Iceland

Creature comforts on the road!

Fancy a free warm shower and a flush toilet bowl to relieve yourself while on the road, the Icelanders have thought of it all. And on top of it, you can enjoy the scenic surroundings... get this..totally unblocked views! =) The shower is heated by the nearby Krafla Geothermal Power Plant. Toilet paper not included, so bring your own! This was the sight we saw while on the way to the Krafla volcano... did a little off-roading from the highway to get to here.

Somewhere near Krafla, Iceland (27 October 2011)

The meeting of Heaven, Earth and Hell...

Steaming hot mud pool against the backdrop of the snowy mountains.Namafjall Geothermal Area, Hverir, Iceland (27 October 2011)

Burning skies as the sun rises in the remote Interior of Iceland (28 October 2011)

Art by Nature's Picasso...

Lava fields and volcanic ash shaped by nature's elements of wind and ice.

Interior, Iceland (28 October 2011)

On our journey to Askja, we saw the Sun, the Snow and the Sky, constantly. It was stark but a beautiful kind of stark.

Very remote and uninhabitable volcanic desert out there. Highly inaccessible during winter, made accessible only by 4WD Super Jeep. Even for expert drivers (like our superb guide, Hordur, from Saga Travel), navigating through the deep snow was a challenge! Hah... I think if I had driven, there would only be 1 outcome... Lost! =D

Interior, Iceland (28 October 2011)

Heading into the unknown...

This is offroad driving at its finest... no GPS but navigating through the use of landmarks i.e. mountains.

Enroute to Askja, Interior, Iceland (28 October 2011)

Dressed for caving and trekking through a vast ropey lava field to Lofthellir Ice Cave...

Here I thought Lofthellir was a mountain cave and how come I did not see any mountains ahead, only miles and miles of lava fields. I guess the only 'mountain' thing was me, the mountain tortoise! Never did I expect Lofthellir is an underground cave!

Lava fields are common sights in Iceland, they are everywhere! In fact, the volcanic lava is one of the reasons why Iceland is constantly expanding in size, besides the tectonic plates moving in opposite directions. No need for any form of land reclamation like in Singapore! =P

Mývatn, Iceland (29 October 2011)

Ground -1...

Lofthellir Ice Cave, Mývatn, Iceland (29 October 2011)

I like this photo mainly for the unposed nature of it, with my hubby standing there, looking like a miniature human being, and so amazed by the diameter of the hole in the ground and the depth of this cave. It was scary getting down that ladder!

This cave was formerly a lava cave but now it is an ice cave... now you understand why Iceland is known as the land of fire and ice... for its two extremes.

At first glance you would think there is a family of a mother and her 3 little bears. This was just one of the amazing volcanic lava formations that I noticed, using a little imagination, as I was looking around the stark snowy surroundings in Dimmuborgir (Dark Castles), Iceland (30 October 2011).

The Town Mountain...

It looks like Súlur, the mountain of Akureyri, is just directly behind these houses but actually there is a distance of about 10 km between the houses and mountain. After spending a week in Akureyri, which was also my last day here, this was the first time I saw the mountain in its full glory since it was shrouded in the mist on the other days.

Akureyri, Iceland (31 October 2011)

"Look at me!"

"Me first!" Sheep #2036 with a beguiling look at a farm in Akureyri, Iceland (31 October 2011).

"Kiss me!"

Over-friendly sheeps offering free kisses at a farm in Akureyri, Iceland (31 October 2011). =)

The look of love...

At a sheep farm in Akureyri, Iceland (31 October 2011), I saw a sheep (clearly the leader among all) approaching the farm owner for a moment like this with him. I quickly raised my camera and snapped this shot before the moment was broken.

If this is not a look of love, then I don't know what it is. Shows that love knows no boundaries.

"OMG!!! Is that my poor cousin Buttercup that you are carrying on your shoulder???????"

I guess that must be the thought running through Cow 0860's head as she eyed the leather bag carried by hubby.

Akureyri, Iceland (31 October 2011)

Snow city

Farmhouse at the foot of the snowy mountains, Hlíðarfjall, in Akureyri, Iceland (31 October 2011)

"You've got mail!"

Mailboxes of remote farmhouses in Akureyri, Iceland (31 October 2011).

Bales of hay, in preparation for the long winter ahead...

Akureyri, Iceland (31 October 2011)

Aurora Borealis, lights worth waiting for!

