Tag Archives: travel

nature, Photography

Geysir Hot Springs

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On May 30, 2024, we left Reykjavik, Iceland, in our rental car and stopping frequently to admire our surroundings, had a leisurely drive to Geysir Hot Springs.

Since 1647, all geysers have been called after these geysirs in Haukadalur, Iceland. The word geysir means “to gush,” and that’s certainly what they do, very dramatically and heatedly!

Strokker Geysir

The “original” geysir has erupted intermittently since the 13th century, but in more recent centuries it has stopped for years at a time; it is presently in a dormant state, but the nearby Strokker Geysir is still putting on a show.

This entire area is incredibly active with hot pools and much smaller geysirs everywhere.

Loads of hot water.
Littlest Geysir.

I tried to get a burst set of photos of the Strokker eruption but there was a healthy crowd doing some pushing and squeezing causing the camera to be jostled at the last second, so I didn’t really make any great shots.

The Strokker just at the start of its eruption.

The Strokker Geysir erupts approximately every seven minutes and reaches about 60 metres (200 ft). It’s very impressive if quick.

This is the best picture I have; as I indicated, my arm was jostled at the last second and I wasn’t able to get all of it in the frame.

Although it was about 12C (54F) out, the immediate area felt quite warm because of all the steam in the air.

Happy Monday.

nature, Photography

Port Dalhousie, Ontario

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In mid-May we stopped in Port Dalhousie to go walking and to also enjoy the spectacularly calm and beautiful views of Lake Ontario.

We walked one of the 500 metre (1640 ft) parallel piers to get a good look at the heritage lighthouse that has been operating – and continues to operate – since 1898.

There used to be many of these square lighthouses along the Canadian side of the Great Lakes, but Port Dalhousie’s is one of only three that are left. It’s wonderful that it’s still in operation.

This stone breakwater still offers protection from those massive winter storms that can whip into impressive fury on this series of inland seas that we call the Great Lakes.

This was a lovely sunny day and was to be one of the few that we experienced on this trip. We didn’t know that then but we definitely didn’t take that lovely calm lake and that warm temperature for granted!

Happy Friday.

nature, Photography

Wawa, Ontario

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The small community of Wawa, Ontario, is not only a haven for fishing, hiking and winter sports, but is also known for its famous Canada goose statue.

It’s a very appropriate symbol for this town since Wawa takes its name from the Ojibwe word for “wild goose” which is “wewe.”

This 8.5 metre (28 ft) statue was first erected in 1960 but has been replaced a couple of times due to weather damage. This one has been constructed of multiple panels that move a little so that there’s some resilience to the high winter winds.

If you’re driving through northern Ontario it’s definitely fun to stop at this community and take a look at the largest Canada goose ever!

Happy Wednesday.

nature, Photography

Home from Iceland …

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… but we brought a very unattractive souvenir with us in the form of an award-winning case of flu (we have tested negative for Covid).

I literally have every symptom and am feeling extremely miserable. M is somewhat better but also quite ill; at least we can be sick at home though.

I might not be around much over the next day or two as I recover from this nasty bug.

Happy Monday and see you soon.

nature, Photography

Northern Icelandic Weather, Part I

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We spent a few days enjoying the benefits of the Icelandic hot springs and could easily see visiting one of them regularly if we lived here. The waters are extremely soothing, especially if you have any skin conditions, and the effects of the warm water very relaxing.

Mývatn Lake with an old magma field in the foreground.

However, as we enjoyed the Mývatn Lake hot springs near Reykjahlið in the north, we began to realise that bad weather was on the way.

After spending a comfortable night at a hotel in Reykjahlið, the next morning an employee warned us of an impending storm that was expected to arrive in the north during the course of the day, bringing freezing rain, ice pellets, gale force winds and possibly … snow.

Those white spots? Large, fluffy snowflakes!

We got going right away to our next stop, a hot springs spa in Húsavík, a town on the Greenland Sea, but the storm was beginning to settle in.

By the time we arrived for our appointment, the management of Geosea was considering closing because of the high winds, but decided to stay open when a lull occurred. Because we were within easy reach of our stop for the night in Akureyri, we stayed for our appointment.

This is what we saw when we arrived in Húsavik: an overcast and stormy view of the Greenland Sea with snow capped mountains across the fjord.

The break in the storm meant that after our hot springs appointment, our short drive to Akureyri was fairly uneventful and lead us to believe that the storm might be abating, but we were in for a bit of a surprise.

Stay tuned for part two.

nature, Photography

Glimpses

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As I have already indicated, Iceland has amazing diversity in its geography, but it is also diverse in many other ways, too.

Reykjavik’s Rainbow Street, with the famous Hallgrímskirkja (Church of Hallgrimur) in the background.
Surprise! Iceland has swans. We saw many of them, even in very northern locations.
Icelanders love their coffee and there are eclectic and comfortable cafés everywhere. The coffee is also excellent.
A row of colourful houses in downtown Reykjavik.
The Monument to the Unknown Bureaucrat by Magnús Tómasson is famous in Iceland. The bureaucrat’s head and torso have been replaced by a chunk of volcanic basalt. Is it a tribute or is it satire?

Happy Wednesday.