TWO NEW PHOTO PORTFOLIOS: Hebrides and Iceland

I'm proud to announce the publication of two new portfolios recording my explorations of the Scottish Hebrides and Iceland in September 2014.

Three Weeks, Fifteen Islands documents my exploration of the Inner and Outer Hebrides off Scotland's northwest coast. I travelled by land, sea and air from Arran in the south to Lewis in the north. 

Some of the many highlights were a full-day, hands-on photography workshop on Arran and a week's cruise on a converted trawler that visited Mull, Staffa, and Iona, and included a wildlife safari too. Another was landing on the beach at Barra in the Outer Hebrides.

The land steams. Volcanoes erupt. Earthquakes rumble. Mud boils. Geysers gush.

Halló Iceland is the visual journal of my adventures in northern and southern Iceland in late-September 2014. The boon and the curse of seismic activity has defined the land and the people of Iceland since the mid-800s. Its natural beauty is breathtaking, sometimes desolate, and always revealing....

© Photos by Pharos 2015. All rights reserved.

OLD ROADS, CHURCHES, AND A FARM VISIT IN NORTHERN ICELAND

This photo (L) is Akureyri in Northern Iceland from half-way up the ski area on the mountain behind the town. I took it this morning and it needs no further comment. I have quickly learned to love this region of contrasts and immense natural beauty.

Akureyri lies at the southern end of a 60kms fjord called Eyjafjordur. Ocean-going cruise ships call here on their "Round Iceland" voyages and offer the same shore excursions as I have done. Today, though, a smaller cruise ship was alongside carrying about 100 pax — a far cry from 3000+!!

Today was Nonni Travel's tour called
"Akureyri and Surroundings." This sounds boring but turned out to be four hours of nature, fascination, and animals. Ana, my private guide, started by showing me round the town, which is small. The residential streets are pretty below the mountains and Ana showed me some of the earliest homes and the Nonni House, which is now a museum about the famous Jesuit priest,  Jón Sveisson, who wrote children's stories and sagas. I saw the more recently-built residential area half-way up the mountain behind. Up we went to the ski hill where I shot the first image. The sun was bright and made for a great photo.

Arctic Cotton Brush

Then we crossed the causeway to the eastern slopes of the fjord and onto the "Old road." I was in for a treat. The winding, gravel road took me high into the mountains and over top into a valley I'd not seen yesterday. I saw late wild flowers and low berry bushes, moss and lichen. Again I marvelled at the fall colours this high up at about 1200 feet.

The valley was dressed in lavenders and  purple on the high slopes and the U-shaped valley floor was golden, interspersed with emerald farm fields. This is dairy and sheep farming country and is prosperous, though the photo (L) doesn't show the farms.

The gravel road was well graded and shaggy sheep were down in the fields and potatoes grew here. Eventually we came to the Eyeafjordur again where the alluvial fan of the river spread out widely. Along the east were more farms and here we soon stopped at Polar Hestar Riding Tours. The farmer of Grytubakki II, Stefan, welcomed me

L-R: Annaliese, James, Ana, and Stefan

personally and took me into his home for coffee and delicious homemade cakes. Here I met his employee, Annaliese, from Germany who is the riding tour guide and an accomplished artist. Both spoke excellent English and Stefan had a remarkable dry wit. I learned that he has 130 Icelandic horses, all broken and trained, and 250 sheep. Each ewe produces twins every April/May and he raises them for wool and meat. Their long, shaggy wool is sheared every March and late September. The horses stay out all winter growing long coats, but the sheep are brought inside.

I met their bottle lamb, Lollipop, who had to be bottle-fed after her mother died giving birth. Lollipop thinks she's a sheepdog! The farm also has three dogs, cats, and several rabbits and hens.

Then I walked down to the field where fifty of the horses were grazing. They are pony-size and very strong and sturdy. Also curious and gentle. Icelandic horses are all colours and some have blue eyes; they are descended from the old Nordic horses that arrived with the Vikings, along with the sheep. Both are unique breeds, kept pure by Iceland's strict laws.



I found the horses polite. An odd choice of word for sure, but perfect. They stand quite still and let you pat and stroke them, and never toss their heads, shy, or tread on one's feet. I adored them and want to come back and ride one. My time in the field was all too short and goodbyes were tough to say.


My next stop was at an old and tiny Lutheran church on the shore of the fjord. Inside was a 16th century pulpit —wooden, carved and painted. Ana,
who is a member of five choirs in Akureyri, gave me an impromptu concert here. Her voice was pitch-perfect and entrancing as she sang some Icelandic hymns. Next door were some genuine turf houses, one of which was the pastor's home until the 1950s.

