Iceland Nov 2015 - Day 7: Back to Jökulsárlón in the Rain

Day 7 started much as the previous day - waking up to depressingly grey skies and rain. I was annoyed - I wanted to enjoy the area and explore a bit more, but instead the rain was here to thwart my plans. I popped out when I got up to take a few shots and there were actually clear skies above me, but a huge bank of fog clung to the mountains to the west. I checked the forecast and it had deteriorated to rain and wind all day, instead of brightening up later on. I had to check out by lunchtime, but only had to drive as far as Höfn to stay the night, where I was trying out a new guesthouse (Apotek). I had hoped to go to Hvalnes for sunrise/morning and then Stokksnes for the afternoon/sunset, but neither seemed particularly appealing.

I had a leisurely breakfast, in no hurry to head out, and eventually packed up and paid the nice farmer before heading west towards the tunnel. As I approached the tunnel I stopped to capture the road winding up the hill, disappearing into fog.

As usual I hoped that the weather would miraculously be better on the other side of the tunnel, but again I was disappointed - more rain and fog. I pulled over at a picnic area to photograph some moody clouds on the horizon and fog clinging to the hills above; I still didn't know where I was heading.

My options included heading to Höfn to explore the town (I could always hang out in a bar all day!), or heading further west, back to Jökulsárlón. I remember once saying to someone that at least in Iceland there was stuff to photograph when the weather was bad, but now I realised that I only really meant capturing the icebergs on the beach; not much else. So onwards I went - 130km out of my way, in order to return to my beloved Jökulsárlón. I stopped a couple of times along the way - near the graffiti house and at my favourite tree. Unlike the previous day, there was at least some contrast in the clouds - I could actually see some of the landscape.

I reached Jökulsárlón and it looked pretty grim - the rain had not abated at all. Along the last straight stretch the rain had belted towards me and I knew it wasn't going to be nice. I was already kitted up in my waterproofs, with lots of warm layers underneath, so didn't waste much time before heading out onto the beach. Sometimes when I get there I momentarily forget what I see in the place, and this was one of those occasions. The sky was grey, the black sand looked ugly, littered with footprints, and the shoreline was full of uneven chunks of ice. It certainly wasn't the beautiful serene scene I'd left a couple of days earlier. I got to work, regardless, remembering that the camera still manages to capture some beauty, particularly once a couple of filters are added to create the smooth water from the waves returning to the sea.

I wandered a little further along the beach in search of a few more spaced-out icebergs. Finally I found a few that were well-spaced and the waves just kept on coming over them, creating the trails that I love as they receded. I found a couple of larger, more turquoise bergs sitting in the surf, but the force of the waves moved them around from time to time.

I didn't really realise just how wet I was getting, and indeed how wet my beloved 5Diii was getting; I was so well covered in waterproofs I kind of neglected the camera... I only gave up and headed back to the car because the drizzle was getting onto the lens or filter faster than I could wipe it off. Each filter I tried ended up with a rainy/sea-watery smear across it. I got back into the car in my wet over-trousers, hanging the waterproof jacket over the seat behind me to dry. I lay the camera on the passenger's seat, wiped off the rain from the body and the lens, but clearly there was something wrong - as I noticed that I wasn't able to turn the camera off. I took the battery out and dried it off and tried again a few times, but the only way I could turn it off was to actually remove the battery. I felt a little worried. 

I popped across to have a quick look at the lagoon - the mountains not visible behind, but a few chunks of blue ice in the distance, took a few photos through the car window, and then headed back east towards Höfn. Although I like that drive, I was a bit over the whole day by now - and having to drive 80 miles was just painful.

I didn't stop again, but drove past Hali, the lovely tree, and onwards into Höfn and to my guesthouse (Apotek). There was no-one there, but there was a telephone number and a phone at reception to call. A few minutes later a woman came and checked me in and showed me to my (beautiful!) room, and told me to help myself to breakfast in the morning. The room was exquisite! The place was brand new, and the room was more like a boutique hotel than a good value guesthouse. The camera still wasn't right - not turning off, and now with signs of condensation formed in droplets on the panel at the top. I took a few test shots and found that there were also spots on the back screen. I thought I'd destroyed my camera. A lot of Googling ensued, and the conclusion was that I was extremely stupid to take Canon's description of "weatherproof" with any faith. Perhaps these things are okay in a little drizzle, but it had been raining quite hard and I was out there some time. The best course of action was to place the camera in a bag of rice. Obviously it was too late for the shop by now, so I'd have to wait until the following day. The spare camera was then dug out from the bottom of the bag for the next day.

It was now extremely windy, and forecast to be that way all night. I did pop out - by car - to the restaurant up the road where I'd eaten twice before. I ate a bowl of warming langoustine soup, washed down by another of the delicious Borg beers, before heading home to the safety of my lovely room for the night.

Click here for Day 6 blog - A Rainy Day in Stafafell
Click here for Day 8 blog - From Höfn to Vík

30 Day Photo Challenge 2015 - Week 2

Week 2 of the #30dayPhotoChallenge...

