Alþingi

Leifr Eiricsson, sometimes called the Leif Eiricsson Memorial, is statue of Norse explorer Leif Erikson created by American artist Alexander Stirling Calder. The artwork was commissioned by the United States government as a gift to the Icelandic people for the 1,000th anniversary of the Alþingi in 1930. The statue was unveiled on July 17, 1932, in Reykjavík, Iceland atop a hill overlooking the city, on which the Hallgrímskirkja was later built. The statue is gazing out to the west, towards the newly discovered Vinland in North America.

In June 1930, Iceland celebrated the 1,000th anniversary of the founding of the Alþingi, the country’s parliament. Preparatory to the celebration, the 71st United States Congress passed House Joint Resolution 2, on June 21, 1929 permitting the US government to participate in the celebration and required the government to “procure a suitable statue or other memorial of Leif Ericsson and present the same as a gift of the American people to the people of Iceland.”

Later that year, the United States Commission of Fine Arts was enlisted to select a sculptor to fulfill Congress’ request. The commission first selected a group of artists who were subsequently invited to submit photographs of their proposed works for final consideration. Per the Department of State, the artist was required to be a citizen of the United States. In November 1929, the photographs were inspected and Alexander Stirling Calder was recommended by the commission to the Department of State as the artist to be hire.

Calder’s completed statue was accepted by the commission in January 1932. During the course of its design, Calder had completed three preliminary sketches and studies.

After being shipped to Iceland, the statue was placed on its pedestal on May 2, 1932. The location chosen for the artwork on the prominent hill at the top of Skólavörðuholt, where stood a historic tower called Skólavarðan, which had to be demolished to build the monument. The Hallgrímskirkja was later built on this site.

The statue was officially unveiled in a ceremony on Sunday, July 17, 1932. The ceremony was presided over by the Icelandic prime minister, Ásgeir Ásgeirsson, and also included speeches by Frederick W. B. Coleman, US envoy to Denmark (Iceland was still in a personal union with Denmark at the time), and Knud Ziemsen, the mayor of Reykjavík.

The stone pedestal has the form of the prow of a Viking ship and contains an inscription about the gifting of the statue by the United States. It was constructed of Texas red granite, is 15 feet (4.6 m) feet high, and was manufactured by the Presbrey-Leland company of Brattleboro, Vermont. It was erected in the autumn of 1931, several months before the statue was placed.

Icelanders interpreted the gift as acknowledgement by the US that Leif was Icelandic, and appreciated the gesture, as many Norwegians, and especially Norwegian Americans and Norwegian Canadians, claimed Leif as their countryman.

While the statue and pedestal were being created, some controversy arose regarding the spelling of Leif Erikson’s name. Specifically how the Old Norse “Leifr Eiríksson” should be modernized for inscription on the pedestal, as the different Nordic countries use different spellings of the name, and there are multiple different anglicized versions as well. After consulting with Sveinbjörn Johnson, an Icelandic-born law professor at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, “Leifr Eiricsson” was decided upon. The inscription reads:

Leifr Eiricsson

Son of Iceland

Discoverer of Vinland

The United States of America to the people of Iceland

on the one thousandth anniversary of the Althing

A D 1930

A second casting of the statue was made for the Icelandic exhibit at the 1939 New York World’s Fair; this casting currently stands at the Mariners’ Museum and Park in Newport News, Virginia. The statue’s plaster model is part of the Smithsonian Institution’s collection.

This description incorporates text from the English Wikipedia.

La statue de l'explorateur nordique Leif Erikson au sommet du mémorial qui lui est dédié a été créée par l'artiste américain Alexander Stirling Calder. L'œuvre d'art a été commandée par le gouvernement des États-Unis et offerte au peuple islandais pour le 1 000e anniversaire de l'Alingi (ou Althing) en 1930. La statue a été dévoilée le 17 juillet 1932 à Reykjavik.

The statue of Norse explorer Leif Erikson atop the memorial to him was created by American artist Alexander Stirling Calder. The work of art was commissioned by the United States government and presented to the Icelandic people for the 1,000th anniversary of the Alingi (or Althing) in 1930. The statue was unveiled on July 17, 1932, in Reykjavik.

La statue de l'explorateur nordique Leif Erikson au sommet du mémorial qui lui est dédié a été créée par l'artiste américain Alexander Stirling Calder. L'œuvre d'art a été commandée par le gouvernement des États-Unis et offerte au peuple islandais pour le 1 000e anniversaire de l'Alingi (ou Althing) en 1930. La statue a été dévoilée le 17 juillet 1932 à Reykjavik.

The statue of Norse explorer Leif Erikson atop the memorial to him was created by American artist Alexander Stirling Calder. The work of art was commissioned by the United States government and presented to the Icelandic people for the 1,000th anniversary of the Alingi (or Althing) in 1930. The statue was unveiled on July 17, 1932, in Reykjavik.

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I was originally enrolled into the GETTY IMAGES collection as a contributor on April 9th 2012, and when links with FLICKR were terminated in March 2014, I was retained and fortunate enough to be signed up via a second contract, both of which have proved to be successful with sales of my photographs all over the world now handled exclusively by them.

On November 12th 2015 GETTY IMAGES unveiled plans for a new stills upload platform called ESP (Enterprise Submission Platform), to replace the existing 'Moment portal', and on November 13th I was invited to Beta test the new system prior to it being officially rolled out in December. ESP went live on Tuesday December 15th 2015 and has smoothed out the upload process considerably.

These days I take a far more leisurely approach to my photographic exploits, a Nikon D850 FX Pro body as my trusted companion, I travel light with less constraints and more emphasis on the pure capture of the beauty that I see, more akin to my original persuits and goals some five decades previously when starting out. I would like to say a huge and heartfelt 'THANK YOU' to GETTY IMAGES, and the 24.517+ Million visitors to my FLICKR site.

***** Selected for sale in the GETTY IMAGES COLLECTION on November 21st 2018

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Photograph taken at an altitude of One hundred and forty eight metres at 15:40pm on Thursday 8th November 2018, off Þingvallavegur 36 in the Þingvellir National Park (Thingvellir National Park) in Iceland. Situated East of Reykjavik, this is the location where the Alþing (Althing) parliamentary general assembly met between 930 CE and 1798.

It has been home to a church for over One thousand years.

The park sits in a rift valley caused by the separation of the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates with cliffs and fissures such as the Almannagjá fault.

Here we are looking over a body of water known as Þingvallavatn (Þingvallavatn lake). The lake has a surface area of 84 km² and a depth of 114m and lies partially with the national park.The only outflow from lake Þingvallavatn is the river Sog.

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Nikon D850 Focal length 62mm. Hand held with Nikkor VR vibration reduction enabled on Normal setting. Shutter speed 1/160s Aperture f/14.0 iso100 RAW (14 bit uncompressed) Image size L 8256 x 5504 FX). Colour space. Adobe RGB. AF-C focus 51 point with 3-D tracking. Manual exposure. Matrix metering. Auto 0 white balance (8030K). Nikon Distortion control on. Vignette control Normal.

Nikkor AF-S 24-120mm f/4G ED VR. Phot-R ultra slim 77mm UV filter. Nikon EN-EL15a battery. Matin quick release neckstrap. My Memory 128GB Class 10 SDXC. Lowepro Flipside 400 AW camera bag. Nikon GP-1 GPS module.

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LATITUDE: N 64d 15m 19.40s

LONGITUDE: W 21d 7m 43.70s

ALTITUDE: 148.0m

RAW (TIFF) FILE: 130.00MB NEF: 89.0MB

PROCESSED (JPeg) FILE: 18.90MB

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PROCESSING POWER:

Nikon D850 Firmware versions C 1.01 (16/01/2018) LD Distortion Data 2.017 (20/3/18)

HP 110-352na Desktop PC with AMD Quad-Core A6-5200 APU 64Bit processor. Radeon HD8400 graphics. 8 GB DDR3 Memory with 1TB SATA storage. 64-bit Windows 10. Verbatim USB 2.0 1TB desktop hard drive. WD My Passport Ultra 1tb USB3 Portable hard drive. Nikon ViewNX-1 64bit (Version 1.2.11 15/03/2018). Nikon Capture NX-D 64bit (Version 1.4.7 15/03/2018). Nikon Picture Control Utility 2 (Version 1.3.2 15/03/2018). Adobe photoshop Elements 8 Version 8.0 64bit.

Classic view of the rift valley formed by the mid atlantic ridge between the European and North American tectonic plates. It is also the ancient site of the Althing, the National Parliament of Iceland held here from 930 AD until 1798.

Als eerste trein van dag twee diende kort na 7 uur in de morgen Locon 502 met de Pinow-shuttle naar Bad Bentheim zich aan. Deze fraaie volledig met Foodtrans tankcontainers beladen trein passeert Althen onderweg naar het westen.

"Leifr Eiricsson

Son of Iceland

Discoverer of Vinland

The United States of America to the People of Iceland

On the one thousandth anniversary of the Althing

AD 1930"

As that inscription suggests, Leifur Eiríksson (c.970-1020), born and raised in Iceland with a Norwegian father (Eiríkr Þorvaldsson, 'Erik the Red') and Icelandic mother, is regarded as the first European visitor to North America, about 500 years before Columbus, and as a founder of short-lived settlements in Vínland (now northern Newfoundland).

The US government donated this statue in 1930 to commemorate the link, on the occasion of the thousandth anniversary of Alþingi, the Icelandic parliament and world's oldest democratic assembly. However, it's apparently still a sore point that the US 'Leif Erikson Day' celebrates immigration from Norway: 10th Century Icelanders, Norwegians and Norse settlers of Greenland would have considered themselves members of a single 'nation', but by modern standards Leifur was unambiguously Icelandic.

The 50-tonne monument, designed by American sculptor Alexander Stirling Calder in 1929, takes the form of a bronze statue of Leifur standing at the bow of a Viking ship, depicted in granite. It was presented to Iceland in 1930 but unveiled by the US Ambassador in 1932, following a dispute about the location.

Rather than let the recipient nation choose a suitable site, the US insisted that the statue should take pride of place at the top of Skólavörðuholtið ('school cairn hill'), replacing Skólavörður, the popular 'school cairn' sightseeing tower. Many Icelanders, including city councillors, considered this demand somewhat rude and an obstruction to other plans for the hilltop, but a compromise was found and the statue installed to the west of the absolute summit, leaving room for construction of Hallgrimskirkja to begin 13 years later. In 2013, the statue received a new neighbour: a monument to Skólavörður.

In the 1930s windy Skólavörðuholt was on the eastern edge of Reykjavík, so the statue was a welcome windbreak and, er, toilet for those taking a stroll (or drink) and a local landmark until literally overshadowed by Hallgrímskirkja. Until the 1970s, it became traditional for private sellers to park used cars by the statue for viewing by potential buyers.

Iceland made a copy of the bronze statue for display in their national pavilion at the 1939 New York World's Fair. Afterwards, the copy was donated to the US and now stands at the entrance to the Mariners' Museum in Newport, Virginia.

Hallgrímskirkja was designed by Guðjón Samuelsson (1887-1950), State Architect of Iceland, who integrated the clarity of Scandinavian Modernism (aka 'Functionalism') with references to the raw grandeur of the Icelandic landscape. The concrete 'winged steeple' of the west face* resembles an idealised cliff of soaring basalt columns (and the pipes of a church organ, perhaps coincidentally), but the interior is far plainer, reflecting Lutheran austerity and Scandinavian minimalism and inviting quiet contemplation. The resemblance to Grundtvigs Kirke, built 1921-40 in Copenhagen, is unmistakeable, particularly inside.

Though designed in in 1937, construction only began in 1945 after the Second World War, and proceeded rather slowly: the crypt was consecrated in 1948 but Guðjón died almost a quarter of a century before the completion of the west face in 1974, and the nave only opened in 1987.

The church is named in honour of Hallgrímur Pétursson (1614-1674), poet, clergyman and author of Passíusálmar, the traditional Passion Hymns sung daily during Lent.

At 74½ m, Hallgrímskirkja is Iceland's second-tallest building and technically Reykjavík's tallest, though that's a slight quirk of Icelandic geography: the Smáratorg office tower, just 3.1 metres taller, is in Kópavogur, an entirely different municipality... which happens to be within walking distance. Hallgrímskirkja is also Iceland's sixth-tallest structure, after three radio antennae, a smelter's chimney and Smáratorg.

I'd definitely recommend paying to visit the viewing galley behind the visible arched windows, but a) dress warmly – it's cold up there, and b) avoid the temptation to leave 'love locks' on the railings – they'll be removed promptly.

It may be worth mentioning that this dramatic hilltop building visible from across the whole district is a church, not, not Reykjavík's cathedral. That, Dómkirkjan, is a far more modest building a kilometre away beside Alþingi (Parliament).

