It's been a quieter-paced last few days around here. Since my last post about the Eruption that we witnessed by plane over Myvatn, we've had some slower days, some rest days and some time to chill out and enjoy our holiday, hence the lack of blogs.

^Phone shot of Myvatn power lake

The drive between Lake Myvatn and Akureyri is less than 100km, suspecting that it was the stunning corridor that we remember, planning extra time to see it was injected into the schedule. Practicing it however, we found that there was less to shoot than we remembered, largely due to the fact that last time we drove it, it was all blanketed in snow.

Stopping at the famous Godafoss waterfall, we managed to kill a few hours. I tried to shoot a timelapse, however the spray from the wind and the falls ensured that this was a lost cause. Subsequently it was the first time I did not bother to backup a card. The shots I got however, were absolutely beautiful. I cannot wait to get home, perfect the processing and share the images. Here's a snippet...

^ A snippet of Godafoss

Since my last post, we've had two days in Akureyri, the capital of the north and a melting pot of cultures at our favourite northern hostel, aptly named “Akureyri Backpackers”. We had promised ourselves a rest day, after all the excitement of the flight, the half-island that we had travelled thus far, it was time to stop, take a load off, and put a load on. I have never before travelled with so few clothes, so little choice in what to change into. This was an absolute necessity however, as camera gear, camping gear and the other necessities meant I had to skimp on packing only enough undergarments for a week, a few shirts and a jumper. For fashions' sake I had to throw in a pair of my Black Milk leggings, which turned out useful in themselves. So by the time wash day has rolled around, I've emptied practically my entire suitcase into the washer, and sat back in a shirt I bought in Reykjavik, my leggings and walked around the hostel and the street, in thongs. Boy did I get some looks!

Proud aussie, right here!

As our clothes washed and then subsequently dried, we chose to spend our days independantly doing things. I chose to mostly sit on the hostel window-seat, reading a found book, the only one I could find that was in English. It was a little time-out from attempting to decipher all the Icelandic, and to do something that didn't involve the internet. The day was not wasted however, as the rain drizzled outside, the cold winds blew in, and dusted snow on the mountaintops behind us.

^The car tells it as it is

Today was a day of leaving town and heading into the lesser explored regions. In 2012, our last trip, we had raced through this area, not really giving it a second thought, not really stopping to appreciate any of the scenery or venture down the mysterious roads. On a whim, we visited Hveravellir, a geothermal area tucked into the center of the land, between two glaciers. Having seen the snow dusted on the hills above Akureyri, we were excited to drive into it, and see a winter wonderland unfolding before our eyes. Not long after leaving, the temperature plunged to -1 and the snow-dusted plains showed their beautiful colours.

^ Snowy roads

Shooting itself was an in-and-out job, as the road in was caked with snow, some of it as high as our car doors. Tracks made by previous drivers made the task much easier, but still the height and clearance of our Subaru a bit of an impromptu snow plow. It was so beautiful to once again see a snow-caked iceland, something different in our tour of the land of fire and ice, once again.

^ Don't pollute nature with your money

As I have been shooting, pulling the camera out of the car when we find something worthy of shooting, I can slowly feel my style changing. Immediately obvious is my lens choice, favouring the longer 70-200 2.8 over my trusty 16-35 f4. I feel somewhat worried by this, hoping that the subconscious decisions are not ruining my shots, but all together an interesting observation nontheless. I've never experienced such a swing before. Time will tell...

Tomorrow? A lighthouse or two, some more mountains and a stone arch...