Blog
A blog about photography and travel.
England vacation
Vacation in the south of England
For this year’s summer vacation I had a family trip to the south coast of England. We started with one week in Cornwall, an area well worth exploring with it’s dramatic coastline, old mines and picturesque small towns. Then we spent one week in Hastings, where my parents had a holiday home back in the day.
I really like being in the UK. It’s got a lot of beautiful spots, a lot of history, and it’s just easy to be there.
Nova Scotia
A week exploring Nova Scotia
Early June I want by myself to Nova Scotia for a week’s trip. Icelandair had just started flying there (I was on the first flight), it’s a short flight and I’d never been there before. I didn’t know a lot about it except that the company I work for opened its first foreign office there back in the 1980’s, and we had a lot of business there in the fishing industry.
So it was an exploration of sorts, with pros and cons from my point of view.
Pros:
Cape Breton is beautiful and not too touristy. Also the area south of Halifax (Peggy’s Cove, Lunenburg), although a bit more touristy.
If you’re into history don’t miss Fort Louisburg.
If you’re into lighthouses (which I am) there’s a lot of them.
If you’re into ship spotting (which I am as well) there’s a couple of places that are good, especially Halifax.
The Annapolis Royal botanical garden is well worth a visit.
In season, the lobster and oysters are fabulous. But you have to find a good restaurant for it, otherwise you’ll get disappointed.
Cons:
Nova Scotia is quite large and there are big parts of it that are not that interesting. Especially for landscapes. Expect to do a lot of driving.
Halifax has a nice, small seafront area but otherwise it’s a bit dull.
If I should go there again I would go for the autumn colors (the whole island is basically nothing but coast and trees) and I would concentrate on Cape Breton.
Along the Rhine
Exploring the Rhine and it’s tributaries
In the latter half of November I preceded a work trip with a few days in the Rhineland-Palatinate where the Mosel and Neckar rivers join the Rhine, together with my brother Stefan.
The landscape was dominated by the rivers, beautifully lined with small towns, hill-top castles and forests in their still-colorful late autumn foliage. My favorite spot was Heidelberg, an age-old seat of learning on the banks of the Neckar which completely escaped the ravages of WWII.
In amongst all this natural beauty you also find the heartland of German industry. The BASF complex, on the banks of the Rhine in Ludwighshafen, is the largest integrated chemical plant in the world, covering 10 square kilometers. Next time I will bring a drone to take an aerial view of it.
We stayed in Koblenz for one night and Mannheim for two nights, both fairly unremarkable cities.
Photos were taken on Fujifilm XT5 and XE4 cameras using the XF16-55, XF50-140 and XF23f1.4 lenses.
Wales
Driving around Anglesey and Snowdon National Park in the fall.
For the fourth time this year I went on a trip to the UK, this time to the northern part of Wales. I’ve not been there before, but it’s easy to get there from Iceland and from what I’ve seen from others it’s a nice spot for photography. So why not.
I stayed in Caernarfon, which was an inspired choice. It’s kind of central, with Anglesey to the west and Snowdonia National Park to the east. There’s an excellent inn there I can recommend (Black Boy Inn). A famous YouTube video comes to mind, just kidding :-).
Weather was all kinds, both stormy and sunny, but I guess that’s par for the course at this time of year. I was a bit too early for the fall colors, so that’s a reason to go again.
The photos are take on an GFX50R with the 32-62mm and 100-200mm lenses, and a Mavic 2 Pro drone.
US Northwest
Summer vacation in Oregon and Washington
For summer vacation I travelled with my sister and her family for a couple of weeks in the US Northwest, staying in Vancouver WA on the border of Oregon and Washington. It was a family vacation in a nice house, with lots of good food and wine, my niece’s birthday and all around fun.
In terms of nature, the area sports the magnificent Columbia River Gorge, the Oregon Coast and a set of dramatic volcanic mountains such Mount Hood and Mount St Helens. Quite a large area to cover but absolutely stunning. Definitely worth another visit.
Around Manchester
Weekend in Manchester, Blackpool and Sheffield
Towards the end of May I spent a long weekend in Manchester. Booked a hotel downtown and took a couple of train trips to Blackpool and Sheffield.
These three cities may not sound very attractive, and have been going through some hard times over the last decades, but I found then all surprisingly nice really. Manchester is being transformed into a modern metropolis, Blackpool is not the cheap, run-down tourist trap I imagined it to be, and Sheffield is successfully building on its heritage of coal and steel industry to become a hub of technology and learning. What’s the fuss all about?
