Reykjavik, the most northernmost capital in the world, is the capital of Iceland. Even the name conjures up visions of seafaring Vikings, wild horses and vast 
untamed wildernesses stretching as far as the eye can see. Iceland, a volcanic island has at its' centre a shifting land of "fire and ice".
History: Reykjavik was founded in 874 by Ingolfur Arnarson, Iceland's first permanent settler but it wasn't until 1786 that it became an official trading town. Today about 300,800 people call themselves Icelanders. Reykjavik's summer temperatures are cool and temperate and fluctuate between 8C and 13C . The winters are long and cold.
Our first view of Iceland was as the ship entered the southern inlet that leads to the port city of Reykjavik. We saw mountains, waterways and ever so lush green hills and grasslands still damp from the early morning mists. It looked very peaceful though isolated and there were no trees. Ancient as this part of the world may be, it is home of one of the most technologically advanced societies in the world. As we neared the port it became obvious that the city is the economic centre of commerce with tall commercial buildings, apartments and a central Lutheran Cathedral. However in many, many areas of Iceland unspoiled terrain is still undergoing continuous transformation from volcanoes and glaciers, hot springs and geysers and in most of these areas people live in smaller communities.
Interesting facts:
In 1972, Reykjavik was the location of the world chess championship between Boris Spassky and Bobby Fisher. Bobby was given citizenship in Iceland in 2005, where he lived for the rest of his life.
Recently, Iceland qualified for spot in the world soccer World Cup which is no mean feat for a country where the land is covered in snow for a large time of the year. Everyone is proud of their team even though they were elimated very early in the completion because they did what many famous soccer teams were unable to do; to play in Russia in the World Cup.
In 1000AD Christianity came to Iceland and the country decided to adopt Christianity brought by Lutheran believers. To prevent the possibility of civil war, concessions were made that pagans be allowed to practice their religion as well. Today, 75% of the population are registered as Lutheran, 1.2% register as followers of the pagan Norse religion and the number of Catholics has grown in recent years with the arrival of Polish migrants In 2013 Iceland was ranked as the most peaceful country in the world and was number one in 2017 with Denmark and New Zealand coming second and third.
We'd booked a private tour to do the Golden Circle tour of Iceland. It involved travelling by coach across and around Iceland and stopping at three areas of interest where we would have guided walks. There were about 15 of us so it was a good sized for an private tour.
We drove on a scenic drive from the port to our destination, Thingvellir National Park which was established in 2930 to protect an area of geological, historical and cultural value. It was here that to our amazement we saw and walked through the continental rift known as the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland sits on the boundary line where the American and European plates are pulling apart and on average the country bisa expanding at a rate of 2 centimetres per year. In addition, Iceland, like Hawaii, is floating on top of what is known as a mantle plume- which is an upwelling of abnormally hot rock within the earth's mantle. This explains why there is so much volcano activity in Iceland: smoke plumes, hot mud pools, geysers, steam and active volcanoes.
At Thingvellir we could clearly see where the two continents have over time opened up a massive rift valley where we stood on the edge of the American plate and gazed across at the European plate. It was a pretty amazing and dramatic experience. From our vantage point we had amazing views of the rift valley below and Iceland's largest natural lake which is a very popular spot for fishing and diving.
This area is a very popular spot for geologists and hikers. We were able to walk down through the fault-line where the plates are pulling apart. It was an amazing feeling to be walking down into the rift valleys for about 45 minutes and be part of a geological happening. At one point the gravel roadway that we walked on became a wooden bridge-path for about 20 metres because in 2011 when a hole appeared in the middle of the gravel path. Investigations revealed that a larger and deeper fault 10 metres deep and extending for 15 metres along the trail had created a rift after a large boulder in the upper crust layer on the trail, became loosened and fell down following earthquake activity far away. Snow melt, wind and rain eroded the layers further and the crack widened so for safety reasons the wooden bridge was placed along the trail. Prior to this vehicles had traversed the trail through the fault line where the plates are separating but today another roadway has been constructed for vehicles and only walkers, tourists and fishermen use the trail. 
After walking down the trail enjoying the views, learning about the vegetation of the area, we came to a large level area in part of the valley floor where we could see the river runs into Iceland's largest lake. This spot has important historical significance for Icelanders, for it is here, in 930AD, that the formation of the Icelandic Parliament was initiated through meetings and negations. It is named Parliamentary Plains where once chieftains would meet to discuss and sort out issues, to make judgement and set rules for keeping peace and harmony amongst the tribes. They sat in the round, listened to speakers in the centre and argued points of view until agreements were made. Today this place is hallowed site for Icelanders, for it is where major events in Icelandic history have taken place, from the adoption of Christianity in 1000AD to Iceland's Declaration of Independence on 17th June, 1944. In 1974 the 1100th anniversary of settlement was celebrated, in 1994 the 50th anniversary of the Republic, and in 2000, the millennium of the adoption of Christianity in Iceland.