* That's ecclesiastical (ritual) west, which in the case of Hallgrímskirkja faces geographical (literal) north-west.

Northern Lights Night Nr.2

You are looking to the left of the previous slide (right arrow) at the only place where the American tectonic plate meets the Eurasian plate above sea level- Thingvellir National park, Iceland. This also a UNESCO world heritage site where the first parliament met,

From Wiki:

Thingvellir is a national park in the municipality of Bláskógabyggð in southwestern Iceland, about 40 km northeast of Iceland's capital, Reykjavík. Þingvellir is a site of historical, cultural, and geological significance, and is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Iceland. The park lies in a rift valley that marks the crest of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and the boundary between the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates. To its south lies Þingvallavatn, the largest natural lake in Iceland.

Þingvellir is associated with the Althing, the national parliament of Iceland, which was established at the site in 930 AD. Sessions were held at the location until 1798.

Þingvellir National Park (þjóðgarðurinn á Þingvöllum) was founded in 1930, marking the 1000th anniversary of the Althing. The park was later expanded to protect the diverse and natural phenomena in the surrounding area, and was designated as a World Heritage Site in 2004. — in Þingvellir, Arnessysla, Iceland.

©All photographs on this site are copyright: ©DESPITE STRAIGHT LINES (Paul Williams) 2011 – 2021 & GETTY IMAGES ®

No license is given nor granted in respect of the use of any copyrighted material on this site other than with the express written agreement of ©DESPITE STRAIGHT LINES (Paul Williams). No image may be used as source material for paintings, drawings, sculptures, or any other art form without permission and/or compensation to ©DESPITE STRAIGHT LINES (Paul Williams)

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Photograph taken at an altitude of One hundred and forty three metres at 15:30pm on Thursday 8th November 2018, off Þingvallavegur 36 in the Þingvellir National Park, the only UNESCO world heritage site on the Icelandic mainland. It is situated East of Rekjavik in the municipality of Bláskógabyggð in southwestern Iceland and is known historically for the Alþing (Althing), the site of Iceland's parliament from the 10th to 18th centuries.

The park sits in a Mid-Atlantic Ridge and the boundary between the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates. To its south lies Þingvallavatn, the largest natural lake in Iceland.[

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Nikon D850 Focal length 40mm. Hand held with Nikkor VR vibration reduction enabled on Normal setting. Shutter speed 1/10s Aperture f/13.0 iso100 RAW (14 bit uncompressed) Image size L 8256 x 5504 FX). Colour space. Adobe RGB. AF-C focus 51 point with 3-D tracking. Manual exposure. Matrix metering. Auto 0 white balance (8030K). Nikon Distortion control on. Vignette control Normal.

Nikkor AF-S 24-120mm f/4G ED VR. Phot-R ultra slim 77mm UV filter. Nikon EN-EL15a battery. Matin quick release neckstrap. My Memory 128GB Class 10 SDXC. Lowepro Flipside 400 AW camera bag. Nikon GP-1 GPS module.

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LATITUDE: N 64d 15m 20.58s

LONGITUDE: W 21d 7m 41.42s

ALTITUDE: 143.0m

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RAW (TIFF) FILE: 130.00MB NEF: 92.1MB

PROCESSED (JPeg) FILE: 43.70MB

PROCESSING POWER:

Nikon D850 Firmware versions C 1.01 (16/01/2018) LD Distortion Data 2.017 (20/3/18)

HP 110-352na Desktop PC with AMD Quad-Core A6-5200 APU 64Bit processor. Radeon HD8400 graphics. 8 GB DDR3 Memory with 1TB SATA storage. 64-bit Windows 10. Verbatim USB 2.0 1TB desktop hard drive. WD My Passport Ultra 1tb USB3 Portable hard drive. Nikon ViewNX-1 64bit (Version 1.2.11 15/03/2018). Nikon Capture NX-D 64bit (Version 1.4.7 15/03/2018). Nikon Picture Control Utility 2 (Version 1.3.2 15/03/2018). Adobe photoshop Elements 8 Version 8.0 64bit.

Fascinating Iceland - Þingvellir (Ebene der Volksversammlung - Althing) und Grabenbruchzone zwischen den Kontinenten (Zwischen den Erdplatten von Amerika und Europa klafft die Silfra-Spalte auf Island).

Fascinating Iceland - Þingvellir (Plain of the People's Assembly - Althing) and Rift Zone between Continents (Between the Earth's Plates of America and Europe gapes the Silfra Fissure on Iceland).

new raw processing with LR 12 and pure raw

Thingvellir is now a national park in the municipality of Bláskógabyggð in southwestern Iceland, about 40 km northeast of Iceland's capital, Reykjavík. Þingvellir is a site of historical, cultural, and geological significance, and is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Iceland. The park lies in a rift valley that marks the crest of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and the boundary between the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates. To its south lies Þingvallavatn, the largest natural lake in Iceland.

Þingvellir National Park (þjóðgarðurinn á Þingvöllum) was founded in 1930, marking the 1000th anniversary of the Althing. The park was later expanded to protect the diverse and natural phenomena in the surrounding area, and was designated as a World Heritage Site in 2004.(wiki)

Canon EOS M5 - Canon EF-M 11-22mm f/4-5.6 IS STM

Thingvellir,the site of the old parliament (,Unesco World Heritage since 2004) .Here the most important decisions in Iceland's history took place since in 930 the first Althing (gathering) took place.

Þingvellir is a historically and geologically significant site in southwestern Iceland, located about 40 kilometers northeast of Reykjavík. It is one of the country’s most important cultural landmarks and forms part of the popular Golden Circle route. Þingvellir is both a national park and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, recognized for its unique combination of natural features and its central role in Iceland’s history.

The area lies within a rift valley created by the separation of the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates, making it one of the few places in the world where this geological boundary is clearly visible on land. Over time, the shifting plates have formed dramatic fissures, lava fields, and clear freshwater springs, including the well-known Silfra fissure, where the two continental plates can be observed diverging. The landscape is characterized by rugged cliffs, open plains, and the nearby Þingvallavatn, Iceland’s largest natural lake.

Historically, Þingvellir holds exceptional importance as the site of the Althing, one of the world’s oldest existing parliaments, established around the year 930 during the early period of Icelandic settlement. For centuries, chieftains and representatives from across the island gathered here annually to make laws, settle disputes, and conduct assemblies, making Þingvellir the political and social heart of medieval Iceland. The location was chosen for its accessibility and natural amphitheater-like setting created by the surrounding cliffs.

Throughout the centuries, Þingvellir has remained a symbol of Icelandic identity and independence. It was here that Iceland formally declared independence from Denmark in 1944, reinforcing its deep national significance. Today, the park is protected for both its cultural heritage and its distinctive geological environment, attracting visitors interested in history, nature, and photography. The combination of tectonic activity, historical legacy, and scenic beauty makes Þingvellir one of the most iconic and meaningful locations in Iceland.

Oxararfoss is a waterfall in Þingvellir National Park, Iceland. It flows from the river Öxará over the Almannagjá. The pool at the base of the waterfall is filled with rocks and is often extremely icy during winter.

The waterfall is one of the main attractions of Þingvellir National Park and there is a path from the nearby car park leading up to it.

Þingvellir anglicised as Thingvellir, is a national park in the municipality of Bláskógabyggð in southwestern Iceland, about 40 km northeast of Iceland's capital, Reykjavík. Þingvellir is a site of historical, cultural, and geological significance, and is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Iceland. The park lies in a rift valley that marks the crest of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and the boundary between the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates. To its south lies Þingvallavatn, the largest natural lake in Iceland.

Þingvellir is associated with the Althing, the national parliament of Iceland, which was established at the site in 930 AD. Sessions were held at the location until 1798.

Þingvellir National Park (þjóðgarðurinn á Þingvöllum) was founded in 1930, marking the 1000th anniversary of the Althing. The park was later expanded to protect the diverse and natural phenomena in the surrounding area, and was designated as a World Heritage Site in 2004. (wiki)

Canon EOS M5 - Canon EF-M 11-22mm f/4-5.6 IS STM

©All photographs on this site are copyright: DESPITE STRAIGHT LINES (Paul Williams) 2011 – 2021 & GETTY IMAGES ®

No license is given nor granted in respect of the use of any copyrighted material on this site other than with the express written agreement of DESPITE STRAIGHT LINES (Paul Williams) ©

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©DESPITE STRAIGHT LINES (Paul Williams)

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Photograph taken at an altitude of One hundred and forty three metres at 15:57pm on Thursday 8th November 2018, off Þingvallavegur 36 in the Þingvellir National Park, the only UNESCO world heritage site on the Icelandic mainland. It is situated East of Rekjavik in the municipality of Bláskógabyggð in southwestern Iceland and is known historically for the Alþing (Althing), the site of Iceland's parliament from the 10th to 18th centuries.

The park sits in a Mid-Atlantic Ridge and the boundary between the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates. To its south lies Þingvallavatn, the largest natural lake in Iceland.[

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Nikon D850 Focal length 92mm. Hand held with Nikkor VR vibration reduction enabled on Normal setting. Shutter speed 1/13s Aperture f/11.0 iso100 RAW (14 bit uncompressed) Image size L 8256 x 5504 FX). Colour space. Adobe RGB. AF-C focus 51 point with 3-D tracking. Manual exposure. Matrix metering. Auto 0 white balance (8030K). Nikon Distortion control on. Vignette control Normal.

Nikkor AF-S 24-120mm f/4G ED VR. Phot-R ultra slim 77mm UV filter. Nikon EN-EL15a battery. Matin quick release neckstrap. My Memory 128GB Class 10 SDXC. Lowepro Flipside 400 AW camera bag. Nikon GP-1 GPS module.

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LATITUDE: N 64d 15m 21.14s

LONGITUDE: W 21d 7m 53.53s

ALTITUDE: 144.0m

RAW (TIFF) FILE: 130.00MB NEF: 92.1MB

PROCESSED (JPeg) FILE: 43.70MB

PROCESSING POWER:

Nikon D850 Firmware versions C 1.01 (16/01/2018) LD Distortion Data 2.017 (20/3/18)

HP 110-352na Desktop PC with AMD Quad-Core A6-5200 APU 64Bit processor. Radeon HD8400 graphics. 8 GB DDR3 Memory with 1TB SATA storage. 64-bit Windows 10. Verbatim USB 2.0 1TB desktop hard drive. WD My Passport Ultra 1tb USB3 Portable hard drive. Nikon ViewNX-1 64bit (Version 1.2.11 15/03/2018). Nikon Capture NX-D 64bit (Version 1.4.7 15/03/2018). Nikon Picture Control Utility 2 (Version 1.3.2 15/03/2018). Adobe photoshop Elements 8 Version 8.0 64bit.

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I was originally enrolled into the GETTY IMAGES collection as a contributor on April 9th 2012, and when links with FLICKR were terminated in March 2014, I was retained and fortunate enough to be signed up via a second contract, both of which have proved to be successful with sales of my photographs all over the world now handled exclusively by them.

On November 12th 2015 GETTY IMAGES unveiled plans for a new stills upload platform called ESP (Enterprise Submission Platform), to replace the existing 'Moment portal', and on November 13th I was invited to Beta test the new system prior to it being officially rolled out in December. ESP went live on Tuesday December 15th 2015 and has smoothed out the upload process considerably.

These days I take a far more leisurely approach to my photographic exploits, a Nikon D850 FX Pro body as my trusted companion, I travel light with less constraints and more emphasis on the pure capture of the beauty that I see, more akin to my original persuits and goals some five decades previously when starting out. I would like to say a huge and heartfelt 'THANK YOU' to GETTY IMAGES, and the 31.792+ Million visitors to my FLICKR site.

***** Selected for sale in the GETTY IMAGES COLLECTION on November 21st 2018

CREATIVE RF gty.im/1069492932 MOMENT OPEN COLLECTION**

This photograph became my 3,575th frame to be selected for sale in the Getty Images collection and I am very grateful to them for this wonderful opportunity.

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Photograph taken at an altitude of One hundred and forty four metres at 15:30pm on Thursday 8th November 2018, off Þingvallavegur 36 in the Þingvellir National Park (Thingvellir National Park) looking over towards Þingvallakirkja (Þingvellir church) Southern Iceland. This is the location where the Alþing (Althing) parliamentary general assembly met between 930 CE and 1798. It has been home to a church for over One thousand years.

The church seen here, dates back to 1859

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Nikon D850 Focal length 105mm. Hand held with Nikkor VR vibration reduction enabled on Normal setting. Shutter speed 1/25s Aperture f/13.0 iso100 RAW (14 bit uncompressed) Image size L 8256 x 5504 FX). Colour space. Adobe RGB. AF-C focus 51 point with 3-D tracking. Manual exposure. Matrix metering. Auto 0 white balance (8030K). Nikon Distortion control on. Vignette control Normal.