After a week of waiting and overcast skies, I finally got a glimpse of the Northern Lights in Reykjavik, Iceland (31 October 2011). The sky is my omni-theatre, the lights constantly dancing and moving in all directions. I had a little trouble keeping up!

Really a struggle to shoot cos of the terrible wind chill and the extremely strong wind that was blowing from all directions. Even my sturdy tripod was shaking when I held it down. Felt like my fingers were going to fall out and my heart was about to stop beating from the cold. Still it is definitely worth shivering in the cold to watch the amazing lights dancing before my very eyes!

With perfect weather at Skógafoss, Iceland (1 November 2011), you get 2 waterfalls instead of 1!

This way to the lagoon...

Thought that the trailing white rocks looked interesting as they kind of led my eye to the Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon, Iceland (1 November 2011). These rocks prevented cars from driving any further inwards from the "carpark".

The Ripple Effect...

The gentle ripples and waves were created as the amphibian boat we were on drove from land straight into the water of the Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon, Iceland (1 November 2011)

Blinding light and an almost symmetrical blue iceberg in the surreal Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon, Iceland (1 November 2011).

Making a clean sweep...

Man in the speedboat turning away from our amphibious vessel in the Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon, Iceland (1 November 2011)

Brightness vs darkness.

An Icelandic farmhouse bathed in the final light of the setting sun.

Kirkjubæjarklaustur, Iceland (1 November 2011)

Sunny day on the mountains...

While the rest of Þingvellir (a rift valley in Iceland) looked cold, dark and gloomy, the snowy mountain top looked like the only warm and sunny place for sun-tanning. =D

Hell knows no fury like a woman scorned or woman's wrath... this is what happen when all hell breaks loose, so be nice to your wife/girlfriend!

Strokkur, Haukadalur, Iceland (3 November 2011)

Although the only hint of gold lies in the foreground, and not from Gullfoss (Golden Falls), this in no way takes the shine off the falls.

Gullfoss, Iceland (3 November 2011)

Cityscape of skyscrapers

Nature's golden (sometimes green, sometimes white, depending on the season) "organ pipes" basalt columns are reminiscent of the Giant's Causeway in Northern Ireland. This goes to show that there are giant trolls walking amongst us, with the giant structures they left behind! =)

Reynishverfi beach, Vik, Iceland (4 November 2011)

Cause and effect...

Standing in the Atlantic Ocean next to the basalt cliffs of Reynisfjall mountain is Reynisdrangar. Although Iceland is well-known as the land of fire and ice, I think it should also be known as the capital of fairies and trolls.

The story of Reynisdrangar goes like this... ...
One dark and stormy night, a three-masted ship with great treasures onboard ran aground. Two greedy trolls learned about it and went out there to try to drag the ship back to shore. As the ship was really heavy with the gold and jewels, it took them a long long time to drag the ship back. They were so focused on the task, and thinking how they were going to spend all that fortune that they forgot all about the time. At the break of dawn, they turned into stone. A heavy price to pay for greed!

The sea stack on the right is the troll (can only see one of them in this angle) and the 3-masted ship is on the left (again cannot see the three masts of the ship from this angle). Just leave it all to your imagination!

Vik, Iceland (4 November 2011)

Formerly a symbol of disaster, now of art.

In the middle of nowhere in Southern Iceland lies the final resting place of Dakota, a US Navy plane.

Sólheimasandur, Iceland (4 November 2011)

Gold rush!

Behind this majestic mountain is the infamous volcano Eyjafjallajökull which caused the disruption of air traffic in Europe when it erupted.

 Somewhere along the southern part of the Ring Road in Iceland (4 November 2011)

Smooth like silk Seljalandsfoss, Iceland (4 November 2011), with a little rainbow at the far end.

Beautiful Icelandic horses...

Absolutely love Icelandic horses... they are so beautiful, petite and have such lovely manes and long eyelashes... what's not to love about them? =)

Somewhere near Katla Volcano in Iceland (5 November 2011)

Riding with gusto into the year of the Horse!

It seems like She-Ra (hehe I think she looks like a She-Ra) understood what I was saying as she turned to look in my direction, as though posing for me. I think Icelandic horses are the most beautiful breed of horses in the world... just look at that long silky golden mane on her head and tail... the dreams of all the "My Little Ponies".

Somewhere near Katla Volcano in Iceland (5 November 2011)

Bird's eye view of Reykjavik city, Iceland (26 October 2011) from the tallest building in the city, Hallgrímskirkja.