The last four days of our Iceland trip were centered around the northern part of the island, using Akureyri as our base. Above is Godafoss, another of Iceland's incredible waterfalls. Not a tree to be seen, just thunderous water pouring over bare rock. Icelandic history says that it was here in the year 1000 that the lawspeaker of the parliament threw the old wooden Norse gods into the water, representing a decisive break with the pagan gods and a turn towards Christianity.
This stained glass window in the Akureyri cathedral commemorates the act.
Just above Godafoss, all is calm.
Epilobium latifolium (Arctic riverbeauty) and either a hawkweed (Hieracium sp.) or a dandelion make a gorgeous vignette in the same area above the waterfall.
The lava fields of Dimmuborgir (Dark Fortress) nearby made my rock gardener's heart beat faster. A mix of dryas, erica, thyme, dwarf willow, and dwarf birch species, along with the odd orchid, covers the slopes. The pink of the erica with the silver leaf of the willow was a lesson to take to heart.
Dryas octopetala gone to seed on the lava. I can't even get it to bloom in my trough at home.
Sigh....
This guy came bounding out of the rocks to see what I was so interested in.
Nearby we stopped at the geothermal area of Hverir. It was only a few minutes from the above photos, but felt like another world. Fumaroles, bubbling mud pools, steam vents, the overwhelming smell of sulphur... I was so glad that the younger kids decided to stay in the car as it's a of dangerous area for the inattentive. The whole ridge was steaming, as you can see in the background.
We took advantage of this phenomenon and soaked in the blue-gray geothermal heated mineral waters in the nearby Myvatn Nature Baths. Warm and thick, (smelly, too) the water felt great, on my sore body, especially with a beer in hand. Iceland is quite civilized that way.
