Iceland, 2006
Land of Fire and Ice! And no shortage of waterfalls…
Reykjavik
Reykjavik is the world’s most northerly capital.
Hallgrímskirkja – Reykjavik’s most recognisable Lutheran (Church of Iceland) parish church.
“The Sun Voyager” sculpture representing a Viking ship.
Thingvellir National Park
This is the site of Iceland’s first Parliament established in 930, and remained here until 1789.
Gullfoss
Gullfoss – the Golden Falls.
Haukadalur – Valley of Geysers
Mmm. Sulphurous mud pools.
The very first recorded geyser, after which all others are named,
unfortunately no longer erupts.
Strokkur erupts every few minutes, just for the tourists.
The little geyser, bless, merely bubbles.
Seljalandsfoss
Seljalandsfoss is 60 metres high, and behind its waters is…
…a cave, allowing you to walk behind the waterfall!
Skogar
The Skogar Folk Museum features traditional sod-roofed houses…
…and shows you how Icelandic people have lived over the centuries.
If you’re lucky, the founder of the museum, Þórður Tómasson, will sing and play tunes on…
The Langspil. It originated in the late Middle Ages in France
and became a favourite instrument in Iceland.
Nearby is the Skogafoss waterfall.
Route 1
This is the Ring Road, going right around the island,
and crosses the lava field known as the Black Dessert.
Volcanic Beach
Black sand!
Fjaorargljufur
Fjaorargljufur is a beautiful and impressive gorge, 100m deep and 2km long,
formed 2 million years ago following the retreat of the ice cap.
Svartifoss
Svartifoss – the Black Waterfall.
A mountain stream falling over a cliff face of
natural basalt rock pillars.
Vatnajokull
Vatnajokull is Europe’s greatest glacier.
A close look at Vatnajokull’s ice flow.
Jokulsarlon Lagoon
Jokulsarlon Lagoon is at the foot of Breidamerkurjokull,
an outlet glacier of the great glacier Vatnajokull.
The North East
The northeastern region contains a lunar landscape which Neil Armstrong
and NASA visited in 1968, training for the moon landing the following year.
Some of the younger lava fields are still steaming.
Some craters have have become lakes.
In the middle of the black dessert is this little church, built in 1949.
Dettifoss
Dettifoss is the largest waterfall, by volume of water, in the whole of Europe.
Lake Myvatn
Lake Myvatn means “Midge Lake” – and boy, does it deserve that name!
Hverfjall crater was created 2,500 years ago, is 1km in diameter and 140m deep.
Godafoss
Godafoss – Waterfall of the Gods.
Akureyri
Akureyri stands close to the end of Iceland’s longest fjord,
and is known as the capital of the North.
Akureyrarkirkja – the Church of Akureyri.
Glaumbaer
The Glaumbaer Folk Museum…
…with more examples of cosy turf houses.
Whale Watching
Watching the backs of whales…
The Last Night in Reykjavik
