Thursday Thoughts – Iceland, Life on Earth and at Sea

29 augusti, 201929 augusti, 2019 / Leya / 34 kommentarer

Djupalónsandur beach lets you meet sea, rocks and the remains of the British trawler Epine – that went down off the coast in 1948.

And of course there are enigmatic lava formations. You get a glimpse of snowcapped Snaefellsjökull volcano through the holes.

Once this bay was home to one of the most prolific fishing villages on the Snæfellsnes peninsula. Today this area is uninhabited.

Except for the old rusty debris from Epine, four lifting stones still lie on the sands of Djúpalónssandur, in olden days used by fishermen to test their strength. Today tourists and children roam the beach to look at the rusty pieces, and many of them test their abilities – and possibilities – of getting hired as seamen…

This was quite a special walk where many thoughts were coming and going… The harsh lives of seafarers and society changing fast. And, will there be any fish in the sea for our children?

Macro Monday

19 augusti, 201917 augusti, 2019 / Leya / 13 kommentarer

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #58: Something Old, New, Borrowed and Blue

14 augusti, 201923 februari, 2020 / Leya / 44 kommentarer

Patti’s challenge this week is for us to find Something Old, New, Borrowed and Blue – or at least some of these. It is a very old saying, in Sweden as well, that worn on your wedding day, these will bring you luck and happiness in life.

So, I chose Nature for this challenge. To me, in winter clothes, she looks as pure as a bride on her wedding day.

The old oak tree all dressed in white…

…and the winter twigs in borrowed new feathers – a short lived beauty – shimmering against the blue sky.

Finally, the remains of my father’s old house, hidden in the white forest.

The opening image is a favorite photo of starlings, borrowed some years ago from my friend Jane Tomlinson.

Welcome to join in the challenge!

Macro Monday

12 augusti, 20197 augusti, 2019 / Leya / 31 kommentarer

Tuesday Photo Challenge – Overhead

6 augusti, 2019 / Leya / 19 kommentarer

Nothing beats Nature – but –

For Frank – maybe the most strange and sweetest wonderful works of art over my head…

The ice chandelier at the Ice Hotel, Sweden.

The lovely, painted bookstore in Vilnius, Lithuania. (Not exactly the Long Room, but…a piece of magic still…)

Thursday Thoughts – Heimaey, Vestmannaeyar

1 augusti, 20191 augusti, 2019 / Leya / 24 kommentarer

Some Thursdays ago, my post took us off for Vestmannaeyar – and now we have arrived!

The harbour of Heimaey was the only thing that changed for the positive after the eruption of Eldfell. It was walled in and became more protected against the sea. Click the link above to read the story in my first post.

Ships coming in – this is still a lively harbour.

There are birds everywhere on the spectacular cliffs. Gulls, puffins…

Common redshank showing us what happened here all those years ago

Eldfell

…common redshanks, golden plovers… The path towards Eldfell took us past signs showing the eruption and the remains or memories of buried houses.

Can you find the golden plover?

Life returning

So many different colours

Somewhere out there is Surtsey, the new island that was created from the eruption

We reached the peak easily, and were met with stunning views.

The rain had stopped and the mist lifted, displaying the many colours in all their glory. We even got a warming ray of sun as we admired the sea and the harbour from above.

To sum up, much had changed since our last visit in 1979. The lava and ashes were now filled with flowers and rich bird life, and Eldfell could no longer give us fried or boiled eggs directly from the ground. Life is returning.

Interested in visiting? Click here to read more.

Wordless Wednesday

31 juli, 201930 juli, 2019 / Leya / 14 kommentarer

Lens – Artists Photo Challenge #56 – Seascapes and/or Lakeshore

27 juli, 201923 februari, 2020 / Leya / 46 kommentarer

The sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever.

– Jacques Yves Cousteau, Oceanographer

Amy shows some amazing seascapes from her cruisings, and challenges us to post our own memorable moments from seascapes and lakeshores. My images are from my Icelandic journey this July.

First I would like to thank you for sharing your dreams with us last week – amazing! Now some of my seascapes might continue in that dreamy perspective…but it certainly takes some time to wake up from a dreamy era!

