In February my wife and I spent 10 days travelling around Iceland with an old South African friend who has been living there for 30 years with her Icelandic husband. From Reykjavik we travelled north to the centre of the country where we dived in the rift between the expanding continental plates of America and Eurasia. The water was two degrees celsius and as clean as any water to be found on this planet- a surreal experience!
We raced skidoos over a glacier, visited thermal hot springs at Geysir, saw numerous impressive waterfalls, saw chunks of ice from a glacier being washed up on a beach and travelled along the stunningly beautiful east coast up to their home in the tiny fishing village of Faskrudsfjorder for a few days. We then then headed across the northeast wastelands to the country’s second largest town Akureyri (20,000 people).
We headed north to the country`s northernmost town Sigluforder, inside the Arctic Circle. This was once the centre of a huge herring fishery but as usual it was overfished by boats from all over Europe and the fishery collapsed in the 1960s. We stayed in a little cottage in the mountains to the east of Akureyri and witnessed the Northern Lights on the only cloudless evening we had during our 10-day trip.
The view over a section of the capital city Reykjavik.
Swans in the lake in the centre of Reykjavik.
The frozen lake in an inactive volcano.
My wife Lyn wedged between two continents.
The unbelievable clarity of the water in the Silfra Crack.
The dive ends in a shallow lagoon. Visibility is all of 80-100 meters.
A farm along the east coast
The lifeless gravel floodplains below Europe's largest glacier - Vatnajokull, situated on Iceland's east coast.
Riding skidoos on the glacier Langjokull.
Large chunks of ice floating in the lagoon at Jokulsarlon - they break off the glacier in the background and end up in the sea.
The textures and patterns created by melting glacier ice. The blue colour is apparantly due to the oxygen dissolved in the ice.
The striking contrast of white water with blue ice and black sand.
Mountains along the east coast.
A fishing boat heads into the fjord at Faskrudsfjorder - a fishing village on the east coast.
Evening in the fishing town of Faskrudsfjordur up the east coast.
Riding horses being stabled for the night in Faskrudsfjorder.
The mountains lining the fjord reflected in the water of the small boat harbour at Faskrudsfjorder.
A desolate farmhouse in a barren landscape resembling a charcoal sketch.
Even in the middle of nowhere we encountered the road being cleared of snow.
The road winds through the icy wastelands of the northeast. Note the yellow poles that line every road in case of snow.
Tourists watching steam coming directly out of the ground. The roar is so loud you have to shout to each other.
Two hardy horses brave the elements.
A panorama of Europes most powerful waterfall - Dettifoss.
Siglufjorder is the most northerly town in Iceland, within the arctic circle. It was once the hub of the herring fishery which has since collapsed.
South Africans and an Icelander enjoying a glass of Amarula inside the arctic circle during a brief moment of sunshine.
Somebody's summer house on the north coast.
The Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis) and our cottage near Akureyri in the north of Iceland.
Like green smoke from a fire the Northern Lights fill the sky with surreal colour.
Northern Lights light up the sky.
Tourists flock to this man-made hot lake, the Blue Lagoon in Keflavik - the silica content is good for your skin especially if you suffer from Psoriasis.
Ed’s note
Iceland, and Northern Europe in general, ranks highly on my list of places to see. The photo opportunities, especially up around the Northern Lights, are remarkable. Check out these two cool time lapses: Why I shoot lights at night and Awesome time lapse of Iceland’s midnight sun and you’ll see what I’m talking about.
We sent Justin Fox up there in 2012 to check in (and check out) at The Ice Hotel in Sweden: Lapland’s fairy castle, but another great way to see this part of the world is by boat, on a Northern Europe cruise.
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