Day 14 - Wanderlust
My plan to get a shot in daylight today backfired after an officious security guard stopped me from taking a photo in Liverpool Street station (although it's barely the centre for people heading off to fulfil their wanderlust, more just City workers busy getting lunch). So it was back home to take another photo inside. I've been a subscriber to the Wanderlust travel magazine for as long as I can remember, so got a stack of them off a shelf. Antarctica, South America, Northern Lights, China, Mexico, etc... Happy memories.

So tomorrow is the start of Week 3 and therefore time for a new blog. Hopefully the inspiration I still haven't found will come. Tomorrow's subject is "Internet in Real Life", whatever that means...

Day 13 - Friends
I didn't have a chance to get any friend-related shots at work today and besides, people at work aren't really friends. So I then had a brainwave - a little packet of throat-soothing goodies always lies at the bottom of my handbag - Fisherman's Friends. I really ought to get commission from them as I'm always introducing new people to them! Anyway, here they are, larger than life.

Day 12 - Would I eat this?

Well the answer is yes! I wouldn't normally have picked out a bright orange, rock hard cheese, but I thought I'd give it a go. It's actually quite good (and is called Mimolette - aged for 18 months).

Day 11 - Love
Love is...

Day 10 - Portrait
This is my friend Georgina. Had a lovely Christmas lunch yesterday with what's called "Dog Club" - a group of friends I made a few years ago when I first got my puppy. We used to meet in the local park every day and our dogs would play and potter about and we'd chat. Now I have a full time job I rarely see them, so it's lovely to meet up with them.

Day 9 - Opposites
Not as easy as I thought, but I decided to get my lightbox, macro & extension rings and miniatures out for this one. My interpretation of heads and tails.

Day 8 - Laughter
Hard subject when you're at work all day. So, it's a photo of hubby - trying to make him laugh. This is his "laughing at me" face. I need an easier subject!

Iceland Nov 2015 - Day 6: A Rainy Day in Stafafell

Usually on my trips to Iceland I have at least one day where it just rains all day. Not the kind of weather with showers, big clouds and bursts of sunshine - those I love. No, the kind where going outside is just miserable and trying to photograph anything is challenging. I don't really mind driving days like that - especially since I've driven along the route back and forth a few times so don't need to stop, but it can be very frustrating when it happens when I'm staying put somewhere where I know the scenery is wonderful.

Day 6 of my trip was one of those. At least I was staying somewhere nice, warm and comfortable, but it was just so annoying being housebound. I spent the morning working on the previous night's star trail photos, so it wasn't as if I didn't have anything to do. I also tried to take a few self-portraits of myself sitting on the sofa drinking tea, which I spent a good deal of time doing.

Eventually I dragged myself out, and the weather was truly dreadful, as expected. It was the kind of drizzly rain that was not only constant, but seemed to go in every direction. So even if I had the hood on the lens there was no direction against the wind that was rain-free. I'd just about be able to take shots straight down without getting the lens wet. The hilltops were covered in thick cloud and visibility was poor. Knowing what spectacular scenery lay beneath the clouds made it all the more infuriating.

I drove back to the point at Hvalnes and parked near the lighthouse again. I wandered down to the beach where the plan was to take some shots of the detritus lying on the pebbles. As last year there were lots of pieces of scattered seaweed, colourful pebbles (in addition to the majority that were black) and the odd bit of dead fish or sea dweller.

Immediately I noticed a problem (in addition to the rain) - the pebbles were obviously wet and extremely reflective. I put on a polariser filter, hoping to lessen the reflections, but this slowed each shot down, so if there were any moving parts (eg. seaweed) they would be blowing in the wind and be blurred in the shot. It also didn't stop the reflection altogether, so in every single pebble I had a reflection of the tripod and pan head with all its handles sticking out! I had to take the shots from overhead in order to stop rain getting on the filter, so there was no way around it.

I didn't stay out long, the drizzle getting harder and the wind picking up. Quite miserable, unpleasant conditions indeed! I headed back up the hill to the car across the boggy fields which I'd seen looking glorious covered in snow on my previous trip (on a windy but dry day), passing a carcass (possibly a swan?), took a couple of shots of the mountain (hidden under cloud) and drove back home without stopping.

Next to the cabin is a small church and graveyard, a hostel (open in summer only, I think), and some trees. There were still some autumnal leaves on the birch trees, so I drove up the track to see if I could get a couple of shots. The wind was still gusting from time to time, and although the rain wasn't bad, there was still some lingering. I spotted some red berries on the trees so took a few shots of those, with water droplets hanging from each one (using a horribly high ISO of 2000 to try to get the shots sharp before the wind moved the branches).

Then it was back to the cabin again for the long wet, windy night. I spent the evening cooking, Skyping home, and going through more of the photos that I'd taken over the past 6 days, before having an early night. I expected no sunrise the following morning, so set the alarm for a late 8am. At least the rubbish weather meant I wasn't over-tired, which often happens on these trips, but oh what a disappointing day!!

Click here for Day 5 blog - Jökulsárlón to Stafafell
Click here for Day 7 blog - Back to Jökulsárlón in the Rain