Nikkor AF-S 24-120mm f/4G ED VR. Phot-R ultra slim 77mm UV filter. Nikon EN-EL15a battery. Matin quick release neckstrap. My Memory 128GB Class 10 SDXC. Lowepro Flipside 400 AW camera bag. Nikon GP-1 GPS module.

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LATITUDE: N 64d 15m 20.60s

LONGITUDE: W 21d 7m 41.50s

ALTITUDE: 144.0m

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RAW (TIFF) FILE: 130.00MB NEF: 90.7MB

PROCESSED (JPeg) FILE: 33.30MB

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PROCESSING POWER:

Nikon D850 Firmware versions C 1.01 (16/01/2018) LD Distortion Data 2.017 (20/3/18)

HP 110-352na Desktop PC with AMD Quad-Core A6-5200 APU 64Bit processor. Radeon HD8400 graphics. 8 GB DDR3 Memory with 1TB DATA storage. 64-bit Windows 10. Verbatim USB 2.0 1TB desktop hard drive. WD My Passport Ultra 1tb USB3 Portable hard drive. Nikon ViewNX-1 64bit (Version 1.2.11 15/03/2018). Nikon Capture NX-D 64bit (Version 1.4.7 15/03/2018). Nikon Picture Control Utility 2 (Version 1.3.2 15/03/2018). Adobe photoshop Elements 8 Version 8.0 64bit.

Fascinating Iceland - Þingvellir (Ebene der Volksversammlung - Althing) und Grabenbruchzone zwischen den Kontinenten (Zwischen den Erdplatten von Amerika und Europa klafft die Silfra-Spalte auf Island).

Fascinating Iceland - Þingvellir (Plain of the People's Assembly - Althing) and Rift Zone between Continents (Between the Earth's Plates of America and Europe gapes the Silfra Fissure on Iceland).

new raw processing with LR 12 and pure raw

TF-ISX, Boeing 757-3E7 (CN 30179) 'Þingvellir' of Icelandair approaches Glasgow Airport after a service from Keflavik. Icelandair's two 753's have both been regulars on the route this summer, with this one wearing a special scheme marking 100 years of sovereign independence from Denmark (achieved on 1 December 1918). Þingvellir (Thingvellir) is the National Park where the Althing, an open-air assembly representing the whole of Iceland, was established in 930 and continued to meet until 1798.

First delivered to Arkia as 4X-BAW in 2000, the aircraft joined Icelandair (appropriately) in 2018

Not the best light, so some unfinished business here.

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I was originally enrolled into the GETTY IMAGES collection as a contributor on April 9th 2012, and when links with FLICKR were terminated in March 2014, I was retained and fortunate enough to be signed up via a second contract, both of which have proved to be successful with sales of my photographs all over the world now handled exclusively by them.

On November 12th 2015 GETTY IMAGES unveiled plans for a new stills upload platform called ESP (Enterprise Submission Platform), to replace the existing 'Moment portal', and on November 13th I was invited to Beta test the new system prior to it being officially rolled out in December. ESP went live on Tuesday December 15th 2015 and has smoothed out the upload process considerably.

These days I take a far more leisurely approach to my photographic exploits, a Nikon D850 FX Pro body as my trusted companion, I travel light with less constraints and more emphasis on the pure capture of the beauty that I see, more akin to my original persuits and goals some five decades previously when starting out. I would like to say a huge and heartfelt 'THANK YOU' to GETTY IMAGES, and the 31.906+ Million visitors to my FLICKR site.

***** Selected for sale in the GETTY IMAGES COLLECTION on November 25th 2018

CREATIVE RF gty.im/1070977808 MOMENT OPEN COLLECTION**

This photograph became my 3,591st frame to be selected for sale in the Getty Images collection and I am very grateful to them for this wonderful opportunity.

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Photograph taken at an altitude of One hundred and forty three metres at 15:38pm on Thursday 8th November 2018, off Þingvallavegur 36 in the Þingvellir National Park (Thingvellir National Park) in Iceland. Situated East of Reykjavik, this is the location where the Alþing (Althing) parliamentary general assembly met between 930 CE and 1798.

It has been home to a church for over One thousand years.

The park sits in a rift valley caused by the separation of the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates with cliffs and fissures such as the Almannagjá fault.

Here we are looking over a body of water known as Þingvallavatn (Þingvallavatn lake). The lake has a surface area of 84 km² and a depth of 114m and lies partially with the national park.The only outflow from lake Þingvallavatn is the river Sog.

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Nikon D850 Focal length 82mm. Hand held with Nikkor VR vibration reduction enabled on Normal setting. Shutter speed 1/125s Aperture f/11.0 iso100 RAW (14 bit uncompressed) Image size L 8256 x 5504 FX). Colour space. Adobe RGB. AF-C focus 51 point with 3-D tracking. Manual exposure. Matrix metering. Auto 0 white balance (8030K). Nikon Distortion control on. Vignette control Normal.

Nikkor AF-S 24-120mm f/4G ED VR. Phot-R ultra slim 77mm UV filter. Nikon EN-EL15a battery. Matin quick release neckstrap. My Memory 128GB Class 10 SDXC. Lowepro Flipside 400 AW camera bag. Nikon GP-1 GPS module.

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LATITUDE: N 64d 15m 19.20s

LONGITUDE: W 21d 7m 43.30s

ALTITUDE: 143.0m

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RAW (TIFF) FILE: 130.00MB NEF: 89.8MB

PROCESSED (JPeg) FILE: 33.30MB

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PROCESSING POWER:

Nikon D850 Firmware versions C 1.01 (16/01/2018) LD Distortion Data 2.017 (20/3/18)

HP 110-352na Desktop PC with AMD Quad-Core A6-5200 APU 64Bit processor. Radeon HD8400 graphics. 8 GB DDR3 Memory with 1TB DATA storage. 64-bit Windows 10. Verbatim USB 2.0 1TB desktop hard drive. WD My Passport Ultra 1tb USB3 Portable hard drive. Nikon ViewNX-1 64bit (Version 1.2.11 15/03/2018). Nikon Capture NX-D 64bit (Version 1.4.7 15/03/2018). Nikon Picture Control Utility 2 (Version 1.3.2 15/03/2018). Adobe photoshop Elements 8 Version 8.0 64bit.

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I was originally enrolled into the GETTY IMAGES collection as a contributor on April 9th 2012, and when links with FLICKR were terminated in March 2014, I was retained and fortunate enough to be signed up via a second contract, both of which have proved to be successful with sales of my photographs all over the world now handled exclusively by them.

On November 12th 2015 GETTY IMAGES unveiled plans for a new stills upload platform called ESP (Enterprise Submission Platform), to replace the existing 'Moment portal', and on November 13th I was invited to Beta test the new system prior to it being officially rolled out in December. ESP went live on Tuesday December 15th 2015 and has smoothed out the upload process considerably.

These days I take a far more leisurely approach to my photographic exploits, a Nikon D850 FX Pro body as my trusted companion, I travel light with less constraints and more emphasis on the pure capture of the beauty that I see, more akin to my original persuits and goals some five decades previously when starting out. I would like to say a huge and heartfelt 'THANK YOU' to GETTY IMAGES, and the 24.467+ Million visitors to my FLICKR site.

***** Selected for sale in the GETTY IMAGES COLLECTION on November 19th 2018

CREATIVE RF gty.im/1068329496 MOMENT OPEN COLLECTION**

This photograph became my 3,195th frame to be selected for sale in the Getty Images collection and I am very grateful to them for this wonderful opportunity.

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Photograph taken at an altitude of One hundred and forty three metres at 15:38pm on Thursday 8th November 2018, off Þingvallavegur 36 in the Þingvellir National Park, the only UNESCO world heritage site on the Icelandic mainland. It is situated East of Rekjavik in the municipality of Bláskógabyggð in southwestern Iceland and is known historically for the Alþing (Althing), the site of Iceland's parliament from the 10th to 18th centuries.

The park sits in a Mid-Atlantic Ridge and the boundary between the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates. To its south lies Þingvallavatn, the largest natural lake in Iceland

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Nikon D850 Focal length 85mm. Hand held with Nikkor VR vibration reduction enabled on Normal setting. Shutter speed 1/125s Aperture f/11.0 iso100 RAW (14 bit uncompressed) Image size L 8256 x 5504 FX). Colour space. Adobe RGB. AF-C focus 51 point with 3-D tracking. Manual exposure. Matrix metering. Auto 0 white balance (8030K). Nikon Distortion control on. Vignette control Normal.

Nikkor AF-S 24-120mm f/4G ED VR. Phot-R ultra slim 77mm UV filter. Nikon EN-EL15a battery. Matin quick release neckstrap. My Memory 128GB Class 10 SDXC. Lowepro Flipside 400 AW camera bag. Nikon GP-1 GPS module.

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LATITUDE: N 64d 15m 19.20s

LONGITUDE: W 21d 7m 43.30s

ALTITUDE: 143.0m

RAW (TIFF) FILE: 130.00MB NEF: 89.6MB

PROCESSED (JPeg) FILE: 23.10MB

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PROCESSING POWER:

Nikon D850 Firmware versions C 1.01 (16/01/2018) LD Distortion Data 2.017 (20/3/18)

HP 110-352na Desktop PC with AMD Quad-Core A6-5200 APU 64Bit processor. Radeon HD8400 graphics. 8 GB DDR3 Memory with 1TB SATA storage. 64-bit Windows 10. Verbatim USB 2.0 1TB desktop hard drive. WD My Passport Ultra 1tb USB3 Portable hard drive. Nikon ViewNX-1 64bit (Version 1.2.11 15/03/2018). Nikon Capture NX-D 64bit (Version 1.4.7 15/03/2018). Nikon Picture Control Utility 2 (Version 1.3.2 15/03/2018). Adobe photoshop Elements 8 Version 8.0 64bit.

"The Goðafoss (Icelandic: waterfall of the gods or waterfall of the goði) is one of the most spectacular waterfalls in Iceland. It is located in the Mývatn district of North-Central Iceland at the beginning of the Sprengisandur highland road. The water of the river Skjálfandafljót falls from a height of 12 meters over a width of 30 meters.

In the year 999 or 1000 the Lawspeaker Þorgeir Ljósvetningagoði made Christianity the official religion of Iceland. After his conversion it is said that upon returning from the Alþingi, Þorgeir threw his statues of the Norse gods into the waterfall. Þorgeir's story is preserved in Ari Þorgilsson's Íslendingabók." Wikipedia

A fantastic waterfall with lots of details to capture and slippery, icy surfaces all around.

All pictures clickable and some more in the set.

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"Der Goðafoss (Isländisch: Wasserfall der Götter oder Wasserfall des Godi) ist einer der spektakulärsten Wasserfälle in Island. Es ist im Bezirk Mývatn von Nord-Mittel-Island am Anfang der Sprengisandur Hochstraße. Das Wasser des Flusses Skjálfandafljót fällt aus einer Höhe von 12 Metern auf einer Breite von 30 Metern in die Tiefe.

Im Jahr 999 oder 1000 machte der Gerichtssprecher Þorgeir Ljósvetningagoði das Christentum zur offiziellen Religion von Island. Es wird gesagt, dass er nach seiner Bekehrung nach der Rückkehr aus dem Althing seine Statuen der nordischen Götter in den Wasserfall warf. Þorgeirs Geschichte ist im Ari Þorgilsson Íslendingabók erhalten." Wikipedia

Ein großartiger Wasserfall mit super vielen schicken Details und sehr rutschiger, vereister Umrandung.

Alle Bilder anklickbar und noch mehr im Album.

Airbus A320-214

Msn 1797

"Magritte"

First flight April 26th 2002, delivered to LTU International Airways on June 11th 2002 as D-ALTH and transferred to Air Berlin in April 2011. Moved to SN Brussels Airlines in March 2012.

SN2094 London Heathrow-Brussels.

Þingvellir, anglicised as Thingvellir, is a national park in the municipality of Bláskógabyggð in southwestern Iceland, about 40 km northeast of Iceland's capital, Reykjavík. Þingvellir is a site of historical, cultural, and geological significance, and is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Iceland. The park lies in a rift valley that marks the crest of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and the boundary between the North American tectonic plate and the Eurasian. To its south lies Þingvallavatn, the largest natural lake in Iceland.

Þingvellir is associated with the Althing, the national parliament of Iceland, which was established at the site in 930 AD. Sessions were held at the location until 1798.

Þingvellir National Park (Icelandic: þjóðgarðurinn á Þingvöllum) was founded in 1930, marking the one-thousandth anniversary of the Althing. The park was later expanded to protect the diverse and natural phenomena in the surrounding area, and was designated as a World Heritage Site in 2004.

