Friday, July 23, 2010

Blue Lagoon

The Blue Lagoon geothermal spa is one of the most visited attractions in Iceland. The steamy waters are part of a lava formation.

The warm waters are rich in minerals like silica and sulphur and bathing in the Blue Lagoon is reputed to help some people suffering from skin diseases such as psoriasis. The water temperature in the swimming area averages 104˚.

Landmannalaugar


The Landmannalaugar area is a popular tourist destination and hiking hub in Iceland's highlands. The area displays a number of unusual geological elements, like the multicolored rhyolite mountains and expansive lava fields. The many mountains in the surrounding areas display a wide spectrum of colors including pink, brown, green, yellow, blue, purple, black and white. It is located centrally near natural geothermal hot springs.

F Road 208


On our way to Vik from Landmannalaugar. This photo was taken at 10:00 p.m.


Vík


The village of Vík is the southernmost village in Iceland.

A remarkable nearby feature is the beautiful black beach with the Reynisdrangar, black basalt columns sculpted by the sea. A folk tale says that they are former trolls which were caught outside at dawn. In 1991, The American journal Island Magazine counted this beach as one of the ten most beautiful beaches on Earth. The village is the wettest place in Iceland.

Eyjafjallajökull


Eyjafjallajökull "island-mountain glacier" is one of the smaller ice caps of Iceland. The ice cap covers the caldera of the volcano with a summit elevation of 1,666 m. The volcano has erupted relatively frequently since the last glacial period, most recently from 1821 to 1823 and again in 2010.

Gullfoss


Gullfoss is one of the most popular tourist attractions in the country. About a kilometer above the falls it turns sharply to the left and flows down into a wide curved three-step "staircase" and then abruptly plunges in tow stages into a crevice 32 m deep. The crevice, about 20 m wide, and 2.5 km in length, is at right angles to the flow of the river. The average amount of water running over this waterfall is 140 m3/s in the summertime and 80 m3/s in the wintertime.

Kerlingarfjöll


Kerlingarfjöll is a mountain range in Iceland situated in the Highlands of Iceland near the Kjölur highland road. The volcanic origin of these mountains is evidenced by the numerous hot springs and rivulets in the area.

Akureyri


Akureyri is nicknamed "the Capital of North Iceland" and with a population of 17,304 it is Iceland's second largest urban area.

Note: The night we stayed here it was the official Summer Solstice or "Midnight Sun". The sun never went below the horizon. The sunset photo was taken at 3:00 a.m.


Húsavík

Húsavík is a small town in Northern Iceland on the Skjálfandi bay.

Húsavík has become a centre of whale watching in the north due to the different species of whales that frequent the area. It is home to the Icelandic Phallological Museum and the Húsavík Whale Museum. The town's church was built in 1907.


Jökulsárgliúfur National Park


Jökulsárgliúfur National Park is situated in the north of Iceland around the river Jökulsá á Fjöllum. It lies to the north of the Dettifoss waterfall.

The area is of interest because of its chaotic canyon and volcanic mountains. Eight thousand years ago, a volcano erupted directly underneath the river and glacial ice. This caused explosions and chaotic flooding.

The center of the park is Hljó∂arklettar (rock of echoes). Rau∂holar (red mountain) is of interest because of its special coloring.

Dettifoss

Dettifoss is a waterfall in Jökulsárgljúfur National Park of Northwest Iceland. The falls are 100m wide and have a drop of 44 m down to the Jökulsárgljúfur canyon. It is the largest waterfall in Europe in terms of volume discharge, having an average water flow of 200 m3/s.

Námafjall

A Geothermal area with boiling mudpools and steaming fumaroles.

West Fjords

The West Fjords is the name for the large peninsula in northwestern Iceland. It is connected to the rest of Iceland by a 7km wide isthmus between Gilsfjör∂ur and Bitrufjör∂ur. The West Fjords are very mountainous; the coastline is heavily indented by dozens of fjords surrounded by steep hills. The cliffs at Látrabjard comprise the longest bird cliff in the northern Atlantic Ocean and are at the westernmost region of Iceland.