Dynjandi

Dynjandi is definitely favorite waterfall in the remote Westfjords for it was by far the most spectacular one in the region. Befitting of its name was that the word "dynjandi" meant "thunderous" in Icelandic. It was actually a series of waterfalls (7 in all) with a cumulative height of 100m. The main uppermost tier was the one due to it was most notable with its trapezoidal shape (said to be 30m wide at the top, 60m wide at the bottom).

Each of the seven sections of the waterfall had a signposted name corresponding to it. The subtiers (not counting the main tier) were called Bæjarfoss, Hundafoss, Hrísvaðsfoss, Göngumannafoss, Strompgljúfrafoss, and Hæstajallafoss, respectively. Each of the falls were interesting. It was the cumulative effect of all the falls coming down together in series that really made the collective Dynjandi stand out.

Driving to this falls was an exercise in long distances where even a ferry ride to the Westfjords region reduced the driving distances to something a little more manageable for a trip on limited time. Even most of the roads in the region were unpaved 2wd roads. Yet contrasting the remote theme of the Westfjords, when we arrived at the falls, we were surprised to see how tourist friendly the facilities were (i.e. well-established walkways, toilets, large car parks, signage, etc.). It was not unusual to see tour buses stopping here as well. As a result, this waterfall was surprisingly bustling despite its pretty remote location.

Some sections of the paths were pretty steep and rocky, but by and large the path was very doable by anyone with a reasonable amount of fitness. Perhaps it was more of a cardiovascular workout since the path went relentlessly uphill until it reached its end at the base of the main waterfall.

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Aldeyjarfoss

The Aldeyjarfoss waterfall is situated in the north of Iceland at the northern part of the Sprengisandur Highland Road which means it is to be found within the Highlands of Iceland. Aldeyjarfoss waterfall is considered the most beautiful one in the river Skjalfandafljot. The waterfall is framed with long, natural basaltic columns. It is located in the uppermost regions of the Bardardalur valley, on the Sprengisandur highland route. It is possible to drive almost all the way up to it.

One of the most interesting features of the waterfall is the contrast between the black basalt columns and the white waters of the fall. In this, it is similar to the much smaller Icelandic waterfall Svartifoss in Skaftafell.

The river Skjálfandafljót drops here from a height of 20 m. The basalt belongs to a lava field called Frambruni or Suðurárhraun, hraun being the Icelandic designation for lava.

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Hallgrímskirkja

Hallgrímskirkja is a Lutheran (Church of Iceland) parish church in Reykjavík, Iceland. At 73 metres, it is the largest church in Iceland and the sixth tallest architectural structure in Iceland after Longwave radio mast Hellissandur, the radio masts of US Navy at Grindavík, Eiðar longwave transmitter and Smáratorg tower. The church is named after the Icelandic poet and clergyman Hallgrímur Pétursson (1614 to 1674), author of the Passion Hymns.

The church houses a large pipe organ by the German organ builder Johannes Klais of Bonn. It has mechanical action, four manuals and pedal, 102 ranks, 72 stops and 5275 pipes. It is 15 metres tall and weighs 25 tons. Its construction was finished in December 1992. It has been recorded by Christopher Herrick in his Organ Fireworks VII CD.

The church is also used as an observation tower. An observer can take a lift up to the viewing deck and view Reykjavík and the surrounding mountains. The statue of explorer Leif Eriksson (c. 970 – c. 1020) by Alexander Stirling Calder in front of the church predates its construction. It was a gift from the United States in honor of the 1930 Alþingi Millennial Festival, commemorating the 1000th anniversary of Iceland's parliament at Þingvellir in 930 AD.

State Architect Guðjón Samúelsson's design of the church was commissioned in 1937. He is said to have designed it to resemble the basalt lava flows of Iceland's landscape. It took 38 years to build the church. Construction work began in 1945 and ended in 1986, the landmark tower being completed long before the church's actual completion. The crypt beneath the choir was consecrated in 1948, the steeple and wings were completed in 1974, and the nave was consecrated in 1986. Situated in the centre of Reykjavík, it is one of the city's best-known landmarks and is visible throughout the city. It is similar in style to the expressionist architecture of Grundtvig's Church of Copenhagen, Denmark, completed in 1940.

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Askja

Askja is a large basaltic central volcano that forms the Dyngjufjöll massif. It is truncated by three overlapping calderas, the largest of which is 8 km wide and may have been produced primarily from subglacial ring-fracture eruptions rather than by subsidence.

A major rhyolitic explosive eruption from Dyngjufjöll about 10,000 years ago was in part associated with the formation of Askja caldera. Many postglacial eruptions also occurred along the ring-fracture. A major explosive eruption on the SE caldera margin in 1875 was one of Iceland's largest during historical time. It resulted in the formation of a smaller 4.5-km-wide caldera, now filled by Öskjuvatn lake, that truncates the rim of the larger central caldera. The 100-km-long Askja fissure swarm, which includes the Sveinagja graben, is also related to the Askja volcanic system, as are several small shield volcanoes such as Kollatadyngja. Twentieth-century eruptions at Askja have produced lava flows from vents located mostly near Öskjuvatn lake.

 

The region is only accessible for a few months of the year. Being situated in the rain shadow to the northeast of the Vatnajökull glacier, the area receives only about 450 mm of rainfall annually. The area was used during training for the Apollo program to prepare astronauts for the lunar missions. Their main objective in Askja was to study geology.

