The ONLY sunrise photo I managed to capture in Iceland, taken on the morning of arrival! 😊
It was pouring but for some reason the rain didn't show up in the image.
The lovely sun was such a rare sighting during our 10-day visit; in fact, it completely disappeared a few minutes later and was not to be seen for days to come!
This photo was taken from the free area of Blue Lagoon, a 20-minute drive from the airport.
Blue Lagoon is most likely Iceland's most popular tourist attraction, with steam rising from milky blue water.
The latest volcano erruption (Jul 10, 2023) was just 8 miles away!
The weather definitely was not on our side. The harsh wind and relentless rain forced us to skip a few locations as the trails were muddy and slippery!
There was no sun to rise and no sun to set. In return, I had the luxury to sleep in but still arrive at the lodgings late in the evening for there were so many distances to travel each day.
Iceland was BIG and we were BUSY!!!
We definitely experienced the better side of Moody Iceland! 😊
Dear All - I'm slowly catching up on your wonderful photos! 😉 Have a wonderful day/night! 🌷
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Despite not being able to visit a few iconic places, the forever changing weather conditions enabled me to get some nice photos.
I couldn't ask for a better lighting condition when we arrived at Grundarfjörður in the early afternoon. Kirkjufell Mountain was beautifully lit up and partially bathed in golden light!
You read it correctly, it's was only 2pm in the afternoon!!!
In less than an hour of time, the rain would arrive and all good lights were lost for hours to come.
Dear Flikrites, keep putting your 💕in your photos!
I am always grateful for your visit, wishing you a very happy weekend! 🌻🌞
Tags: Travel Scenery Composition Outdoor Canon EOS R5 Full Frame Mirrorless ThroughHerLens Landscape Sky Light Nature Cloudscape Reflection Water RF14-35mm F4 L IS USM Iceland Mountain Kirkjufell Golden Light Early Afternoon
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www.flickr.com/explore/2023/09/19 ⍟ 5 ⍟
Icelandic weather is notoriously unpredictable, and both locals and visitors must accept this year-round, regardless of season. While the Meteorological Office issues daily and weekly forecasts, the weather frequently deviates from these predictions.
The majority of Icelanders have the mentality that the worst possible weather will occur and that anything better than that will make them happy. All seasons are affected by this mindset.
In Iceland, "good weather" is a relative concept. Generally speaking, the winters are colder and the summers are warmer. Contrary to popular belief, the temperature difference between winter and summer is relatively small, with summers rarely being very warm and winters rarely being extremely cold.
If you are planning a trip to Iceland, you can not ignore the weather. 😉
Thank you for your kindness and support, dear Flickrites!🌻😘🌞
Tags: Travel Scenery Composition Outdoor Canon EOS R5 Full Frame Mirrorless ThroughHerLens Landscape Sky Light Nature Mountain Snow Iceland RF14-35mm F4 L IS USM
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Our travel dates were about 2 weeks too early to join an ice-cave tour, but I wanted to drive to the highlands before the roads closed, so a little sacrifice was in order!
To make it up, we toured a man-made ice cave at Perlan Reykjavik, which gave us an opportunity to walk through and get a real feel of the coldness. There was no time limit to spend inside the cave, but with a constant temperature of -10°C (14°F), you can be sure no one would stay longer than 15 minutes or so! 😊😉
Another highlight at Perlan was the stunning planetarium show of the Northern Lights. The state-of-the-art 8K projection system and the excellent surround sound system truly brought us a full spectrum of the magical northern lights. Unfortunately, having flown in earlier that morning and very much sleep deprived, we all fell asleep toward the end of the show. Oh how we wish we could stay and nap more after the show was over!!!😉😉😉
A heartfelt thank you for your visit; please have a wonderful day! 😘😘😘
Tags: Canon EOS R5 Full Frame Mirrorless ThroughHerLens RF14-35mm F4 L IS USM Ice Cave Man-made Perlan Reykjavik Iceland Natural History Museum Travel
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Gullfoss, known as the "Golden Falls" due to the water's golden color caused by sediments from the earth and glacial ice, is located in the Hvítá river canyon in Southwest Iceland which the geologists believe was formed by glacial outbursts at the beginning of the last ice age.
As I was standing in front of it on that overcast late morning, I could feel the pure power and energy coming from the rushing water.
Here's an interesting history of this majestic waterfall:
"In the early days of the last century, Gullfoss was at the center of a controversy regarding foreign investors and their desire to profit off Iceland’s nature. In the year 1907, an English businessman, Howell, sought to utilize the waterfall’s energy and harbored ambitions to use its energy to fuel a hydroelectric plant.
At the time, Gullfoss was owned by a farmer named Tómas Tómasson. Tómas declined Howell’s offer to purchase the land, stating famously “I will not sell my friend!” He would, however, go on to lease Howell the land without the knowledge of a loophole that would allow him to proceed with his plans.
It was Tómas’ daughter, Sigríður Tómasdóttir, who would lead the charge to stop Howell’s ambitions. Having grown up on her father’s sheep farm where she helped pave the first road to Gullfoss, she sought to get the contract nullified, hurriedly saving her own money to hire a lawyer.
The ensuing legal battle was an uphill struggle; the case continued for years, forcing Sigríður to travel many times by foot to Reykjavík, a distance of over 100 kilometers (62 miles). Circumstances became so difficult that Sigríður threatened to throw herself into the waterfall if any construction began.
Her tenacity, however, resulted in success. In 1929, Howell withdrew from the lease, unable to keep up with the costs and difficulties of his plan. The waterfall thus fell back into the hands of the Icelandic people.
Today, Sigríður is recognized for her perseverance in protecting Gullfoss and is often hailed as Iceland’s first environmentalist. As such, she is one of the most famous figures in Iceland’s history. Her contribution is forever marked in stone; a plaque detailing her plight sits at the top of Gullfoss.
Interestingly, the lawyer who assisted Sigríður, Sveinn Björnsson, went on to go down in history too; he became the first president of an independent Iceland in 1944."
Thank you for your time and visit, dear Flikerite; have a great week ahead! 🌷🌻
Tags: Travel Scenery Composition Outdoor Canon EOS R5 Full Frame Mirrorless ThroughHerLens Landscape Nature RF14-35mm F4 L IS USM Waterfall Iceland Gullfoss
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