Iceland
Iceland is an amazing country with spectacular scenery. It is located just south of the Artic Circle and 155 nautical miles east of Greenland. It has an area of about 40,000 square miles and is positioned over the boundary between the North American and European tectonic plates resulting in a very active geological island. The population is about 350,000 humans and about 500,000 sheep. Sheep and fishing are its biggest industries. Because of being located at a tectonic plate boundary there are numerous volcanos and other geothermal sites. Geothermal power is a major source of electricity. And because of its proximity to the Artic Circle, there are many glaciers, some of the largest in Europe. Glacier and ice caps cover 11% of the country and many are located on volcanos. The climate varies from ocean moderated on the southern coastal areas, to artic at high elevations. The average winter highs in the capital Reykjavik are around freezing, while in the north they are around -10 C. In the summer the coastal highs are typically in the 50s F.
I found the photography somewhat daunting. It is a land of large vistas combined with mostly cloudy weather. If you look online, you will find that most large landscape images are aerial shots taken in perfect golden hour light. With clouds, and from ground level, it is more difficult to capture the contrast that one sees with the eye. I have converted most images into black and white, as that seems preferable artistically.
Vik is the southernmost town in Iceland. It is famous for its black sand beaches, and for the basalt rock stacks off the end of the Reynisfjall cliffs. The cliffs are home to numerous seabirds, including puffins who nest there.
Hallgrimskirkja is a Lutheran church in Reykjavik, Iceland. It was completed in 1986 and is named after the Icelandic poet and critic Hallgrimur Petursson. The architect said it was designed to represent Iceland’s rocks, mountains and glaciers. Located at one the highest spots in downtown Reykjavik, it can be seen from all compass points. I have included a frontal shot of the church taken with my iPhone. The statue is of Leif Eriksson the explorer who was born in Iceland around 970 CE.
Vik is directly south of the Mýrdalsjökull glacier. It is an ice cap that covers the active volcano Katlia. This shot was taken from the Hringvegur, the main ring road around Iceland.
Along the southern coast there are many areas like this with high cliffs facing coastal lowlands. Here the fog makes an attractive scene.
Iceland became a Christian country around 1000 CE due to a fiat by the King of Norway.
Because rural Iceland was and is not heavily populated, it was common for people to build small churches for local use. One still finds these churches everywhere. This is one example.
Waterfalls are everywhere in Iceland. It has a high interior, covered in large parts by glaciers, and receiving much rain in summer and snow in winter. All this means lots of waterfalls. Goðafoss is one of the most spectacular and plays a role in Icelandic Sagas. Allegedly, Þorgeir Ljósvetningagoði threw his statues of pagan gods into the falls upon deciding that Iceland would officially convert to Christianity in the year 1000.
Geothermal sites like this are scattered around the island. This site is in the Myvatn Geothermal Area in the northeast of the island.