Þingvellir is now a national park in the municipality of Bláskógabyggð in southwestern Iceland, about 40 km northeast of Iceland's capital, Reykjavík. Þingvellir is a site of historical, cultural, and geological significance, and is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Iceland. The park lies in a rift valley that marks the crest of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and the boundary between the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates. To its south lies Þingvallavatn, the largest natural lake in Iceland.

Þingvellir National Park (þjóðgarðurinn á Þingvöllum) was founded in 1930, marking the 1000th anniversary of the Althing. The park was later expanded to protect the diverse and natural phenomena in the surrounding area, and was designated as a World Heritage Site in 2004.

Þingvellir is now a national park in the municipality of Bláskógabyggð in southwestern Iceland, about 40 km northeast of Iceland's capital, Reykjavík. Þingvellir is a site of historical, cultural, and geological significance, and is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Iceland. The park lies in a rift valley that marks the crest of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and the boundary between the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates. To its south lies Þingvallavatn, the largest natural lake in Iceland.

Þingvellir National Park (þjóðgarðurinn á Þingvöllum) was founded in 1930, marking the 1000th anniversary of the Althing. The park was later expanded to protect the diverse and natural phenomena in the surrounding area, and was designated as a World Heritage Site in 2004.

Thingvellir, the original meeting place of one of the oldest parliaments in the world, the Althing, which was founded here in 930.

Here was signed the full and complete independence of Iceland on June 17, 1944.

Þingvellir (Thingvellir) National Park is a site of immense cultural, historical, and geological significance located in southwestern Iceland. It is the original location of the Alþingi (Althing), the national parliament of Iceland, established in 930 AD, making it one of the oldest surviving parliaments in the world. Þingvellir is also a remarkable geological site where the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates visibly drift apart, creating dramatic rift valleys and fissures such as Almannagjá.

The area is part of the Golden Circle and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Surrounded by mountains and bordered by Iceland’s largest natural lake, Þingvallavatn, the park is a destination of awe-inspiring beauty where Iceland’s natural and human histories converge. The visible faults and lava fields are reminders of the island’s volcanic origins, while the open plains once echoed with ancient assemblies and lawmaking gatherings.

The all-new Ford Explorer Active stands confidently against the dramatic Icelandic highlands. This modern SUV merges bold American design with advanced hybrid efficiency, ready for rugged terrain and scenic journeys.

Þingvellir is now a national park in the municipality of Bláskógabyggð in southwestern Iceland, about 40 km northeast of Iceland's capital, Reykjavík. Þingvellir is a site of historical, cultural, and geological significance, and is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Iceland. The park lies in a rift valley that marks the crest of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and the boundary between the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates. To its south lies Þingvallavatn, the largest natural lake in Iceland.

Þingvellir National Park (þjóðgarðurinn á Þingvöllum) was founded in 1930, marking the 1000th anniversary of the Althing. The park was later expanded to protect the diverse and natural phenomena in the surrounding area, and was designated as a World Heritage Site in 2004.

Þingvellir is a place in Bláskógabyggð in southwestern Iceland, near the peninsula of Reykjanes and the Hengill volcanic area. Þingvellir is a site of historical, cultural, and geological importance and is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Iceland. It is the site of a rift valley that marks the crest of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. It is also home to Þingvallavatn, the largest natural lake in Iceland.

Parliament or Alþingi was established at Þingvellir in 930 and remained there until 1798. Þingvellir National Park was founded in 1930 to protect the remains of the parliament site and was later expanded to protect natural phenomena in the surrounding area. Þingvellir National Park was the first national park in Iceland and was decreed "a protected national shrine for all Icelanders, the perpetual property of the Icelandic nation under the preservation of parliament, never to be sold or mortgaged.

(Wikipedia)

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I was originally enrolled into the GETTY IMAGES collection as a contributor on April 9th 2012, and when links with FLICKR were terminated in March 2014, I was retained and fortunate enough to be signed up via a second contract, both of which have proved to be successful with sales of my photographs all over the world now handled exclusively by them.

On November 12th 2015 GETTY IMAGES unveiled plans for a new stills upload platform called ESP (Enterprise Submission Platform), to replace the existing 'Moment portal', and on November 13th I was invited to Beta test the new system prior to it being officially rolled out in December. ESP went live on Tuesday December 15th 2015 and has smoothed out the upload process considerably.

These days I take a far more leisurely approach to my photographic exploits, a Nikon D850 FX Pro body as my trusted companion, I travel light with less constraints and more emphasis on the pure capture of the beauty that I see, more akin to my original persuits and goals some five decades previously when starting out. I would like to say a huge and heartfelt 'THANK YOU' to GETTY IMAGES, and the 31.629+ Million visitors to my FLICKR site.

***** Selected for sale in the GETTY IMAGES COLLECTION on November 18th 2018

CREATIVE RF gty.im/1067779610 MOMENT OPEN COLLECTION**

This photograph became my 3,556th frame to be selected for sale in the Getty Images collection and I am very grateful to them for this wonderful opportunity.

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Photograph taken at an altitude of One hundred and forty one metres at 15:20pm on Thursday 8th November 2018, off Þingvallavegur 36 in the Þingvellir National Park (Thingvellir National Park), Iceland which is situated in a rift valley caused by the separation of the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates and features fissures such as the Almannagjá fault.

This is the location where the Alþing (Althing) parliamentary general assembly met between 930 CE and 1798. It has been home to a church for over One thousand years.

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Nikon D850 Focal length 27mm. Hand held with Nikkor VR vibration reduction enabled on Normal setting. Shutter speed 1/15s Aperture f/13.0 iso100 RAW (14 bit uncompressed) Image size L 8256 x 5504 FX). Colour space. Adobe RGB. AF-C focus 51 point with 3-D tracking. Manual exposure. Matrix metering. Auto 0 white balance (8030K). Nikon Distortion control on. Vignette control Normal.

Nikkor AF-S 24-120mm f/4G ED VR. Phot-R ultra slim 77mm UV filter. Nikon EN-EL15a battery. Matin quick release neckstrap. My Memory 128GB Class 10 SDXC. Lowepro Flipside 400 AW camera bag. Nikon GP-1 GPS module.

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LATITUDE: N 64d 15m 19.20s

LONGITUDE: W 21d 7m 43.30s

ALTITUDE: 141.0m

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RAW (TIFF) FILE: 130.00MB NEF: 91.3MB

PROCESSED (JPeg) FILE: 21.20MB

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PROCESSING POWER:

Nikon D850 Firmware versions C 1.01 (16/01/2018) LD Distortion Data 2.017 (20/3/18)

HP 110-352na Desktop PC with AMD Quad-Core A6-5200 APU 64Bit processor. Radeon HD8400 graphics. 8 GB DDR3 Memory with 1TB DATA storage. 64-bit Windows 10. Verbatim USB 2.0 1TB desktop hard drive. WD My Passport Ultra 1tb USB3 Portable hard drive. Nikon ViewNX-1 64bit (Version 1.2.11 15/03/2018). Nikon Capture NX-D 64bit (Version 1.4.7 15/03/2018). Nikon Picture Control Utility 2 (Version 1.3.2 15/03/2018). Adobe photoshop Elements 8 Version 8.0 64bit.

Þingvellir is now a national park in the municipality of Bláskógabyggð in southwestern Iceland, about 40 km northeast of Iceland's capital, Reykjavík. Þingvellir is a site of historical, cultural, and geological significance, and is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Iceland. The park lies in a rift valley that marks the crest of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and the boundary between the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates. To its south lies Þingvallavatn, the largest natural lake in Iceland.

Þingvellir National Park (þjóðgarðurinn á Þingvöllum) was founded in 1930, marking the 1000th anniversary of the Althing. The park was later expanded to protect the diverse and natural phenomena in the surrounding area, and was designated as a World Heritage Site in 2004.

Þingvellir is a historically and geologically significant site in southwestern Iceland, located about 40 kilometers northeast of Reykjavík. It is one of the country’s most important cultural landmarks and forms part of the popular Golden Circle route. Þingvellir is both a national park and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, recognized for its unique combination of natural features and its central role in Iceland’s history.

The area lies within a rift valley created by the separation of the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates, making it one of the few places in the world where this geological boundary is clearly visible on land. Over time, the shifting plates have formed dramatic fissures, lava fields, and clear freshwater springs, including the well-known Silfra fissure, where the two continental plates can be observed diverging. The landscape is characterized by rugged cliffs, open plains, and the nearby Þingvallavatn, Iceland’s largest natural lake.

Historically, Þingvellir holds exceptional importance as the site of the Althing, one of the world’s oldest existing parliaments, established around the year 930 during the early period of Icelandic settlement. For centuries, chieftains and representatives from across the island gathered here annually to make laws, settle disputes, and conduct assemblies, making Þingvellir the political and social heart of medieval Iceland. The location was chosen for its accessibility and natural amphitheater-like setting created by the surrounding cliffs.

Throughout the centuries, Þingvellir has remained a symbol of Icelandic identity and independence. It was here that Iceland formally declared independence from Denmark in 1944, reinforcing its deep national significance. Today, the park is protected for both its cultural heritage and its distinctive geological environment, attracting visitors interested in history, nature, and photography. The combination of tectonic activity, historical legacy, and scenic beauty makes Þingvellir one of the most iconic and meaningful locations in Iceland.

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I was originally enrolled into the GETTY IMAGES collection as a contributor on April 9th 2012, and when links with FLICKR were terminated in March 2014, I was retained and fortunate enough to be signed up via a second contract, both of which have proved to be successful with sales of my photographs all over the world now handled exclusively by them.

On November 12th 2015 GETTY IMAGES unveiled plans for a new stills upload platform called ESP (Enterprise Submission Platform), to replace the existing 'Moment portal', and on November 13th I was invited to Beta test the new system prior to it being officially rolled out in December. ESP went live on Tuesday December 15th 2015 and has smoothed out the upload process considerably.

These days I take a far more leisurely approach to my photographic exploits, a Nikon D850 FX Pro body as my trusted companion, I travel light with less constraints and more emphasis on the pure capture of the beauty that I see, more akin to my original persuits and goals some five decades previously when starting out. I would like to say a huge and heartfelt 'THANK YOU' to GETTY IMAGES, and the 31.011+ Million visitors to my FLICKR site.

***** Selected for sale in the GETTY IMAGES COLLECTION on November 25th 2018

CREATIVE RF gty.im/1071320494 MOMENT OPEN COLLECTION**

This photograph became my 3,605th frame to be selected for sale in the Getty Images collection and I am very grateful to them for this wonderful opportunity.

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.

Photograph taken at an altitude of One hundred and forty six metres at 15:23pm on Thursday 8th November 2018, off Þingvallavegur 36 in the Þingvellir national park (Thingvellir National Park) looking over towards Þingvellir church in Þingvallakirkja, Southern Iceland. This is the location where the Alþing (Althing) parliamentary general assembly met between 930 CE and 1798. It has been home to a church for over One thousand years.

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Nikon D850 Focal length 32mm. Hand held with Nikkor VR vibration reduction enabled on Normal setting. Shutter speed 1/40s Aperture f/13.0 iso100 RAW (14 bit uncompressed) Image size L 8256 x 5504 FX). Colour space. Adobe RGB. AF-C focus 51 point with 3-D tracking. Manual exposure. Matrix metering. Auto 0 white balance (8030K). Nikon Distortion control on. Vignette control Normal.

Nikkor AF-S 24-120mm f/4G ED VR. Phot-R ultra slim 77mm UV filter. Nikon EN-EL15a battery. Matin quick release neckstrap. My Memory 128GB Class 10 SDXC. Lowepro Flipside 400 AW camera bag. Nikon GP-1 GPS module.

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LATITUDE: N 64d 15m 19.40s

LONGITUDE: W 21d 7m 41.20s

ALTITUDE: 146.0m

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RAW (TIFF) FILE: 130.00MB NEF: 92.1MB

PROCESSED (JPeg) FILE: 33.30MB

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PROCESSING POWER:

Nikon D850 Firmware versions C 1.01 (16/01/2018) LD Distortion Data 2.017 (20/3/18)

HP 110-352na Desktop PC with AMD Quad-Core A6-5200 APU 64Bit processor. Radeon HD8400 graphics. 8 GB DDR3 Memory with 1TB DATA storage. 64-bit Windows 10. Verbatim USB 2.0 1TB desktop hard drive. WD My Passport Ultra 1tb USB3 Portable hard drive. Nikon ViewNX-1 64bit (Version 1.2.11 15/03/2018). Nikon Capture NX-D 64bit (Version 1.4.7 15/03/2018). Nikon Picture Control Utility 2 (Version 1.3.2 15/03/2018). Adobe photoshop Elements 8 Version 8.0 64bit.

