"The Thing at the Big Water " a Þingvellir Travel Page by yooperprof

I'm sure it wasn't the best idea I've ever had - trying to drive to the rift valley where Iceland's largest lake is located in my small rental Toyota. Especially on a back road. Especially on a day after a snow fall, when the road was still largely covered in icy slush. Thank goodness I'm a Yooper! Thank goodness I have decent winter driving skills! Thank goodness I was lucky!

The dramatic landscape, though, made it all worthwhile. Something deeply dramatic and satisfying about the harsh rugged interior of Iceland - you have a little awe for the rugged people who have made this island their home. And what were they thinking when they decided to locate their main "talking place" - the antecedent of the world's parliaments - here in the interior of the country, far removed from the accessible coastline?