Fire and ice

As Hazel mentioned last week, whilst she was in Petra I was at the other extreme in Iceland. And it didn't disappoint. Whilst its climate often has a reputation for being a colder, wetter version of our own, the week we were there started with glorious sunshine, with clear skies perfect for Northern Lights chasing, and ended with snow as Storm Gareth hit the east of the country.

We toured the whole island with an Icelandic guide, which was a great way not only to see the sights but also to hear about the way of life, customs, folklore and of course the sagas. Being on a minibus for long stretches of time even meant that the sketchbook (which always optimistically accompanies me on holidays and rarely sees the light of day) actually got filled, albeit in a somewhat wobbly fashion, which did sort of suit the scenery.

Iceland's location at the junction of two tectonic plates is responsible for the volcanic landscape, with rift-valleys (moving apart 2cm each year), 

130 volcanoes, ​many of them beneath glaciers [the one on the left below is Eyjafjallajökull, which erupted in 2010 and caused airline chaos in Europe], 

hot springs, geysirs and lakes,

black sand beaches and seemingly endless flat lava fields stretching between the mountains and the sea. ​

Add to that its latitude, just on the arctic circle, which explains the huge glaciers which cover much of the interior, 

​creating beautiful glacial valleys, meltwater rivers and waterfalls and which formed the eastern and western fjords.

The scenery is stunning and with such huge variety it has a very other-worldly quality, which is why it has been used for a location for many films (James Bond, Batman Begins, Game of Thrones, Star Wars).

It would seem that I have taken over 1500 photos, many of them of interesting textures and lines, for inspiration!! So here are a select few for you to enjoy.

And since I haven't yet touched on folklore, traditional houses, old ways of life and arts and crafts, I think there might be another post in the pipeline ….

Thanks for reading
Terry & Hazel