Hiking, Rocks, and Icebergs - Iceland

Friday, August 16, 2013

One of the best things to do when you're driving a car through wilderness is to pull over to stretch your legs and explore on foot. You'll see photos from a few such hikes in this post. Any direction you look, you see beauty, even looking down at your feet. We stopped to have a rock collecting contest and within the first few minutes I had more rocks than I could carry, all different colors and textures, making me wonder what had happened to the earth here. Many rocks were cracked into a dozen pieces, but still sitting there like someone tried putting it back together. Opening up a cracked rock to see the brilliant inside was like opening a present. Let's just say I felt like a kid again... or a rock-loving hippy. I briefly considered becoming a geologist so I could come back to Iceland to study the rocks.

I had been anxious to see glaciers in Iceland, and when we realized we might not make it before dark, we were even more on edge. When we finally made it to Jökulsárlón just before it got dark, I was ecstatic. Standing above a blue lagoon and watching enormous icebergs slowly drifting to sea was one of the most out-of-this-world sights. I felt like crying at the beauty, and then I felt like crying that nature was making me want to cry. It was incredible to hear crashing sounds when icebergs collided and then see a chunk break off and dive into the water.  It's hard to tell how big the icebergs really are, and the photos don't do them justice. God is a beautiful creator. It's definitely a must-see in Iceland.

- Julia

Svartifoss (Black Waterfall)
Yuriy and I had a rock collecting contest during one of our hikes. I was really bummed that I couldn't take all these pretty rocks home with me. 
We finally made it to Jökulsárlón, a beautiful lagoon full of icebergs that flows from the glacier in the mountains to the ocean. 

35 comments :

  1. Beautiful imagery, those look like gorgeous views all around. Looks like Iceland makes for a great roadtrip!

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  2. Oh my. We're headed there in October...this just put me over the moon excited. Beautiful photos, Julia.

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    1. Jenny - So excited you're going! I can't wait to see your photos. We should meet up soon and talk about Iceland. :)

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  3. The last set of photos of the icebergs are stunning!

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  4. my goodness, these photos are incredible! amazing!

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  5. Idea: Next time send them home in a parcel (the stones) :))
    ♥nic

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    1. nic - I did take some home with me in my suitcase, but couldn't take them all!

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  6. How gorgeous! Your pictures almost look mystical and really transport you to another place- I love that.

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  7. Breathtaking pictures of the amazing landscape of Iceland. You guys are torturing me with those photos! -- in a good way. :)

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  8. Stunning. I only ever saw the glaciers from afar but they are absolutely beautiful. Can't believe it's almost a year since I was in Iceland!

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  9. Very beautiful photos. I have been to Iceland briefly myself on the way to Greenland but we only 'did' Reykjavik; this post has made me want to go back even more to explore properly! XO
    www.inthebigoldworld.blogspot.com

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    1. Annie-Lou - The drive from the airport to Reykavik alone is pretty amazing, but you're right... the best stuff is further out. Next time, roadtrip!

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  10. wow! how incredibly gorgeous! I would love to visit beautiful Iceland one day!

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  11. Goodness, I'm so mesmerized! Thank you for sharing these gorgeous photos. It's as though life is so still and peaceful and you get to enter into such a sacred moment! Love this!

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  12. okay amazing! you are an unbelievable photographer and i love this blog. now following along! XO
    the well-traveled wife

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  13. These are so beautiful! Those last few look SO cold!
    -Karina
    www.seeingbeautyblog.com

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  14. These photos are mindblowingly gorgeous!!!!! Bravo!

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  15. your pictures are so inspiring!


    http://sundaynightpaper.tumblr.com

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  16. the images of the icebergs are beautiful. thanks for sharing these beauties with us. hopefully ill get the chance to see them for myself one day!

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  17. this is overwhelmingly beautiful.. i am at a loss for words!
    xx

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    1. petal and plume - That's how I felt in real life! Nice to know the feeling came across. :)

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  18. Amazing. Beautiful photos! We would love to visit Iceland as well. Hopefully soon.

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  19. Absolutely stunning. Iceland is at the top of my travel wishlist. Thanks for sharing your adventures - it's inspiring!!

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  20. Your photos are inspiring! Thank you for sharing! -Julie (alonewithmytea.blogspot.com)

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  21. we just got back from honeymoon in iceland! we did the ring road and lived out of a camper for 9 days. it's truly a magical place. (and sadly your pictures are WAY COOLER than mine).

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    1. by BUN - That sounds amazing! We would love to come back in the summertime to do some camping. Congrats on your marriage!

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  22. so incredible. what lenses do you primarily shoot with for those wides? (and then obviously, the close ups too?) i'm always looking to find the right lense for our travels! thanks in advance! hope you two are well. xoxo

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    1. Kylie - I'd say we used our 35mm 1.4 and 45mm tilt-shift the most. Also, an 85mm 1.8 to get scenery that was really far away (especially when shooting out the window of a moving car). :)

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  23. Your pictures are too beautiful.. i can't believe there are so many beautiful sceneries in every part of earth. thank you so much for sharing it.
    you both are very inspiring. :')

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  24. Gorgeous, gorgeous photos, Julia. One of my favorite travel posts to date. xo

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