Having visited Iceland several times before, we soon realised how lucky we were with the weather. So lucky, that Icelanders we met could not but smile and congratulate. – They told us that their own criteria for ”Good Weather” is No Wind.

My opening image was shot from the peak of Eldfell at Heimaey in Vestmannaeyar, looking out to the North Atlantic. Hiking the volcano is fairly easy and takes less than an hour. And you are rewarded with breathtakingly beautiful views – if the mist lifts, and this time it did.

All the other seascapes are from Snæfellsnes peninsula, West Iceland. The name of the sea or fjord added. And, there is no colour enhancing – this is true Icelandic blue!

Arnarstapi, Faxaflói

Lóndrangar, Faxaflói

Stykkishólmur, Breiðafjörður

Hvammsfjörður

Hvalfjörður

Hvalfjörður, and yes, this is the pier where the whaling ships unloaded – and still unloads the captured whales. In 1981 we were here to see it with our own eyes. A 50 ton whale was taken care of in less than three hours. I cried all the way. The only comfort was that every piece of it came to use – nothing was thrown away. Many skilled Japanese worked here in those days. We know that they still catch whales in Iceland, and this station was used last year. I was not happy to learn this. But, it seems there is some trouble with Japan, so, no whaling in 2019. Hopefully Icelandic whaling will come to an end, because they no longer depend on it for a living.

The sea lives in every one of us – Wyland

Welcome to join in – we are looking forward to seeing you!

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #55 – Dreamy

20 juli, 201923 februari, 2020 / Leya / 201 kommentarer

Endless ocean, blue water, dreamy sky,
tranquil beach, love in the air, mind fly high.
― Debasish Mridha

I love Iceland, and spent a week and more there again this July, it was our fifth visit over the years. I love its dreamy, but often rugged atmosphere. They usually have all weathers in one day, and the landscape changes fast – and often dramatically.

A lot of people tell me I’m a bit dreamy, but I like the idea of that. Of being somewhere else.

– Alex Turner

I thought I would share some of that Icelandic dreaminess with you – so this week’s challenge is – Dreamy.

If you go to the dictionary, it says ”having a magical or pleasantly unreal quality; dreamlike.” On our way over the sea to Vestmannaeyar, this huge cliff emerged out of the fog and rain, when suddenly a ray of sun burst out through the heavy clouds and revealed a lonely farm house nesting in that emerald green. Who would have imagined? And who would be able – and want – to live out there? An enigmatic dream unveiled.

Wherever you go on Iceland, you will find lonely churches perched on mountain tops, hidden behind towering lava flows – or in fields of lupins. Looking like tiny toys placed there by a playful congregation. Often the little church is clearly visible from afar – but this one was only faintly visible in the fog. (And the lupins are of Alaskan origin…)

Dictionaries might also suggest an informal meaning of Dreamy – delightful; gorgeous. Maybe this last image belongs more in that category – or maybe in both of them. As usual, click to enlarge.

Finally, this window view, in the middle of the night, from Helgafell (Holy mountain). I wonder…were there really two tractors out there – or was I only dreaming?

There are many possibilities hidden in Dreamy – maybe you are given to or indulging in daydreaming? You might even want to illustrate one of your own dreams? Or are you one of those people who suffer from frequent nightmares (though I hope not …)? Now we are looking forward to Your interpretation of the theme Dreamy!

Last week brought us many wonderful details from you all, and thank you Patti for hosting last week’s Detail challenge.

Thursday Thoughts – Hraunfossar

17 juli, 201917 juli, 2019 / Leya / 33 kommentarer

There are so many grand waterfalls in Iceland. Hraunfossar are not the highest falls, but maybe one of the most beautiful ones on the island. The waterfalls are located in the Hallmundarhraun lava field in Borgarfjörður bay, West-Iceland. The white uncountable falls originates from Langjökull glacier, the second largest glacier in Iceland, and run in a cascade series down a lava cliff of about 900 meters wide.

The water cascades down from under Hallmundarhraun lava field and runs into the famous Hvítá (White) river. Hraun means lava and fossar mean waterfalls, so the name basically means Lava Waterfalls.