Iceland: Where geology has shaped history

Legend has it that Ingolfur was actually quite happy on the south coast where he landed, and as you drive through this area — which many consider among the prettiest parts of Iceland — it is easy to see why.

Green farm fields, dotted with sheep and sod-sided outbuildings eventually give way to stretches of purple Alaskan lupine (imported to help with soil erosion). In the distance, you can see the tips of glaciers lapping around the mountains.

Then come fields and fields of moss-covered lava, the moss softening the stone into fanciful shapes that tug at the imagination and could easily be the home of fey creatures.

Vik, a town of about 300, on the southernmost tip of the island, is full of charm — as well as shops offering prized Icelandic woolens.

At Ingolshofol — the cape where Ingolfur landed — another delight awaits: puffins. Hundreds and hundreds of puffins nesting on the steep cliffsides.

By taking a bumpy hay-truck ride across the lava plains, and then climbing up a hillside of black lava sand, you can get close to the nesting birds — and sit in wonder as they go about their daily lives: dipping into the sea far below, slipping into burrows, hanging out on the cliff face, keeping an ever watchful eye for predatory skuas.

You can see why Ingolfur might want to stay in this area. But he dutifully packed up his family and followers and moved onto Reykjavik, which itself is not without charm.

Approximately 80 percent of all Icelanders live in the greater Reykjavik area. But since there are only 300,000 or so on the whole island, that doesn't make the capital overwhelmingly large.

In the City Centre, there are shops and museums (a current exhibit at the Culture House tells of the Mormon emigrants who went to Spanish Fork, Utah) as well as government buildings such as the Parliament and City Hall.

A great place to get an overview of the city is from the Perlan ("the Pearl"), a revolving restaurant that sits atop giant hot-water storage tanks. There, too, is the Saga Museum, which brings to life the great stories of Iceland's past.

The Law Speakers: First Parliament

Once settlers began moving into Iceland, it didn't take them long to get organized. The first Althingi, or general assembly, was called together in 932 at Thingvellir, a centrally located natural amphitheater surrounded by huge basalt cliffs.

For centuries (actually until Iceland submitted to the rule of the king of Denmark in 1662), legislative and judicial action took place at Thingvellir each summer. Before any laws were written down, the law speaker would recite them from the Law Rock. The assembly was open to all, and anyone could address it from the rock.