Iceland review - 2014, Page 52

50 ICELAND REVIEW
In 1928 Þingvellir was decreed “a protected national shrine for all
Icelanders, the perpetual property of the Icelandic nation under
the preservation of parliament, never to be sold or mortgaged.”
But I am totally sold on Þingvellir, Iceland’s first national park.
Here, only 45 minutes’ drive from Reykjavík, you will not only find
peace; you will find the heartbeat of Iceland. Here, Alþingi, Iceland’s
parliament was established in 930 and 1,014 years later Iceland
became, at last, an independent republic.
But Þingvellir is more than history; here you can clearly see the
continental drift between the North-American and Eurasian Plates.
Due to its historic importance, as well as its special tectonic and
volcanic environment, Þingvellir is a designated UNESCO World
Heritage Site.
There is no best time to visit Þingvellir but if you like the colors,
come in late autumn. 
WORDS AND PHOtOS BY PÁll stefÁnssOn
tHe NatioN’s sHriNe