Iceland
Our guide Christina drove us first to the waterfall Gullfoss. All waterfalls are spectacular but Gullfoss comes with an interesting history.
It is located on the land owned by generations of one family. About one hundred years ago, foreign investors became interested in harnessing the waterfall power to produce electricity. Tómas Tómasson, the head of the family at that time, refused to sell the waterfall. Later on, he leased it to investors. Tómasson’s daughter, Sigriður, fought to void the contract. According to the story, she dedicated all her time to saving the waterfall. The contract was cancelled because the investors failed to make payments; an energy plant was never built. A memorial to Sigriður, the first Icelandic environmentalist, tells about her heroic actions. However, a Wikipedia article claims that this popular story is just a legend. The bottom line is that the government now owns the waterfall and it is open to the public; the land under it belongs to the same family.
Our small bus continued its journey along the Golden Circle. The area was mostly barren. When the Vikings arrived, about 40% of Iceland was covered with forests. The settlers destroyed almost all trees. They needed timber to build houses and fuel to stay warm in winter.
Now Iceland tries to bring back its forests. Native to Iceland tree species are low-growing, Icelanders even have a joke about them – if you get lost in Iceland, stand up and you will find your way home. They are also slow-growing. Iceland imported seedlings of taller trees from Alaska that can form forests quickly.
Iceland also planted the Alaskan lupine that spread all over the country. This pretty flower thrives in harsh conditions and stops soil erosion. On the other hand, the non-native species become too aggressive and threaten to transform the local flora.
The Vikings brought to Iceland their horses. They eventually developed a new unique breed, the Icelandic horse that can withstand severe weather. We were warned not to call these smallish horses ponies because they are horses! No other breeds are permitted on the island to prevent interbreeding.
The Icelandic horse is a beautiful animal. If a local man wants to compliment a woman he says that she looks like an Icelandic horse.
Our next stop was at the Kerid crater that is also located on the privately owned land.
It’s believed that Kerid was a cone volcano that erupted long before the first settlers came to Iceland. Kerid is only three thousand years old. That’s why its crater still has red slopes rich in iron rather than volcanic black.
It was the end of July, still summer in Iceland, but bringing a good waterproof windbreaker with a hood was a good idea. It rained from time to time, the wind chilled to the bone, and waterfalls sprayed us with water like showers.