Photography #13 - Storms, Sunsets and a whale tail... (Iceland, Day 2)

in #travel6 years ago (edited)

We had intended to go whale-watching from Akureyri on our second day in Iceland but reports of an arctic storm meant our trip had to be cancelled. We were all very disappointed but there was nothing we could do about it unfortunately. Having come so far on Day 1, we didn't want to just sit in our hotel room and do nothing, so we decided to visit the nearby Godafoss waterfall...

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As we hit the mountain route of road 1, visibility fell to less than 10m and the car was being blown all over the road. Too dangerous to continue, so we turned back...

So, we had a brew and waited out the worst of the storm while looking out at the good citizens of Akureyri just getting on with their lives as if nothing usual was happening (and of course, if you live here then arctic storms aren't that unusual I guess!).

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There's a 700+m hill somewhere behind those houses...

Arctic storms help one appreciate the value of a warm shelter and a good coffee. But even so, cabin fever set in shortly afterwards and we decided to explore the city itself and, as the worst of the storm had passed, we took a walk along the docks...

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Alexandra (my wife), enjoying a peaceful and calming stroll...

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Lots of ships safely docked till the storm passes

Having never been this far North before, we decided it would be nice to head further! We got in our trusty Dacia Duster and took road 82 to see how far North we could get. We had not planned this as part of our itinerary but, as a traveller, one must be ready to adjust ones plans - that's what makes travelling so exciting!

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Just outside Dalvik

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Beautiful views all around

After Dalvik, the road follows the coast and cuts through 4 mountains. The scenery is breathtaking and we constantly stop the car to get photos...

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Olafsfjordur, just after the first tunnel (you can see the exit
from the mountain on the centre right of the photo)

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Olafsfjardarvatn frozen over, just before the entrance to the second, and longest, tunnel...

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The view out of Hedinsfjordur. Not a single sound other than the breeze...

When we emerge out of the third tunnel we are greeted with the town of Siglufjordur. It's a ski resort with it's own small airport...

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Not much happening at the airport this day...

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Colourful houses in Sigulfjordur

We got here just as the sun was starting to dip over the mountains and it created some amazing views. I posted these a while ago.

Another short tunnel on the other side of the town got us to Saudanes point, the furthest north we would get on the whole trip. It was amazing watching the sunset from here before we started out journey back to Akureyri.

So day 2 had it's disappointments but they were small compared to the amazing experiences we'd had on this unexpected trip. As we sat in Akureyri that evening, enjoying amazing Icelandic fish dishes at 'Akureyri fish and chips' restaurant, we knew we had tales of our own to tell when we got back home...

...and we got to see a bit of whale in the end...

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Our very own whale tail...

Day 3 coming soon...
Adam.

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Yo actualmente vivo en un país donde no hay ese clima tan frió pero siempre me ha gustado. No me imagino el frió que se puede sentir allá con una tormenta. La calidad de tus fotografías son espectaculares y lograste captar cosas muy hermosas. Gracias por compartir, saludos.

Thank you for your kind words my friend - It was very cold indeed, even with several warm layers on!

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