Horses in Iceland

Icelandic Horses are a prominent part of the island's countryside. Icelandic horses are smaller than most horses and larger than ponies. They come in a variety of colors and in our experience were very friendly. These horses live in a town called Egilsstaðir, which is north of the Eastern fjords. Aside from being visually beautiful livestock and companions, Icelandic horses are also kept for food. We were assured that these horses were not for food.

While I'm on the subject of Icelandic food, I should also note that Icelanders also eat whale (We saw whale burgers & whale hotdogs) and they also eat puffin, a small bird from which the national dish is made. There were no puffins on the island during our visit; they migrate to warmer places in the winter. In the summer, people visit from all over the world just to see them, magnets and tee shirts of them everywhere. Other interesting Icelandic food things that we heard of were the fermented shark meat and the halved sheep head, which is served with one eye and half a brain (whole) on a platter.

Roadside Sighting - Western Countryside

These aren't the best shots of the aurora. I've added them, though, to show a realistic view of what most aurora sightings are typically  like. Iceland has notoriously cloudy weather, especially in the winter. Most of our time in Iceland was spent driving long distances to get out of the weather in order to catch a glimpse of the lights under a clear sky. Often we could tell that a show was happening through small cracks in the cloud cover but couldn't really see anything significant.

Another thing that made seeing the aurora difficult was the moon, which can easily overpower the lights. In these shots we had a full moon as well as low, fast moving clouds. It was also cold and windy as all hullabaloo. The intense wind (seriously, it'll push cars off the road) makes it really hard to walk or hold a camera, especially walking on ice. To top it off, for these shots I was also having to constantly clear the lens of snow, bits of grass, and ice particles that would fly into the frame. Super typical examples how shooting in Iceland can be tricky business.

Geothermal Fields Near Lake Myvatn

After leaving Akureyri we headed East to visit the Myvatn geothermal baths and Lake Myvatn. the entire area is very geologically active. To the south, the largest eruption earth has seen in several hundred years is active right now. It's already ejected enough lava to cover an area over 80 square kilometers. The area near the lava field is highly regulated. Only scientists and state workers are allowed near the site. You can see the red glow of the lava field from a distance. We took a few shots near Akureyri and Egilsstaðir where the glow is visible.

About the Geothermal fields near Myvatn. This place is mars country. A lot of Iceland is mars country but the north east especially. Ancient crater structure from old eruptions cover the landscape. Vents gush hot sulphury gas into the cold winds. Wind really picks up fast in the flat open plains here. Specks of ice and sand pick at exposed skin. Car rental companies highly recommend that renters buy sand insurance because the high winds, especially along the coast, will blast car pain down to exposed steel in a matter of hours. It's a thing.

The texture of the ground here is amazing. Little white and yellow mineral crystals grow on everythnig. Small geometric scars and shapes are etched into the rocks and soil. Bright yellow, red, and orange stones  speckle the landscape and coat rocky surfaces. Jet black bubbling waters burp up new smells. An Icelander told us told us that locals know exactly how long it takes to boil a tourist. Areas like this geothermal scene are common on the island and most of them are basically unregulated. Tourists are free to wander and explore. Getting to close to hot vents and falling into boiling pools or through hot soft ground is sadly common. Should you ever visit the island, consider the wise words of 90's poet Ice Cube. It could save your life.

Falls Northern Iceland

The roar and churning of these falls is enveloping. The pristine deep blue breaks up the black lava rock and white snow in a magical way. Icelanders say the local water is the cleanest in the world. Icelandic Drinking water from the tap is unique in the developed world in that it undergoes no filtration from source to faucet (it's also blessed at the country's most prominent source so...holy water on tap).

Domestic faucets are a neat thing here (fun fact the word faucet is from the french word for bung or hole in a barrel). Cold tap is typically piped in from naturally ground-filtered cold springs. The hot tap is piped in (also unfiltered) from geothermal hot springs. So showers smell sulfury and can get really hot; most shower taps are equipped with temperature dials, which is very handy.

