Thursday Thoughts

4 februari, 20164 februari, 2016 / Leya / 24 kommentarer

One of very few ”outdoor” days this week. No rain, and even a tiny drop of sun…

I went out to test my new Panasonic in nature. Totti rather liked it…and so did I.

What do you think?

The rains have left high water levels everywhere.

Still, easy to walk and no need for big boots – it has also been very windy this week.

Many trees again…have fallen. Wet feet and wind – means difficulties to stand upright.

Today’s hike was lovely though. and sometimes there seemed to be Spring in the air. Bird song and singing brooks.

Much water to deal with for the trees…that is the only good thing with the wind now…

Pocketable from Canon to Panasonic

3 februari, 20163 februari, 2016 / Leya / 20 kommentarer

Time for my pot plants to wake up from their winter sleep…

…and some porcelain birds as well.

So, I shot these with my new ”dog walking” camera – a Panasonic Lumix TZ70. My old Canon suddenly got a white spot inside the lens, (I could see it clearly, and the photos got a big blur in the upper left corner ) and there was nothing to do about it as it is a compact camera.

I never had a Panasonic before, but this one got high grades in photo magazines and was listed number one of neat compacts this year. My criteria were: ability to use one hand only (dog leash in the other), good in low light, long zoom lens and still pocketable. This Lumix feels good, but is not as good in low light as the Canon was. A plus point is that I love the design …

CFFC: Things that are Hot

2 februari, 20162 februari, 2016 / Leya / 24 kommentarer

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.

SL-WEEK 31: Time

2 februari, 2016 / Leya / 9 kommentarer

Time, for Sylvain Landry.

Cold and Hot Shocks – Gullfoss, Pools and Coffee

1 februari, 20161 februari, 2016 / Leya / 40 kommentarer

Gullfoss (the Golden Falls) has its origin in the glacier lake Hvítávatn (the White River Lake) at Lángjökull glacier about 40km north of Gullfoss. The river Hvítá flows into a wide curved three-step ”staircase” and then abruptly plunges in two stages (11 m and 21 m) into a crevice, seemingly vanishing into the earth, 32 m down. The crevice is about 20 m wide, and 2.5 km in length, and the average amount of water running over this waterfall is 140 m³/s in the summertime and 80 m³/s in the wintertime.

Over the years, there has been much speculation about using Gullfoss to generate electricity. However, the investors’ attempts have been unsuccessful, partly due to lack of money. The waterfall now belongs to the state of Iceland,

Legend has it that Sigríður Tómasdóttir, the daughter of the former owner of the falls, Tómas Tómasson, was determined to preserve Gullfoss as it had always been, and even threatened to throw herself into the waterfall. The story of the saviour of the falls is unfortunately… not true. But beautiful it is – there is even a statue made of Sigríður, standing close to the site.

When visiting Gullfoss, one of the most popular tourist attractions in Iceland, we were in for one of the most icy cold shocks ever. The air temperature maybe 8 degrees below zero – but the strong wind made it feel like -30 something.

Three of us ventured out of the car, well prepared, but faces and fingers still suffered severely. Not the best circumstances for good shots – despite sun and clear sky. We ”fired” for about five minutes, then tried to reach the car without breaking any arms, legs or cameras.

Fortunately the path to the cliffs was closed – trying to reach the ”platform” could have ended your life. During summer this spot offers a spectacular view of the falls.

But, surely you can see the golden light of the Golden Falls…even in winter?

The walk to reach the rails was not successfully made by more than 10-15 people during our short stay. It was not possible to come closer for another angle of the crevice.

Trying to regain some body heat, we were delighted to dive into the warm car and follow the glacier river Hvitá down stream.

The sunset painted the surrounding landscape using mostly short sweeps of the brush…

…leaving only few white light spots around the corner of the hills. Soon the Icelandic evening was upon us.

Our plan was to go to The Secret Lagoon for a hot bath – the perfect ending of any day. In fact, every day was ended off with bathing in hot pools – which is a great habit with the Icelanders. Their bathing culture is strong, and they make it clear to every visitor that they have to take off their clothes and shower thoroughly without swimsuit. This is a must before entering the pools.

Here a gallery of hot pools and earthen baked bread and hot coffee…I hope you are inspired!

100 degrees, 24 hours later

Rye bread, butter and cheese

Laugarvatn Fontana

Laugardalur, Reykjavik

Inside out…

Fresch vegetables and fruit

Most famous cafe – Mokka…

…interior from the 50’s

Facts on Gullfoss: Wikipedia

Strokkur, Ice and Horses

30 januari, 201630 januari, 2016 / Leya / 40 kommentarer

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.

Detta bildspel kräver JavaScript.

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: Gloss

30 januari, 2016 / Leya / 8 kommentarer

For Ailsa – Gloss – Copper and Brass

WPC: Vibrant

29 januari, 2016 / Leya / 16 kommentarer

”This week, share a photo of something vibrant. Vivid colors, a lively portrait, or perhaps a delightfully colorful landscape, if you’re in a warmer climate. Let’s wash the web with a rainbow of colors to keep the winter gloom at bay.”

Naturally from the natural world – vibrant!