Goðafoss on the Skjálfandafljót

Gray skies layer in deeper lines of darkening clouds until rain swathes the roadways north to Sauðárkrókur on the western fjords. We pull on scarves, gloves, Icelandic hats and zip up our winter coats to ward off the windswept chill. Halfway along the Ring Road we approach the epic Goðafoss, one of the most spectacular waterfalls in Iceland that falls 12 meters over a width of 30 meters in a stunning arc on the river Skjálfandafljót. Slightly more than half the height of Niagra Falls, but the same impressive horseshoe arc encompassing viewers astounded along her banks. Both grand horseshoe falls have similar surging river above and below. Lawspeaker Þorgeir Ljósvetningagoði made Christianity the official religion of Iceland by throwing his statues of Nordic gods into the raging waters of Goðafoss in the year 1000.

The water gods of Iceland live on regardless of mere human pronouncements, and a steady stream of worshipping tourists attest to the fact of her divine beauty. The color of cerulean glacial melt waters never loses its ability to impress with the most magnificent splendor. Rain abates for the short time we walk along the riverside trail and snap selfies and various profiles of this sapphire goddess. The magnificent Sapphire in much of folklore and religion is associated with celestial beauty, considered a stone of wisdom and royalty, of prophecy and divine favor, often held as a sacred artifact and considered the gem of gems. The azure radiance of Goðafoss is indeed a gem of gems.