The four hours were nearly over and I couldn't believe it could feel so short. But I had seen and done a lot, thanks to Nonni Travel and Promote Iceland who arranged the tour. My final view was of Eyeafjordur looking out to the North Atlantic.

IMAGES: © Photos by Pharos 2014. All rights reserved

NORTHERN ICELAND IS HOT...!

Typical old lava field and cinder cone

My ten-hour tour of northern Iceland was stellar in every respect: remote, contrasts, nature's power, desolate, and sunshine.

Saga Travel gave me their Diamond Circle tour that travelled 300kms through terrain that changed round every corner: Farmland, ancient and modern lava fields, lakes, their two biggest waterfalls, geothermal activity, and glens. Some of the roads were very rough with potholes and deep washboard surfaces that just about loosened every filling in my teeth. The wind blew strong and very cold, so my scarf, hat, and gloves were essential outside the van.

Saga's tour was essentially private, with only one other, my hubby, and our terrific Icelandic guide "Paul" who was knowledgeable and fun. We were all firm friends at the end. To some extent, Paul customized the tour to fit our interests and need for photography. One participant typified the ancient and modern for me. We were driving through a region with two houses in 100kms and he was Facetiming his mother in New York. Charles introduced me to her and we conversed, then he showed her the wild landscape out of the van's windows. Even in the remotest areas, Iceland has strong cell signals. Hilarious!

At every stop, there were spotless, flush toilets. Iceland is clean, clean, clean everywhere. Icelanders are an independent, hard working people who are very proud of their country.

The easiest way to show the story of this tour is with some images, rather than a long text post. So here are a few:

 
Iceland's top two waterfalls: Godafoss (L) and Dettifoss (R). The roaring waters of both are deafening. The hike to Dettifoss from the carpark is steep and tricky, but worth it. Hiking boots are the safest footwear and the spray blows over cameras if the wind changes.

High up in a remote plateau is a hot spot — fumaroles that roar, mud that boils, and cracks in the hills. Spectacular!

The Icelandic horses and sheep are unique breeds to Iceland and they are kept pure by law. No other breeds are allowed on the island.


The northern coast has cliffs, mountains, and islands. Puffins breed here (R) and on an uninhabited island in the spring so I didn't see any. Here too the earth's crust is thin and the European and North American tectonic plates are splitting apart by earthquakes and about 2cms per year. The last earthquake changed the course of the river from Dettifoss.





On the delta, are many sheep farms. At this time of year the flocks are gathered from the mountains and brought down to fields by the farms for the second shearing. They winter in barns.

Tomorrow we do the tour of Akureyri and its surrounding countryside and the fjord. Can't wait.

IMAGES: Photos by Pharos 2014. All rights reserved.

AKUREYRI, NORTHERN ICELAND

Akureyri's town square

I had a blustery walk in a wind blowing directly from the Arctic this afternoon. Akureyri was quiet on this Sunday afternoon; it's out of the tourist season here that ends on August 31.  Temperature is 6C!!

The sky is overcast but it's not raining. I walked around the town square, which was well nigh empty and the shops are closed. A few cafés are open but not busy. It's definitely fall here, with the trees turning fast and the leaves blowing around. Everything is spotlessy clean and the water very hot!! Geothermal energy is apparent....

Looking across the fjord to farmland

Aureyri has a population of 17,000 but does not look big enough, neither did I see many of them. The few I did see were well wrapped up with hats, scarves, and mitts. The kids are blonde cuties, the young women are blond bombshells, and the men – ah, the young men! Also blonde and to die for! Though my taxi driver yesterday looked like a Viking fresh off his longboat. He was a redhead and had a fiery red beard. No doubt about it, he had Viking blood. (No pix, sadly; no one let me take their photo.)

Icelanders love ice cream, even if it's freezing outside, and when I visited the local parlour it was packed. The choice of flavours was immense, but not as big as the number of additional tidbits that could be added to your selection and whizzed up, then piled into a cone. I bought two slices of an Icelandic apple pie that was recommended for our afternoon snack. Topped with caramel, the apple filling was held together with a thick custard. Absolutely yummy! (Also, no pix!)

