Day 346 - Tourists at Lake Thingvellir

This is the second picture I'm presenting from the amazing country of Iceland.  This one was taken while on a bus tour of what they call "The Golden Circle".  While neither Suzie or I care much for the structure of organized tours (actually, I think this may be the first one I've ever been on), they do make for a relaxing, fun day.

This is a particularly important part of Iceland, both historically and geologically.  It is right near here that the early Vikings held their first regular meetings of government.  Also, the large rift at the right side of this picture is the jagged edge of the North American tectonic plate.  Way over at the other side of the lake is a similar "wall" which marks the edge of the Eurasian plate.  The middle, which includes the lake, is kind of a geological "no mans land" which is constantly in a state of flux.  From what the guide said (and I just checked it on the web), the two plates are moving apart at the rate of 2 centimeters per year.

The weather was so gorgeous it was almost hard to take a bad picture that day!