This is a story from another planet, a story from a place so distant and different - it blows your mind off when you discover it exists. First it feels like you land on Mars (you obviously know that feeling ;)). Next thing you know you are taking a moon drive to the nearest city through those empty lava fields with sharp edged mountains right above the horizon being surrounded by the black and gray perfect emptiness with midnight sun as your companion. From time to time you come across patches of land covered with violet lupins - making the whole place look even more majestic and surreal.
This strange yet beautiful planet has so many things to discover - from rocks to fresh bright greenery, from glacier ice to boiling pools of water, geysers, bubbling mud pools, gorgeous empty black sandy beaches, chilly winds, volcanoes with ridiculously long names ;), huge glaciers, iceberg lakes, whales and arctic dolphins, dwarf trees, thermal streams, rainbow coloured mountains, amazing waterfalls, milky blue lagoons of purest warm water - I could go on...
The attractions will be different from usual - walking to a glacier and trying some 1000 year old water (this water is probably the purest in the world); taking a bath in turquoise steamy pools - this is my big favourite! :); coming eye-to-eye with sleek, spouting whales in the Northern Iceland; getting curious about Icelandic language and people.
I couldn't have enough of the cinematic weirdness of the Icelandic nature, and I couldn't stop but post this many pictures capturing this ever-changing volcanic laboratory.
all images by Olga & Arek
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11 comments:
What a different world.
Awesome pictures! Now you've just added Iceland to my travel wish list.
You lucky thing!!! I've always wanted to visit Iceland and find myself near a Geyser :-)
Thank you for sharing your amazing pictures!
Wow Olga, i'm overwhelmed and that are just photos, what it must be to taste and experience the real thing is nearly unimaginable. X
Mi primera impresión fue que efectivamente se trataba de otro planeta. Esto me hace pensar que hay muchos planetas en uno mismo y se pueden conocer sin necesidad de emprender un viaje al espacio sideral.
No se con exactitud cual de todas las fotos es mi favorita, lo cierto es que había pensado que el azul clarito de las lagunas que muestras sólo podía pertenecer al cielo, ahora me doy cuenta de que no. Y que generalmente a las rocas les gustaba la sobriedad de los colores oscuros, pero veo una muy orgullosa de su amarillo que resalta a las demás piedritas.
Es como si la Tierra tuviera varias hermanas que viven en distintas partes del planeta y esta fuera la más rara o la más callada pero sin perder la extravagancia-muy a su estilo- propia de todas las hermanas tierra. A Islandia me la imagino todo el tiempo jugando con su única amiga, el agua, y juntas inventan formas y colores a su antojo. Jeje creo que ya estos diciendo barbaridades por ver tus fotos que inquietaron a mi cerebro :) Muchas gracias por eso y por llevarme de viaje a Islandia desde tus ojos.
Amazing pictures Olga; really this is an update worthy of return visits, scanning through image by image and taking in every detail. Iceland (land of fire and ice) seems like a different geographical region from every perspective; some images look like Nevada, others like the Outer Hebrides. Some images look like the Arctic Circle, and others look like the mythical kingdoms from The Lord of the Rings.
Hopefully, while you were there, you put a note through Björk's letterbox telling her I intend to marry her someday. :)
@ lights in the dusk:
Naah, I didn't. Didn't you know she is already married with a cat?
@ Insomniamental: gracias por tu comentario. Sabes, me alegro mucho que aqui pueda compartir lo que vi en aquiel mundo irreal, y a lo mismo, apreciar juntos las bellezas de que tenemos alrededor de nosotros. Me ha gustado un monton tu comparacion del pais a las hermanas de la tierra - Islandoa y todos sus hijos (escritores, musicos, diseñadores..) realmente son muy raros, poco conocidos y tambien por eso muy especiales... me gustaria volver alli un dia (muy pronto :))..
I love popping over here and being taken to a different place...this time an alien world haha. I've always been interested in visiting Iceland and your amazing pictures make me want to go even more. It really does look like a whole different planet...complete with Klingon being their native tongue :-P
Hi Olga
It’s really great pics! Everything is interesting. I’ve seen the past big eruption of Iceland by DVD. At first, I couldn’t believe its spectacle. Scene of the lava was similar to that of Maunaloa, Kilauea in Hawaii. It’s true Iceland is a part of Mid-Atlantic Ridge and Hawaii is made of Hot-Spot. But, these lava came from the deep earth. Each of them must have similar chemical composition., named basaltic magma.
Have you enjoyed taking spa? I didn’t know we could watch the whales. About the 7th and 14th pic, I can’t remember the name of this distinctive landscape. :( Gyoo? ;) These pics are the obvious evidence that Iceland is splitting now.
Recently, I’ve read an interesting comment. It said that no man need a vacation so much as the person who has just one.
How do you feel about it, Olga?
See you.
Your photos are exquisite. Getting through them took me to some strange wilderness, a different and remote world, where dust, ice and heat gives a sense of being far from Earth and near to ourselves. Nice place to be isolated. To think, write, read and celebrate the hapiness to have it all what's not in the picture. You made me climb Iceland from my travelling list to one of the first 10 places to visit. A remarkable experience and the curiosity to see the little devil that made me drive from Calais to Madrid forced by vulcanic ash clouds :) Hugs
Masa, I'm sorry I'm taking so long to reply... the spa was wonderful, very weird feeling when water is actually hotter than the air around you (38C vs 15C) - usually it's the other way round. So it makes you feel like you are someplace really hot - we got burnt in the sun too :) Pic 7 is the canyon of Godafoss waterfall and pic 13 and 14 are from Thingvellir National Park - this is where the 2 tectonic plates can be seen - where Europe meets America :)
As for having a vacation after vacation - yeah, I could become a huge supporter of this!!
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