17 August 2017
No rest for the weary. The day after our exciting journey to the Arctic Circle, it was time to do some more exploring of the mainland of Northern Iceland.
Our first stop was Godafoss. It is actually spelt “Goðafoss” – the Icelandic language has some very odd-looking letters.
The word Goðafoss means “Waterfall of the Gods”. It was about 30 metres wide, and we could tell how powerful it was from the thundering sound the beautiful blue water made, as it crashed into the river, some 12 metres below. We were mesmerized watching this wonder of nature.
After leaving Goðafoss, we traveled on to Dimmuborgir, a large area of rock formations created when lava tube collapsed during a volcanic eruption 2000 years ago. The lava pooled over wet land, which caused the water to boil. The steam created from this caused the formation of pillars. “Dimmuborgir” means ‘dark cities’ or ‘dark castles’ – and indeed, it does look just like a city comprised of tall black, craggy spires.
Cheerio and Chamomile brought me on a hike out to a special rock formation called Kirkjan (The Church), which is one of the best known rock formations in Dimmuborgir. It is a lava tube or cave, open at both ends, with a high dome-shaped roof that looks like a church steeple.
By the end of our hike back, it had started to rain. I was sure happy that Oregano and Paprika had gotten me such a sturdy rain coat before we left for our trip. It has come in handy more than once.
The Fantastical Voyages of Flat Kathy 