A steady walk took us to the site of the first Icelandic "parliament." It has to be said that there is no apparent evidence at Pingvellir, so you do need to let your imagination run a little bit. The site, a stone "balcony," has a superb view over the valley, and the Icelandic parliament held supreme authority in its day. It was both judicial and legislative, and disputes on the island were resolved here, while punishments were often executed in Pinvellir. Executions were par for the course in medieval Iceland, and beheadings or drownings in the waterfall pools was the way of punishing local witches or sex abuses (strange that these two "offences" should be singled out as requiring the death sentence).
We walked from this historic site up a 100m track through a small canyon to the summit of Almannagja. It reminded us very much of the Golden Canyon in Death Valley in its stature and rock formation. From the top there is perhaps the best view over the valley, and as we stood on the edge of the North American Plate, we pondered the information given to us that the valley gets wider by 1.5 centimetres and deeper by 2 millimetres each year as the continental plates drift apart. We are overseeing the meanderings of the River Oxara as it makes its way to the Pingvallavatn Lake, and in the distance, two mighty mountains of Armannsfell and Hrafnabjorg stand regally as if protecting this national site.
There are loads of people up here, and we presume that a few busloads of tourists have just decanted. We’re surprised that they are just standing looking towards the bottom of the canyon and not enjoying the stupendous view that is available from the very edge of Almannagja. As we retrace our footsteps and head back down, we have to "fight our way" through the growing gathering and then find that we are in the middle of a procession. We hear music, people start singing, and as we walk through the canyon, we see that young "maidens" are standing on the ridge in period costume holding the national flag. An Icelandic news crew is televising the event, which turns out to be the annual celebration of Iceland’s independence (June 17, 1944). We can now "feel" the reverence that Icelanders give to this geographical site as they recall the "Dedication of the Republic" ceremony that took place on Pingvellir on the site of the Alpingi (Icelandic Parliament), a site referred to in earlier declarations as "the sacred sites of all Icelanders."
This important historic and geological site is well worth a visit, although we appreciated the views more than the geological significance. There are some great walks in the area, and if we’d have had more time, I’d have liked to explore a little more, and of course, there was the fresh, open view and bird life that we’d come to accept as "normal" on this superb island.