Rattir - Lake Myvatn - Godafoss Waterfal

Peggy and I were up at 5:30 AM to walk around Akureyri on a Sunday for an hour or so before breakfast. It's an old town with old and new sections. We went over a bridge that straddled the Glera River (the river of glass) flowing through a deep chasm to a dam that powered a hydroelectric plant. We were on the road with our tour mates at 8:20.

First stop was a gathering of sheep farming families called a Rettir. In the fall, members of the families go up into the surrounding highlands on horseback to herd all the sheep down into the valley into a large fenced-in enclosure. Three generations of different family members then wade through the gathered flock to grab their sheep by the horns and separate them into separate fenced areas. The Rettir has been a tradition for centuries and we were most fortunate to be in the right place at the right time.

Myvatn Lake was our next stop. We did a short hike through a 2,000 year old lava field and had to contend a bit with small, swarming midge flies… which are much more numerous earlier in the summer months, requiring a head net.

We went to the magnificent 12 meter tall Godafoss (Waterfall of the Gods). As the story goes, a chieftain in the year 1000 decided Icelanders should accept the Christian faith. When his decision was formally accepted, he went home and gathered his statues of pagan gods to throw into the waterfall.

Before returning to our hotel in Akureyri, we stopped at a church designed by Gulli 20 years ago. The coolest part of the design was the large glass window behind the altar… showing the natural terrain and snow-covered mountains of Iceland.

Quick Photo Links: Rattir | Yellowstone of Iceland | Lake Myvatn | Waterfall of the Gods | Gulli's church