Iceland, Part 1, August 2009

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Remember those old episodes of Star Trek, where Captain Kirk and his crew would beam down on to a different strange planet every week, and would invariably get into nail-biting scrapes with some dodgy alien life forms. Well in Iceland you could film a whole Star Trek series, without running out of strange unworldly landscapes. In the first episode, Kirk beams down to a planet with rugged yellow sulphur covered landscape, surrounded by hissing steaming vents. In the gripping finale, he is locked in combat with an unfriendly alien, teetering on the edge of a bubbling, spitting mud pool, but manages to triumph ready for the following episode. The next week, he beams down to a strange and eerie black landscape, some of the ground around him is red-hot and smoking, and no life anywhere to be seen. And the following week he beams down to a landscape that looks like lumpy green foam rubber as far as the eye can see. Anyway, you get the idea....
Reykjavik Harbour Reykjavik Harbour
In the courtyard behind Lækjargata 6 is The Unknown Official. Several countries have monuments to the Unknown Soldier, but perhaps only Iceland has a sculpture honoring -- and lightly satirizing -- the thankless, anonymous job of the bureaucrat. The 1994 sculpture by Magnús Tómasson depicts a man in a suit holding a briefcase, with his head and shoulders subsumed in a slab of unsculpted stone. Reykjavik
Perlan - Reykjavik, has a rotating restaurant on top and a museum below Reykjavik
ATV tour in Haukadalur ATV tour in Haukadalur
ATV tour in Haukadalur Washing off the Mud after Quad biking in Haukadalur
Þingvellir National Park. In 930 the Icelandic Parliament was founded there. Geographically speaking Iceland belongs to two continents, namely Europe and America. These two continents are drifting apart, due to the tectonic plates, at the ‘soaring’ speed of 2 m per century, and that process can be easily appreciated in Thingvellir. The land here is constantly sinking due to the land-masses splitting apart, and thus a huge graben, or rift valley, is forming. Þingvellir National Park. In 930 the Icelandic Parliament was founded there. Geographically speaking Iceland belongs to two continents, namely Europe and America. These two continents are drifting apart, due to the tectonic plates, at the ‘soaring’ speed of 2 m per century, and that process can be easily appreciated in Thingvellir. The land here is constantly sinking due to the land-masses splitting apart, and thus a huge graben, or rift valley, is forming.
Þingvellir National Park. In 930 the Icelandic Parliament was founded there. Geographically speaking Iceland belongs to two continents, namely Europe and America. These two continents are drifting apart, due to the tectonic plates, at the ‘soaring’ speed of 2 m per century, and that process can be easily appreciated in Thingvellir. The land here is constantly sinking due to the land-masses splitting apart, and thus a huge graben, or rift valley, is forming. Þingvellir National Park. In 930 the Icelandic Parliament was founded there. Geographically speaking Iceland belongs to two continents, namely Europe and America. These two continents are drifting apart, due to the tectonic plates, at the ‘soaring’ speed of 2 m per century, and that process can be easily appreciated in Thingvellir. The land here is constantly sinking due to the land-masses splitting apart, and thus a huge graben, or rift valley, is forming.
Þingvellir National Park. In 930 the Icelandic Parliament was founded there. Geographically speaking Iceland belongs to two continents, namely Europe and America. These two continents are drifting apart, due to the tectonic plates, at the ‘soaring’ speed of 2 m per century, and that process can be easily appreciated in Thingvellir. The land here is constantly sinking due to the land-masses splitting apart, and thus a huge graben, or rift valley, is forming. Þingvellir National Park. In 930 the Icelandic Parliament was founded there. Geographically speaking Iceland belongs to two continents, namely Europe and America. These two continents are drifting apart, due to the tectonic plates, at the ‘soaring’ speed of 2 m per century, and that process can be easily appreciated in Thingvellir. The land here is constantly sinking due to the land-masses splitting apart, and thus a huge graben, or rift valley, is forming.
Þingvellir National Park. In 930 the Icelandic Parliament was founded there. Geographically speaking Iceland belongs to two continents, namely Europe and America. These two continents are drifting apart, due to the tectonic plates, at the ‘soaring’ speed of 2 m per century, and that process can be easily appreciated in Thingvellir. The land here is constantly sinking due to the land-masses splitting apart, and thus a huge graben, or rift valley, is forming. Springs around the Geyser
The second most famous geyser in Iceland is Strokkur, which erupts every 8 minutes throwing a column of water and steam to a height of 20 metres or so. There are also several other smaller ones.
