Day 12 - Akureyri
Another beautiful day in Iceland. Gathering spot for the whirlwind bus tour was at this art installation that probably represents something nautical-ish:
First stop was at Goðafoss (god falls). When Iceland became a Christian nation back near 1000AD, they were allowed to keep their pagan Viking gods, as long as they were quiet about it. But the large statues were tossed into the waterfalls at this location - hence the name.
And a Whimbrel:
The rockface near the falls:
More wildflowers (Grass of Parnassus, also known as a Bog Star [I like that name better]):
Jana at the falls:
After, we began a drive to Lake Mývatn (literally "Midge Lake", and so as not to disappoint, everywhere around the lake, we did find ourselves in clouds of midges. But they only annoy, and don't bite. One view of the lake:
A European Golden Plover on a nearby ridge, blending in nicely with the background:
Next stop was the Dimmuborgir lava formations. A lot of rugged features.
And some friendly ones:
First mushrooms I have seen in Iceland:
The view where we ate lunch. And down the slope where there is capture of the very hot water (the domes are cover the well-heads; the guide said that the bends in the pipe are to allow the temp of the water to cool somewhat prior to use, though I'm not sure I understand what that means). And a lot of venting of sulfur fumes, which carried nicely up the slope to our picnic location.
The last stop was at the Namafjall Hverir boiling mudpots. Very much like a segment of Yellowstone. A lot of boiling mud. A lot of venting sulfur. Don't touch. Be warmed. And don't poop.
And of course this dynamic place cannot be adequately described by static photos, but here are a couple anyways:
A couple of videos.
One other weird thing here. A bunch of the grass patches were in circles. I assume these are the natural result of troll footprints.
One last photo for the day - not quite sure what this message on the side of the van might mean:
Day 13 - Ísafjörður
A new port, and another bus tour (this time, to only two stops). On the way out, we passed an Arctic Tern nesting area. Remember how I said earlier that these birds are territorial? In the afternoon (on the way back to the ship), we saw a guy walk through the nesting area, and he was buzzed by multiple birds. He was very lucky that they did not slice up his head - they merely covered his head and arms in poop.
Our first stop was at the Dynjandi waterfalls (the uppermost of a series of waterfalls). We were able to hike up to five or so distinct waterfalls, with the most impressive being the upper falls. The view from the Parking lot below:
Walking up and passing some of the lower falls:
From here, a couple of views as we continued our climb:
And at the top (or - at the base of the upper-most falls):
The upper falls are massive - behind the two people in the (relative) foreground, there is a person directly behind them, closer to the falls.
Another view, with another tiny person (in red):
Some video. I also noted a band of red rock at the base of the falls. Not sure its significance, but it was striking.
And at the base of this falls, a female Harlequin Duck!
Last year, they put a railing near the base of these falls. I'm guessing that when the poles went in, they were straight. The guide said that they were damaged by the snow in the winter. I don't think that explains the boulder still wrapped in one of the poles.
A view of the parking lot (next to the fjord) from the base of the falls:
After the falls, we had a short tour of a small Icelandic farm. Sheep, some horses, some chickens. Iceland is very protective of their horse breed. No horse imports allowed. If an Icelandic horse is sold outside of Iceland, it can never come back.
They also have some mutant sheep, with four horns (instead of two). There are other traits that come with the horns (longer legs, leaner, and leader of the herd of 'normals'). When one of them dies (at least on this farm), they keep the heads for display. And if the heads are not tended, the farm dog will drag them around (at least on this farm).
Upon returning to town (Ísafjörður), a view of the fjord.
Walking to the top of the town, viewed the 'avalanche break'. A 30ft tall structure that is designed to stop snow and/or rocks from hitting the houses below. There were a series of these in front of the town, with this one being the tallest.
There is a 3D-printed sidewalk. It works better as a photo than in real-person live. It needs a painting touch-up.
A last view from the fjord, as we departed. Very steep cliffsides.
See that line of 6 black dots (about 3/4 up, just lefft of center)? Maybe not, but they are there. All Atlantic Puffins. Thousands of them flying by the ship as we left Iceland on the way to Greenland (or in the water and paddling away like wake-boarders as we pass).
One last photo for the day - not quite sure what this message on the side of the van might mean:
Day 13 - Ísafjörður
A new port, and another bus tour (this time, to only two stops). On the way out, we passed an Arctic Tern nesting area. Remember how I said earlier that these birds are territorial? In the afternoon (on the way back to the ship), we saw a guy walk through the nesting area, and he was buzzed by multiple birds. He was very lucky that they did not slice up his head - they merely covered his head and arms in poop.
Walking up and passing some of the lower falls:
The upper falls are massive - behind the two people in the (relative) foreground, there is a person directly behind them, closer to the falls.
Another view, with another tiny person (in red):
Some video. I also noted a band of red rock at the base of the falls. Not sure its significance, but it was striking.
And at the base of this falls, a female Harlequin Duck!
Last year, they put a railing near the base of these falls. I'm guessing that when the poles went in, they were straight. The guide said that they were damaged by the snow in the winter. I don't think that explains the boulder still wrapped in one of the poles.
A view of the parking lot (next to the fjord) from the base of the falls:
After the falls, we had a short tour of a small Icelandic farm. Sheep, some horses, some chickens. Iceland is very protective of their horse breed. No horse imports allowed. If an Icelandic horse is sold outside of Iceland, it can never come back.
They also have some mutant sheep, with four horns (instead of two). There are other traits that come with the horns (longer legs, leaner, and leader of the herd of 'normals'). When one of them dies (at least on this farm), they keep the heads for display. And if the heads are not tended, the farm dog will drag them around (at least on this farm).
Upon returning to town (Ísafjörður), a view of the fjord.
Walking to the top of the town, viewed the 'avalanche break'. A 30ft tall structure that is designed to stop snow and/or rocks from hitting the houses below. There were a series of these in front of the town, with this one being the tallest.
There is a 3D-printed sidewalk. It works better as a photo than in real-person live. It needs a painting touch-up.
A last view from the fjord, as we departed. Very steep cliffsides.
See that line of 6 black dots (about 3/4 up, just lefft of center)? Maybe not, but they are there. All Atlantic Puffins. Thousands of them flying by the ship as we left Iceland on the way to Greenland (or in the water and paddling away like wake-boarders as we pass).
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