Iceland, 2: Þingvellir

Yes, Þingvellir. The letter Þ ("thorn") is one of the singularities of Icelandic, which comes to us, of course, from Old Norse. Really old Norse. It's sort of a "th" sound, but you can pronounce it however you like. We did.

Anyhow, after Costco, we drove out to the Golden Circle, a circuit of touristic delights east of Reykjavik, and began with Þingvellir, which boasts both great historic and geological significance. It is the site of the traditional Alþingi, the annual gathering of chieftains island-wide to make law, beginning in 930, which is widely recognized as the oldest continuing legislative body. The Althing occurred in this place because of its relative centrality and shelter as well as ample water and grazing. Its geological significance consists of its being the most conspicuous place on the planet where tectonic plates are parting, North America on one side and Europe on the other. Seeing Þingvellir completed a pretty excellent day for us, despite the setback with the camper. Fortunately, Icelandic days in the summer are quite long. We camped at a nearby national park site. 

Helpful signage in the gift shoppe

And helpful signage throughout...and throughout Iceland...
and in English, too...every Icelander we encountered was completely
bilingual, often American as opposed to British English; the US
had a significant naval presence here in WWII and later; Iceland
was the MOMP--the mid-ocean meeting point--here convoys
escorted by USN destroyers in 1940-41 were handed over to
the Royal Navy for the rest of their perilous journey

The continental rift...Europe on the right, North America on the
left

Further views

The deepest parts of the rift are in the lake beyond

Me, left foot in Europe, right in North America;
so to speak

The rift continues

Under the flag, the Law Rock, from which the head chieftain,
the Lawgiver, spoke

Depiction of what it all might have looked like, back in the day

Helpful map back at the visitor center

Local terrain

Encampment #2 at a national park campground: pretty bare
bones, a big field with minimal toilet, shower, and cooking 
facilities; but only about $10