The Golden Circle - Iceland Tour

Today was a full day tour called the Golden Circle tour, several tour companies do this tour with minor variations but much the same. Our tour had the added extra of a tour of the Hellisheidarvirkjun geothermal power plant, the second largest in the world. Its main function is to produce Hotwater and power for Reykjavik. It sits on Hengill Volcano.

Steam Turbine (left) and Generators(Right), all computer controlled.

Steam Exchanges that take liquids and other stuff out of geothermal fluids coming from boreholes which can be 2km deep.

Hengill Volcano in background which the power plant is built on.

Front View of building

Next stop was Kerid crater, one of a series of volcanic craters in a valley.

Kerid

View from Kerid overlooking area

We stopped to look at some Icelandic Horses near the road. These are the super models of horses, very cute. (never call them Ponies, not the done thing)

The above two pics are Faxa waterfalls, Faxa means "horses mane"

Next stop was Geyser area, this Strokkur firing off, it goes about every 10 mins and can get as high as 35 meters, mostly its about 20mtrs.

In the background is Geyser, from which all others are named. Geyser stopped in 1930 and then in 2000, after some earthquakes in the region, Geyser fired up again but has been dead since 2000. They all need a good round of earthquakes in the regions to recharged their batteries.

Strokkur

Strokkur

Icelanders love their big trucks

This is the Blue Mountain

That is Launger Glacier in the background, it is the second largest glacier in Iceland

The above falls are Gullfoss (or Gold falls), second largest falls in Iceland.

Icelanders and their trucks again. after these guys moved a big black one pulled up and the other day I saw a shiny new red one driving in Reykjavik.

Above pics are last stop of Pingvellir National Park, where first Icelandic parliament was set over 1000 years ago and where the two tectonic plates of Nth America and Europe are moving apart.