Water is everywhere - Part 1

Water is everywhere in Iceland. I lately wrote a little guest blog for the page www.inspiredbyiceland.com. There I wrote about one of the most important elements in Iceland: Water. Here is the full article - Part 1:

(Part 2 will follow tomorrow)

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Water is the most important part of Iceland for me.

Why? Yes, you had to ask. Water is everywhere in Iceland - and in fact - around it. And water is a large part of the experience when you get deeper into Iceland.

Well, it is about landscape and volcanoes, about ice, about the light, yes, of course. But nothing of all this is worth it, if you take away the water.

Water is such an integral part of my vacations to Iceland - five to this point, but I am not done counting - especially because you get into it. Deeply into it.

If people ask me, why I love Iceland, I tell them, that it is all about relaxing and escaping my everyday world. I love to hike, I love photography and I love to just enjoy the space and the light that is just not of this world. But no matter what, you have not been to Iceland if you didn't plunge in the water. All the time.

Icelandic baths are special. Heated by geothermal power, which mostly means that they are fed by hotsprings, each has a bit different of a water. Balmy, tangy, turquois or clear and lush.

Myvatn Nature Bath

If you miss out on the bath, you missed out on Iceland. I mean it. My favorit sporty-style bath is the Laugardalslaug in Reykjavik. This large and well equipped pool is just outside downtown and conveniently right next to the campground and the youth hostel. Reykjavik has more pools to offer. I never counted, how many. Well, I do admit it. I do swim a few laps there, but I really just want to lounge in the hot pots. That's the key for me in Icelandic pools. Oh, and the fact that they do not have clorine in the water. It's all fresh and that's something that you get no where else I know.

Organized city swimming pools are great. But it does not stop there, it does not even beginn there. There is an enormous amount of local hotpots. Natural hotpots, those that are maintained in some way and also those, where a local hotspring is detoured into a pool of sorts.

Snaefell Mountain in the background

I have been driving along dusty roads in the Westfjords. And what's on the map? A pool. Well, honestly, if you drive by it, that is your problem. There is nothing more refreshing than just taking a dip in there. And meet the people. We have had many a fun conversation at those pools.

Of course, when you are camping, pools are always welcome. You don't only get a shower there - and you neeeeed to use it. Thoroughly. No options. But you get to lounge in warming water. No matter how cold it is, there is such a revitalizing energy in warmth to the core. Of course you should also enjoy that feeling without a tent waiting for you. But I am always camping in Iceland as long as I am not coming in the winter.

If you think, you got the water thing now, well, the swimming part, then I am pretty sorry to say: You have not gotten the real deal quite yet. 

Landmannalaugar is a place I still have to visit, but I have been to Reykjadalur and therefore I did get my fair amount of soaking in a hot river. 

Reykjadalur

Reykjadalur is in hiking distance from the valley behind Hveragerði and an easy daytrip from Reykjavík. It has this beautiful alpine apearance and is strewn with Icelandic sheep. And through the middle there is a river. It starts boiling hot in the high end of the valley. And by boiling I mean boiling. Don't be tempted to even dip a finger in. The further you stay to the bottom end the cooler it gets. We usually hike up and down the stream and look for a place that is not too hot. And then, by evening time, the locals show up and go a good bit further up the hot part of the river. Then you know that you may be aspiring but not quite there.

Blue Lagoon Keflavík

Where or when it is cold or colder you want the hot water, hotter, longer, more relaxing. I have acutally been sitting in a hot pot or pool in Iceland while the snow falls around me and it's icy all over. Such a great contrast to enjoy. Also, watching a sunset in the mountains around Snæfell, waiting for reindeers to show up and meanwhile sitting in open air hot pots? Tell me what beats that, anywhere in the world.

Part 2 will follow tomorrow morning!

At Látrabjarg

Látrabjarg in the Westfjords is a grand bird paradies. The cliffs are mulitple kilometers long and really tall. We visited the tip of it in strong wind, summer 2009.

Here is a series of pictures from there. 

don't get blown off! ...

...because it is THIS high!

Look at the person on top of the cliff above for a judgement of scale!

cliff side housing for a seagull

It is really hard to believe that they can cling onto that rock face, even in the adverse winds and storms. And they sit, they nest, they sleep, they raise their young ones.

and another one

 The white stuff on the rock is bird droppings. You can see where everyone lives very easily.

joint apparment for the bird families

flying by the nesting sites

Puffins are just cute

In the summer of 2009 we drove through the Westfjords. We drove the whole way to Látrabjarg. Unfortunately for us it was an incredibly windy day and we had to fight pretty hard to be safe out there. 