Easter in Munich
A very long Easter weekend in Munich
Easter is a good time for Icelanders to travel abroad. It’s a 5-day weekend and spring has started to arrive in Europe while in Iceland it’s almost winter still. So for Easter I usually go somewhere abroad. This time it was to Munich, where I stayed for a full week.
Munich city center was restored after WWII to a degree I’ve not seen elsewhere in Germany. Take for example the Residenz palace: unlike Versailles where you visit a handful of rooms, the Residenz not only has a number of breathtaking galleries but you can also walk through the complete palace, where everything has been restored. You can literally spend hours there.
Munich is a city of attractive public spaces, with beautiful historical buildings, an excellent public transport system, the Olympic Park, the Englischer Garten, and so on. An obviously affluent city, very German, with a stark reminder to the past in the Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Site just outside the city.
A short train ride from Munich you find Ulm, Augsburg and Nurnberg, and the foothills Alps are not far to the south. I did not visit all these places so there’s room to go again.
I was happy with the photography overall but, as usual, street photography in Germany was difficult.
Weekend in Brussels
I’ve visited Brussels on a number of occasions, both privately and through work. The city is easily accessible from the Netherlands, where I frequently work, and there’s also a direct flight from Iceland. The vibe is a bit in between Amsterdam and Paris, with excellent food and beer, relatively easy on the wallet, and a quirky and touristy atmosphere - great for street photography. There are also a lot of interesting cities easily accessible by train: Ghent, Brugge, Antwerpen, Leuven, Mons, and Liege, to name a few. All of them easily worth a day trip.
Towards the end of April I went on a short weekend trip there with my brother Stefán, from Thursday to Sunday. We stayed in the city for the most part, only went on a short trip to Leuven (the beer capital of the world, as it turns out). There were only occasional glimpses of good light but it was still a nice photography weekend.
Two gentlemen (brothers?) enjoying life at the Grand Place. Fujifilm XT5+XF50mmF2.
Wannabe skater near the skateboarding area at Rue de la Chapelle. Fujifilm XT5+XF35mmF2.
My brother Stefán at the Moeder Lambic Fontainas, having one of many beers. Fujifilm XT5+XF35mmF2.
Influencers at the Grand Place. Fujifilm XT5 + XF50mmF2.
Young lady without a happy face at Rue des Bouchers. Fujifilm XT5 + XF50mmF2.
Hipster ladies? at Rue des Bouchers. Fujifilm XT5 + XF50mmF2.
More hipster ladies at Rue des Bouchers. Fujifilm XT5 + XF23mmF1.4.
The extravagantly ornate city hall in Leuven. Fujifilm XT5 + XF23mmF1.4.
Two blokes in Leuven, one sitting uncomfortably. Fujifilm XT5 + XF23mmF1.4.
Just behind the guys above, this one was much more comfortable. Fujifilm XT5+XF23mmF1.4.
At the market in Leuven. Bike repair shop in an O Transit. Fujifilm XT5 + XF23mmF1.4.
Sharp dressed guy, with onlookers. Fujifilm XT5 + XF35mm F2.0.
Two blokes at Rue de Charles Buls. Fujiflim XT5 + XF23mmF1.4.
Hipster ladies at the Grand Place. Fujifilm XT5 + XF35mmF2.
Le Chat Déambule, in-the-rain version. Fujifilm XT5 + XF35mmF2.
Place Sainte Catherine. Fujifilm XT5+XF23mmF1.4.
Grown up hipsters at the Grand Place. Fujifilm XT5 + XF23mmF1.4.
Colorful guy happy at being photographed. Fujifilm XT5+XF35mmF2.
Color-coded tourists neear Gare Central. Fujifilm XT5+XF35mmF2.
Berlin
Short trip to Berlin squeezed in between Christmas and New Year’s
Between Christmas and New Year I travelled with my brother to Berlin on a photography and city trip. Lots of walking, taking photos and having beers. We also took a day trip to Leipzig and Wittenberg, places I’ve not been before, now off the bucket list.
I like Berlin. It’s a bit scattered and disjointed, having been two cities for a long time, but it manages to be both down to earth and bohemian at the same time, which is an interesting mix. Its turbulent history is visible everywhere, and some places are quite emotional to visit. This still sits badly with many people, but at least you can give the Germans credit for not trying to hide what has happened. A case in point is the Neue Wache, a powerful testimony to the horrors of war.
Photos are taken with the Fujifilm XT-5, with XF10-24mm, XF50mmF2.0 and XF80mmF2.8 lenses, and a GFX50R with the GF80mm lens. We got good light a few times, and the GFX50R is just marvelous when that happens.
