Living in a bubble…Usually I am happy to live in My Own Bubble, my little world where I can shut out all the wars and disasters in this world and focus on the good things in life.
Sometimes I am happy that others live in their bubble and I can watch them, enjoy their beauty…from a safe distance.
Bubbles are useful, aren’t they?
As I have just been soaked in the hot pools in Iceland, I quote: ”Some Like it Hot”…
For other hot spots – click here.
Hot pools in New Zealand and in Iceland. The difference is that you should not put your foot in the NZ pool…you might lose it.
Heading for the Geysir area in the cold of the morning. There is not much traffic in Iceland, and they do not sand or salt their roads.
This is post number six on Iceland, and there is one or two more to come. If you have missed out on the other ones, here are the links.
A Taste of Reykjavik, Heading for South Iceland, More South Iceland Magic, Land of Ice and Fire, Landscapes of Iceland, Thingvellir.
As usual- click the pictures to enlarge.
Open sky, and the coldest day so far…my hands were quite stiff from the start. Strong wind and we were told not to open more than one door at a time …
Slowly the sun opened up the landscape. – 12 degrees and no possibility to leave the car because of the icy road, the wind and the cold.
The small farmsteads all awake – the horses too.
All of them a bit far from the road –
– but we waited patiently…
The Geysir area was not crowded with people today, so we gathered around Strokkur – that spouts every 8-10 minutes, 20-30 metres, sometimes with a double puff.
After warming up our hands and faces inside the restaurant, we talked about Geysir being the first Geysir in the world – and giving name to all existing Geysirs. He is no longer active, even if he came back to life for some months after the last volcano eruption.
Sadly enough it was impossible to walk up to Geysir this time – As you can see in the header, the ice made it nearly impossible without risking your life…
In the heated car, we headed for Gullfoss and the river Hvitá – White, in English. Many glacier rivers are named Hvitá because of their colour.
On the road we finally met Icelandic horses close-up. They were standing quite still with the tough wind coming from behind.
These horses came to Iceland with the Norse Vikings, in the 9th-10th century, and there has been no cross breeding for 1000 years. This means that there is no purer breed anywhere in the world. The Icelandic horses are small, long-lived and hardy. In their native country they have few diseases. In fact, Icelandic law prevents horses from being imported into the country and exported animals are not allowed to return.
I think you agree with me that they are also extremely beautiful!
Travel theme at Ailsa’s – Waves. Mine are lava waves – show us Your interpretation! Click here for inspiration.
First of all, my deepest gratitude to all of you, followers, readers and commenters during 2015, and many of you for some years back too! I have got to know some of you rather well, and I have even met three of you ”in the real world”. I love that feeling…So, if you are coming to the southern part of Sweden, I hope you will mail me or give me a call. As you know – I have taken a year off. You are so very welcome for a chat, a cup of tea or coffee. Maybe an outing together! If I am home of course, and not on a trip somewhere in the world…
What did you like most on Leya during this year? I took a closer look at the statistics to find out the top 10 posts. Would they be my top 10 as well? I’m giving you one picture from each of these ten posts, and the link to the full post. Only five at a time, so you will not get too tired…
Analysis? Out of these first five posts, four are WordPress Challenges, which of course tells us what we already know – the importance of challenges and the importance of our host! But, the fourth most liked post made my heart jump with an extra beat. About Mille. In this post I have put some of my favourite photos of my ”Iron Man” and I have tried to describe his wonderful character.
I will post the top 6-10 before New Year’s Eve. It would be very interesting to know which is Your special favourite – and why? Let me know in the comment box! Maybe it’s not even one of these posts? And, what would you like to see more of in 2016?
From Bellinzona in Switzerland. This post was featured in ”Photos We Loved” by WPC
My most happy places – many positive comments on the golden forest
This post is about my decision to take a year off.
How happy you made me by liking and commenting on my lovely Mille! He will never die!
The Swiss Alps – a place for meditation.
Machines I’m impressed by are the mountain trains – here in Switzerland. They climb, sometimes very steep, several thousands of metres and they go down the same way. Seemingly undisturbed, effortless. And they are comfortable as well.
For Sylvain Landry. What machines are you impressed by? Join in and let us know!
There is an agreement. Something is signed in Paris. Many people are relieved.
I want to believe in the possibilities laid down in this piece of paper. But, most of all I am genuinely happy that the world wants to try, wants to unite, wants to have this agreement. And at Christmas time. In these days of war and terror.
I keep many of my plants in the cellar during winter time. Last weekend, Saturday, I went down to find a pot for a newly bought plant, and took a brief look at my ”hibernating” friends. Suddenly my eye was caught by something unusual.
In the dark corner I saw the tiny flowers, sitting on the tip of every leaf, striving towards what little light there is down there.
I knew I had this Kalanchoe plant taken inside a little late this autumn- below ten degrees C is usually not good for any pot plant.
Never had I seen flowers on this one before, I felt touched and ran up the stairs again to look it up in my plant dictionary. And yes. It is like always in nature – when you are nearly dying, you see to it that your genes will live on. In order to flower, this plant must have a very cold period.
I brought the plant up in the kitchen to have a closer look at it. An ordinary Kalanchoe – in Sweden called ”Leaves of Life” because of its tiny babies on every leaf.
Nature’s wonder of course – the babies flowering!
And I could not help but seeing the parallell with us humans…the utmost darkness needed for us to wake up and do something. Flowering made possible from darkness and despair.
Let us believe the spark of hope ignited in Paris will help make the Earth a healthy and flourishing planet for generations to come.
For Sylvain Landry this week – Narrow.
Some weeks ago, we went down the Yangtze River on a cruiser, and had to pass the Three Gorges Dam – the biggest dam project in the world. We went through the lock during the night, but I stayed up late to touch the wall and feel the claustrofobia…
Leya 
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