Iceland and Greenland 2026

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Introduction. July 08, 09, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22. Home.

2026-07-09

In the morning, we visited Hespuhúsið, a wool-dyeing studio run by Guðrún Bjarnadóttir, who was an academic studying wool-dyeing history and got caught up in it. Then we visited Gullfoss, large waterfall, and the Haukadular geothermal field, where there is Geysir, the geyser for which others are named.

Lunch was at Friðheimar, a greenhouse tomato farm. In the afternoon, we visited Thingvellir National Park, where the Alþing, Iceland’s original parliament, convened. It is also on a rift between the North American tectonic plate and the Eurasian plate. I declined an opportunity to try sheepshead jelly.

Wool-dyeing presentation by Guðrún Bjarnadóttir
Wool-dyeing presentation by Guðrún Bjarnadóttir.
Wool dyeing
Wool dyeing.
Ingredients include rhubarb, cow urine, lichen, moss, various leaves and roots, mid-American insects, and indigo.
Hespa wool studio
Hespa wool studio.
Hespa wool studio
Hespa wool studio.
Gullfoss
Gullfoss.
Gullfoss
Gullfoss.
Gullfoss
Gullfoss.
Gullfoss
Gullfoss.
Gullfoss
Gullfoss.
Gullfoss
Gullfoss.
Gullfoss story
Gullfoss story.
Strokkur geyser
Strokkur geyser.
Strokkur geyser bubbling
Strokkur geyser bubbling.
Haukadular geothermal field
Haukadular geothermal field.
Geysir
Geysir.
The geyser for which others were named.
Lunch in greenhouse
Lunch in greenhouse.
Greenhouse at Friðheimar
Greenhouse at Friðheimar.
Salad at Vínstofa Friðheima
Salad at Vínstofa Friðheima.
Thingvellir National Park
Thingvellir National Park.
Thingvellir National Park
Thingvellir National Park.
Location of the Alþing, the original Icelandic parliament and the world’s earliest parliament, around 930 CE.
Thingvellir National Park
Thingvellir National Park.
Thingvellir National Park
Thingvellir National Park.
Slopes of volcanic terrain
Slopes of volcanic terrain.
Horses
Horses.
Ölfusá (river)
Ölfusá (river in Selfoss).
Ölfusá
Ölfusá.
Our guide Margrét said the different water colors were due to two rivers merging, but I think it is largely the underlying land or rock.
Tree in Ölfusá
Tree in Ölfusá
Selfoss
Selfoss.
Selfoss
Selfoss.
This sign was out of context for me. Is Tryggvatorg a place? A town, a monument? Does it mean “safe marketplace” (from translation software)?

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© Copyright 2026 by Eric Postpischil.