off the tour bus grid for a while. They were pulling into the parking lot as we were leaving. Took a road that led down to the coast. Parked at the ferry lot. Took one look at the ocean and our jaws dropped. Nothing but beautiful fine black sand, followed higher up by lava rocks and boulders. Walked on the beach for a bit and then it was back on the road.

Meandered through fields of wild flowers and  farm land - lots and lots of Iceland ponies - and eventually got back on the highway headed towards Rekjavik.  Made a quick pass through a park just outside the city. It wasn't much but had some nice lava formations. We got into the city and drove down to the harbor to walk around before going back to the apartment.

Back at the shack and we decided to eat the herring (which we never did

have for breakfast) for appetizers. Ate too much so we skipped dinner tonight. We just walked around town. Took some parting shots of Reykjavik. Checked out places for dinner for our last meal tomorrow night in Iceland. Nothing fancy that's for sure.

The plan has changed for tomorrow. Originally it was all about going to the Blue Lagoon - which absolutely every tourist goes to - they take them directly from the airport - wash them clean of all their money and then send them back again. As with everything, there is a mixed bag of reviews for this venue. However, we are never really up for the big tourist traps and the few times we did bite, we were sorely disappointed. As you can image, a day at this spa does not come cheap. I did some research on another big geo-thermal spa that we passed yesterday, Quite honestly it got great reviews at half the cost and far less tourists. I am really looking forward to a spa day. For now it's lights out or at least shades down.

Next time.... Relaxing at last