Hello Iceland

Hello all.  I know it has been a while since I have posted.  Zach and I were very sad to leave Jette, Mirco, Jarno and their families in Germany.  We got to say goodbye to everyone at Hilde's birthday party and Jette and Mirco took us to the airport the next day.  Our last adventure began in Reykjavik, Iceland.  Our first day there Zach had booked a tour through Iceland Excursions.  I would highly recommend it if you are only staying in Iceland for a few days.  They also have great transportation from the airport to Reykjavik town center.  While we were there the Blue Lagoon and Golden Circle tour was on sale, so that is the one we took.  Our first stop was the Blue Lagoon.  It is a beautiful geothermal spa.  The lagoon is filled with an unreal milky blue water, which is caused by the mineral deposits in the water.  Zach and I didn't get the day pass to swim in the spa because it was too expensive, but we got to walk around inside and around the Blue Lagoon for free.  The milky blue water is starkly contrasted by huge black volcanic rocks and a valley of volcanic moss.  Next we began our tour of the Golden Circle.  We started at Þingvellir National Park, which is a rift valley along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge where the North American tectonic plate and the Eurasian plate separate.  We were told that Iceland may have contributed to the North Atlantic Breakup where the continents separated.  Next we went to the Golden Waterfall (Gullfoss).  It is a 105 ft tall water fall with two huge drops.  We saw rainbows everywhere we looked!  Our last stop was Haukadalur, a valley full of geothermal springs and geysers.  We actually got to see geysers explode and touch the warm water of the springs!  The most well known geysers there are Geysir and Strokkur.  Geysir is the first recorded geyser in Europe and is where the term 'geyser' is derived from.  I'm not sure that I can describe how spectacular and inspiring our first day in Iceland was.  To understand, you simply should take a trip there.

check back for our second day in Iceland

--grace