Akureyri from waterfront with the cathedral

The city, really only a small town, is the second largest in Iceland and has busy fishing and shipbuilding industries with farming in the hinterland. Akureyri lies at the head of Eyjafjordur below snow-capped mountains. It has a university, so a large, vibrant undergrad society. It was settled in 890 by a Norse-Irish permanent resident, and a trading-post was established in 1601. Most surprising is the huge cathedral that dominates Akureyri and was built in 1940. It looks more like an old New York skyscraper, but inside has a vast organ with 3200 pipes and a stained glass window from the original Coventry Cathedral. A ship hangs from the ceiling – it is part of an old Norse tradition of a votive offering for protection of loved ones at sea.

Many of the houses are three storeys. The lower one would have been the byre where the livestock lived in winter and heated the floor above with their body heat. Today it looks as if this is now the storeroom for the household. The steep roofs are bright red corrugated iron that allows the snow to slide off and not build up. I don't know how much Akureyri gets each winter.

We ate dinner at Noa, a resto owned by a Pennsylvanian who is married to an Icelander. It's about a mile north of the town, so a taxi was needed. Ingredients were all sourced locally. The starter was a share-plate of cured meats – ham, beef, chorizo (mild), and horse set off with Iceland cheeses. The brie is quite different from French brie – sweeter and a little earthier. Loved it all. Then came the local prime rib of lamb and root veggies sauteed in a cast-iron fry pan that came to the table sizzling. Gravy, plenty of it, accompanied it. This was the tastiest lamb I've ever eaten. Gamey and strong. The gravy was delicious. Bravo, Noa!!


IMAGES: © Photos by Pharos 2014. 
                   All rights reserved.

FAREWELL SCOTLAND – HALLÓ ICELAND

Leaving Scotland and the Hebrides was a painful wrench for me. I really didn't want to leave Stornoway on the Isle of Lewis with so much left to do and see. I knew I would miss the hospitality and friendliness I had enjoyed so much. Also the mostly sunny, warm weather.

However, the welcome on board Iceland Air at Glasgow diminished the glumness and I began to anticipate my new adventure. The Boeing 757 was only half-full and our Premium Economy seats were big and comfortable. The flight departed and arrived bang on schedule and took 2.5 hours to Keflavik. I enjoyed flying over Skye and the Outer Hebrides on the way. Puffy white clouds dotted the skyscape and I was able to recognize a few of the Isles we had visited. I read most of the way and I munched on an Icelandic doughnut that was long and thin without a hole. Yummy! The flight was very smooth, and I'm delighted we are returning to Canada with Iceland Air. We will use this airline again from Vancouver to get to European destinations – it's excellent.

Keflavik

My first sight of Iceland as we came into Keflavik was a golf course along the coast. Not a tree in sight! Soon I saw the city hugging the sea. It was smaller than I expected. The airport is both civil and military. Immigration and customs were a breeze – no line-ups and just a walk through "Nothing to declare." I never saw a customs officer!


I had to change airports to catch a plane to Akureyri in northern Iceland. It was a 50kms journey to an airport on the outskirts of Reykjavik. Visitors can either take a shuttle bus or a taxi. Both are more expensive than I expected, but soon I learned that Iceland is about two and a half times as expensive as Canada.

This road journey was quite eye-opening. The coastal plain is as flat as a pancake with high purple mountains rising up from it in the distance. One, slightly closer, was a perfectly triangular cinder cone. The plain is covered in lava rock, some smooth, some craggy. All the rocks are covered with thick moss and lichen, which made me hope to see reindeer. And, yes, Iceland does have reindeer herds, probably imported and farmed. Wherever the land had been cleared, all you could see was cinders, looking like black coal.

The flight north was with Air Iceland (Flugfélag Íslands) from a tiny airport. We flew in a Fokker 50, twin prop plane that was small but quiet and comfy for the forty minute flight. The views through the clouds showed a desolate, wild landscape of mountains, deep valleys, glaciers, and winding rivers. The pilot said we could see the smoke and fumes from the active volcano, but I was on the wrong side of the plane. I did see an ice dome poking up through the clouds as we flew ever northwards. I've never been this close to the Arctic Circle before.

The descent into Akureyri was intimidating. As we lost altitude the mountain tops grew closer. Soon the plane was flying below them along the valley, lower and lower. Then I saw the sea and we were landing.

The town is a five minute drive from the airport and lies at the head of a long fjord. It is attractive with red-roofed homes and an astonishing church on the hillside.

By now it was 7:30pm and we were very tired and hungry. We dropped our bags at the Hotel Nordurland and found the nearest resto. We ate langoustines with gusto and then fell into bed dreaming of a day of rest on Sunday and maybe a walk around the harbour in the morning.

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

IMAGES: All taken with my phone except for the last.  

                                                               © Photos by Pharos 2014. All rights reserved.