The Icelandic horse is a breed of horse developed in Iceland. Although the horses are small, at times pony-sized, most registries for the Icelandic refer to it as a horse. Icelandic horses are long-lived and hardy. In their native country they have few diseases; Icelandic law prevents horses from being imported into the country and exported animals are not allowed to return. The Icelandic displays two gaits in addition to the typical walk, trot, canter and gallop commonly displayed by other breeds. The only breed of horse in Iceland, they are also popular internationally, and sizable populations exist in Europe and North America. The breed is still used for traditional farm work in its native country, as well as for leisure, showing, and racing.

Developed from ponies taken to Iceland by Scandinavian settlers in the 9th and 10th centuries, the breed is mentioned in literature and historical records throughout Icelandic history; the first reference to a named horse appears in the 12th century. Horses were venerated in Norse mythology, a custom brought to Iceland by the country's earliest settlers. Selective breeding over the centuries has developed the breed into its current form. Natural selection has also played a role, as the harsh Icelandic climate eliminated many horses through cold and starvation. In the 1780s, much of the breed was wiped out in the aftermath of a volcanic eruption. The first breed society for the Icelandic horse was created in Iceland in 1904, and today the breed is represented by organizations in 19 different nations, organized under a parent association, the International Federation of Icelandic Horse Associations.

Breed characteristics

Icelandic horses weigh between 330 and 380 kilograms (730 and 840 lb) and stand an average of 13 and 14 hands (52 and 56 inches, 132 and 142 cm) high, which is often considered pony size, but breeders and breed registries always refer to Icelandics as horses. Several theories have been put forward as to why Icelandics are always called horses, among them the breed's spirited temperament and large personality and the lack of a word in Icelandic for "pony". Another theory suggests that the breed's weight, bone structure and weight-carrying abilities mean it can be classified as a horse, rather than a pony. The breed comes in many coat colors, including chestnut, dun, bay, black, gray, palomino, pinto and roan. There are over 100 names for various colors and color patterns in the Icelandic language. They have well-proportioned heads, with straight profiles and wide foreheads. The neck is short, muscular, and broad at the base; the withers broad and low; the chest deep; the shoulders muscular and slightly sloping; the back long; the croup broad, muscular, short and slightly sloping. The legs are strong and short, with relatively long cannon bones and short pasterns. The mane and tail are full, with coarse hair, and the tail is set low. The breed is known to be hardy and an easy keeper. The breed has a double coat developed for extra insulation in cold temperatures.

Characteristics differ between various groups of Icelandic horses, depending on the focus of individual breeders. Some focus on animals for pack and draft work, which are conformationally distinct from those bred for work under saddle, which are carefully selected for their ability to perform the traditional Icelandic gaits. Others are bred solely for horsemeat. Some breeders focus on favored coat colors.

Members of the breed are not usually ridden until they are four years old, and structural development is not complete until age seven. Their most productive years are between eight and eighteen, although they retain their strength and stamina into their twenties. An Icelandic mare that lived in Denmark reached a record age of 56, while another horse, living in Great Britain, reached the age of 42. The horses are highly fertile, and both sexes are fit for breeding up to age 25; mares have been recorded giving birth at age 27. The horses tend to not be easily spooked, probably the result of not having any natural predators in their native Iceland. Icelandics tend to be friendly, docile and easy to handle, although also enthusiastic and self-assured. As a result of their isolation from other horses, disease in the breed within Iceland is mostly unknown, except for some kinds of internal parasites. The low prevalence of disease in Iceland is maintained by laws preventing horses exported from the country being returned, and by requiring that all equine equipment taken into the country be either new and unused or fully disinfected. As a result, native horses have no acquired immunity to disease; an outbreak on the island would be likely to be devastating to the breed. This presents problems with showing native Icelandic horses against others of the breed from outside the country, as no livestock of any species can be imported into Iceland, and once horses leave the country they are not allowed to return.

Gaits

The Icelandic is a "five-gaited" breed, known for its sure-footedness and ability to cross rough terrain. As well as the typical gaits of walk, trot, and canter/gallop, the breed is noted for its ability to perform two additional gaits. Although most horse experts consider the canter and gallop to be separate gaits, on the basis of a small variation in the footfall pattern, Icelandic breed registries consider the canter and gallop one gait, hence the term "five-gaited".

The first additional gait is a four-beat lateral ambling gait known as the tölt. This is known for its explosive acceleration and speed; it is also comfortable and ground-covering. There is considerable variation in style within the gait, and thus the tölt is variously compared to similar lateral gaits such as the rack of the Saddlebred, the largo of the Paso Fino, or the running walk of the Tennessee Walking Horse. Like all lateral ambling gaits, the footfall pattern is the same as the walk (left hind, left front, right hind, right front), but differs from the walk in that it can be performed at a range of speeds, from the speed of a typical fast walk up to the speed of a normal canter. Some Icelandic horses prefer to tölt, while others prefer to trot; correct training can improve weak gaits, but the tölt is a natural gait present from birth. There are two varieties of the tölt that are considered incorrect by breeders. The first is an uneven gait called a "Pig's Pace" or "Piggy-pace" that is closer to a two-beat pace than a four-beat amble. The second is called a Valhopp and is a tölt and canter combination most often seen in untrained young horses or horses that mix their gaits. Both varieties are normally uncomfortable to ride.

The breed also performs a pace called a skeið, flugskeið or "flying pace". It is used in pacing races, and is fast and smooth, with some horses able to reach up to 30 miles per hour (48 km/h) Not all Icelandic horses can perform this gait; animals that perform both the tölt and the flying pace in addition to the traditional gaits are considered the best of the breed. The flying pace is a two-beat lateral gait with a moment of suspension between footfalls; each side has both feet land almost simultaneously (left hind and left front, suspension, right hind and right front). It is meant to be performed by well-trained and balanced horses with skilled riders. It is not a gait used for long-distance travel. A slow pace is uncomfortable for the rider and is not encouraged when training the horse to perform the gait. Although most pacing horses are raced in harness using sulkies, in Iceland horses are raced while ridden.

History

The ancestors of the Icelandic horse were probably taken to Iceland by Viking Age Scandinavians between 860 and 935 AD. The Norse settlers were followed by immigrants from Norse colonies in Ireland, the Isle of Man and the Western Isles of Scotland. These later settlers arrived with the ancestors of what would elsewhere become Shetland, Highland, and Connemara ponies, which were crossed with the previously imported animals. There may also have been a connection with the Yakut pony, and the breed has physical similarities to the Nordlandshest of Norway. Other breeds with similar characteristics include the Faroe pony of the Faeroe Islands and the Norwegian Fjord horse. About 900 years ago, attempts were made to introduce eastern blood into the Icelandic, resulting in a degeneration of the stock. In 982 AD the Icelandic Althing (parliament) passed laws prohibiting the importation of horses into Iceland, thus ending crossbreeding. The breed has now been bred pure in Iceland for more than 1,000 years.

The earliest Norse people venerated the horse as a symbol of fertility, and white horses were slaughtered at sacrificial feasts and ceremonies. When these settlers arrived in Iceland, they brought their beliefs, and their horses, with them. Horses played a significant part in Norse mythology, and several horses played major roles in the Norse myths, among them the eight-footed pacer named Sleipnir, owned by Odin, chief of the Norse gods. Skalm, a mare who is the first Icelandic horse known by name, appeared in the Book of Settlements from the 12th century. According to the book, a chieftain named Seal-Thorir founded a settlement at the place where Skalm stopped and lay down with her pack. Horses also play key roles in the Icelandic sagas Hrafnkel's Saga, Njal's Saga and Grettir's Saga. Although written in the 13th century, these three sagas are set as far back as the 9th century. This early literature has an influence today, with many riding clubs and horse herds in modern Iceland still bearing the names of horses from Norse mythology.

Horses were often considered the most prized possession of a medieval Icelander. Indispensable to warriors, war horses were sometimes buried alongside their fallen riders, and stories were told of their deeds. Icelanders also arranged for bloody fights between stallions; these were used for entertainment and to pick the best animals for breeding, and they were described in both literature and official records from the Commonwealth period of 930 to 1262 AD. Stallion fights were an important part of Icelandic culture, and brawls, both physical and verbal, among the spectators were common. The conflicts at the horse fights gave rivals a chance to improve their political and social standing at the expense of their enemies and had wide social and political repercussions, sometimes leading to the restructuring of political alliances. However, not all human fights were serious, and the events provided a stage for friends and even enemies to battle without the possibility of major consequences. Courting between young men and women was also common at horse fights.

Natural selection played a major role in the development of the breed, as large numbers of horses died from lack of food and exposure to the elements. Between 874 and 1300 AD, during the more favorable climatic conditions of the medieval warm period, Icelandic breeders selectively bred horses according to special rules of color and conformation. From 1300 to 1900, selective breeding became less of a priority; the climate was often severe and many horses and people died. Between 1783 and 1784, around 70% of the horses in Iceland were killed by volcanic ash poisoning and starvation after the 1783 eruption of Lakagígar. The eruption lasted eight months, covered hundreds of square miles of land with lava, and rerouted or dried up several rivers. The population slowly recovered during the next hundred years, and from the beginning of the 20th century selective breeding again became important. The first Icelandic breed societies were established in 1904, and the first breed registry in Iceland was established in 1923.

Icelandics were exported to Great Britain before the 20th century to work as pit ponies in the coal mines, because of their strength and small size. However, those horses were never registered and little evidence of their existence remains. The first formal exports of Icelandic horses were to Germany in the 1940s. Great Britain's first official imports were in 1956, when a Scottish farmer, Stuart McKintosh, began a breeding program. Other breeders in Great Britain followed McKintosh's lead, and the Icelandic Horse Society of Great Britain was formed in 1986. The number of Icelandic horses exported to other nations has steadily increased since the first exports of the mid-19th century. Since 1969, multiple societies have worked together to preserve, improve and market these horses under the auspices of the International Federation of Icelandic Horse Associations. Today, the Icelandic remains a breed known for its purity of bloodline, and is the only horse breed present in Iceland.

The Icelandic is especially popular in western Europe, Scandinavia, and North America. There are about 80,000 Icelandic horses in Iceland (compared to a human population of 317,000), and around 100,000 abroad. Almost 50,000 are in Germany, which has many active riding clubs and breed societies.

Uses

Icelandic horses still play a large part in Icelandic life, despite increasing mechanization and road improvements that diminish the necessity for the breed's use. The first official Icelandic horse race was held at Akureyri in 1874, and many races are still held throughout the country from April through June. Both gallop and pace races are held, as well as performance classes showcasing the breed's unique gaits. Winter events are often held, including races on frozen bodies of water. In 2009 such an event resulted in both horses and riders falling into the water and needing to be rescued. The first shows, focused on the quality of animals as breeding stock, were held in 1906. The Agricultural Society of Iceland, along with the National Association of Riding Clubs, now organizes regular shows with a wide variety of classes. Some horses are still bred for slaughter, and much of the meat is exported to Japan. Farmers still use the breed to round up sheep in the Icelandic highlands, but most horses are used for competition and leisure riding.

IJslanders of IJslandse paarden worden al meer dan duizend jaar raszuiver gefokt.

Rasomschrijving

Het hoofd van de IJslander kan variëren tussen heel edel en heel groot. De hals is kort en dik. Het lichaam is gedrongen. De benen en de hoeven zijn heel sterk. Het behang (beenbeharing) behoort overvloedig aanwezig te zijn. Het gezichts- en het oriëntatievermogen zijn goed ontwikkeld. De stokmaat (schofthoogte) varieert van 1,30 tot 1,45 meter. Natuurlijk bestaan hierop uitzonderingen.

Geschiedenis

Toen aan het einde van de 9e eeuw de eerste inwoners op IJsland kwamen wonen, waren daar geen paarden. De Vikingen namen paarden en andere huisdieren mee uit de gebieden waar ze vandaan kwamen, vooral uit Noorwegen maar ook van de Schotse eilanden. Uit onderzoek blijkt dat de paarden van de Vikingen van verschillende oorsprong waren en zelfs dat ze uit verschillende subgroepen van Equus caballus afkomstig zijn. Zo lijkt de verwantschap met Noorse paarden, oorspronkelijk afkomstig uit noordelijk Eurazië, overduidelijk. Met name is de gelijkenis met het uiterst zeldzame Nordland-paard opvallend en enkele van deze paarden schijnen ook te kunnen tölten.

