Day 12 Akureyri, Iceland

We have arrived in Iceland! We are in northern Iceland. Akureyri is the second largest city in Iceland with about 20-30,000 people. In contrast to Norway there is not an abundance of trees. Birch is the native tree. It is a short tree due to growing conditions. The lava hills are covered with short grass or moss with pretty flowers blooming in places. Lupine flowers are plentiful. In Texas we call these Bluebonnets.
Our excursion takes out of the city to volcanic rock parks and geothermal fields. It isn't Yellowstone National Park but there are steam vents, fumaroles, bubbling mud and the smell of sulfur. At the volcanic park our guide tells us stories about trolls and elves. Certain lava formations have troll names. It is with good reason that the Icelandic people are proud of their stories, especially the sagas of long ago.
The geothermal field is call Námafjall. I took a picture of the sign so I would know. We have lost track of the names that are so unfamiliar to us and hard to pronounce.
The highlight of this excursion is Godafoss Waterfall. It's grand and makes us think of Niagara, though neither of us have been to Niagara yet. Up to now the weather has been sunny and cool. At Godafoss it is cloudy, windy and cold but no rain. The sun returned after we left the falls.
An interesting geological fact is that Iceland sits on two tectonic plates, the North American plate and the Eurasian plate. The divide between those two plates is widening so, of course it is being monitored. We step across the divide. There are probably more impressive spots to stand on two tectonic plates in Iceland. Between that and the volcanic activity I'm just thinking that this is Earth building in action.Read more