Iceland - Landscape
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Located on the edge of Vatnajökull glacier, Jökulsárlón lake provides spectacular views of the glacier.
Kirkjufell (Icelandic: Church Mountain, 463 m high) mountain and the north coast of Snæfellsnes peninsula, Iceland.
This beautiful landmark is the most photographed mountain in Iceland. Its isolated position jutting out into the sea makes it a focal point for tourists and seamen alike. Surrounded by beaches, Kirkjufell has a lovely walking trail around it as well as a more challenging climb up to the top where bird and fish fossils can be found.
The church at Vík is one of the most famous in Iceland as it is the centrepiece of the town Vík, a popular spot to visit on Iceland’s South Coast. The church is also the meeting place should there be any volcanic activity if the dreaded Katla should start rumbling.
It has even been predicted that in the case of Katla erupting, Víkurkirkja would be the only building to survive the subsequent flash floods from the melting of Iceland’s fourth largest glacier, Mýrdalsjökull.
Finally got to see these on my last night here. While I've seen them before where I live, I've never seen them so strong or for so long.
And I discovered I need different editing skills for this type of image. Any tips appreciated!
Goðafoss is a waterfall in northern Iceland. It is located along the country's main ring road at the junction with the Sprengisandur highland road, about 45 minutes from Akureyri, Iceland's second largest city. The water of the river Skjálfandafljót falls from a height of 12 metres over a width of 30 metres. A 1.8-mile hiking trail loops around the waterfall area
The origin of the waterfall's name is not completely clear. In modern Icelandic, the name can be read either as "waterfall of the goð (pagan idols)" or "waterfall of the goði (chieftain)." Linguist and placename expert Svavar Sigmundsson suggests that the name derives from two crags at the falls which resemble pagan idols. In 1879-1882, a myth was published in Denmark according to which the waterfall was named when the lawspeaker Þorgeir Ljósvetningagoði made Christianity the official religion of Iceland in the year 999 or 1000. Upon returning home from the Alþingi, Þorgeir supposedly threw his statues of the Norse gods into the waterfall. However, although the story of Þorgeir's role in the adoption of Christianity in Iceland is preserved in Ari Þorgilsson's Íslendingabók, no mention is made of Þorgeir throwing his idols into Goðafoss. The legend appears to be a nineteenth-century fabrication. Nevertheless, a window in Akureyrarkirkja, the main church at Akureyri, illustrates this story.
MS Goðafoss, an Icelandic ship named after the waterfall, used to transport both freight and passengers. It was sunk by a German U-Boat in World War II, resulting in great loss of life.
In 2020, the waterfall was granted protected status.