NikonGear'23
Images => Nature, Flora, Fauna & Landscapes => Topic started by: The_Traveler on November 08, 2015, 23:58:54
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Route 42
Interesting country.
The cost of living is approximately that of NYC but with a few caveats.
Things that are cheaper, tourists don't use, like healthcare, schools.
Things that a tourists uses like transportation, gas, food are hugely expensive.
Gas is about $7.50/gallon
Food in restaurants is very high. A medium size pizza for one person might be $20, a hamburger, fries and a canned soft drink $18.
(We took our hosts and their wives out for a light but nice meal and it was ~$700 for the 6 of us with no desserts or hors d'oeuvres.)
The entire country is very, very clean with no industrial pollution, all the power is geothermal, all the water from glaciers and hot water from springs that warm all the buildings and furnish water for drinking. Very little crime and, outside of Reykjavik, no traffic at all.
Route 1 is the main highway that circles the island and is 2 lanes all the way with not much shoulder. When we were looking at the aurora, we stopped in our lane for 20 minutes and only put on hazards twice whena car passed. The
It is very much like an upscale town expanded into a small country.
Everyone lives near the coast and more than half live in Reykjavik.
The center of the country is unliveable lava fields and glaciers, passable only with 4 wheelers.
Icelanders are civil but not specifically friendly unless they know you.
The language is very, very difficult and sounds nothing like it is spelled.
Icelandic is kept pure of 'loan' words by government committees.
They are intensely proud of their heritage and like the image of being tough and hardy -which they are.
Weather is enormously changeable from sun to wind to rain to snow in a few minutes.
Vatnajokull (Vatna Glacier) is the second largest in area in Europe and the biggest in volume.
We drove as far as the northeast corner of the glacier where the melt water makes a strong river and it calves little icebergs.
Very impressive.
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The petrol price seems quite normal to Europeans ...
Their language is Old Norse or Norwegian approx. 1200 years ago. I can understand some of it, but reading is admittedly easier than the spoken language.
Hope you post some images as you did survive the price shock ....
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Lew, thanks for starting this promising thread along with the comprehensible description of the country. Am looking forward to seeing more images here!
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I will but don't expect much; I am certainly no great shakes as a landscape photographer.
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Lighthouse, Grundvik, Iceland
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beautiful images Lew. Especially the one with the black road!
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Thanks for sharing. As Bjørn says, the prices aren't that unfamiliar to many, not the least us from Scandinavia. As for prices, I believe they have two prices, at least at some of the attractions, one for turists, one for the people living there. Iceland is certainly on my list of places to visit *sometime*. Looking forward to more images, you've started well I think.
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Many countries have different price levels at tourist spots and elsewhere. We (the NG Team) saw that recently amply demonstrated on the June trip to Slovenia. Perhaps 3-4X the price elsewhere. We had rented a villa so did some cooking ourselves, but were enticed by a local restaurant next door and used that instead for most of the stay. Five course excellent dinner for 20 Euro or so - who could complain?
I've been to Iceland before, but long to visit the country again. However, have to convince my girl friend it's a good idea to cross the inland landscape with a rented and modified 4x4. Perhaps I and she end up visiting a former East European country instead.
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A former East European country is still in Eastern Europe? ;D
Lew, I concur with others, I believe the prices in Iceland are far better than they are in Norway or Denmark.
Also, I have only encountered dear and friendly Icelanders.
The landscape is fabulous and I wish to visit again, as your photos clearly show :)
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I didn't mean to imply that Icelanders were unfriendly, in general they are civil and courteous to tourists but not specifically 'friendly.' OTOH, we spent some hours with a local photographer and his wife and it was a grand and wonderful time.
In case anyone ends up going and wants a photography guide, complete with super 4 wheeler, for the center of the island, my acquaintance does that.
He is Ragnar Th Sigurdsson (http://www.arctic-images.com and tel is 354-564-1171.) His home and studio are 3 km from the center of Reykjavik.
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I've been to Iceland before, but long to visit the country again. However, have to convince my girl friend it's a good idea to cross the inland landscape with a rented and modified 4x4.
We looked at several different car rental places and all of the ones we spoke to had very stringent issues about not taking the car, even 4 wheel drive) into the center of the island. Perhaps there are specialty rental agencies that cater to that kind of Super-Jeep.
We did rent a Rav 4 that has full time 4 wheel drive and that proved very useful, I think. After dark the paved road got quite slick to walk on but the car was very stable. I imagine that this kind of casual road slickness is common all through Scandinavian countries.
The GPS seemed to have custom hooks that popped up warnings when we were headed into the interior - the forbidden zone.
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Lew, please keep posting pictures.
Iceland is a fascinating place that I have not (yet) visited, maybe this thread will convince several members to organise a trip...
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I would like to go back and think I would get better pictures, not that I have some idea of what the place is about.
Unfortunately, I am pinned to home for the forseeable future.
Sheep on the Lava Fields
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Icelandic Pony
gentle, sweet, affecionate animals that like being stroked
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Thank you for posting all these good information and beautiful pics, specially the last one.
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Although they are just a bit above pony size, they are full grown horses and, from the behavior of the few I approached, are the sweetest, nicest aninmals one could imagine. This is probably because there are no natural predators of the Icelandic horse.
These seem to be developing their winter coat.
We parked near the fence and these two walked over but when we didn't have any food for them, got tired of us and walked away.
They are perfect size and demeanor for a child's horse.
I love animals, particularly dogs and horses. Having raised five children, we have had multiple versions of everything mammalian from white mice to horses.
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Icelandic Pony
gentle, sweet, affecionate animals that like being stroked
Just beautiful!! I like all the images. Thanks for the detailed write-up as well.
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your opening, that we will in your opinion not see good landscape photos, was purely wrong. You put your corrresponding story in such perfect images, especially compared to the typical island pictures, that is it joy to wait for the next image. Landscape with sheet are my favs till now.
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I love the horses! pity about the fence though
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For certain kinds of shots, LR is infinitely easier and more effective than PS.
This photographer stood waiting for a wave for quite a while but it was slack tide and not much was happening and it was fiercely cold so I left before she did.
On the South-East coast of Iceland, on the beach near the glacier lagoon.
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Lew, it is refreshing to have a different view. Iceland is often shown as magnificent and empty, your pictures show life or traces of human presence. Very nice! I am looking forward to seeing more.
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Well, it surely is magnificent.
I didn't shoot that much because the weather, in the few days I was there, was really dull and gloomy (when it wasn't raining or sleeting).
I'm just not good or experienced enough to wrest good shots out of unfavorable situations (and I was cold a lot) :)
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Thanks for starting this thread Lew.
I love the Icelandic Pony (and many of the others)
And I'm due to visit Iceland in May 2016, Can't wait :)
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If you have time to get out on your own, rent a car and drive the coast.
If I had more time (and foresight) I would have stayed longer.
Compared to anywhere in Europe, Iceland is essentially deserted.
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Great thread, info and photos thank you!
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Very nice images Lew. Beautiful place to visit.
Friend of mine was traveling Island last year and gave was very long slide show with commentary. He also told us about car rental for off road purposes you need to rent customized 4x4 to be able to drive trough deep water creeks and mud. They have muffler all the way to to roof, special tires etc.
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Thanks for the great set of images and commentary on a place that has always interested me. Your ability to always manage good light and color in your beautiful photographs with such humility has been an inspiration. I have missed you and your work and am glad beyond description that I've found you here.
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Iceland is certainly on my must-go-to list. Great captures.
Compared to anywhere in Europe, Iceland is essentially deserted.
Don't forget the northern parts of Europe where the population density is about the same as on Iceland.