Icelandic Christmas Cat Downtown Akureyri

We arrived in Iceland on Christmas Eve and stayed past the new year. All the traditional Icelandic holiday hubbub was in full effect. One of their most unique folk traditions is the Christmas Cat or Yule Cat. This is a wood and metal installation of the Christmas Cat at the central round-about in downtown Akureyri. Bored and restless Icelandic youth cruise the circle endlessly on cold nights.

The tradition of the Cat is a relatively recent invention. The green eyes shown here are atypical, normally Yule Cat has red eyes. Wool is a principal export and industry for the island. As an initiative to boost wool revenues and the local economy people were told that anyone not gifted a new wool garment prior to Xmas would be mauled by a giant black, clawed and fanged, cat-creature in the night.

While we're on it, cats are a big part of Iceland city life in general. Cats have a log history of being here and were brought to the island early in it's settlement. House cats are everywhere; it's common to see them playing in the snow, in home windows, and hotels. I came home with a set of microfiber towels that say "cats rule the town"; part of an artist's series to describe Reykjavik from an outsiders perspective.

The Golden Circle

The golden Circle is an area north of the capital city rich in important historical sites and geothermal landscapes. Visiting the Golden Circle you'll likely see a variety of geothermal springs and bubbly things. We saw a geyser, liken to old faithful in the states. It went off every five minutes or so, leaving a plume of hot steam, amazed tourists, and fogged camera lenses.

Part of the Golden Circle includes a lookout over a flat open plain (the site of Iceland's original parliament) and a filming location for Game Of Thrones. From that same vantage place you can also see the site where the American and European continents meet. A channel of water sits on the border; experienced guides will take people diving in the Silfra Fissure. We opted to go on such a dive with a group one morning but the event was cancelled on account of bad weather, which in Iceland is really bad weather.

The same bad weather was the reason the children's Christmas tree burning bonfire was cancelled. We heard that it's usually a wild event. After Christmas everyone brings their trees to a site on the coast for a huge fire. Children are primarily responsible for throwing their family's tree in. In case I forget to mention it anywhere else in the blog, Icelander's take Christmas VERY seriously. There's a national schedule for putting up and taking down lights, tons of Christmas decorations, and no shortage of wonderfully magical folk tales. Some of our favorites were the 13 Trolls, Yule lads, and the Christmas Cat, which you can see a statue of in this post.

Hike Along Geothermal Stream

Shots from an unexpected day hike, which is about a four or five hour hike in the Icelandic wintertime (the sun rises at around 11AM and sets around 3PM). We got lost looking for coffee one morning near a town Northeast of Reykjavik, known for geothermal activity. Instead of coffee we found a trail head. So we packed our gear and started on a snowy hike along a geothermal stream. Steam billows up from the ground and the streams along the trail.

We met some Icelanders a few miles in who asked if we were going to the top to get in. At the top, maybe four or five miles in we came to a place where two streams, one of cold snow melt and one of very hot geothermal bubbly water joined to make a warm area that was (apparently) safe to get in. There were wooden platforms setup to set your gear out of the snow and get in. You could control how hot you wanted it to be by migrating closer to the hot or cold sources. Pretty great soak session.

The Aurora Egilsstadir Northern Iceland

The southern two thirds of the island were set to be completely under cloud cover and heavy weather for the week. All but a few places in the North would have clear skies. So we drove from Vík í Mýrdal through Jökulsárlón to Egilsstaðir, where we hoped to have a few hours of clear sky at night. We stayed in a small cabin on an isolated horse farm in the country. The high wispy clouds, the moon, and the red lava glow in the distance made for a magic night of lights. The aurora cycled on and off from about 8pm to 2am.

The cabins are run by great hosts, Einar and Melanie. They have three children, two younger daughters and a son. They were very accommodating and booked our stay on the day of arrival, which was a important for us. We spent most of the trip roving and wandering in a Škoda wagon. Most places we stayed, outside of Reykjavik, were last minute bookings made from the road. If you're thinking about traveling here in a similar fashion in the winter we cannot overstress the need for 4-wheel drive or all-wheel drive.

