The next day, Jessica drove us around the "Golden Circle." First stop: the rift. This is what fascinates me most about Iceland, for this is where the two continents (Eurasian and North American) are moving apart. The gap in between is filled with volcanic activity, such as lava. In fact, Iceland fundamentally exists because of the rift, and the land consists for the most part of lava, which one can see everywhere.

I remember in Hawaii, which is also an island created by a volcano, that lava was considered very fertile for plant life. However, first it had to be ground into soil, which in many cases is done by mechanical equipment. In Iceland, there were many, many areas devoid of apparent life because the lava terrain was still too rough.

We wandered for hours through the national park that contains one of the major rifts. Huge boulders towered overhead in walls that faced each other. Fissures appeared along the paths, threatening to catch our feet. At one point, we discovered swimmers in wet suits (some with scuba gear) exploring the cold waters of a very deep chasm. Not much to see, one of them told me, other than rocks. However, the water was drinkable (no salt) and very cold.