Pictures of the Mid-West of Iceland

The Mid-West

	Everywhere in Iceland, you can find waterfalls. This is just a small one, somewhere north of Reykjavik. For us, this waterfall was special, for it was the first waterfall we saw on Iceland.

We passed the cave above when walking to Glymur, the highest waterfall of Iceland. Here we could also cross the river over these stepping stones. There is an iron cable to give some support: you don't want to fall in the river here.

If you want to see this 200 meter high waterfall, you better bring your walking boots. It takes at least 1½ hours to reach the waterfall from the cark park. And it's not an easy walk. We apologize for not having a picture of the 200 meter here. When we finally reached it, a lot of fog suddenly appeared like magic. We knew the waterfall was there, but we couldn't see it.

The 'bridge'

On the picture on the left, you see Iceland most famous and biggest mineral spring, Rauðamelsölkeða. According to our guidebook, you can drink this water and it is healthy. You will probably be healthy if you can drink this water without getting ill. But it doesn't look very tasty. Mind you, this water comes just out of the ground, we didn't make coffee of it, even though it looks that way.

From Rauðamelsölkeða we drive North through Hnappadalur. The landscape is absolutely fabulous here. There are lots of craters, in strange shapes and colours. And there should be some caves too. Unfortunately, we weren't able to find them.

The Ring Road is (mostly) asphalted. A lot of other roads are just gravel. After a few hours of driving, your car looks like this.

A dirty car

In the middle of nowhere, next to the Bifröst boarding school annex summerhotel, lies the volcano Grábrók. There are actually three craters. From the biggest one you have this view at the Old Grábrók crater. The green stuff on the craters is moss, which grows in thick layers.

For the kids in the boarding school this is cool stuff; if you write your name in the moss, it will stay there for years.

Grábrók crater

Þingvellir is an interesting place, both from geological and from historical view. It is the place where ever since the settling the yearly courts (All-Thing) were held and laws were made.

Icelandic flag

Next to the official business, there were also feasts, marriages were settled and all the gossips were told. And it is the place where the Euroasian shoal and the North American shoal meet, or actually, float apart. The Almannagjá gorge provides an impressive place for the meetings.
	What to do when you get lost in an Icelandic forest? Just stand up and look where you are.