Two Lands of the Midnight Sun

junho - julho 2023

Follow me as I visit two Arctic locations where the sun never sets to photograph the summertime landscapes of the far north. During my first week I meet up with other photographers in Greenland, then it is back to Iceland to explore the south coast. Leia mais

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Viajante Two Lands of the Midnight Sun
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- 5 de jul. de 2023 06:13
- 🌬 7 °C
- Altitude: 24 m
- Islândia Suðurnes Reykjanesbær Keflavík International Airport 63.996666, -22.62563°59’48” N 22°37’30” W
Dia 16
Leaving Iceland
5 de julho de 2023, Islândia ⋅ 🌬 7 °C
It didn't take long to find the campsite for my last night - it was less than 15 minutes away from the Blue Lagoon after all. My meal tonight was Domino's Pizza and soon it was time to sleep, with the alarm set to 5am

I woke early, finished packing then went to return the campervan, which went smoothly. Then all of a sudden I was back under that orange meeting sign at Keflavik airport after what has been a most amazing, awesome and enjoyable adventure. I can hardly believe I have experienced the things I've done these past two weeks.

I do hope you've enjoyed seeing the photos and reading about the journey and the events along the way. I have enjoyed capturing the moments on my phone for you to see and now I must look through the photos taken on my main camera, though that may take some time as I know there are thousands stored on the memory cards. I'm looking forward to seeing what I have.

That's it then, it's over, but hopefully you will travel with me on the next adventure. In the coming weeks I'll be posting photos on Instagram where I'm @robcowellphotography so please check there if you feel you'd like to.Leia mais
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Viajante Thanks for sharing it with us ! It's been amazing .... x
07/07/2023ResponderTraduzir
Viajante Really pleased you e enjoyed the adventure with me. 😊
07/07/2023ResponderTraduzir
Viajante Wonderful photos from your amazing adventure, Rob!
08/07/2023ResponderTraduzir
Viajante Thanks Richard. It certainly was amazing and there were times when I felt so fortunate to be able to experience what was happening.
08/07/2023ResponderTraduzir
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Viajante Two Lands of the Midnight Sun
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- 4 de jul. de 2023 15:15
- 🌬 12 °C
- Altitude: 34 m
- Islândia Suðurnes Grindavík Blue Lagoon 63.880001, -22.44833463°52’48” N 22°26’54” W
Dia 15
A Luxurious Experience
4 de julho de 2023, Islândia ⋅ 🌬 12 °C
This has been an absolutely brilliant and fantastic adventure in two wonderful countries but there is no doubt my poor body is feeling the strain. I've carried camera equipment on and off boats and planes, I have hiked over a variety of terrain and all, it seems, with the minimum of sleep. 😂 Now it's time for a little luxury.

The Blue Lagoon is a thermal spa where its waters come from the hot rocks 2000m below ground and is 38c when it enters the pool. It's not cheap to visit here but when you walk into the water the feeling you get makes it worth every item of whatever currency you use. I used Visa. 😂

This is a popular attraction and is often the last thing travellers do before leaving Iceland. It is only about half an hour from the airport but interestingly, it is only about twenty minutes or so from where the last volcanic eruption occurred recently. I'd love to have seen that but it has stopped now ... for a while. [Edit: it erupted again less than a week after I got home. So annoying!]

This is a lovely place and your first drink is free from the pool bar (photo 4) and I had a glass of sparkling wine. You must book in advance to get a time slot but once in you can stay as long as you like and I stayed a little under three hours. My time slot was 3pm.

Afterwards I took a walk around the turquoise pools (last two photos) outside the complex then left to find my campsite for tonight. I needed to find somewhere to eat too, sort the van out and pack. I'd rather be in that lovely warm water though. 😁

Strangely, this never fixed my sunburned nose though. 😓🙄 😂Leia mais
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Viajante Two Lands of the Midnight Sun
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- 4 de jul. de 2023 11:00
- ☀️ 13 °C
- Altitude: 24 m
- Islândia Suðurland Vík í Mýrdal 63.419998, -19.00166763°25’12” N 19°0’6” W
Dia 15
Vik
4 de julho de 2023, Islândia ⋅ ☀️ 13 °C
Today I drive back to Keflavik and one last overnight stay before my flight home tomorrow, though there's one more activity I'm looking forward to this afternoon.

