Golden Circle Tour

Good evening! The sun is shining and it is 740 here. Currently two days past the summer solstice here so it is sunny for all but 3 hours per day. Yes mom, the hotel has light canceling shades. I am going to do two posts today because there are quite a few photos and I am hoping this will prevent the uploading process from taking forever. Without further ado... Yesterday (Sunday) we went on the Golden circle tour. This route hits a bunch of sites that I read were must sees. First, we hiked down a ridge where the European tectonic plate meets the North American tectonic plate. Evidently they are moving several inches apart per year and as a result the area has some interesting cliffs and ridges. From there we went to see Geyser (where we get the word geyser..fun fact). It is currently dormant but its neighbor is not. Dad thought it was hilarious when people got sprayed by the stream of hot water. We did some hiking in that area and then headed to the bus to see what is considered the most beautiful waterfall in Iceland (though not the tallest). Got some great pictures and got pretty soaked there. Last stop was the site of the first church. Since 1100 it has been rebuilt 12 times. My favorite part of that stop was this little model of an early settlement. The vikings used grass roofs to provide insulation. I thought the home looked like it belonged in the shire and was disappointed when Frodo didn't show up. After lots of sites and a full day of sitting on a bus I was very tired. Dad has a new hobby of taking pictures of me sleeping. Tomorrow expect a full video of his snoring. Karma. Anyways, that was why no post from yesterday. Here are lots of photos as my way of making it up to you. Love, Hope