BANFF IN THE FALL

Every time we go to Banff I look forward to this part of the highway where the view just opens up  and the mountains are there in all their glory.
The fall is a great time to go as it is sort of an in between time for the tourists. Mid week is the best as the one attraction that draws people here in the fall are the larch forests that are beautiful and golden.

Getting closer.

This is a lovely meadow between Banff and Lake Minewanka. There wasn't much traffic so we were able to stop and take this picture.

Interestingly enough this is the same set of mountains in the above picture but this one was taken 20 km. away from the first location. I`m on the balcony of the Cave and Basin this time.

The government recently opened the Cave and Basin area renovation. It used to be a swimming pool with this part as an aside display explaining the history of the pool. Now the swimming pool has been tiled over and the whole place is an interpretive area with videos and written explanations of every aspect of the sulphur pool.

It`s quite dark in the pool area and hard to get a wide view as the viewing area is right on top of the water pretty much. There are some tiny snails that live in this water and no where else so a lot of care has been put into ensuring their survival. 

Like most caves when seen in photos, you can find animal features in the rocks. There`s a bear in this one, wolves and bigger animals (perhaps elk or bison) in the first picture. 

There are a few waterfalls in this one. For the best views of the details it is better to do the enlarged slide show by clicking on the first picture in the series.

This is the pool on the outside.

The hole in the ground which is the roof of the inside cave/pool. This is how the hot pool was discovered by explorers who noticed the hot steam coming out. They put a dead tree down the hole, climbed down and discovered the cave.

The area around the pool and up the mountain is marshy. 

Despite the sulphur and heat to the water, there are minnows swimming around in the small pools. 

Marsh grass and some fall leaves.

I have no idea what this white algae is but it looked like feathers floating in the streams.

Another underground basin of heated water further up the mountain.

The whole area and interpretive center is quite well done and interesting and the entrance fees are very reasonable so if you are in Banff it is well worth the visit. 

ICELAND (they say EESLAND)



As usual, if you don't want to read it all and want to view larger pictures...........click on the first picture for a slide show. Hope you enjoy.


For a couple of years I've wanted to go to Iceland as it seemed like such an interesting place. We finally went this year and were not disappointed, it was beyond what we expected and it is one of our favorite destinations now. We booked a trip with Icelandic Airlines with the hotel included. We were very pleased with the accommodation as it was in an ideal location and handy to absolutely everything for us. 

 This is the Hotel Reykjavik Centrum where we stayed. It is on the site of an early Viking settlement and the yellow building on the left houses the museum with the remains that they found during renovations. We stayed in the center building, top floor left hand side looking towards the yellow building.

Our room was tucked in this little alcove of three units. Ours was the end one on the right. For some reason I found that not just being in a room off a long corridor, added to the ambiance of the place.

The hallway of the third floor.

View from the balcony at the front of the building looking down onto a small park with a popular coffee shop just to the left. If you walk straight ahead for a block you come to a park that is a popular meeting place and there is a restaurant on the left hand side called the Paris cafe that serves generous portions and a menu for everyone.If you turn left you find a basic grocery store just half a block up and then with a right turn you are on the road to the tourist shops and restaurants. Perfect location!

This is a favorite gathering spot for a,ll simply called The Pond. The building on the far left is the city hall which has an open lower floor where events are held. A cultural food event was being held there after a World Peace march when we tried to walk through the building, bad timing as it took some "excuse me's" to get through the crowds. In the pond there are an abundance of birds of all types, to entertain visitors and to eat up all the stale bread in Reykjavik. It was mating season so we watched a lot of fights for females going on and the gulls were just fighting. One grabbed the tip of a wing on another and would not let go. Very entertaining tug of war!

This is the main street in the tourist shopping area. Nice wide sidewalks, one way traffic so you can cross safely. Lots of high end shops and souvenir stores plus a wide choice of restaurants for every one's tastes.

This was a small shop tucked in an alley behind the main street and it caught our eye by the way it was decorated. The owner was happy to tell us it's history. It was a family home with a loft bedroom and a suite at the back and side of the original building, so three families were housed. We mentioned that it felt good to be in there and she agreed that the good vibes had a part in deciding to purchase. Must have been a happy home.

This is the electric stove used in the house and the seller agreed to include it in the sale to add to the ambiance of her store. She said that it was the first electric stove manufactured in Iceland.

We did a lot of walking, this is a main connector street from the tourist area to the ring road for the tours and residential areas. Not a busy high traffic country.

