Moss-Covered Larva Fields and Waterfalls

After the 2 days of winds and rain, yesterday was sunny and calm for the journey from Vik to Hali. Our first stop was the moss-covered larval fields. This is a very delicate habitat - the moss takes 200 years to grow and can be destroyed by a careless foot in an instant. We were there as the sun came up giving wonderful light. I snapped a few waterfalls from the car and we stopped at one beautiful one (still to find the name). It had a spectacular rainbow through the spray. The first shots of larval fields and moss are  panoramas; the rest single shots.

 

Snaefellnes Iceland - Making the Best of Adverse Conditions

The weather yesterday was not ideal for photography - howling wind and frequent heavy rain showers. However we managed to occupy the day photographically. The first shots are of Kirkujufell mountain and waterfalls and then a nearby beach and ruined farmhouse. The last two shots are from the car and a prelude to tomorrows venue.

Tourist Day in Iceland - Afternoon Geyser, Waterfalls and Pingvellir National Park

After lunch, we headed back inland to 'do the Golden Circle'.I didn't record the name of the first waterfall so if you recognise it, grateful for the info. The Geysir performed well against the setting sun. Arrangements have changed since my last visited to Gullfoss so, in winter, there is no access to the waterfall itself so only this rather distorted view from the top. The icy path down that we took in 2008 can be seen in the photo along with people on the viewing platform to give scale. The rift valley that constitutes the Pingvellir National Park looked great in the dusk light. Although there was not enough time to consider the best compositions and setting for photos during the hectic day, we agreed a great day out.

Tourist Day in Iceland - Monring Waterfalls and Black Sands

As Jane had not visited Iceland before, we decided to do a tour of the highlights of the area accessible from Reykjavic. The morning was spent on the south coast . 

I don't yet have the name of the first waterfall we visited on our journey to the south coast - it would have been good to explore this one further.  This was followed during the morning with visits to Seljalandsfoss,Skogafoss, Solhelmajokull -blue glacier and Solhelmasander (black beach). It has been the warmest winter since records began in Iceland so there was very little snow or ice  around once we reached the coastal road.

Godafoss

Friday 28th February. We visited Godafoss on the way from Akureyi to Myvatn where we were to stay for 3 nights. The light was very poor and, because of the snowy conditions, we couldn't walk down to the foot of the waterfall. However, the dull conditions allowed some slow shutterspeed work on the water and the blue glacial water really stands out from the overall grey. The water of the river Skjálfandafljót falls from a height of 12 meters over a width of 30 meters. 

The name derives from the legend where  the Lawspeaker Þorgeir Ljósvetningagoði made Christianity the official religion of Iceland. After his conversion it is said that he threw his statues of the Norse gods into the waterfall.