Ook een belangrijke voorouder van de IJslander is de Keltische pony, oorspronkelijk meegenomen door de Kelten westwaarts door Europa en dus ook naar de Britse eilanden. Verschillende paardenrassen in Groot-Brittannië stammen af van deze voorouder, zoals de Shetlanders, Exmoors en ook minder bekende rassen op de eilanden bij Schotland. Hoewel het invoeren van paarden na de 13e eeuw uiterst zeldzaam was, is er pas sinds 1882 sprake van een wettelijk invoerverbod op paarden en andere huisdieren in IJsland. Voor die tijd was er geen noodzaak om het importeren te verbieden want eeuwenlang was het eiland uiterst geïsoleerd en waren transportmiddelen zeldzaam. Het was pas in de negentiende eeuw dat IJslanders weer schepen gingen bouwen en meer contacten gingen zoeken met de buitenwereld. Hoogstwaarschijnlijk zijn er ook vanaf de twaalfde eeuw tot de negentiende eeuw geen paarden meer naar IJsland geïmporteerd. Een van de bekendste misverstanden rond de geschiedenis van het IJslandse paard is waarschijnlijk de mythe dat er al in de tijd van de Vikingen een invoerverbod op paarden naar IJsland bestond.

Dat er geen invoerverbod blijkt te zijn geweest, verandert niets aan het feit dat IJslandse paarden al honderden jaren zonder bloedvermenging van buitenaf zijn gefokt. Zo komt het dat het IJslandse paard een regelrechte afstammeling is van het Europese oerpaard: Equus stenonsis. Deze paarden verspreidden zich in Scandinavië en Groot-Brittannië en kwamen uiteindelijk op IJsland terecht. De IJslanders stammen van deze paarden af. De IJslandse boeren hebben hun paarden raszuiver doorgefokt, maar ook op het continent van Europa en in de Verenigde Staten zijn er mensen die dit oeroude ras zuiver willen houden en verbeteren.

Het tegenwoordige invoerverbod in IJsland geldt ook voor inheemse paarden die zijn geëxporteerd. Een IJslands paard dat bijvoorbeeld naar een kampioenschap in het buitenland is afgevaardigd, zal na afloop verkocht moeten worden door zijn ruiter, die hem niet mee terug mag nemen naar IJsland.

Bijzonderheden typen

De IJslander is eeuwenlang gebruikt als rijpaard en als pakpaard, onder andere voor het vervoer van de post, voor het bijeendrijven van schapen en als vervoermiddel voor de mens, maar ook - recenter - als sportpaard bij gangenwedstrijden en races. Op het Europese vasteland zijn veel van de IJslandse mogelijkheden overgenomen en elementen zijn toegevoegd. In Europa worden gangenwedstrijden gereden. Ook wordt er gereden met handpaarden en worden afstandsritten gemaakt. De IJslanders worden ook ingespannen voor de wagen en voor de slee. Hoewel er beslist vele rassen zijn die er meer talent voor hebben, kan men met een IJslander een sprongetje wagen. Het rijden van dressuur blijft de basis voor het rijden van de gangen en het beheersen van het paard in het algemeen. De IJslander is een zeer leergierig paard. Ze zijn heel vriendelijk, maar ook heel eigenwijs. Om deze reden zijn het geen echte "kinderpony's". Wel zijn goed opgevoede IJslanders heel sensibel en vaak ook erg voorwaarts. Het rijden op deze paarden vraagt daarom, vooral in het begin enige begeleiding. De hulpen worden bij voorkeur licht en vriendelijk gegeven. De IJslander is in staat om van verre de weg naar huis terug te vinden.

Bijzonderheden gangen

In tegenstelling tot de meeste paarden, die slechts in de drie basisgangen stap, draf en galop kunnen gaan, kan een IJslander zich in vier en soms vijf verschillende gangen voortbewegen. Deze extra gangen heten tölt en telgang. Het zijn natuurlijke gangen die veulens van enkele uren oud al tonen. De IJslander is niet het enige ras dat over deze extra gangen beschikt. Vele paarden van allerlei min of meer bekende rassen bewegen zich voort in tölt en telgang. Bij IJslanders is alleen de snelle telgang, de rentelgang, gewenst. De langzame variant wordt niet gewaardeerd en wordt vaak met Schweinepass aangeduid. De gangenaanleg verschilt per paard. Er wordt gesproken van vier- of vijfgangers en natuurtölters. Viergangers zijn paarden die naast de stap, draf en galop ook kunnen tölten. Deze paarden hebben vaak de draf als voorkeursgang. Vijfgangers zijn paarden die naast de andere gangen ook over telgangaanleg beschikken. Echter, niet elke vijfganger heeft het temperament om goed te kunnen rentelgangen. Natuurtölters zijn paarden die zo gemakkelijk in tölt lopen, dat deze gang ook voor beginnende ruiters makkelijk te rijden is. Voor ruiters en hun IJslandse Paarden worden ook specifieke gangenwedstrijden uitgeschreven. Hier worden proeven uitgeschreven die plaatsvinden op een ovaalbaan. Ook zijn er snelheidsonderdelen, zoals telgangraces. De wedstrijden vinden plaats op regionale, nationale en internationale schaal. Elke twee jaar vindt er een Wereldkampioenschap voor IJslandse Paarden plaats. In 2007 werd dit WK gehouden in Nederland, in Oirschot. Het laatste WK werd in 2011 gehouden in Oostenrijk.

Tölt

De voetvolgorde van tölt is gelijk aan die van stap. Het verschil zit in het optillen en neerzetten van de hoeven. Gevolg hiervan is dat het paard in stap afwisselend op twee of op drie benen staat en in tölt op twee benen of op één been tegelijk steunt. Een IJslander kan in tölt verschillende tempo's lopen; dit varieert van een langzame draf tot een flinke galop. Doordat er in tölt geen zweefmoment bestaat, zoals in draf, ervaart de ruiter ook nooit (onaangename) opwaartse bewegingen en kan men ontspannen in het zadel blijven zitten. In tölt draagt het paard zijn hoofd en hals hoog. Er ontstaat een trotse beweging, versterkt door het ritmisch meedansen van de staart. Het gewicht wordt voornamelijk door de achterhand gedragen, zodat de voorbenen en schouders vrij kunnen bewegen. Bij zeer goede tölters gaat dit gepaard met een hoge knieactie. Behalve spectaculair is de tölt op de eerste plaats een comfortabele gang, zowel voor het paard als voor de ruiter. Om aan te tonen hoe rustig de ruiter in het zadel zit, wordt in tölt-demonstraties vaak met één hand gereden, met in de andere hand een vol glas bier.

Telgang

Telgang zien we niet alleen bij IJslanders, maar ook bij andere dieren. Zo loopt een hond aan de lijn vaak in telgang, kamelen en dromedarissen gaan uitsluitend in telgang en hetzelfde geldt voor giraffen. In tegenstelling tot de draf wordt niet het diagonale, maar het laterale benenpaar gelijktijdig opgetild. Hierdoor ontstaat voor de ruiter een heen en weer schommelende beweging. Telgang in een langzaam tempo heeft de naam 'Schweinepass' en wordt niet gewaardeerd. Alleen de echte rentelgang, waarbij hoge snelheden worden gehaald, wordt als een positieve eigenschap beschouwd. Op wedstrijden worden telgangrennen gehouden over 150 en 250 meter. Het record op 250 m staat op 21,4 seconden. Ter vergelijking: het galoprecord over 250 m is 17,3 seconden. De snelste hengst aller tijden in rentelgang is: Trausti van Hall. Tijd op 250 meter: 21,7 seconden. De kwaliteit van de gangen van een IJslands paard hangt af van de erfelijke aanleg, de bouw en de training. Sommige IJslanders hebben duidelijk meer 'laterale aanleg' dan andere: er zijn IJslanders die uit zichzelf niet in draf gaan maar alleen in tölt (natuurtölters genoemd) of, vaak minder gewenst, alleen in een langzame telgang. Met behulp van bepaalde trainingsmethoden of hulpmiddelen kunnen de gangen die het paard niet vanzelf aanbiedt, vaak alsnog ontwikkeld worden. Helaas blijven er dan altijd nog enkele paarden over die de IJslandse gangen niet beheersen. Deze dieren worden voor de fokkerij zo veel mogelijk uitgesloten, want de specifieke IJslandse gangen willen we in dit ras behouden. Juist de IJslandse gangen geven immers een extra dimensie aan het houden en rijden van IJslandse paarden. Als er wedstrijden op het ijs worden gereden dan krijgt de IJslander speciale nageltjes onder zijn hoefijzers. Ze rijden de wedstrijden ook in de tölt.

Kleur

Binnen het ras zijn alle kleuren vertegenwoordigd, behalve appaloosa (stippels). Witte aftekeningen zijn toegestaan. Binnen de IJslanderpopulatie zien we ook kleuren die niet bij de paarden van het Europese vasteland voorkomen zoals; zilverappel, isabel en wildkleur.

Þingvallakirkja

Tucked away in Þingvellir National Park, Southern Iceland is a small church. By its anglicized name, “Thingvellier,” this breathtaking location was where the Althing parliamentary general assembly met between 930 CE and 1798. It has also been home to a church for over a 1,000 years

After Iceland accepted Christianity around 1000 CE, wood to build a church, and a bell to adorn its tower were sent from Norway as a gift from the delightfully named King Olaf the Stout, according to the history of Norwegian kings written down by Snorri Sturluson, the Icelandic poet and historian. It stood as a fine little addition to the lush natural surroundings where Iceland’s government formed and operated for centuries.

The church currently on the site dates back to 1859 and is called Þingvallakirkja. Small in size, but no less beautiful for it, the church, with its warming wooden interior, resembles more a snug cabin in the snow-filled, woods than a house of worship. The historic church has been repaired and updated a number of times down the years, but even today, the little church looks like something out of the past.

www.atlasobscura.com/places/thingvellir-church

Þingvellir is now a national park in the municipality of Bláskógabyggð in southwestern Iceland, about 40 km northeast of Iceland's capital, Reykjavík. Þingvellir is a site of historical, cultural, and geological significance, and is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Iceland. The park lies in a rift valley that marks the crest of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and the boundary between the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates. To its south lies Þingvallavatn, the largest natural lake in Iceland.

Þingvellir National Park (þjóðgarðurinn á Þingvöllum) was founded in 1930, marking the 1000th anniversary of the Althing. The park was later expanded to protect the diverse and natural phenomena in the surrounding area, and was designated as a World Heritage Site in 2004.

Photograph taken at an altitude of One hundred and forty seven metres at 15:40pm on Thursday 8th November 2018, off Þingvallavegur 36 in the Þingvellir National Park (Thingvellir National Park). This is the location where the Alþing (Althing) parliamentary general assembly met between 930 CE and 1798. It has been home to a church for over One thousand years.

Here we are looking over a body of water known as Þingvallavatn (Þingvallavatn lake).

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Nikkor AF-S 24-120mm f/4G ED VR. Phot-R ultra slim 77mm UV filter. Nikon EN-EL15a battery. Matin quick release neckstrap. My Memory 128GB Class 10 SDXC. Lowepro Flipside 400 AW camera bag. Nikon GP-1 GPS module.

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The Icelandic horse is a breed of horse developed in Iceland. Although the horses are small, at times pony-sized, most registries for the Icelandic refer to it as a horse. Icelandic horses are long-lived and hardy. In their native country they have few diseases; Icelandic law prevents horses from being imported into the country and exported animals are not allowed to return. The Icelandic displays two gaits in addition to the typical walk, trot, canter and gallop commonly displayed by other breeds. The only breed of horse in Iceland, they are also popular internationally, and sizable populations exist in Europe and North America. The breed is still used for traditional farm work in its native country, as well as for leisure, showing, and racing.

Developed from ponies taken to Iceland by Scandinavian settlers in the 9th and 10th centuries, the breed is mentioned in literature and historical records throughout Icelandic history; the first reference to a named horse appears in the 12th century. Horses were venerated in Norse mythology, a custom brought to Iceland by the country's earliest settlers. Selective breeding over the centuries has developed the breed into its current form. Natural selection has also played a role, as the harsh Icelandic climate eliminated many horses through cold and starvation. In the 1780s, much of the breed was wiped out in the aftermath of a volcanic eruption. The first breed society for the Icelandic horse was created in Iceland in 1904, and today the breed is represented by organizations in 19 different nations, organized under a parent association, the International Federation of Icelandic Horse Associations.

Breed characteristics

Icelandic horses weigh between 330 and 380 kilograms (730 and 840 lb) and stand an average of 13 and 14 hands (52 and 56 inches, 132 and 142 cm) high, which is often considered pony size, but breeders and breed registries always refer to Icelandics as horses. Several theories have been put forward as to why Icelandics are always called horses, among them the breed's spirited temperament and large personality and the lack of a word in Icelandic for "pony". Another theory suggests that the breed's weight, bone structure and weight-carrying abilities mean it can be classified as a horse, rather than a pony. The breed comes in many coat colors, including chestnut, dun, bay, black, gray, palomino, pinto and roan. There are over 100 names for various colors and color patterns in the Icelandic language. They have well-proportioned heads, with straight profiles and wide foreheads. The neck is short, muscular, and broad at the base; the withers broad and low; the chest deep; the shoulders muscular and slightly sloping; the back long; the croup broad, muscular, short and slightly sloping. The legs are strong and short, with relatively long cannon bones and short pasterns. The mane and tail are full, with coarse hair, and the tail is set low. The breed is known to be hardy and an easy keeper. The breed has a double coat developed for extra insulation in cold temperatures.

