photophile
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I had an extraordinary long weekend in Iceland. They said it would be different - and it was!! Iceland is a microcosm - a landscape so alien, so unique that its quite mind-boggling at first. Enormous plains of ancient lava flows - becoming rock as it cooled. And yet, for me at least, it has only ever been 2 hours and 40 mins flying time away!
I must have had luck on my side - because the weather was EXCELLENT! Blue skies, bright UV-heavy sun (!) and a very pleasant 12 to 14 degrees centigrade. I used up all the memory cards I took with me (shot everything in RAW) - and I took so many pictures, I have made a seperate gallery - so feel free to pay a visit and click on a image there (link below). I will add more images in the next few days as I pull them off the card. Below are a few examples to wet your appetite!
In a period spanning just 250 years (roughly 800 - 1050 AD)the Vikings travelled to desitinations as diverse as Istanbul (navigating along the river Volga) all the way to "Vineland" (present day Labrador in North America). All this, in harsh climates, with the aid wooden boats, sails and rope. Iceland is the direct result of Viking settlement. The language has altered little in that time and present day Icelanders can read and understand Viking Sagas written around a 1000 years a go.
First up - the centre piece of the city: Hallgrimskirkja (completed in the mid-1940's) and towering above all other buildings in the city:
Olympus E-500
1/125s f/13.0 at 14.0mm iso200
A view of the City from the aforementioned church tower. Reykjavik is a small city and its possible to walk around in a day. Tap water is natural spring water (hot and cold). The hot water has a slight sulfurous smell to it - but its terriffic for a shower or bath!
Olympus E-500
1/50s f/14.0 at 19.0mm iso200
The 70 meter drop of the water fall at Skogafoss in the South of the Island. Roads are few and on either side of the narrow roads all that is visible are cooled lava plains, or mountainous rocks that have jutted out as a result of geological activity. Waterfall like these are quite common and form where fissures in the land occur.
Olympus E-500
0.62s f/22.0 at 54.0mm iso100
Hot jumping water (copyright Lena C 2006) at Geysir. The crater starts to fill-up and bubble. Then - it just bursts forth with tremendous energy. The water is pretty hot!!
Olympus E-500
1/800s f/3.5 at 14.0mm iso100
These are the mighty falls at Gulfoss. To give you some idea of the size - you can just make out some people standing on the cliff on the top right hand corner...
Olympus E-500
1/250s f/5.6 at 17.0mm iso200
Here is a link to the gallery: http://www.pbase.com/ah207/iceland2006&page=1
All in all, the trip was an eye-opener. The landscape, the natural beauty and the sheer power of the force of nature are stark reminders that our planet is still 'forming.' The current Icelandic population of some 270,000 people are a testament to man's ability to survive adverse conditions. But a more valuable lesson is that the people live WITH their environment and understand it, rather than try to force their own will upon it and transform it. Long may this continue.
--
AH
I must have had luck on my side - because the weather was EXCELLENT! Blue skies, bright UV-heavy sun (!) and a very pleasant 12 to 14 degrees centigrade. I used up all the memory cards I took with me (shot everything in RAW) - and I took so many pictures, I have made a seperate gallery - so feel free to pay a visit and click on a image there (link below). I will add more images in the next few days as I pull them off the card. Below are a few examples to wet your appetite!
In a period spanning just 250 years (roughly 800 - 1050 AD)the Vikings travelled to desitinations as diverse as Istanbul (navigating along the river Volga) all the way to "Vineland" (present day Labrador in North America). All this, in harsh climates, with the aid wooden boats, sails and rope. Iceland is the direct result of Viking settlement. The language has altered little in that time and present day Icelanders can read and understand Viking Sagas written around a 1000 years a go.
First up - the centre piece of the city: Hallgrimskirkja (completed in the mid-1940's) and towering above all other buildings in the city:
Olympus E-500
1/125s f/13.0 at 14.0mm iso200
A view of the City from the aforementioned church tower. Reykjavik is a small city and its possible to walk around in a day. Tap water is natural spring water (hot and cold). The hot water has a slight sulfurous smell to it - but its terriffic for a shower or bath!
Olympus E-500
1/50s f/14.0 at 19.0mm iso200
The 70 meter drop of the water fall at Skogafoss in the South of the Island. Roads are few and on either side of the narrow roads all that is visible are cooled lava plains, or mountainous rocks that have jutted out as a result of geological activity. Waterfall like these are quite common and form where fissures in the land occur.
Olympus E-500
0.62s f/22.0 at 54.0mm iso100
Hot jumping water (copyright Lena C 2006) at Geysir. The crater starts to fill-up and bubble. Then - it just bursts forth with tremendous energy. The water is pretty hot!!
Olympus E-500
1/800s f/3.5 at 14.0mm iso100
These are the mighty falls at Gulfoss. To give you some idea of the size - you can just make out some people standing on the cliff on the top right hand corner...
Olympus E-500
1/250s f/5.6 at 17.0mm iso200
Here is a link to the gallery: http://www.pbase.com/ah207/iceland2006&page=1
All in all, the trip was an eye-opener. The landscape, the natural beauty and the sheer power of the force of nature are stark reminders that our planet is still 'forming.' The current Icelandic population of some 270,000 people are a testament to man's ability to survive adverse conditions. But a more valuable lesson is that the people live WITH their environment and understand it, rather than try to force their own will upon it and transform it. Long may this continue.
--
AH
