Once fed and feeling human again we set off for Seljalanfoss waterfall which was only about half an hour away. It was pouring with rain when we got there so initially we thought we'd just do the tourist thing and walk up to it without the cameras, but as soon as the scale of it was realised we knew we couldn't leave without at least trying so we got the heat out of the car and went behind the waterfall to try and get some decent shots. Sunrise was not possible because of the heavy clouds but we had to get something.
The wind kept blowing the spray from the waterfall all over us so our lenses and filters kept getting soaked. After a couple of shots we gave up and headed back to the car. That was good timing, a coach load of Japanese tourists turned up in the car park just as we got in the car.
Another half hour down the road we stopped at Skogafoss waterfall, but we arrived in the same rainy conditions. I took my camera with me but left the tripod in the car so at least I got some shots and we did a group shot of ourselves and headed back to the car. The coach turned up just behind us again...we had to keep moving to avoid the swarm of bus passengers getting in all our shots.
Next stop, the black sand beach at Vil. What an amazing place. Absolutely stunning to look at with its jet black volcanic sand, towered over by sheer cliffs and the dramatic stone stacks stood out in the sea like beacons.
This is where I tested the waterproofing I had sprayed onto my walking boots before I left home. Stood at the edge of the waterline with waves coming up to my shins I pulled off my favourite shot of the trip so far.
I'll be really looking forward to seeing that on the laptop screen.
As for the wayerproofing, it worked to a point then I felt my left foot get cold.
At least I didn't fall over in the water like Adam did.
Onwards!
The main aim of today was to get to Jokulsarlon glacier lagoon, a two and a half hour drive from our last location.
This lagoon is at the bottom of a vast glacier system and acts as the run-off point to the sea for the melt water.
When we arrived the sky was clear with just some clouds way off in the distance, along the horizon. The sun was beginning to set and that just added to the magic of this place.
These are all iPhone pictures, I will post a link to the website when I get the proper images from my camera edited and uploaded.
All alerts were going mad for a good show of the Northern Lights so we were praying that the clouds would stay on the horizon as it got darker. We stayed at Jokulsarlon until well after dark, constantly having to de-ice our camera lenses and keep moving around to fight off the bitter cold.
Some of the guys say they managed to capture some of the aurora while we were there but I don't think I did. I'll have to wait till I look at the images on the laptop.
The clouds beat us again so we decided to move east to get ahead of the clouds again. We drove for over an hour and stopped a few times when we saw the lights putting on a show.
I've seen the Northern Lights with my naked eyes!!!!
I got some great shots on my camera and managed to get this very dark and grainy image on my iPhone
Believe me the ones on the camera are much much better. The whole experience of seeing the Northern Lights is something I will never forget.
The clouds caught up with us again and wiped out the whole sky so we decided to find a bar and have a celebratory drink. Then headed back to our hostel for the night and crashed into bed totally exhausted.
The weather forecast for Day 4 is total cloud and rain. Not sure what sort of pictures I'm going to be able to get but we'll try.
Keep an eye on www.kevinbrownephotography.com for the full images of this trip.
Here is the link to Day 4.
Here is the link to Day 4.
No comments:
Post a Comment