Characteristics differ between various groups of Icelandic horses, depending on the focus of individual breeders. Some focus on animals for pack and draft work, which are conformationally distinct from those bred for work under saddle, which are carefully selected for their ability to perform the traditional Icelandic gaits. Others are bred solely for horsemeat. Some breeders focus on favored coat colors.

Members of the breed are not usually ridden until they are four years old, and structural development is not complete until age seven. Their most productive years are between eight and eighteen, although they retain their strength and stamina into their twenties. An Icelandic mare that lived in Denmark reached a record age of 56, while another horse, living in Great Britain, reached the age of 42. The horses are highly fertile, and both sexes are fit for breeding up to age 25; mares have been recorded giving birth at age 27. The horses tend to not be easily spooked, probably the result of not having any natural predators in their native Iceland. Icelandics tend to be friendly, docile and easy to handle, although also enthusiastic and self-assured. As a result of their isolation from other horses, disease in the breed within Iceland is mostly unknown, except for some kinds of internal parasites. The low prevalence of disease in Iceland is maintained by laws preventing horses exported from the country being returned, and by requiring that all equine equipment taken into the country be either new and unused or fully disinfected. As a result, native horses have no acquired immunity to disease; an outbreak on the island would be likely to be devastating to the breed. This presents problems with showing native Icelandic horses against others of the breed from outside the country, as no livestock of any species can be imported into Iceland, and once horses leave the country they are not allowed to return.

Gaits

The Icelandic is a "five-gaited" breed, known for its sure-footedness and ability to cross rough terrain. As well as the typical gaits of walk, trot, and canter/gallop, the breed is noted for its ability to perform two additional gaits. Although most horse experts consider the canter and gallop to be separate gaits, on the basis of a small variation in the footfall pattern, Icelandic breed registries consider the canter and gallop one gait, hence the term "five-gaited".

The first additional gait is a four-beat lateral ambling gait known as the tölt. This is known for its explosive acceleration and speed; it is also comfortable and ground-covering. There is considerable variation in style within the gait, and thus the tölt is variously compared to similar lateral gaits such as the rack of the Saddlebred, the largo of the Paso Fino, or the running walk of the Tennessee Walking Horse. Like all lateral ambling gaits, the footfall pattern is the same as the walk (left hind, left front, right hind, right front), but differs from the walk in that it can be performed at a range of speeds, from the speed of a typical fast walk up to the speed of a normal canter. Some Icelandic horses prefer to tölt, while others prefer to trot; correct training can improve weak gaits, but the tölt is a natural gait present from birth. There are two varieties of the tölt that are considered incorrect by breeders. The first is an uneven gait called a "Pig's Pace" or "Piggy-pace" that is closer to a two-beat pace than a four-beat amble. The second is called a Valhopp and is a tölt and canter combination most often seen in untrained young horses or horses that mix their gaits. Both varieties are normally uncomfortable to ride.

The breed also performs a pace called a skeið, flugskeið or "flying pace". It is used in pacing races, and is fast and smooth, with some horses able to reach up to 30 miles per hour (48 km/h) Not all Icelandic horses can perform this gait; animals that perform both the tölt and the flying pace in addition to the traditional gaits are considered the best of the breed. The flying pace is a two-beat lateral gait with a moment of suspension between footfalls; each side has both feet land almost simultaneously (left hind and left front, suspension, right hind and right front). It is meant to be performed by well-trained and balanced horses with skilled riders. It is not a gait used for long-distance travel. A slow pace is uncomfortable for the rider and is not encouraged when training the horse to perform the gait. Although most pacing horses are raced in harness using sulkies, in Iceland horses are raced while ridden.

History

The ancestors of the Icelandic horse were probably taken to Iceland by Viking Age Scandinavians between 860 and 935 AD. The Norse settlers were followed by immigrants from Norse colonies in Ireland, the Isle of Man and the Western Isles of Scotland. These later settlers arrived with the ancestors of what would elsewhere become Shetland, Highland, and Connemara ponies, which were crossed with the previously imported animals. There may also have been a connection with the Yakut pony, and the breed has physical similarities to the Nordlandshest of Norway. Other breeds with similar characteristics include the Faroe pony of the Faeroe Islands and the Norwegian Fjord horse. About 900 years ago, attempts were made to introduce eastern blood into the Icelandic, resulting in a degeneration of the stock. In 982 AD the Icelandic Althing (parliament) passed laws prohibiting the importation of horses into Iceland, thus ending crossbreeding. The breed has now been bred pure in Iceland for more than 1,000 years.

The earliest Norse people venerated the horse as a symbol of fertility, and white horses were slaughtered at sacrificial feasts and ceremonies. When these settlers arrived in Iceland, they brought their beliefs, and their horses, with them. Horses played a significant part in Norse mythology, and several horses played major roles in the Norse myths, among them the eight-footed pacer named Sleipnir, owned by Odin, chief of the Norse gods. Skalm, a mare who is the first Icelandic horse known by name, appeared in the Book of Settlements from the 12th century. According to the book, a chieftain named Seal-Thorir founded a settlement at the place where Skalm stopped and lay down with her pack. Horses also play key roles in the Icelandic sagas Hrafnkel's Saga, Njal's Saga and Grettir's Saga. Although written in the 13th century, these three sagas are set as far back as the 9th century. This early literature has an influence today, with many riding clubs and horse herds in modern Iceland still bearing the names of horses from Norse mythology.

Horses were often considered the most prized possession of a medieval Icelander. Indispensable to warriors, war horses were sometimes buried alongside their fallen riders, and stories were told of their deeds. Icelanders also arranged for bloody fights between stallions; these were used for entertainment and to pick the best animals for breeding, and they were described in both literature and official records from the Commonwealth period of 930 to 1262 AD. Stallion fights were an important part of Icelandic culture, and brawls, both physical and verbal, among the spectators were common. The conflicts at the horse fights gave rivals a chance to improve their political and social standing at the expense of their enemies and had wide social and political repercussions, sometimes leading to the restructuring of political alliances. However, not all human fights were serious, and the events provided a stage for friends and even enemies to battle without the possibility of major consequences. Courting between young men and women was also common at horse fights.

Natural selection played a major role in the development of the breed, as large numbers of horses died from lack of food and exposure to the elements. Between 874 and 1300 AD, during the more favorable climatic conditions of the medieval warm period, Icelandic breeders selectively bred horses according to special rules of color and conformation. From 1300 to 1900, selective breeding became less of a priority; the climate was often severe and many horses and people died. Between 1783 and 1784, around 70% of the horses in Iceland were killed by volcanic ash poisoning and starvation after the 1783 eruption of Lakagígar. The eruption lasted eight months, covered hundreds of square miles of land with lava, and rerouted or dried up several rivers. The population slowly recovered during the next hundred years, and from the beginning of the 20th century selective breeding again became important. The first Icelandic breed societies were established in 1904, and the first breed registry in Iceland was established in 1923.

Icelandics were exported to Great Britain before the 20th century to work as pit ponies in the coal mines, because of their strength and small size. However, those horses were never registered and little evidence of their existence remains. The first formal exports of Icelandic horses were to Germany in the 1940s. Great Britain's first official imports were in 1956, when a Scottish farmer, Stuart McKintosh, began a breeding program. Other breeders in Great Britain followed McKintosh's lead, and the Icelandic Horse Society of Great Britain was formed in 1986. The number of Icelandic horses exported to other nations has steadily increased since the first exports of the mid-19th century. Since 1969, multiple societies have worked together to preserve, improve and market these horses under the auspices of the International Federation of Icelandic Horse Associations. Today, the Icelandic remains a breed known for its purity of bloodline, and is the only horse breed present in Iceland.

The Icelandic is especially popular in western Europe, Scandinavia, and North America. There are about 80,000 Icelandic horses in Iceland (compared to a human population of 317,000), and around 100,000 abroad. Almost 50,000 are in Germany, which has many active riding clubs and breed societies.

Uses

Icelandic horses still play a large part in Icelandic life, despite increasing mechanization and road improvements that diminish the necessity for the breed's use. The first official Icelandic horse race was held at Akureyri in 1874, and many races are still held throughout the country from April through June. Both gallop and pace races are held, as well as performance classes showcasing the breed's unique gaits. Winter events are often held, including races on frozen bodies of water. In 2009 such an event resulted in both horses and riders falling into the water and needing to be rescued. The first shows, focused on the quality of animals as breeding stock, were held in 1906. The Agricultural Society of Iceland, along with the National Association of Riding Clubs, now organizes regular shows with a wide variety of classes. Some horses are still bred for slaughter, and much of the meat is exported to Japan. Farmers still use the breed to round up sheep in the Icelandic highlands, but most horses are used for competition and leisure riding.

IJslanders of IJslandse paarden worden al meer dan duizend jaar raszuiver gefokt.

Rasomschrijving

Het hoofd van de IJslander kan variëren tussen heel edel en heel groot. De hals is kort en dik. Het lichaam is gedrongen. De benen en de hoeven zijn heel sterk. Het behang (beenbeharing) behoort overvloedig aanwezig te zijn. Het gezichts- en het oriëntatievermogen zijn goed ontwikkeld. De stokmaat (schofthoogte) varieert van 1,30 tot 1,45 meter. Natuurlijk bestaan hierop uitzonderingen.

Geschiedenis

Toen aan het einde van de 9e eeuw de eerste inwoners op IJsland kwamen wonen, waren daar geen paarden. De Vikingen namen paarden en andere huisdieren mee uit de gebieden waar ze vandaan kwamen, vooral uit Noorwegen maar ook van de Schotse eilanden. Uit onderzoek blijkt dat de paarden van de Vikingen van verschillende oorsprong waren en zelfs dat ze uit verschillende subgroepen van Equus caballus afkomstig zijn. Zo lijkt de verwantschap met Noorse paarden, oorspronkelijk afkomstig uit noordelijk Eurazië, overduidelijk. Met name is de gelijkenis met het uiterst zeldzame Nordland-paard opvallend en enkele van deze paarden schijnen ook te kunnen tölten.

Ook een belangrijke voorouder van de IJslander is de Keltische pony, oorspronkelijk meegenomen door de Kelten westwaarts door Europa en dus ook naar de Britse eilanden. Verschillende paardenrassen in Groot-Brittannië stammen af van deze voorouder, zoals de Shetlanders, Exmoors en ook minder bekende rassen op de eilanden bij Schotland. Hoewel het invoeren van paarden na de 13e eeuw uiterst zeldzaam was, is er pas sinds 1882 sprake van een wettelijk invoerverbod op paarden en andere huisdieren in IJsland. Voor die tijd was er geen noodzaak om het importeren te verbieden want eeuwenlang was het eiland uiterst geïsoleerd en waren transportmiddelen zeldzaam. Het was pas in de negentiende eeuw dat IJslanders weer schepen gingen bouwen en meer contacten gingen zoeken met de buitenwereld. Hoogstwaarschijnlijk zijn er ook vanaf de twaalfde eeuw tot de negentiende eeuw geen paarden meer naar IJsland geïmporteerd. Een van de bekendste misverstanden rond de geschiedenis van het IJslandse paard is waarschijnlijk de mythe dat er al in de tijd van de Vikingen een invoerverbod op paarden naar IJsland bestond.

Dat er geen invoerverbod blijkt te zijn geweest, verandert niets aan het feit dat IJslandse paarden al honderden jaren zonder bloedvermenging van buitenaf zijn gefokt. Zo komt het dat het IJslandse paard een regelrechte afstammeling is van het Europese oerpaard: Equus stenonsis. Deze paarden verspreidden zich in Scandinavië en Groot-Brittannië en kwamen uiteindelijk op IJsland terecht. De IJslanders stammen van deze paarden af. De IJslandse boeren hebben hun paarden raszuiver doorgefokt, maar ook op het continent van Europa en in de Verenigde Staten zijn er mensen die dit oeroude ras zuiver willen houden en verbeteren.

Het tegenwoordige invoerverbod in IJsland geldt ook voor inheemse paarden die zijn geëxporteerd. Een IJslands paard dat bijvoorbeeld naar een kampioenschap in het buitenland is afgevaardigd, zal na afloop verkocht moeten worden door zijn ruiter, die hem niet mee terug mag nemen naar IJsland.