Back to the tourist shopping area. Tucked behind the stores are residential and artist studios and this skateboard park. To discourage the ugly graffiti they encourage artists to decorate the buildings with murals like these.

I loved this door handle.

This is the most famous landmark in the city of Reykjavik. It looks like it's very close to everything but it took a good 45 minutes of uphill walking to get to it. The cathedral, named Hallgrimskirkja, is made of concrete and is so big that it's difficult to get the whole thing in a photo. I took this one in the middle of the street a block away from the building.

A bit closer so the sides are cut off. Can't have everything. You can take the elevator up to the top, a better source of income for the church than bingo I think, and there is a wonderful view of the city from every angle. Beware the bells ringing out as you are standing right beside them. Bells ring often in all the churches and they go all night.

The cathedral from the side, or at least most of it.Sorry the pictures are so dark and lacking of detail but most of the time the lighting was horrid and my old camera is getting tired I think.

There was a mass about to start so I didn't take many pictures inside but this was the most impressive feature of the building. I've never seen an organ with the pipes coming out horizontally.Wish we could have heard it but we had to leave quickly so as not to disturb the worshipers

The square in front of the cathedral is used as a festival area and these fellows were taking part in the cultural gathering for world peace.

Sweet smile.

THIS  is a real Viking smile, I was told and I believe him.

Down to the harbor area. This is the hot dog stand made famous by Bill Clinton as he said it was the best hot dog he'd ever had. We tried it and then remembered that Clinton was known for stretching the truth. Not impressed by their hot dogs!!

I liked this container for recycling pop bottles. The design says it all doesn't it.

Icelandic people are fond of sculptures and have many around the city. This one is on the harbor and captures the lava element of the country.

This is my favorite sculpture and after the Cathedral is one of the most photographed pieces in Iceland. It is called Sun Voyager and looks very Viking ship inspired.

A different angle.

Most of the architecture is well maintained older buildings but this is one of their most striking buildings called The Harpa. It is a concert/conference hall and is entirely made of glass prism shaped structures.The metal framework for the prism facade was 75% built when it was discovered that their construction was defective and so it had to be completely torn down and rebuilt.Somebody lost some big money and perhaps their job over that boo boo.

This was taken from the 4th floor and as you can imagine it is quite the eye catcher. Some of the glass panes are colored which adds to the mixture. As busy as it seems it is a very relaxing building to be in as there is a warmth from the light that comes in. We had lunch at the cafe on the first floor and really lingered as it was so comfortable to be there. The entertainment was watching people try to find the way in. There are so many doors but they keep them locked and since we could  see through the walls we had fun watching their frustration. Finally the manager noticed that people were giving up and opened another door.

Here is a view from the top of the cathedral with the volcano Hekla in the background.














DOING THE TOUR THING

We arrived at 7 in the morning to a sunny, blue sky day and thought it was best if we tried to stay awake and get into the time zone as soon as possible. We had a whale watching cruise scheduled for later in the week but switched it to the first day because it was so nice out.We saw the backs of a few Minke whales but they move too fast for a picture and it isn't very interesting to see a back. We did meet up with a pod of beak nosed dolphins which are native to the northern seas.Their color includes brilliant bronze striped backs against their dark bodies.

The baby in the group got curious about the boat and came over to check it out. Mom let him spend a few minutes with us then herded him back to the group.

Off they go.

Last stop for the tour was Puffin Island where around a million of them come in to nest after spending the winter at sea. They are awkward fliers but experts in the water. The boat was rocking so much that I couldn't get a good picture so pardon the fuzzy pictures. I just had to include them though. They are Iceland's most favorite bird but apart from taking tourists out to see them they also eat them.

They make their nests in burrows about three feet deep and return to the same burrow year after year.







This video might explain why I couldn't get a focused shot.

THE GOLDEN CIRCLE TOUR

This is part of our next tour called The Golden Circle Tour. I believe this is the widest falls in Iceland but not the tallest. It is impressive though and puts through a lot of water. They are called Gulfoss Falls, one of the easier names to pronounce in Iceland.

As you can see I've raindrops on my lens but you can't wait on the weather to take pictures. On all tours it was a bit of sun, rain, plain old dreary  and wind.

On it's way down the river.

This stop was in Pingvellir  where the site of the first parliament was formed. We found it to be a mystical, beautiful place and understood why they selected it as the gathering spot. The lake is the largest inland lake in Iceland and they drink directly from it and the rivers without processing or purifying the water. They had to move the parliament as it was situated on the rift between  the North American and Eurasian plates. The land between the plates sank and the water came in so the meeting place was changed to Reykjavik.