I realise that Vik has featured a lot in the Iceland leg of my adventure and you might get the impression it's a huge place and a hive of activity. This isn't actually the case because Vik is really quite a small place, but it is in a relatively central location along the south coast of Iceland, so it's a bit of a staging post really.

Before leaving today, I drove up to the church to take some phone photos for you. Photos 1 and 2 show most of Vik: there's a little more, but not a huge amount, but the church is quite attractive and is typical of the churches in Iceland.

It's a three hour drive to make it to my next event and I have three and a half hours available. No problem. 🤞🏻Leia mais
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Viajante Two Lands of the Midnight Sun
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- 3 de jul. de 2023 21:09
- ☀️ 14 °C
- Altitude: 6 m
- Islândia Suðurland Vík í Mýrdal 63.418331, -18.99500163°25’6” N 18°59’42” W
Dia 14
An Evening in Vik
3 de julho de 2023, Islândia ⋅ ☀️ 14 °C
The weather was definitely improving. My drive today was very pleasant and it was actually quite warm. When I arrived at the campsite in Vik it was a very pleasing warm summer evening.

The campsite was much busier this time though, but it was still easy to get a place. I settled in then went to get an evening meal: there are several options within walking distance.

Photo 2 is a general view across the campsite on my way back. Note the Dacia Duster 4x4 with the rooftop tent. These are extremely common and in one case there were three adults travelling and sleeping up there. It looked a nightmare as they juggled suitcases etc to exist. There were also a lot of people just sleeping in their rental cars too, which was even worse. At night they stored their suitcases under the car. It all looked very uncomfortable and at times must have been very cold.

Later in the evening I attempted to photograph the sunset colours (around midnight!) but the sun was in the wrong direction for the sea stacks. I tried to get a nice shot of the church but I'll have to wait and see how that comes out when I process my camera photos. I got to bed about 1am. With it always being light at this time of year, you tend to lose track of what time it is.Leia mais
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Viajante Two Lands of the Midnight Sun
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- 3 de jul. de 2023 18:25
- ☀️ 18 °C
- Altitude: 84 m
- Islândia Suðurland Kirkjubæjarhreppur 63.723331, -18.23333463°43’24” N 18°14’0” W
Dia 14
Travelling Back to Vik
3 de julho de 2023, Islândia ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C
I had a long drive now, to get back to the campsite at Vik. The photos in this footprint are therefore general views along the way. Yes, there are lupins of course, but I also stopped to photograph the green moss that grows in abundance over the old lava fields. You are not allowed to walk on this because the damage you cause takes many years to repair due to the short growing season in Iceland. You also have to be careful with fire because it's also pretty flammable. Who would have guessed that?

There's not much else to say really but at least you get to see the landscape through which I was driving.Leia mais
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Viajante Two Lands of the Midnight Sun
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- 3 de jul. de 2023 15:47
- ⛅ 12 °C
- Altitude: 22 m
- Islândia Austurland Jökulsárlón Jokulsarlon Glacial Lagoon 64.043335, -16.19666764°2’36” N 16°11’48” W
Dia 14
Diamond Beach
3 de julho de 2023, Islândia ⋅ ⛅ 12 °C
I couldn't leave here without visiting Diamond Beach. This is on the opposite side of the road to the lagoon and is made up of jet black sand. Ice that leaves the lagoon through the channel can be washed back onto the beach and the ice then looks like diamonds on black velvet, hence the name.

Right now there is hardly any ice and what is there is small fragments. I've previously seen ice here almost the size of cars, but that was wintertime. Maybe summer is different.

At first I thought there would be no photography opportunities but I soon realised the trick was to get a wide shot taken very close to the ice. The problem with this approach is the waves hitting the beach and the potential to get wet. The video here demonstrates this.

In the end I've got some photos that I think work so my time wasn't wasted by any means. Once again this location has had the Tourist Makeover and looks very different to when I was here in 2018. It's still well worth visiting, but a few more diamonds would have been nice.Leia mais
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Viajante Two Lands of the Midnight Sun
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- 3 de jul. de 2023 15:34
- ⛅ 12 °C
- Altitude: 6 m
- Islândia Austurland Jökulsárlón Jokulsarlon Glacial Lagoon 64.048333, -16.1864°2’54” N 16°10’48” W
Dia 14
Return to Jökulsárlón
3 de julho de 2023, Islândia ⋅ ⛅ 12 °C
Having slept in a little after my late night, I had breakfast and the essential coffee, packed things away then started the drive west back towards Vik. Photo 2 is the view as I drove along the Stokksness peninsula back towards the main road then, after a quick stop for fuel I continued on.