Bijzonderheden typen

De IJslander is eeuwenlang gebruikt als rijpaard en als pakpaard, onder andere voor het vervoer van de post, voor het bijeendrijven van schapen en als vervoermiddel voor de mens, maar ook - recenter - als sportpaard bij gangenwedstrijden en races. Op het Europese vasteland zijn veel van de IJslandse mogelijkheden overgenomen en elementen zijn toegevoegd. In Europa worden gangenwedstrijden gereden. Ook wordt er gereden met handpaarden en worden afstandsritten gemaakt. De IJslanders worden ook ingespannen voor de wagen en voor de slee. Hoewel er beslist vele rassen zijn die er meer talent voor hebben, kan men met een IJslander een sprongetje wagen. Het rijden van dressuur blijft de basis voor het rijden van de gangen en het beheersen van het paard in het algemeen. De IJslander is een zeer leergierig paard. Ze zijn heel vriendelijk, maar ook heel eigenwijs. Om deze reden zijn het geen echte "kinderpony's". Wel zijn goed opgevoede IJslanders heel sensibel en vaak ook erg voorwaarts. Het rijden op deze paarden vraagt daarom, vooral in het begin enige begeleiding. De hulpen worden bij voorkeur licht en vriendelijk gegeven. De IJslander is in staat om van verre de weg naar huis terug te vinden.

Bijzonderheden gangen

In tegenstelling tot de meeste paarden, die slechts in de drie basisgangen stap, draf en galop kunnen gaan, kan een IJslander zich in vier en soms vijf verschillende gangen voortbewegen. Deze extra gangen heten tölt en telgang. Het zijn natuurlijke gangen die veulens van enkele uren oud al tonen. De IJslander is niet het enige ras dat over deze extra gangen beschikt. Vele paarden van allerlei min of meer bekende rassen bewegen zich voort in tölt en telgang. Bij IJslanders is alleen de snelle telgang, de rentelgang, gewenst. De langzame variant wordt niet gewaardeerd en wordt vaak met Schweinepass aangeduid. De gangenaanleg verschilt per paard. Er wordt gesproken van vier- of vijfgangers en natuurtölters. Viergangers zijn paarden die naast de stap, draf en galop ook kunnen tölten. Deze paarden hebben vaak de draf als voorkeursgang. Vijfgangers zijn paarden die naast de andere gangen ook over telgangaanleg beschikken. Echter, niet elke vijfganger heeft het temperament om goed te kunnen rentelgangen. Natuurtölters zijn paarden die zo gemakkelijk in tölt lopen, dat deze gang ook voor beginnende ruiters makkelijk te rijden is. Voor ruiters en hun IJslandse Paarden worden ook specifieke gangenwedstrijden uitgeschreven. Hier worden proeven uitgeschreven die plaatsvinden op een ovaalbaan. Ook zijn er snelheidsonderdelen, zoals telgangraces. De wedstrijden vinden plaats op regionale, nationale en internationale schaal. Elke twee jaar vindt er een Wereldkampioenschap voor IJslandse Paarden plaats. In 2007 werd dit WK gehouden in Nederland, in Oirschot. Het laatste WK werd in 2011 gehouden in Oostenrijk.

Tölt

De voetvolgorde van tölt is gelijk aan die van stap. Het verschil zit in het optillen en neerzetten van de hoeven. Gevolg hiervan is dat het paard in stap afwisselend op twee of op drie benen staat en in tölt op twee benen of op één been tegelijk steunt. Een IJslander kan in tölt verschillende tempo's lopen; dit varieert van een langzame draf tot een flinke galop. Doordat er in tölt geen zweefmoment bestaat, zoals in draf, ervaart de ruiter ook nooit (onaangename) opwaartse bewegingen en kan men ontspannen in het zadel blijven zitten. In tölt draagt het paard zijn hoofd en hals hoog. Er ontstaat een trotse beweging, versterkt door het ritmisch meedansen van de staart. Het gewicht wordt voornamelijk door de achterhand gedragen, zodat de voorbenen en schouders vrij kunnen bewegen. Bij zeer goede tölters gaat dit gepaard met een hoge knieactie. Behalve spectaculair is de tölt op de eerste plaats een comfortabele gang, zowel voor het paard als voor de ruiter. Om aan te tonen hoe rustig de ruiter in het zadel zit, wordt in tölt-demonstraties vaak met één hand gereden, met in de andere hand een vol glas bier.

Telgang

Telgang zien we niet alleen bij IJslanders, maar ook bij andere dieren. Zo loopt een hond aan de lijn vaak in telgang, kamelen en dromedarissen gaan uitsluitend in telgang en hetzelfde geldt voor giraffen. In tegenstelling tot de draf wordt niet het diagonale, maar het laterale benenpaar gelijktijdig opgetild. Hierdoor ontstaat voor de ruiter een heen en weer schommelende beweging. Telgang in een langzaam tempo heeft de naam 'Schweinepass' en wordt niet gewaardeerd. Alleen de echte rentelgang, waarbij hoge snelheden worden gehaald, wordt als een positieve eigenschap beschouwd. Op wedstrijden worden telgangrennen gehouden over 150 en 250 meter. Het record op 250 m staat op 21,4 seconden. Ter vergelijking: het galoprecord over 250 m is 17,3 seconden. De snelste hengst aller tijden in rentelgang is: Trausti van Hall. Tijd op 250 meter: 21,7 seconden. De kwaliteit van de gangen van een IJslands paard hangt af van de erfelijke aanleg, de bouw en de training. Sommige IJslanders hebben duidelijk meer 'laterale aanleg' dan andere: er zijn IJslanders die uit zichzelf niet in draf gaan maar alleen in tölt (natuurtölters genoemd) of, vaak minder gewenst, alleen in een langzame telgang. Met behulp van bepaalde trainingsmethoden of hulpmiddelen kunnen de gangen die het paard niet vanzelf aanbiedt, vaak alsnog ontwikkeld worden. Helaas blijven er dan altijd nog enkele paarden over die de IJslandse gangen niet beheersen. Deze dieren worden voor de fokkerij zo veel mogelijk uitgesloten, want de specifieke IJslandse gangen willen we in dit ras behouden. Juist de IJslandse gangen geven immers een extra dimensie aan het houden en rijden van IJslandse paarden. Als er wedstrijden op het ijs worden gereden dan krijgt de IJslander speciale nageltjes onder zijn hoefijzers. Ze rijden de wedstrijden ook in de tölt.

Kleur

Binnen het ras zijn alle kleuren vertegenwoordigd, behalve appaloosa (stippels). Witte aftekeningen zijn toegestaan. Binnen de IJslanderpopulatie zien we ook kleuren die niet bij de paarden van het Europese vasteland voorkomen zoals; zilverappel, isabel en wildkleur.

Iceland is probably unique in that the decision to convert to Christianity was taken at the Althing or parliament and once the decision was made the population abided by it! It has been a Christian community for 1,000 years. The Bishop of Iceland has his seat at Skálholt in the south of the island and there have been several cathedrals there over the years but many of them burnt down as they were made of wood.

This was taken from in front of the Cathedral looking out across the expanse. The flag is at half mast in honour of those who died in the Attack by Al Shabab terrorists in Kenya.

1957; The Wicked and the Warped by Max Alth. unknown Artist Cover art by Charles Copeland !

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I was originally enrolled into the GETTY IMAGES collection as a contributor on April 9th 2012, and when links with FLICKR were terminated in March 2014, I was retained and fortunate enough to be signed up via a second contract, both of which have proved to be successful with sales of my photographs all over the world now handled exclusively by them.

On November 12th 2015 GETTY IMAGES unveiled plans for a new stills upload platform called ESP (Enterprise Submission Platform), to replace the existing 'Moment portal', and on November 13th I was invited to Beta test the new system prior to it being officially rolled out in December. ESP went live on Tuesday December 15th 2015 and has smoothed out the upload process considerably.

These days I take a far more leisurely approach to my photographic exploits, a Nikon D850 FX Pro body as my trusted companion, I travel light with less constraints and more emphasis on the pure capture of the beauty that I see, more akin to my original persuits and goals some five decades previously when starting out. I would like to say a huge and heartfelt 'THANK YOU' to GETTY IMAGES, and the 32.512+ Million visitors to my FLICKR site.

***** Selected for sale in the GETTY IMAGES COLLECTION on December 13th 2018

CREATIVE RF gty.im/1081567100 MOMENT OPEN COLLECTION**

This photograph became my 3,672nd frame to be selected for sale in the Getty Images collection and I am very grateful to them for this wonderful opportunity.

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Photograph taken at an altitude of One hundred and forty four metres at 15:38pm on Thursday 8th November 2018, off Þingvallavegur 36 in the Þingvellir National Park (Thingvellir National Park) in Iceland. Situated East of Reykjavik, this is the location where the Alþing (Althing) parliamentary general assembly met between 930 CE and 1798.

It has been home to a church for over One thousand years.

The park sits in a rift valley caused by the separation of the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates with cliffs and fissures such as the Almannagjá fault.

Here we are looking over a body of water known as Þingvallavatn (Þingvallavatn lake). The lake has a surface area of 84 km² and a depth of 114m and lies partially with the national park.The only outflow from lake Þingvallavatn is the river Sog.

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Nikon D850 Focal length 75mm. Hand held with Nikkor VR vibration reduction enabled on Normal setting. Shutter speed 1/800s Aperture f/4.0 iso100 RAW (14 bit uncompressed) Image size L 8256 x 5504 FX). Colour space. Adobe RGB. AF-C focus 51 point with 3-D tracking. Manual exposure. Matrix metering. Auto 0 white balance (8030K). Nikon Distortion control on. Vignette control Normal.

Nikkor AF-S 24-120mm f/4G ED VR. Phot-R ultra slim 77mm UV filter. Nikon EN-EL15a battery. Matin quick release neckstrap. My Memory 128GB Class 10 SDXC. Lowepro Flipside 400 AW camera bag. Nikon GP-1 GPS module.

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LATITUDE: N 64d 15m 19.20s

LONGITUDE: W 21d 7m 43.30s

ALTITUDE: 144.0m

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RAW (TIFF) FILE: 130.00MB NEF: 87.9MB

PROCESSED (JPeg) FILE: 33.30MB

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PROCESSING POWER:

Nikon D850 Firmware versions C 1.01 (16/01/2018) LD Distortion Data 2.017 (20/3/18)

HP 110-352na Desktop PC with AMD Quad-Core A6-5200 APU 64Bit processor. Radeon HD8400 graphics. 8 GB DDR3 Memory with 1TB DATA storage. 64-bit Windows 10. Verbatim USB 2.0 1TB desktop hard drive. WD My Passport Ultra 1tb USB3 Portable hard drive. Nikon ViewNX-1 64bit (Version 1.2.11 15/03/2018). Nikon Capture NX-D 64bit (Version 1.4.7 15/03/2018). Nikon Picture Control Utility 2 (Version 1.3.2 15/03/2018). Adobe photoshop Elements 8 Version 8.0 64bit.

Þingvellir, anglicised as Thingvellir, is a beautiful national park in the municipality of Bláskógabyggð in southwestern Iceland, about 40 kilometers northeast of Iceland's capital, Reykjavík. Þingvellir is a site of historical, cultural, and geological significance, and is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Iceland. The park lies in a rift valley that marks the crest of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and the boundary between the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates. To its south lies Þingvallavatn, the largest natural lake in Iceland.

Þingvellir is associated with the Althing, the national parliament of Iceland, which was established at the site in 930 AD. Sessions were held at the location until 1798.

Þingvellir National Park (þjóðgarðurinn á Þingvöllum) was founded in 1930, marking the 1000th anniversary of the Althing. The park was later expanded to protect the diverse and natural phenomena in the surrounding area, and was designated as a World Heritage Site in 2004.

Information from: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%9Eingvellir

Airbus A320-214 cn1797 de 2002

Brussels Airlines (28/03/2012 - ...)

aéroport Nice Côte d'Azur

03/12/2016

F-WWDV, D-ALTH, OO-SNC.

Oxararfoss is a waterfall in Þingvellir National Park, Iceland. It flows from the river Öxará over the Almannagjá. The pool at the base of the waterfall is filled with rocks and is often extremely icy during winter.

The waterfall is one of the main attractions of Þingvellir National Park and there is a path from the nearby car park leading up to it.

Þingvellir anglicised as Thingvellir, is a national park in the municipality of Bláskógabyggð in southwestern Iceland, about 40 km northeast of Iceland's capital, Reykjavík. Þingvellir is a site of historical, cultural, and geological significance, and is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Iceland. The park lies in a rift valley that marks the crest of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and the boundary between the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates. To its south lies Þingvallavatn, the largest natural lake in Iceland.

Þingvellir is associated with the Althing, the national parliament of Iceland, which was established at the site in 930 AD. Sessions were held at the location until 1798.

Þingvellir National Park (þjóðgarðurinn á Þingvöllum) was founded in 1930, marking the 1000th anniversary of the Althing. The park was later expanded to protect the diverse and natural phenomena in the surrounding area, and was designated as a World Heritage Site in 2004. (wiki)

Canon EOS M5 - Canon EF-M 22mm f/2 STM