Their parliament was formed a thousand years ago by the clan leaders and in more modern times the white building became the meeting place. It is now a museum.

Part of the path between the two rifts. They are pulling apart about an inch a year.

View in the opposite direction.

Tourists walking the bridge between the rifts.

Now we are heading towards the geysers pronounced 'geezers' by the Icelanders. We were looking for the old guys until we figured it out, not really. The hills surrounding the area are all steaming from the hot water beneath which is at a temperature of 300 degrees Celcius. They have their greenhouses built in these areas and grow most of their fresh vegetables year round. They have to be careful not to dig too deep  into the ground because they will hit this boiling water.

This is the largest geyser that blows a stream of water about 100 feet high every five to ten minutes. There was a larger one but an earthquake shut it off.

 This is the little geyser and you can see that it only spouts about a foot high.

Back to the bigger one. Just as it is about to 'erupt' a huge blue bubble forms as in this picture. To get the actual blow a video is needed which I have but can't seem to upload for some reason so check it out at

www.livefromiceland.is

You can see most of the areas we visited on the site.


                                            
                                                         FINALLY ..... THE VIDEOS!

The start with the lovely bubble and then the full explosion.

We stopped at an extinct volcano that formed a lovely crater that is easily viewed by the public.It was an explosive cone volcano which emptied it's magma chamber when it erupted and then collapsed into the chamber forming the intact cauldron pictured to the left.











As you can see in the picture below it has filled with the most beautiful blue water which is not caused by rainfall but the water table. 

 This is Skalholt Cathedral rebuilt on the site of an original catholic monastery. The last remaining Catholic bishop and his sons were killed on the site in 1500s when the Danish king brought in the Lutheranism.

The mural inside is all done in mosaic and in it's simple form is very striking as opposed to the ornate alters and stained glass that are the norm in the bigger churches. 

 Beside the church/cathedral is this sod house which is also a place of worship. It was the only close up view we had of the sod houses so prominent in Iceland. The smell is heavenly, rich and earthy and natural.














Front view

Inside it is dark, the only source of light is that above the door but that adds to the ambiance.














SOUTH COAST AND JOKULSARION

This was our favorite tour even though it was 14 plus hours of driving and stopping. The scenery is breathtaking. On one side are all these hills with cascading waterfalls providing the water for the farms below. On the other side it is flat and barren or rocky from lava flows all the way to the ocean.You can see the ocean from the road for most of the trip.

This farm got two waterfalls, wonder if one is hot and the other cold, that would be convenient and entirely possible in this country.

I like this picture because of the perspective of the SUV as a tiny toy sized vehicle against the backdrop of the cliff that it is "conquering".

Hekla, my favorite volcano, probably because it looks so typical of what I think they should look like. This and it's 'sister' volcano Katla, are expected to erupt in the next two years. It's not a question of if but when. These are dangerous volcanoes as they send out fissures in all directions like tentacles so will do a lot of damage most likely. Hekla was called the Doorway to Hell by the early Vikings.

More rugged landscape.

Another farm tucked against the mountain with a personal waterfall.

A more distant shot to show the massive size of these cliffs. The waterfalls are all glacial melt coming from the huge glacier that covers the interior of the country.

The cliffs and the flat lands

Rental cottages for both locals and tourists. We didn't think it would be good to rent one of these cottages as a first time visitor as they are quite remote and all food would need to be hauled in for the entire stay. Hiking would be the only activity as well I think. However, if some one was looking to escape the pressure of everyday life, this would be ideal. Each cottage usually has a thermal hot pool as well.

Not sure of the reasoning behind building right into the rock but there were a few of these.

We laughed at the optimism of this farmer in planting the row of trees on the slope to stop the rock from falling on his house.

This is lava rock from an eruption in the 1700's by a volcano called Laki. I believe it had some sister volcanoes helping out as the flow lasted for two years and took out a strip of land at least 40 miles wide. They believe the ash from this eruption might have played a part in the French Revolution as it drifted to Europe and destroyed crops and blocked the sun. The rocks now are covered a beautiful green moss and if you step on them it is like walking on a sponge. Enjoyable but unnerving at the same time.

The flow goes for miles.

