New Years Eve!

Happy New Year from Reykjavik!

Thanks to all for a wonderful 2005 and best wishes for an even better year to come!

Hallgrímskirkja, New Years Eve

Amazing night in Reykjavik...the town all aglow and revellers out in full force...I'll never get over the sheer number of fireworks, the craziness of rockets and bombs going off everywhere around you, booming and cracking and lighting up the faces of the joyous, young and old.

Wish you all were here!

Dreamy Valley

That last photo was making me chilly, so I thought I'd re-post one I took this past summer. Its of Svarfaðardalur, just north of Akureyri and only inches from the Arctic Circle (in an atlas that is...in real life its a couple of miles.)

Though by no means complaining about our snappy winter weather, it's nice remember what awaits us come summer...

Have I mentioned that Kiefer Sutherland (who was here last year as you can read on the link,) Quentin Tarantino and RZA are all here for our amazing New Years madness? You've honestly never seen as many fireworks in one place on one night in your life as can be seen here at midnight on the 31st. I'll even take pix from my balcony to prove it.

In the meantime, let this luxurious countryside scene transport you to a perfect Icelandic summertime day...

Ice Climbing

Ice Climbing, originally uploaded by blue eyes.

I thought a real winter scene would suit well today, so I found this ice climbing number from Adventure Peaks Worldwide Expeditions. Never been ice climbing myself, but I've heard that it takes a very cool disposition, tons of endurance and a really good set of crampons.

I'm not sure where this photo was taken on our lovely island, but pretty much anywhere there's serious frost and a waterfall, you'll find ice to climb. I have to warn the adventurous among you though, that every year a number of tourists and even a few locals succumb to the very capricious Icelandic weather and extreme terrain. Do not assume even a short day trip out of town is harmless...anything, anything, can and does happen to the unsuspecting and the unprepared here on the lava rock. This land is alive and does not hesitate to take sacrifices.

Be sure to tell your hotel or guesthouse where you plan to go when you venture out of town and when you plan to be back.

Never ever leave marked roads. Do not drive on unpaved roads during except in high summer unless you have a reputable guide with you and the appropriate vehicle, and never disregard any kind of warning signs, even if you don't understand what they say. Assume they're telling you to stay out!

Watch out about walking through lava fields, especially if they are even lightly covered in snow. The lava is full of crevaces that can go unnoticed under snow. My daughter's cousin, who had his infant in a baby backpack on his chest, stepped on a piece of snow-covered lava just by the side of the road that he knew to be safe and dropped straight through at least five feet into a crevace, baby and all. We were all scared to death. Luckily, it was only five feet!

If you are on a guided tour always do everything the guide tells you. Cockiness has no place in the wilds. I know stories...

Bring extra clothes, no matter where you are going. Wool, silk and fleece will save you and your tootsies!

Here's a good resource for tour operators in Iceland. It's an absolute must that you get out of the city while here. Just do it right. The countryside and highlands are amazing in any weather, during any season and are always worth the trip!

Tis the Season

Happy Holidays to Everyone!

Stay safe, hug the ones you love and smile for a stranger. Oh, and make sure you don't eat your holiday dinner alone...remember that someone out there would enjoy your company. Keep the pretty lights in sight, right?

Falling Apart

Love this photo. Took it last winter. It's so...frosty. And it smacks of the classic, the decrepit, the once-useful and now neglected. At some point the owners of this corral stopped nailing its wind-rattled boards back into place, and didn't care anymore if hinges rusted and warped gates fell. Maybe it was during a season of poverty, when they sold off their horses and sheep, or possibly a time of plenty when they could at last afford a new steel fold for their stock. Regardless, piece by piece this antiquated enclosure is being blown apart and absorbed into the raw Icelandic landscape with no help or intervention from man.

Island

Island, originally uploaded by blue eyes.

I certainly didn't take this shot! Rather, it's from the NASA Earth Observatory and here's a quote from the same source to go wtih the visuals:

"The many shades of blue and blue-green in the true-color image above (top) indicate that marine plant life (called phytoplankton) is in full bloom around Iceland. Phytoplankton form the foundation of the marine food chain and, ultimately, support almost all animal life forms in the ocean. Like land-based plants, phytoplankton require sunlight, water, carbon dioxide and nutrients in order to grow. During the summer months in the North Atlantic, the main limiting factor to growth is the availability of nutrients. Whenever a strong low-pressure system passes overhead, or a strong shift in current patterns stirs up the water from below, nutrients that have settled toward the bottom of the sea are brought up near the surface. As a result, phytoplankton can quickly reproduce by the trillions, creating beautiful patterns of light blue and turquoise that can extend for hundreds or even thousands of kilometers—features easily seen by space-based sensors."

I like pretty colors...