Finishing up the Golden Circle Drive at Thingvellir

Another waterfall in Iceland

The drive around the isosceles triangular Golden Circle finished up with a visit to Thingvellir.

Thingvellir (spelled in Icelandic with a bullet-shaped consonant that is pronounced like a "th") is a national park known for two things.  First, it was the site of the "Althing," possibly the world's oldest parliamentary institution, with the first meeting being held here in Thingvellir around 930 A.D.

The other thing that Thingvellir is known for is its dramatic rift valley, where there again is visible evidence of tectonic plate movement as the North American plate and the Eurasian amicably separate and distance themselves from each other.  (NOTE: the separation is deemed "amicably" as it has occurred largely without earthquakes, unlike, for example, the tension between the Pacific and North American plates in the American West).

Sheer cliffs plus running water equal waterfalls.

Selfie at the falls:

I didn't go hunting for the Althing location within Thingvellir because, well, it had been a long day of driving and sometimes when you're on vacation that "one more sight-to-see" just doesn't get seen.

And, with that, we conclude the Icelandic part of the vacation holiday extravaganza.

Good-bye Iceland.  You were a great place to spend some time.  Iceland has amazing scenery unlike anywhere else.  The people are amazingly friendly and helpful.  The police will stop their car on the main street to let you cross.  I am very glad I decided to stop here finally.  Next stop: Paris, France.