Wayfare Wednesdays! A Travelogue of Ports Unknown! Iceland Part Two

Ahoy there me mateys!  Welcome to the newest installment on me Log, Wayfare Wednesdays!  As ye scalawags know, yer Captain always be spending me time dreaming of the next far off ports and searching of a good adventure.  So I thought I would give the crew some insight into the fascinating people, places, and things I saw while ye all were wallowing in port in some filthy tavern, swilling grog, and missin’ the sights.  Ye know in case ye miscreants ever get the chance to plunder visit these destinations in the future . . .

wayfare

way·​fare |  ˈwāˌfa(a)|(ə)r, -ˌfe|, |ə

 archaic : an act or course of journeying (source)

As some of ye may know, I recently had a line on a rumor of a bit of Viking treasure, Scottish ruins, and Elizabethan artifacts.  The sea was a’ calling.  So off I went.  After eighteen days of adventurin’ in Iceland, Norway, Scotland, and England, I be back to share me tales.  I shall be splittin’ these stories into several installments due to yer befuddled, swill-saturated noggins.  So the first foray be Iceland.

Iceland be a beautiful land of stark volcanic rock, beautiful mountains, and lots of other scenic wonders.  One of the best things about the country is the pride the citizens take in their heritage and their understanding of their own past.  I spent two full days in Reykjavik and the surrounding areas.  This post will deal with day two wherein we visited the Golden Circle.  We (me and the ma) saw:

Side note:  If ye missed day one of Iceland click here.

Þingvallavatn

This be the largest natural lake in Iceland and lies in a rift valley.  It takes 20-30 years for the water from the glacier Langjökull to make it to the lake via underground channels.  The most famous fish in the lake are the artic char and the brown trout.  I loved the steam vents that issued from the ground and the geothermal pipes ferrying hot water.  And who doesn’t love goats?

Þingvellir National Park

This park is absolutely beautiful.  There are so many cool things here besides part of Lake Þingvallavatn.  One is that ye can actually walk through the fissure of the tectonic plates between North America and Eurasia.  That fissure is called Almannagjá.  Another thing is that this be where the national parliament of Iceland, the Althing, was held from 930 AD. until 1798.

Haukadalur

This is a geothermal area that includes geysers!  I loved them.  Did ye know that our word geyser comes from the Icelandic “Geysir” which is the name of a specific geyser in Iceland.  The word originally meant “gush.”  Unfortunately the Geysir doesn’t really erupt anymore.  But the Strokkur erupts every five to ten minutes.  I actually saw it gush three times in a row within minutes.  That was cool.

Gullfoss

This be one of the most awesomest waterfalls I have seen.  The name means “golden waterfall” in Icelandic.  The pictures speak for themselves.

Kerið

This be a volcanic crater lake.  It be unusual because it still has its caldera (aye I had to look up what that meant).  Extremely pretty though.

So that be me last full day in Iceland.  Keep a weathered eye out for more of me wayfare adventures.  Next stop Norway!  Arrrr!

x The Captain

Side note:  The Wayfair Wednesday featured image (source) is of two sailing vessels “dressed overall” with their international signal flags.  Signal flags are the flags used to contact other ships.  Well unless ye be a pirate in which case the Jolly Roger and yer cannons speak well enough.  A ship dressed overall “consists of stringing international maritime signal flags on a ship from stemhead to masthead, from masthead to masthead and then down to the taffrail. It is a sign of celebration, and is done for occasions, anniversaries, and events, whether national, local or personal.”  (source)  Well, Wayfare Wednesday is certainly a celebration, occassion, and event no matter how ye look at it.  Arrrrr!