At the edge of the Laki flow is this field of black sand that also covers a huge territory. This is from an eruption underneath the glacier causing a huge melt that took out most of the ring road, bridges and buildings essentially isolating the north country from the south. Withing two weeks though they had the road and bridges rebuilt. These are industrious people.

The glacier! This thing is HUGE and sends out arms like an octopus.

Another arm.

Finally we are at the lagoon, the place I was most looking forward to seeing. This is our ride to take us in among the icebergs. The bergs aren't huge like the Antarctic icebergs but I was happy with them. They are frozen sculptures and beautiful.

The ash adds to the beauty of the blue ice. I can't comment on each one so just scroll and enjoy.

We got a bit of all weather types, from the blue skies in the previous shots to the the rain in this one.  That provided  different backdrops though  and I quite liked it. The rain only lasted a few minutes then moved on.

Harbor seals come in from the ocean and unlike the Alaskan seals are not elusive or shy so I was able to get a few pictures of them.

Jam packed!

These are Arctic Terns. The Icelanders get so excited when these birds and the Puffins return as it means summer has arrived. These terns fly all the way from Africa to breed and then return to Africa in the fall.

The melted floes heading to the ocean.

ICELANDIC HORSES

My  husband mentioned to our guide and tour driver that I was disappointed that I wouldn't get a picture of these horses. Turns out the driver breeds them and promised to make a short unscheduled stop for me to get my photos. It was at the end of a long day and we were all tired so I was so grateful to him for doing this. Apparently I wasn't the only horse lover though as half the bus emptied and we ran towards the corral. The horses were all far away but their heads came up and when I called them they all came running to see if it meant food. The manes are beautiful on these horses and they are so gentle and easy mannered.

These were all geldings and they'd been horsing around, pardon the pun, and were quite covered in mud and muck but still they are handsome.

I was surprised that they came in so many colors for some reason, city girl.These horses are extremely healthy and they do export them out to other countries but once they go they are not allowed back in order to preserve and protect the health of the herds on the island.

Pretty boy, he came right up to me and stood looking into the camera hoping it might end in a treat. My husband had a couple of buns that the guide had given him but those didn't last long so he was out of luck.

Well they weren't all pretty boys! Talk about a bad hair day, even  happens for horses.This one is a punker.











THE WATERFALLS

This is Skogafoss Waterfall and it is about 60 meters high. It was hard to get a close up picture because of all the mist coming off of it. I got video as well but still haven't figured out the upload problem. The noise from these falls was extremely loud.









You get an idea of the size from the person in the lower right corner. There were stairs going up to a platform at top visible in the above picture but it was so slippery and muddy we passed on the climb.

 

This one is Seljalansfoss Waterfall and is the biggest of a series of three or four coming over this cliff. This one you can walk behind and have a kiss with your sweetie. There was a young couple from South America that made sure they added all these possibilities to their memories of this trip/honeymoon.

A closer view.

This is the glorious ending to a long day and it was about 10:30 at night. I didn't enhance any of these sunset clouds, they looked like one of the volcanoes had let loose again and set the sky on fire.

Taken through the window of the bus.












THE BLUE LAGOON

Our final trip of the holiday was to the famous Blue Lagoon to soak our aches away. This is the entrance to the pool, right smack dab in the middle of a lava field. The pool itself is dug into the field and the bottom is the rock covered with fabric to protect from the sharp edges. It wasn't entirely effective as some parts have poked through.

The pool is built over the hot water reservoir and the geothermal plant in the background mixes cold water to it. The water is extremely salty and full of minerals which is very beneficial to skin conditions. I know it fixed a spot on my arm that endless creams haven't been able to get rid of.

The most fun part of the pool is scooping up the silica/algae goop from the buckets they collect it in and smearing it on your face as a mask. You keep it on until it dries and then scrub it off. I'm not sure if it was good for the skin but it was tons of fun being in the pool with all these strangers that looked like zombies when it dried white and cracked. People gave up trying to be polite and not laugh at those in the dried stage and were soon asking where they could get their goop.

This is part of the lava field surrounding the pool. There is so much land covered in this that will not be habitable for centuries.









 

This was the volcano that shut down all air travel in 2010. It's unimpressive as a volcano as you can see, flat and long , but it pretty much buried the farm in the picture. Volunteers from Reykjavik left their jobs to help shovel the homes out for the farmers effected. These people live with these threats everyday of their lives but accept and deal with it and are passionately proud of their country. If you ever get the chance go and learn why they have every right to feel that way. I hope we get the chance to go back.