In 1907, the German scientists Walter von Knebel and Max Rudloff visited Askja to study the caldera. While exploring Öskjuvatn in a small boat, they disappeared without a trace. Von Knebel's fiancée Ina von Grumbkow led an expedition to search for them, but no indication of what happened to them was ever found.

Askja is a popular tourist destination. There are two mountain huts and a campsite at Dreki, by Drekagil, which is about 100 km by a 4x4 F-road, from the Icelandic ring-road. The road continues 8 km up from Dreki into the Askja caldera. It is a walk of about 2.5 km from the car park to Öskjuvatn and Víti. The roads are usually only open for about three to four months, from late June until early October.

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Golden Circle

The Golden Circle is a popular tourist route in South Iceland, covering about 300 km looping from Reykjavík into central Iceland and back.

The three primary stops on the route are the national park Þingvellir, the waterfall Gullfoss (meaning "golden falls"), and the geothermally active valley of Haukadalur, which contains the geysers Geysir and Strokkur. Though Geysir has been inactive for a long time, Strokkur, on the other hand, continues to erupt at every 5-10 minutes interval.

Other stops include Kerið volcano crater, Hveragerði greenhouse village, Skálholt church, and the Nesjavellir or Hellisheidarvirkjun geothermal power plant.

  

UNESCO World Heritage site Thingvellir is holy in the eyes of most Icelanders. This is where our parliament, Althingi, was founded in 930 AD.

History aside, the national park is also significant for the fact that it is located where the North American and Eurasian Plates meet, as the Almannagjá rift bears witness to.

The Geysir hot spring area in Haukadalur valley is unique regardless of the season or weather. Geysir, the world’s most famous erupting hot spring—after which all erupting hot springs are named—was active for 600 years, its eruptions reaching a height of up to 60 meters, when it began to lose force at the dawn of the last century. It hardly ever erupts anymore.

But Geysir’s little brother Strokkur has taken over, treating visitors with 15 to 20-meter-high eruptions roughly every ten minutes.

The queen of Iceland’s waterfalls, Gulfoss, plunging down 32 meters, will cast a spell on you any time of the year. Rainbow-kissed and roaringly powerful in summer, frost-bound and timid in winter, Gullfoss is a fairy tale come true.

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Blue Lagoon

The Blue Lagoon geothermal spa is one of the most visited attractions in Iceland. The spa is located in a lava field in Grindavík on the Reykjanes Peninsula, southwestern Iceland. Bláa lónið is situated approximately 13 km from the Keflavík International Airport and 39 km from the capital city of Reykjavík. That is roughly a 20 minute drive from the airport and a 40 minute drive from Reykjavík. The Blue Lagoon spa and geothermal complex is clearly visible from any of the usual satellite imagery sources at coordinates (63.880, -22.449).

The lagoon is a man-made lagoon which is fed by the water output of the nearby geothermal power plant Svartsengi and is renewed every 2 days. Superheated water is vented from the ground near a lava flow and used to run turbines that generate electricity. After going through the turbines, the steam and hot water passes through a heat exchanger to provide heat for a municipal water heating system. Then the water is fed into the lagoon for recreational and medicinal users to bathe in.

The Blue Lagoon was used as the pit stop for the first leg of The Amazing Race 6. The Blue Lagoon was used for the thermal spa scenes in the filming of Hostel: Part II. It was also shown in the Incubus documentary Look Alive, when the band visited Iceland. It was also shown in fifth cycle of Britain's Next Top Model which used as photoshoot location.

The Blue Lagoon is situated close to the world's first renewable methanol plant, which uses Carbon Recycling International's carbon dioxide to methanol fuel process.

In 1976 a pool formed at the site from the waste water of the geothermal power plant that had just been built there. In 1981 people started bathing in it after the discovery of its healing powers for psoriasis. In 1992 the Blue Lagoon company was established and the bathing facility was opened for the public.

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Gullfoss

Gullfoss is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Iceland. The wide Hvítá rushes southward. About a kilometer above the falls it turns sharply to the right and flows down into a wide curved three-step "staircase" and then abruptly plunges in two stages (11 m and 21 m) into a crevice 32 m deep. The crevice, about 20 m wide, and 2.5 km in length, extends perpendicular to the flow of the river.

During the first half of the 20th century and some years into the late 20th century, there was much speculation about using Gullfoss to generate electricity. During this period, the waterfall was rented indirectly by its owners, Tómas Tómasson and Halldór Halldórsson, to foreign investors. However, the investors' attempts were unsuccessful, partly due to lack of money. The waterfall was later sold to the state of Iceland. Even after it was sold, there were plans to utilize Hvítá, which would have changed the waterfall forever. This was not done, and now the waterfall is protected.

Together with Þingvellir and the geysers of Haukadalur Gullfoss forms the Golden Circle, a popular day tour for tourists in Iceland.

Gullfoss appears on the cover of the album Porcupine by the British band Echo and the Bunnymen. Additionally, the falls are referenced in the novella,The Odd Saga of the American and a Curious Icelandic Flock; during a dinner, Snorri expresses a preference for Gullfoss, while Dr. Gustafsson favors Glymur.

Gullfoss features in the music video for the single "Heaven" by the band Live. During the video a young man and a young woman separated by the Hvítá river exchange written messages carried on rocks that they throw to each other over the river and the falls. At the end of the music video the young man attempts to swim across the Hvítá river downstream from the Gulfoss. His young lady friend is so horrified by seeing him being washed down the Hvítá river that she also jumps into the river in order to help him. They then float down the river holding onto each other.

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