The Blue Lagoon

silica, and snow. Algae. Deep Ocean water filters up through geothermally heated layers of volcanic rock and bubbles up to the surface to create pools of some of the most unique water in the world. the pools are rich in silica and a unique breed of algae that not only gives the water the deep blue green color that makes it so iconic, they're also responsible for healing benefits promoted through the pools highly regarded clinics or health spas. the floor of some areas of the community pools are covered with a very fine gooey grey mud. squishes between your toes. mud like this is collected in buckets and basins for guests to make face masks. some advise, don't get it in your eyes, it sucks, especially if you;re wearing contacts. silica is fine, gritty and sharp stuff.

Aurora Borealis Reykjavik Coastline

Great sighting on the Reykjavik coastline

The Sun Voyager At Night

The Sun Voyager is an art installation on the Reykjavik coast. The stylized ship is am hommage to viking ship building and to the spirit of Nordic sea travel. The piece sits on the coast just on the edge of downtown. From this point you can see the lights, sometimes. While the piece itself is beautiful much of its beauty comes from the changing context of it's environment. Still and inert against the pink and blue sunrise in the morning or the green purple of the lights, or the red orange of the sunset over the ocean. The Sun Voyager

Night Drive Through Western Peninsula

Waterfalls are lit up at night.

New Years Eve In Reykjavik

New years is a wild time in Reykjavik

Rainy Evening Walk In Reykjavik

On this night warm rain washed away most of the snow and we had shiny wet streets for a while.

Black Sand Beach Vik Southern Iceland

Black sand beach at the south point of Vik in Iceland

Roadside Aurora Sighting In The Snaefellsnes Peninsula In West Iceland

Love this shot because you can see the reflection of the Aurora in the frozen pond in the foreground. We're driving to the end of the peninsula late at night when we spotted this. We ended up staying a while to watch the show on the side of the road so Amelia made soup on her camp stove while the lights did their dance. I'll also remember this shot because it's the place where Icelandic elves or trolls stole our camera remote cable, but that's another story.

Lava Glow Near Lake Myvatn Northern Iceland

We took these under a mostly full moon from the side of the road on turn outs near lake Myvatn in North Iceland. Love how you can see reddish glow from the lava huge field in the distance.

A Crisp Raykjavik Morning

A shop in city sells shirts for Raykjavik that say "Welcome to Rainbow Town!". Houses downtown are painted every color over variegated metal sighting (a shell over original timber buildings) and there's street art everywhere. The contrast of all the colors against the snow and twilight skies are pretty refreshing.

Aurora Over Kirkjufellsfoss, Snaefellsnes Peninsula, West Iceland

One of our favorite shots of the Aurora over Kirkjufellsfoss, which is located on the north side of Snaefellsnes peninsula in west Iceland. This mountain is pretty magical. We made the trek out to see it on New Years Day 2015 on a very cold night. It's isolation from other mountains and pointy top sitting over water set it apart from so many other structures we saw on this trip.

Staying In Reykjavík

We stayed in Reykjavík for Christmas, New Years, and our last nights in Iceland. While in the city, we were lucky enough to rent a room on Grettisgata very close to Hallgrímskirkja, the largest church in Iceland.

Our room on Grettisgata was managed by am amazing couple. An Icelandic film director, whose most recent work, a ghost comedy (totally under-appreciated genre BTW) and his partner had actually shot a film in the room we stayed in; here's a trailer where you can totally see our room! They were great hosts and took us in over the holidays and gave us advice as we toured the city and countryside.

Great advice from Ágúst & Anna Maria:

• Bring your warmest clothes
• Parking tickets can be paid at any bank and are discounted if you pay immediately
* Christmas is a solemn and family centered time in Iceland (most things are closed)
* Be at the Hallgrímskirkja church around 11PM (23:00) New Years Eve
* 4WD in the winter is a MUST
* Make reservations at restaurants on holidays