Monday, March 3, 2014

Iceland - Such a Drama Queen!

"Today Iceland showed us what a drama queen she can be.  All stormy attitude and lots of waterworks.  But then, every once in a while, she would brighten up and give us a smile that melted our hearts.  A glimpse of something warm that made us fall in love with her, in spite of all the drama.  Maybe even because of the drama.  

She's a very mercurial lady.  Ever changing.  Every few miles, a complete new wardrobe.  Pristine and cold in white snow with steam coming off of her.  Then clothed in a rocky palate of black, white and shades of grey.  All color leached from the landscape.  Later, sleek and sexy, sheathed in endless waves of rolling black sand.  Waterfalls cascading like long, luxurious locks of silver hair.  And suddenly, gloriously awash in my favorite color green, all curvy and earthy.  

There are signs everywhere of her infamous temper tantrums.  Gouges and cracks in the earth.  Huge boulders strewn about helter-skelter.  And then some smaller rocks stacked neatly into pyramids, as if one of her elves came along behind her to tidy up a bit.  She is epic and aged.  Her varied and dramatic landscapes, all fire and ice.  Quite the diva is Iceland.  How could you not fall in love?"

I wrote this in the car on our first long day touring Iceland.  I think I might have gotten a bit carried away.  But, Iceland certainly stirs up those emotions.  Our first day was the longest.  We arose before dawn to pick up the rental car and then headed east along the southern coast.  

South Coast of Iceland Driving Tour

As soon as the sun rose, I started taking photographs as we periodically stopped along the way.  It was cold and wet, so most of our time was spent in the toasty car with the seat warmers cranked up listening to Icelandic radio.  But the views were glorious!  We planned to drive at least as far as Vik and then depending on time maybe venture out to the Glacier Lagoon. 

South Coast of Iceland Driving Tour

South Coast of Iceland Driving Tour

South Coast of Iceland Driving Tour

South Coast of Iceland Driving Tour

South Coast of Iceland Driving Tour

South Coast of Iceland Driving Tour

South Coast of Iceland Driving Tour

South Coast of Iceland Driving Tour

South Coast of Iceland Driving Tour

South Coast of Iceland Driving Tour

South Coast of Iceland Driving Tour

South Coast of Iceland Driving Tour

South Coast of Iceland Driving Tour

South Coast of Iceland Driving Tour

I still can't get over all of the various landscapes.  My photos just don't do her justice.  It's all about the earth and the land in Iceland.  It's as if it's a living thing.  I've never seen anyplace like it. 

It took about 5 hours to get to Vik and the rain was really coming down so we didn't get to explore as much as I wanted.  Of course, we decided to venture on to the lagoon.  It was another two hours east, but the sight of the glaciers was worth it!  More on that in my next post.  


What's your favorite dramatic landscape in Iceland? 



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In partnership with Visit Iceland, we received a discounted rate from Hertz Car Rental Iceland.
 All photos, writing and opinions are my own.
As always, I promise to be open, honest and transparent with my readers.
If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask.

39 comments:

  1. Totally how I felt in Iceland as well! And love the photos!

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  2. Great Pictures Selena. So is it easier to rent your own car there or is public transport just as frequent?

    KÖLNER DOM | COLOGNE CATHERDRAL

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  3. Lovely lovely pictures :D it must have been an awesome trip :)

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  4. I'm in love with iceland...but also, your boots are SO CUTE! Where did you get them?

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  5. Gorgeous shots!!!!! Dying to get back there!

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  6. Ooh I want to go there even more after seeing your pictures Selena! I watched the secret life of Walter Mitty a few months back and ever since then i've been day dreaming about visiting Iceland and Greenland etc! ;)


    Btw have to add to the boots discussion - good choice, I have a pair of those myself! Ladies, the boots are actually from Clarks, I got mine last winter, but they may well sell them still. They're ace! Keri x

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  7. I have always thought Iceland would be all snow covered and glacial but it just seems so much more beautiful. All the more reason to go and visit for myself!

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  8. great photos! so much variety on a fairly small island.

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  9. Oh, this is making me so nostalgic for that country! I drove that exact route the second day I was there. Stunning. However, I think the inlets of the West Fjords were my favorite dramatic landscapes I saw in Iceland. Can't wait to see more of your photos.

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  10. I honestly didn't know that Iceland held such beauty, I bet it's simply breathtaking in the summer... How is Matt and his knee?
    See you soon,
    Tammy x

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  11. I love that picture of you, so great!

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  12. Wow, just beautiful landscape. Loved the way you described your visit to Iceland, very clever.

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  13. You're Iceland posts are killing me! It looks like such a beautiful and varied place.

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  14. Oh so beautiful! Those waterfalls are just amazing!

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  15. Thanks, Casey! I thought about you when we were there. Thanks for the travel inspiration!!

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  16. Thanks, Bianca. We found renting a car the best option. Easy and flexible. But we lucked out with good weather. I think it could be tricky if you hit some strong winter weather.

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  17. Thanks, Anda. It was a top trip for sure!

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  18. :D They are from Clarks and waterproof. Very comfy!

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  19. Thanks, Andi! I'd love to return in the summer. I'm sure it's completely different.

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  20. Keri, don't you love the boots! Kept my tootsies very warm and dry. I haven't seen Walter Mitty yet, but I'm dying to. Iceland is so amazing. And Greenland! Hopefully someday. xx

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  21. Thanks, Jenn. Seems like everyone is going to Iceland. I can see why. Pretty wonderful.

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  22. Jade! You have to go to Iceland. You would love it!!

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  23. Thanks, Shobha. That was what struck me the most, the variety of landscapes over such a short distance.

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  24. Isn't it wonderful, Ruby? We didn't make it to the Fjords. I'd love to return during the warmer weather and explore more of the Northern territory. So wonderful. Thank you so much for reading and commenting!

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  25. It's really wonderful and the perfect layover when flying from the US to the UK. Just sayin'!

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  26. Thanks, Andrea. I've been not liking any of my photos lately. I need some sun!

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  27. Thanks, Leah. I was worried it was a little silly. But sometimes it's fun to just write down your thoughts as you have them and put them out there, right?

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  28. There were so many of them! I want to go back!!

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  29. Yes they're great! :) Walter Mitty's well worth watching, even just for the scenery. x

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  30. It never fails to amaze me how dramatically different Icelands landscape can be from one area to the next. Lovely photos :)

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  31. The mountains and waterfalls all looks so ancient and majestic! It must have been stunning in person. On a completely unrelated note, I'm loving your boots!

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  32. Isn't it crazy? I felt like I was in a movie.

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  33. They're from Clarks. Very comfy, but I'm so over boots! Wearing them for six months straight has me dreaming of flipflops!

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