This puffin is squatted down hard onto the rock to hold on.

We did not see many puffins in the air that day, because the weather was just too rough.

The classic puffin photo (without fish) I can add in as well, though.

The weirdest tunnel of them all

The weirdest tunnel I have ever been in we came through on our way through the Westfjords when leaving Ísafjördur.

The tunnel started out as you expect a tunnel to behave. Then all of a sudden, the tunnel split into two directions. You just don't think, that roads underground, under a tall mountain would ever do that.

Well, the building of the tunnel was so much work in that hard rock that for the most part of it, it was a one lane drive. We were the unfortunate side: We had to get out of the way every time someone came the other direction. And that happend a lot, for whatever reason.

You don't believe this tunnel exists? Check it out on the map!

Here is a photo of our drive and you can see a truck coming up to us. 

We found out it is really hard to judge how close a vehicle is and how fast it is coming if you have no real reference point and no guage.

Please excuse the lack in photo quality. I was more focused on not getting hit by a truck and not losing my tunnel vision. I didn't want to keep the story from you, though.

We were there in the summer of 2009.

Doors, Doors, Doors

Doors over doors over doors

and they are al differnet and worth a look.

Lisbon, Portugal

Belém, Portugal

Lisbon, Portugal

Lisbon, Alfama, Portugal

Lisbon, Portugal

Fulpmes, Austria

Lisbon, Portugal

Rothenburg, Germany

Venice, Piazza San Marco, Italy

Évora, Portugal

Venice, Ghetto, Italy

Venice, Italy

Peterborough Town Library, New England, USA

Venice, Murano, Italy, Glas goes into the fire

Cape Cod, New England, USA

Belgien / Belgium

Keene, New England, USA

Isafjördur, Island / Iceland

Èvora, Portugal

Évora, Portugal

Türen über Türen über Türen über Türen

- und alle sind verschieden und interessant.

night in the harbour

In Ísafjördur at night...

A Scotish Castle

This castle in Scotland (Dunottar Castle) explains all of the old tales, really. Too bad that it was closed when we got there. The possible entrance was a smal door along the cliff side and as unspectacular as you would never expect a castle door. A fitting portal for this "cliff clinger".

ship wrecked in Iceland

This wreck we came by on the way to Latrabjarg in the Westfjords. The map location is an estimate, since I did not record the exact spot.

A bucket of luck

A bucket full of horse shoes. A likely sight, isn't it?

Scotland in the fog

Is it always foggy in Scotland? I do not think so. We went to Edinburgh and the Highlands in February so we could not really expect any weather to be provided.

This is from the Highlands, somewhere near Rannoch Moor, a place we will definitely have to come back to, since we did not get to hike across the moor itself.

Isafjördur - local museum 5

Yes, there is more from the local history museum in Ísafjördur, Iceland.

Fishing is the main industry in the Westfjords, but there is more.

Guillemot eggs - They are being collected for consumption. People climb into the cliffs in the fjords to collect a small number of eggs from the nests. The birds instantly replace these eggs so the populations are not endangered.

Lummen Eier - Diese Eier werden für den Verzehr gesammelt. Menschen klettern in den Fjorden hoch in die Klippen hinein und nehmen eine kleine Zahl Eier aus manchen der Nester. Die Vögel ersetzen die Eier sofort wieder, sodass die Population nicht dezimiert wird.

Seal skin trunk and seal skin hanging on the wall. This is a historic exhibit. These items are not made anymore.

Seehundsfell-Koffer und Seehundsfell an der Wand. Diese Ausstellungsstücke sind historisch. Solche Gegenstände werden nicht mehr angefertigt.

O. Mustad & Sön - fishhook-manufacturers - Estabilshed 1832 - Oslo - Norway

This display of hooks looks just so nice and normal.

Isafjördur - local museum 4

There of course are even more photos of the local museum of Ísafjördur, Westfjords, Iceland. Here is another collection.

Natürlich habe ich noch viel mehr Bilder aus dem Lokalmuseum Ísafjördur, Westfjorde, Island. Hier ist noch eine Sammlung.

Painting stencil for fish barrels. The fishermen used tar to lable the pickled hering barrels as you can see in the next photo.

Schreibschablone für Fischfässer. Die Fischer benutzten diese Schablonen, um die Fässer eingelegten Herings zu beschriften, wie man auf dem nächsten Foto sieht.