Iceland - The Golden Circle

Our first stop for today tour is at Þingvellir (Thingvellir), one of Iceland National Parks which was established in 1928.



Lake Thingvallavatn, the largest natural lake of the country with an area of 83,7 kmฒ. Its greatest depth is 114 m, and this lowest point lies 13 m below sea level.

The rift apart - The continental movement between the Eurosian plate and the North American plate caused two severe earthquakes in South Iceland in the summer of 2000. The split run through Iceland. In the south, the plates inch past each other, but at Þingvellir, they break apart and the land between subsides.

Thingvellir- The Parliamentary Plains are the most important historic site of the country. The Althing – an open-air assembly, which represented the whole of Iceland – was established in 930 and continued to meet until 1798. Over two weeks a year, the assembly set laws – seen as a covenant between free men – and settled disputes. The Althing has deep historical and symbolic associations for the people of Iceland.

It was officially added to UNESCO's World Heritage List in August 2004. The distance from the capital is 49 km.

Our “Northface” dress code for the trip. We bought them from the Mongolia trip. Since three of us wear the same style and color, it looks like a school uniform, though our ages are over any student age range.

Our next stop is having lunch near the Geyser area it is a geothermal field where hot springs are in abundance, geysers explode and pools of mud bubble.

There is only one Icelandic word used in the English language: geyser. Though the word refers to all geysers in general, it comes from a single geyser (in fact, the geyser) located in the South West of Iceland. Far more reliable, though less spectacular, is nearby Strokkur (“the churn”), which spouts a 60-100 foot jet about once every five minutes.

Next is the Gullfoss which is claimed to be as beautiful as the Niagara Fall.

Gullfoss is a beautiful double-folding fall that many believe to be the most scenic in Iceland. It thunders 32m over a fault into a gorge, which measures 2.5km in length and up to 70m deep in places.

A statue of the farmer’s daughter.

At one time the government planned to supplant the falls with a large hydroelectric powerplant, but a nearby farmer’s daughter underwent a pilgrimage on foot to Reykjavik, where she demanded that unless the plant was stopped, she would cast herself over the falls. After the nation overwhelmingly came out in her favor, plans were halted and the government purchased the land for a national park.


View around the Selfoss Hotel.

Tonight we stay at Hotel Selfoss where we have a delicious dinner. The best of my trip in Iceland.

Iceland - Reykjavik

We stay at Hotel Grand Reykjavik which is a bit out of town.


Exhibition in the hall.

Icelandic Krona (ISK)is approximately 3.5 ISK = 1 Baht.



Dinner at the Chinese Restaurant in town.

Denmark - Copenhagen

Khun Sivaporn and Khun Rochana kindly arrange the Iceland trip for us. We stop by at Copenhagen to connect the flight to Iceland, waiting for the flight in the afternoon. We visit some Copenhagen's landmark.


Amalienborg Palace
"Amalienborg Palace, the royal couple's winter residence, is a major architectural work and probably the most outstanding piece of Rococo architecture in Denmark.

Amalienborg comprises four palaces and was originally conceived as town mansions for families of the nobility at the beginning of the 1750's. In 1794, after the fire at Christiansborg Castle, the mansions came into the possession of the Royal Family. At Amalienborg Palace the Royal Guard is on duty for 24 hours. The relief takes place every day at 12 o'clock noon."





From the Visitcopenhagen website :
"In 1909 Danish brewer Carl Jacobsen ordered sculptor Edvard Eriksen to create a statue of The Little Mermaid. It was presented to the City of Copenhagen on 23 August 1913.

The Little Mermaid has had a very turbulent life with vandalism, violation and even decapitation. But she is a tough old lady and has survived numerous attacks during her long life. The statue at Langelinie is actually a copy of the original statue. The real one is in the safe possesion of sculptor Edvard Eriksen's heirs. In addition there is a copy in the Danish enclave Solvang in California, USA, and a similar statue (Girl in a wetsuit) inspired by The Little Mermaid in Vancouver, Canada. "



From the wikipedia website :
"The fountain was donated to the city of Copenhagen by the Carlsberg Foundation on the occasion of the brewery’s 50-year anniversary. It was originally supposed to be located in the main town square outside city hall, but it was decided instead to build it near the Øresund in its current location near Kastellet ("The Citadel")."
It was designed by Danish artist Anders Bundgaard, who sculpted the naturalistic figures 1897-99. The basins and decorations were completed in 1908. The fountain was first activated on July 14, 1908.




The flea market at the town hall square.

Scala restaurant

We host a Birthday party for Khun Pichai at Scala restaurant in Siam square. The recommended dish is the Peking Duck, of which we order three dishes.

Victoria State - Melbourne

Our first stop for today is at the New Quey.






Next is the Fizroy Garden where Cook's Cottage, the re-located home of Captain James Cook's parents, sits.

From visitmelbourne.com website :
"The cottage was transported from the Yorkshire village where Captain James Cook, one of the first Europeans to chart Australia’s coast, was born and it was the home of Cook’s parents. Its furnishings and restoration are appropriate to the time in which they lived in the dwelling."





We then come back to have lunch in China town.




Our last visiting place for this trip is at Brighton Beach.








And that should be all for my trip.

Victoria State - Mt. Dandenong & Melbourne

After a healthy breakfast, we visit the Skyhigh of Mt. Dandenong.



Melbourne from afar.




Oh in front of Mr. Possum place.



We then drive to Melbourne, check in at the Urban Central Melbourne Hostel and return the car before visiting the Queen Victoria Market.



Beautiful old building in Melbourne.


Tie at the Federal Square.








Yarra river view at night.