The second most famous geyser in Iceland is Strokkur, which erupts every 8 minutes throwing a column of water and steam to a height of 20 metres or so. There are also several other smaller ones. The second most famous geyser in Iceland is Strokkur, which erupts every 8 minutes throwing a column of water and steam to a height of 20 metres or so. There are also several other smaller ones.
Pool around the Geyser Pool around the Geyser
Great Geysir erupts approximately every 8 to 10 hours, from this all the world Great Geysir erupts approximately every 8 to 10 hours, from this all the world
The second most famous geyser in Iceland is Strokkur, which erupts every 8 minutes throwing a column of water and steam to a height of 20 metres or so. There are also several other smaller ones. The second most famous geyser in Iceland is Strokkur, which erupts every 8 minutes throwing a column of water and steam to a height of 20 metres or so. There are also several other smaller ones.
The second most famous geyser in Iceland is Strokkur, which erupts every 8 minutes throwing a column of water and steam to a height of 20 metres or so. There are also several other smaller ones. The second most famous geyser in Iceland is Strokkur, which erupts every 8 minutes throwing a column of water and steam to a height of 20 metres or so. There are also several other smaller ones.
The second most famous geyser in Iceland is Strokkur, which erupts every 8 minutes throwing a column of water and steam to a height of 20 metres or so. There are also several other smaller ones. The second most famous geyser in Iceland is Strokkur, which erupts every 8 minutes throwing a column of water and steam to a height of 20 metres or so. There are also several other smaller ones.
Litli Geysir Gullfoss waterfall
Gullfoss waterfall Gullfoss waterfall
Gullfoss waterfall Gullfoss waterfall
The long road!
Seljalandfoss, you can walk behind the waterfall Seljalandfoss, you can walk behind the waterfall
Seljalandfoss, you can walk behind the waterfall Seljalandfoss, you can walk behind the waterfall
Mýrdalsjökull glacier
At Skogar a golden treasure is hidden beneath the waterfall.
Vik beach, yes the sand is supposed to be black!
Vik beach, yes the sand is supposed to be black! Rocks covered in a green moss .... for miles and miles and miles!
Kirkjugolf ("Church Floor") the tops of basalt columns can be seen, so it looks like a hexagonally paved floor
Kirkjugolf ("Church Floor") the tops of basalt columns can be seen, so it looks like a hexagonally paved floor
Grass roofed houses in Hof
Grass roofed houses in Hof
Vatnajökull, Europe’s largest glacier, in the distance September 30, 1996 a subglacial eruption started, it melted a 3,5 km long and 500 m wide area of the 600 m thick ice. The meltwater, 300-400 m³/sec., filled the caldera until the glacier burst in the beginning of November. This is the remains of a bridge that was washed away!
Vatnajökull glacier, Skaftafell Vatnajökull glacier, Skaftafell
Vatnajökull glacier, Skaftafell Vatnajökull glacier, Skaftafell
Vatnajökull glacier, Skaftafell Vatnajökull glacier, Skaftafell
Vatnajökull glacier, Skaftafell Vatnajökull glacier, Skaftafell
The view from our hotel, Vatnajökull glacier, Skaftafell Glacial summer meltwater, Vatnajökull glacier
Hiking on Vatnajökull glacier. It was raining heavily and gale force winds ... so much so that a camper van had blown over near our hotel :( Hiking on Vatnajökull glacier. It was raining heavily and gale force winds ... so much so that a camper van had blown over near our hotel :(
Hiking on Vatnajökull glacier. It was raining heavily and gale force winds ... so much so that a camper van had blown over near our hotel :( Hiking on Vatnajökull glacier. It was raining heavily and gale force winds ... so much so that a camper van had blown over near our hotel :(
Hiking on Vatnajökull glacier. It was raining heavily and gale force winds ... so much so that a camper van had blown over near our hotel :( Hiking on Vatnajökull glacier. It was raining heavily and gale force winds ... so much so that a camper van had blown over near our hotel :(
Hiking on Vatnajökull glacier. It was raining heavily and gale force winds ... so much so that a camper van had blown over near our hotel :( Hiking on Vatnajökull glacier. It was raining heavily and gale force winds ... so much so that a camper van had blown over near our hotel :(
Jökulsárlón is the largest glacial lakes in Iceland. A number of films have had scenes shot at Jökulsárlón, including Beowulf and Grendel, Tomb Raider, Die Another Day, Batman Begins and A View to a Kill (James Bond). The lagoon was frozen several times by blocking the exit to the sea and therefore reducing the salt in the water ... it takes just a couple of weeks to freeze! Our hotel, Vatnajökull glacier, Skaftafell


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