India Ink

Rainbow Architecture

I have a thing for multi-colored buildings. They always catch my eye and demand a photo stop.

Reykjavik, Iceland (2010)

French Quarter, New Orleans, Louisiana (2009)

Cape Hatteras, North Carolina (2011)

Fredericksburg, Virginia (2011)

Singapore (2004)

Prince Edward Island, Canada (2008)

Port Aux Basques, Newfoundland, Canada (2008)

Iceland: Died and Went To Heaven

The Blue Lagoon, Reykjanes Peninsula, Iceland

If a belching volcano isn't enough to bring you to Iceland, how about the Blue Lagoon geothermal spa? (No relation to the Brooke Shields movie).

The Blue Lagoon is a giant saltwater hotspring in the midst of a lava field, with water temperatures of 98-110°F (37-40°C).  It's part of a commercial spa resort, but you don't have to do any of the spa stuff, you can just come for a soak.

Strangely enough, the water is actually a byproduct of a nearby geothermal power station, but don't let that deter you. I spent 4 blissful hours soaking here, dragging myself out of the warm waters only because my plane was taking off in two hours. (The lagoon is 15 minutes from the airport, so a lot of visitors stop here on the way to or from the airport). If the thought of just sitting in hot water bores you, you can pop into the steam and/or sauna baths surrounding the lagoon, get a powerful massage by sitting under a thundering artificial waterfall, or dig into one of the silica bins to lather on a silica mud mask.

The next time you fly to Europe, Internet, pack a swim suit, arrange for a couple-hour layover in Iceland and pop in here for a unique experience. (Icelandair offers free stopovers in Iceland on their USA to Europe flights).

The ultimate hot tub. Pure bliss.

This was the last picture I clicked, before my camera died. Yeah, yeah, I know, who takes their camera into a hot spring with them? I didn't actually drop it in the water, but I guess cameras just don't like steam baths... (Fortunately, it dried out after a few days!)

Iceland: Lava Waterfalls

Hraunfossar, western Iceland

I wouldn't normally associate waterfalls with lava, but the lava waterfalls of Iceland do exactly that. The Hraunfossar ('lava falls') in western Iceland is a strand of waterfalls that run for about a kilometer. The melting glacier water emerges from underground lava layers.

Hraunfossar, western Iceland

Close up of Hraunfossar

Barnafoss ('Children's Falls')
The lava waterfalls flow into the river Hvita, creating this falls

Another of the many waterfalls dotting the Icelandic landscape

Iceland: Lava Caving

I imagine this must be what the moon looks like. Iceland's volcanic history is everywhere. The first 10 miles or so of the bus trip from the airport into Reykjavik (the capital city), I might as well have been on the moon; I saw nothing but rocks like these:

Lava rocks (the reflection was from the bus window)

Lava caves dot the West Iceland highlands. Our group checked out this one, called Vidgelmir, believed to be the largest in the world. The cave is about a mile long, but only a short distance of that is open to the public.

Descending into the lava cave. It was a fairly short descent, but very slippery and rocky, and being the oldest member of our group, I was definitely showing my age on the climb back up!

View from inside the lava cave, looking toward the entrance. This type of lava cave is known as a lava tube, and is formed by slow-moving lava forming a crust above continuously-flowing lava. Traces of human habitation dating back to the Viking Age have been found in this cave.

Closeup of the lava rock texture just outside the cave.

The rugged volcanic landscape, near Pingvellir National Park

Iceland: Polar Landscape

The Icelandic landscape is hauntingly beautiful. At this time of year (spring), it's mostly black and white: black lava rocks capped with snow, stone deserts surrounded by glaciers.

Mountain in Kaldidalur (which means Cold Valley), in the interior highlands of Iceland.

Lake just outside Pingvellir National Park, Iceland

Me on snow-covered lava rocks of Kaldidalur, Iceland

Many mountain passes of the highland areas are accessible by jeep only.
That's our jeep, stopping off for a photo-break while navigating its way around a pass.

Langjökull glacier, with snow-covered mountain in background.
The visibility changes rapidly; just a minute after this photo was taken, the mountain was no longer visible.

Me standing on the Langjökull glacier, the second largest glacier in Iceland.

Borgarfjördur fjord near Borgarnes, southwestern Iceland

Fire And Ice

Iceland is not just about ice, but also about heat. Dotting the polar landscape of lava and snow-covered mountains are steaming geothermal hot springs. Some are bubbling mud, but others are crystal clear and beckon hikers for a dip.

Hot spring winding its way through Olkelduhals valley

Hikers walking through lava fields toward a steaming hot spring at Misty Valley, Olkelduhals, Iceland

Ice crystals form from steam settling on the grass and rocks surrounding the hot spring

Me enjoying a dip in a hot spring at Olkelduhals, Iceland.
The hardest part was getting out of my 5 layers of winter gear, into a swim suit (and back).
Outside temperature: 32°F (0°C)
Wind chill: -10°F
Water temperature: 97-99°F (38°C)!

Reporting Live from Ground Zero Iceland!

Today, I FINALLY got a glimpse of that magnificent volcano that's been wreaking havoc around the world. Our tour guide was able to drive up closer than I thought we could--we were probably within about a mile or so of the site. Of course, for me, even closer would have been better, but the search-and-rescue guys stationed at this checkpoint wouldn't let us go any further. 

Sorry for all the disruptions, Europe, but from where I'm sitting, it's absolutely SPECTACULAR!

Eyjafjallajokull glacier volcanic eruption, Iceland, April 17, 2010

Eyjafjallajokull glacier volcanic eruption, Iceland, April 17, 2010

Eyjafjallajokull glacier volcanic eruption, Iceland, April 17, 2010

Eyjafjallajokull glacier volcanic eruption, Iceland, April 17, 2010

Me with the search and rescue boys stationed at this checkpoint

Proof that I was really there!

An Icelandic Birthday

"So you were concerned that the volcano wasn’t erupting anymore before you left….what did you do?  It must have been something to really upset it J"

Geez -- I was just keeping my fingers crossed that it would burp once or twice, enough for me to get a few good shots. I swear. I never intended to empty the British (and Polish and Irish) skies..."

It must be that I'm extra powerful because it's my birthday? ;o)

Since I still can't get close to the volcano (the roads are still closed), I spent my birthday riding a handsome Icelandic horse under a rainbow sky, followed by a dip in one of the geothermal hot springs that Iceland is famous for.

On my horse at Eldhestar, Hveragerdi, Iceland
I'm all suited up because it was pretty cold and wet!

When the sun came out, the full-arch rainbow was spectacular

Rainbow riders

What Volcano?

Well I made it to Iceland safely, just hours before air traffic between Iceland and northern Europe ground to a halt because of the Eyjafjallajokull volcano eruption.

And although the big ole volcano brought British travel to its knees, here in Reykjavik, the capital city of Iceland, it's business as usual. Reykjavik is just west of the volcano, whereas winds are blowing the plume east toward Europe, so it's hard to even tell that there has been a major volcano eruption.

The only impact I've felt so far is that the aurora borealis tour I signed up for got cancelled, snuffed out by clouds and volcanic ash. The volcanic tour was also cancelled because roads to the area are closed. I'm still hoping they'll be able to reopen the roads this weekend.