As we drove East over the heathlands we could see mountains in the distance and our guide told us that at the foot of these mountains there are caves that people lived in right up to the early decades of 20th century because prior to the Second World War, Iceland was very poor economically. Today Iceland is very advanced in technology. In fact, each of us were given an i-pad to use on our coach as we travelled and we were able to follow visual and aural information on an app as we travelled.
Our second major stop was at Strokkur which is a hot spring area. Here we saw an array of stunningly powerful geysers and boiling mud ponds. The town is named after the main geyser Strokkur, which is a powerful and explosive geyser that launches boiling water every few minutes up to heights of 20 metres into the air.
As we stood and watched it we noticed a bright blue bubble formed seconds before an explosion of hot gushing water was ejected into the air, wowing everyone. The wind also carried water particles from the spouted geyser, across and over the crowds who'd run screaming with surprise and 'delight' . We had chosen to stand In the opposite direction and did not receive the unexpected showers of spray. Some tourists deliberately chose to be showered but we didn't need to be wet for the rest of our tour and Joy already has a nasty head cold that doesn't need refreshing. The water that is exploded into the air, comes from a glacier further north, having seeped through the porous rock all the way down to this area. Here the water is heated by magma extending close to the earth's surface. Shafts and fissures running from the heat source to the geyer act as pipes to deliver the water to the geyser area. Because the water down the shaft is under intense pressure from the colder water above, eventually a steam flash-explosion occurs and sends water and steam pounding skywards. The thermal water temperatures range from 50C to over 70C. Locals sometimes cook their bread and other foods in pools that are suitable. ( not explosive and with less heat)
Since 2008, Reykjavik's volcanic activity from the hot spring areas has been harnessed to provide a remarkable and inexpensive heating system for over 90% of residential and industrial communities across the country. Later in the day we drove past Iceland's second largest power plant, which our guide told us, has the largest high-temperature field in the country and where bore holes, drilled in 1847 are still being used today. We also passed a number of health spa centres where Icelanders and tourists can indulge in the mineral-rich waters known to rejuvenate skin and soothe skin conditions and where in the winter months people meet up to relax and chat after a hard days work.
We really had a great time watching the geysers and the bubbly mud pools but the weather was beginning to become more overcast, cooler and threatening to drop rain showers, so we headed to a kiosk for hot home-made soup and bread. Once warmed up our tour continued crossing the Iceland plains which have low scrub vegetation, small settlements with housing and shopping precincts and industrial areas surrounded by a backdrop of mountains. Dotted throughout the valley floor, hot steam vents can be seen rising from areas of volcanic activity. Once long ago, this land had forests but these were removed by early settlers to provide fuel, building materials for shelters and shipbuilding . Today Iceland has a huge challenge to reforest the land. All over the country there is a campaign to achieve this goal for future generations.
Our final tour venue was to view the spectacular Gullfoss Waterfall, whose rushing waters, tumble over a natural "three-tiered staircase" before plunging and thundering down into a deep ravine. This magnificent waterfall is often referred to as the "Golden Waterfall" especially when the sun casts its rays onto the cascading waters. The spray from the waterfall activity showered tourists as the wind gusted across the valley and in the late afternoon sunlight rainbows arced across river gorge. Gullfoss consists of two waterfalls with a total height 31 metres. The upper falls being 11 metres and that of the lower 20 metres. The Gorge is approximately 2.5 km in length and up to 70 metres in depth so you can imagine the impact it had on us when we first saw it. The sounds of these thundering waters and the spray that filled the sky could be seen long before we reached the path beside and above the falls. Hearing and seeing these waters was a perfect ending to another day full of new wonders of God's mighty creation. 
As we were being driven back to the ship it did begin to rain but it was not a heavy downpour but the air became misty as we watched pure bred horses eating the and roaming the grassy plains beneath the high mountain ranges. These horses are pure breeds because their breed has never been crossed with another horse breed since they were first brought to Iceland . The Icelanders love their horses and they are particularly proud that these horses are a pure breed that has not changed since early settlement days. Wh settlers first came to Iceland they had to bring all their livestock with them on their ships. Cows, sheep, horses, cows, pigs, goats, cats and dogs. The only land animal in Iceland was the artic fox.
Up until the 20th century people lived on farms, with sheep farming being the most common type of lively hood, providing meat to eat and wool for warm clothing. Dairy farming and sheep farming are still important industries today in Iceland. To protect Iceland's primary industries, the production of lamb meat, cheeses, yoghurt, butter and milk are all subsidised by the state and high tariffs are added to imported agricultural products. We wish our government protected some of Australia's primary industries with such vigour!
We head back to the ship just as the sun was setting temperature was beginning to drop. The wind was icy but our cabin would be warm and a hot sower and meal awaited us after another day of exploring and enjoying and learning a little bit more about this vast planet we call earth.
Regards
Joy
