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Album Description

Reykjavik, Whales & The Blue Lagoon

 Half the country’s population live in the capital, Reykjavik, enjoying fresh air and a great location between the bay and the mountains and glaciers of the interior. The streets are narrow but there are no traffic jams or crowded streets. Husavik is a small “whale-watching” village in the North nestled among high cliffs and facing out over the Arctic where you are almost guaranteed a sighting. Without a doubt the best out- door bath on the planet is the Blue Lagoon. The lagoon is a pool of seawater heated by the geothermal activity below the surface. Situated in the middle of a lava field, the water contains a cleansing mixture of salts, silica and blue-green algae to soften the skin and relax the body. Simply wonderful!
60 photos

Thingvellir, Falls, Geysirs, Craters & Steam

First to Thingvellir National Park, “Symbol of the Icelandic Consciousness”, which is in a rift valley between the American and European geological plates and Lake Thingvellir which contains species of fish found nowhere else. This is the site of the original Parliament established in 930. Then a visit to the 32 m high Gullfoss (Golden Falls) followed by a hike around Nesjavellir with its geothermal areas of sulphur pools, bubbling mud, and geysirs. After a tour of the geothermal plant, its off past a herd of Icelandic ponies and on to the Kerio crater and the Godafoss waterfall. The waterfall of the gods got its name when Iceland converted to Christianity and pagan carvings were thrown over the falls.
60 photos

Husavik Area Hikes

Beginning in Jökulsárgljúfur National Park, we hike past Echo rocks which are the remains of ancient volcanoes eroded by the Jökulsá River. We climb to the top of Rauðhólar for magnificent views of the Ásbyrgi Canyon (dubbed Iceland’s Grand Canyon) before heading off to view Dettifoss, Europe’s most powerful waterfall. The next day it’s off to the Myvatn area to hike through the Krafla volcanic region to the Viti Crater (Hell Crater), an explosion crater where a lake has formed. We continue on to the Leirhnjukur crater for boiling mud holes and a walk through jet-black lava fields. A stop at Hverir reveals more bubbling mud pool and screaming vents of steam escaping from the earth’s interior.
60 photos

The Flowers of Iceland

This album is a collection of the wild and domestic flowers found in Iceland all photographed in extreme closeup. The first quarter of the album features colourful wild plants found on various hikes through the harsh environment. The remaining photos were taken at the Botanical gardens in Akureyri. The gardens were begun by a Danish woman in 1912 to provide a relaxing environment but the current collection dates form the 1950s. There are species from southern Europe, Africa, South America and Australasia, as well as examples of just about every variety that will grow in Iceland. The garden are very well kept and still provide a haven of calm.
64 photos
Update: While most of us visited the gardens, a few hardy souls attempted the trek up fog-shroudded Mt Sulur. “We still had another 45 min to the top, but it was getting so thick we couldn't see each other, so decided it was time to turn back.” Thanks to Joan Burton for these four pix.