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Iceland 2018

February 2018
I return to Iceland once again but to concentrate on the amazing southern region and the peninsula to the west. Last time my friend Tony and I were plagued with rain and dull conditions so will we be lucky this time? Why not find out. Read more
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  • TravelerIceland 2018
    Day 4

    Photographing Glacier Lagoons

    February 9, 2018 in Iceland ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C
  • TravelerIceland 2018
    Day 5

    Another Day in South Iceland

    February 10, 2018 in Iceland ⋅ ⛅ 13 °C

    It was a slightly later start today, having been out so late. We had a pleasant breakfast, packed our gear and off we went even though our first stop was pretty much still in the hotel grounds. Tony had wanted to visit Iceland at this time of year as there's a good chance of photographing frozen waterfalls, so this was what we did. It wasn't a huge waterfall compared to those we saw last time and will see in the next part of our trip, but it was a frozen waterfall nevertheless and it was sitting there waiting to be photographed.

    The main photo of this footprint is of our hotel which, as you can see, is somewhat on the boxy side but don't be fooled ... it's warm, comfortable, has a lovely restaurant and the staff are very friendly. What more would we want. Cheaper wine perhaps!    Read more

  • TravelerIceland 2018
    Day 5

    The Other Diamond Beach

    February 10, 2018 in Iceland ⋅ ⛅ 13 °C

    The main activity of the day was scheduled to be a visit to an ice cave in the glacier. This promised to be one of the highlights of the two weeks so we had to be at the cafe at Jokulsarlon for 1pm. With the late start this meant we had to think about how to spend the morning so we decided to visit the 'other' Diamond Beach at Jokulsarlon.

    The lagoon exits to the sea via a narrow channel. In fact, this is how the ice makes its way to the sea to be swept back onto the beaches of black volcanic sand. There are beaches on both sides of the channel and it is the left one which most people visit, as did we during the 2016 trip and also yesterday when we first arrived here. Why the left hand one? Well, it is the nearest to the Jokulsarlon car park but mainly it's because most of the ice diamonds arrive there.

    The right hand beach has far less ice but it is also less crowded and we thought we'd check it out. Yep, less ice and less people but we felt the other beach was the best. We stayed a while a took some photographs but the waves were much stronger than yesterday so we had to keep grabbing our tripods and running. Then all of a sudden we needed to leave for the ice cave trip.    Read more

  • TravelerIceland 2018
    Day 5

    Different Every Time

    February 10, 2018 in Iceland ⋅ 🌧 3 °C

    So why no photos of the ice cave?

    We left the beach and turned up at the meeting point right on time, as did a young couple from Chicago who'd travelled from Vik (our next stop) that morning and had only just made it in time due to the weather conditions further west and having persuaded the authorities to let them through the road block ... a storm was coming and route 1 was being closed to traffic.

    We waited. We chatted and waited some more but no-one turned up from the company to take us to the cave. No other passengers turned up either and now it was 15 minutes past the time we were supposed to leave. Rob then read a text message saying the trip was cancelled due to bad weather. It wasn't bad at Jokulsarlon as you can see in the photos, but it was going to be. It was going to be so bad the bridge there and the road were to be closed at 3pm.

    There was another company at the cafe who do visits to an ice cave and we discussed with them about joining one of their trips tomorrow. So we spent a little time at the lagoon before leaving to cross the bridge just before it closed. We were a bit disappointed to be honest, though we had been told our money would be refunded for the trip.    Read more

  • TravelerIceland 2018
    Day 5

    The Weather Changes

    February 10, 2018 in Iceland ⋅ 🌧 3 °C

    It seemed too early to go back to the hotel, so a little way along the road we pulled into one of the small car parks to go and see if there were photo opportunities looking over the lagoon ... more a frozen lake as you have seen. After about half-an-hour the temperature dropped and the winds arrived. Suddenly. One minute it was calm and the next there were really strong gusts and by the time we got back to the car snow was being blown across the roads. The first photo is from that car park just before we left and the second about 10 minutes later at the turn-off for Fjallsarlon, the other glacier lake in the area.

    The drive home was interesting with gusting winds and snow being blown across the road, though we could see the advantage of Iceland's roads being raised like they are as it prevented the build-up of snow. That night the storm raged outside and we were glad to be inside. That seemed to be the way though, when storms like this arrive the roads are closed and you are not allowed to travel. And so it was.    Read more

  • TravelerIceland 2018
    1
    Day 6

    Ice Cave Visit

    February 11, 2018 in Iceland ⋅ ☁️ 5 °C

    We were able to book the ice cave visit for midday which again meant an awkward morning, not because of timings but because when we arrived at Jokulsarlon it was blooming freezing. It was -6c with a wind and this made photography less inviting. We had a go but didn't do a lot if we're truthful.

    Rob had already met our guide just after we arrived and knew we were to meet in the cafe ... much warmer than the car park of course. It was a very pleasant surprise to discover that we were the only two booked onto that visit so we had a private tour with our very own driver and guide. Our diver was Icelandic and our guide from Austria but they both spoke excellent English and made us feel so welcome. You can see the truck we traveled in to what became the second surprise ... we were the only people in the cave and our guide gave as much time as we needed for our photography. She also said how rare that was we were privileged indeed.

    It took a while for our eyes to adjust to the dim light in the cave but once they acclimatised all the shades of blues and greens became apparent. We can't recall how long we were there with our cameras, maybe 30 or 40 minutes with no-one but us. Then another group arrived just as we'd finished. Perfect.    Read more

  • TravelerIceland 2018
    2
    Day 6

    A Second Ice Cave

    February 11, 2018 in Iceland ⋅ ☁️ 6 °C

    The storm of the previous night and the promised storm for later today meant that after our tour there were no more by that company that day, so our driver and guide offered us the opportunity to visit another cave. The second cave was one which had been used for visits until it became unsuitable - the ice had become blackened with volcanic sand so no light could penetrate to show the blue and green hues. It had become known as the Black Cave. (No, not the Bat Cave!)

    To get to the cave was a short drive in the truck then a walk to the cave itself. Once again we had the whole place to ourselves. Just the four of us walking across the glacier surrounded by huge blocks of ice covered in pristine snow. It was warm, yes warm, with a beautifully deep blue sky, then we arrived at the cave. Unfortunately we were not allowed to enter as our guide felt it was unsafe. There was a huge archway of ice with a substantial crack running down its centre and in the warm afternoon sun the risk of it collapsing was deemed too great. If it fell with us beneath it we would die instantly... not being too dramatic are we?

    We stayed a while then strolled back to the truck, with stops for photography - ice blocks and icicles refracting the sunlight. Are you jealous or what!

    Tomorrow we travel westwards to Vik and the weather forecast is better than it has been for that area. At the moment though (11.15pm) there's a howling gale outside.    Read more

  • TravelerIceland 2018
    Day 7

    Fantastic Weather Again

    February 12, 2018 in Iceland ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

    Woke up to another lovely day with brilliant sunshine. We didn't expect this and if we had then maybe we should have gone to Diamond Beach for the sunrise. Mind you, we do have 4 million photos of those diamonds so maybe 1 million more would be overkill. Anyway, here's a better photo of our hotel.

    Did we say we'd recommend this? We do.    Read more

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