Icelandic Yule Lads
Howay the lads - these on sale in a souvenir shop in Reykjavik
Höfði House - Peace Guesthouse
Höfði House is one of the most internationally significant historical sites in Iceland. Originally the country’s French Consulate, in 1986 it was here that the Reykjavík Summit was held, where Reagan met Gorbachev to discuss an international ban on ballistic missiles during the Cold War. Perhaps a few more contemporary political heads could be knocked together here....
Berlin Wall Slab and PeaceHouse, Reykjavik
In the grounds of the Peace Centre Guesthouse is this slab of the Berlin Wall which came down two years after the Reagan/Gorbachev summit.
Arnarholl Statue
The bronze statue of Ingólfur Arnarson by famous Einar Jonsson in Reykjavik. They like their history do the Icelanders.
Dansleikur/Dance
Outside the Perlan in Reykjavik by Torbjorg Palsdottir. She created these alien-like figures in 1970.
Solfar (Sun Voyager), Reykjavik
A stunning sculpture in it's own right but channels all the legends of the Vikings - from Thor to Odin, the Runes to Amleth (yes, it's an anagram of, and informs the story-line, of Hamlet, apparently)
Reynishverfi
Reynishverfi arches
Took a bit of risk here on the high viewpoint in a near gale
Reynishverfi Beach
Reynishverfi
A vast black volcanic beach with magnificent basalt cliffs and caves and these lava stacks
Reynishverfi Cave and Basalt Rock Shapes
This is the sort of rock cooling forming shapes that inspired the Hallgrímskirkja church in Reykjavík
The Secret Lagoon
Hot spa - and so secret our driver nearly didn't find it... Felt too poorly to dive in with the group, shame...
Skógafoss 1
Another of Iceland’s most impressive waterfalls with a wide, thundering curtain of water 60m high. The figures on the left show its scale.
Gljúfrafoss1
One of Iceland’s most impressive waterfalls with a wide, thundering curtain of water 60m high (says the guidebook) near to the Eyjafjallajöku (Aya-fl-yatal-yokull - you'll get it.... eventually) volcano that erupted in 2010 grounding planes across Europe. There’s another one about to go up - Öræfajökull (no, I didn’t bother trying either).
Gljúfrafoss 2
Selfie
Tourists, eh? In front of the Solfar (Sun Voyager) sculpture in Reykjavik
Radial filters
Messing here with Nik Colour Effects - radial filters and coloured graduated filters on frozen grass at the Geysir
Icelandic Horses
These are the hardiest of animals. The Americans called them ponies which seemed to upset the locals. The horses stay out in all weathers.They just turn their arse into the wind and snow and tough it out.
