Gullfoss waterfall

Submenus:

Geysir

ÞINGVELLIR NP, where America meets Europe

Hallgrimskirkja-Church

Iceland

Iceland, vomiting at sea (blog)

Gullfoss waterfall

I got my first taste of Iceland when I arrived in Reykjavik this summer.  A short week was all the time that was available for me while just staying in Reykjavik and so began the challenge of cramming in as much sightseeing as possible.My first stop was Gullfoss, or “Golden Falls”, a two tiered waterfall with a drop off that appears as if it is being swallowed whole by the Earth.  In the early 20th century foreign investors wanted to use Gullfoss to produce electricity. At that time the waterfall was owned by a farmer named Tómas Tómasson. His daughter, Sigriður Tómasdóttir felt that the waterfall should not be altered from its natural state and began a court case in Reykjavik to fight the foreign investors. Several times she walked 100 kilometers barefoot from her farm to Reykjavik to raise awareness about preserving Iceland’s nature. She even threatened to throw herself into the waterfall if construction were to begin.Eventually the contract to use Gullfoss as a source of electricity was cancelled because of the investors failing to pay the rental fee. In 1979, Gullfoss was designated a nature reserve to permanently protect it and allow visitors to enjoy its beauty.