The next photos are various snaps along the way and as I was passing Jökulsárlón I decided I'd stop at the cafe there for mushroom soup. The sign at the counter describes it as 'Soup of the Day' but each time I've visited since 2015 it has always been mushroom soup. Evidence of my choice is in photo 8 which shows the soup, the bread roll and the coffee, as well as the view through the cafe window to a new car park.

After I'd eaten I went to check the lagoon and noticed that the ice dam had now disappeared so in the last photo you can see the water level has dropped with slightly more beach visible. This place is constantly changing.Leia mais
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Viajante Two Lands of the Midnight Sun
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- 3 de jul. de 2023 00:13
- 🌙 9 °C
- Altitude: Nível do mar
- Islândia Austurland Hornsvík 64.25, -14.98333364°15’0” N 14°58’60” W
4
Dia 14
Vestrahorn Reflection
3 de julho de 2023, Islândia ⋅ 🌙 9 °C
This is the photograph I came here to take so thank you Icelandic Weather, for being so considerate.

Of course I took this on the big camera, and more of course, though this one is from the phone, but even in this phone photo I think everything looks great, including the other reflection shots in this footprint too, all taken a little after midnight.

I stayed out longer, just enjoying my surroundings and the evening glow and taking photographs, of course, so it was another late night. There have been so many this past couple of weeks. 😵‍💫Leia mais
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Marina L. beautiful 🤩
05/07/2023ResponderTraduzir
Viajante Thanks Marina. It was a beautiful evening. 😊
05/07/2023ResponderTraduzir
Viajante Rob, what an amazing image - spectacularly beautiful and superbly photographed!
05/07/2023ResponderTraduzir
Viajante I love this too, but it is only taken with my phone. Hopefully the camera will have done a brilliant job too.
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Viajante Two Lands of the Midnight Sun
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- 2 de jul. de 2023 21:28
- ⛅ 11 °C
- Altitude: Nível do mar
- Islândia Austurland Hornsvík 64.248337, -14.96833364°14’54” N 14°58’6” W
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Dia 13
The Stokksness Peninsula
2 de julho de 2023, Islândia ⋅ ⛅ 11 °C
The peninsula here is private land so you can't just wander down there without paying a fee because there is a barrier stopping both vehicles and pedestrians (photo 2). You must purchase a ticket for 1000 Iceland Krona (about £5.75) even if you walk, then if you want to drive to the end you must pay more, plus the charge is per person, not per car. It really ought to be per car if we’re honest, but that’s the way it is.

Tony and I didn't bother when we came here on our trip in 2018 and alwaysI regretted that we didn't just pay up. This time I was staying overnight at the campsite here and the great thing is that when you do that you get unlimited access to the peninsula for 24 hours. Perfect.

I spent the whole evening exploring the black sand beach, including quite a bit of time at the shoreline trying to catch the water and waves just right. I love the last photo here, so hopefully you do too. It's still a phone photo though. 🤗🥳Leia mais
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Viajante 😯 indeed. Hopefully you got this on the big camera too!
05/07/2023ResponderTraduzir
Viajante Yes, hopefully. 😁
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Viajante Two Lands of the Midnight Sun
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- 2 de jul. de 2023 19:05
- ☁️ 11 °C
- Altitude: 23 m
- Islândia Austurland Rustanöf 64.255, -14.99333364°15’18” N 14°59’36” W
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Dia 13
Time Warp
2 de julho de 2023, Islândia ⋅ ☁️ 11 °C
The next morning I awoke to grey skies with a promise of rain. I was also worried that I'd run out of time to be able to get to my final planned location, which was about a two hour drive east from the campsite. If I was to go there it would mean an extremely long drive back to Keflavik, so I made the decision to not bother and start the journey back to Vik.

Then I realised I was in some sort of time warp, my mind telling me it was a day later than it actually was. This was undoubtedly a welcome realisation such that I could in fact complete my itinerary as planned.

I packed things away and drove east to discover that as I neared my destination the skies began to clear, raising my hopes for some great evening light. I was so excited that things may well be coming together for the photograph I was aiming to capture. I knew exactly the composition I wanted to get and this might just work.Leia mais
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Viajante Love the colours here
05/07/2023ResponderTraduzir
Viajante Yes, I do too but they looked even better on the drive back.
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