Highgate Cemetery
Discovery of a magical place in London
After having visited London countless times, and having explored the city extensively, I was amazed to discover a new location: Highgate Cemetery. I learned of its existence from the newest Cormoran Strike audio book, where the cemetery features heavily.
Not only is the cemetery extraordinary, but I happened to go there on a frozen and foggy Sunday morning, with every frozen strand of cobweb highlighted. The atmosphere was magical. I even met a fox, which posed just long enough for me to take a photo.
Otherwise I have to say that London was not at its best, so the trip was pretty dull in terms of photography. But I did spot, and take a snap of, a Zelensky lookalike!
This was the first outing with my new Fujifilm XT5, which I really like.
Paris
Solo trip to Paris
On short notice I booked a flight to Paris for a long weekend in November. I went by myself, with little plans other than to take photos and walk around. I stayed at the CitizenM hotel in La Défense, the kind of big-scale city redevelopment that is destined to be horrible but actually succeeds.
Like the last time I was in Paris, I was very happy with the photos I took. There’s such a vibrancy to Paris that you don’t really experience in other large European cities.
The photos are taken with the Fujifilm XE4 using a variety of lenses: XF16mmF1.4, XF27mmF2.8, XF35mmF2.0, XF50mmF2.0 and XF50-140F2.8. Quite a bit to carry around, and a lot of lens changes, but I try to mix it up so that every time I go I bring different equipment.
Weekend in Copenhagen
An autumn weekend in Copenhagen
I attended a three-day management meeting in Copenhagen from Monday to Wednesday, so I took the opportunity to travel out on Friday and spend the weekend in one of my favorite cities. Just walking around with the camera, dropping in on interesting restaurants and bars, and not thinking about much. There was not a lot of good light, so I focused on photographing the autumn colors, and visited the Botanical Gardens, which are always good for a few shots. I also took the train to Malmö, on the other side of the water.
The photographs are take, on a Fujifilm XE4, with various lenses, and a GFX50R with the 80mm f1.7 lens.
Ireland
A roadtrip with an optimistic plan
To finish off my vacation, and due to a temporary frost in the relationship with my employer, I decided, on short notice, to take a trip to Ireland. I’ve been to Northern Ireland a few times, for work, but never really been to Ireland proper.
I booked a flight and a car, and accommodation one day at a time. The rough idea was to drive around Ireland and photograph the lighthouses on the coast. This turned out to be wildly optimistic, both because of the size of the island and the fact that the lighthouses are not generally accessible. I thought I could walk right up to them like in Iceland, but it turns out that they are mostly closed off to the public and therefore quite tricky or impossible to photograph. I managed a few lighthouses though, and made it around half the coast, from Dublin to the southwest tip, and then to the Cliffs of Moher.
On first visit I find Ireland to be not so spectacular to photograph, but a very comfortable place to be in. Perhaps a bit insular, like Iceland.
All the photographs are taken with a Fujifilm XE4 camera, using various lenses.
My favorite place on the trip was the area around Mizen Head. A remote place with winding, narrow roads, impressive cliffs, and beautiful seascapes. Mizen Head itself was a well organized place for tourists to visit, highly recommended.
The religious heritage is visible everywhere.
I found the Cliffs of Moher underwhelming, but nearby there’s a geographical formation/area called The Burren, which is very interesting.
Some street photography was also had, and odds and ends.
Iceland hinterlands
A camping trip to Eldgjá, Langisjór and Lakagígar
Towards the end of summer I went on a 3-night camping trip to Eldgjá and Lakagígar, an area which I’ve not been to before. Due to river crossings you need a 4x4 to get there, so it’s relatively quite in terms of tourists.
Day 1 - Eldgjá
We camped in Hólaskjól, drove to Eldgjá and hiked around the area for the rest of the day, going all the way to Gjátindur. Eldgjá is an amazing place and is part of a crater line formed in the largest lava eruption in recent global history (939AD). The star of the show is Ófærufoss, a magnificent waterfall. It used to have a stone arch over the lowest falls, but it collapsed in 1993.
Day 2 - Langisjór
Langisjór (Long sea) is a 20km long lake that sits between two volcanic ridges. This is an area of outstanding desolate beauty, with black volcanic rocks and green moss-covered mountains. Perfect for hiking.
Day 3 - Lakagígar
Although Lakagígar are close to Eldgjá you need to drive down to the ring-road to cross the Skaftá river. So we moved camp to Blágil. The Lakagígar volcanic ridge were formed in a massive eruption 1783-1784, an eruption that devastated Iceland and cause world-wide crop failures and famines. The tallest crater, Laki, is in the middle of ridge. The easy hike up affords a magnificent view of the entire area.
Portugal
Summer vacation in Portugal
For summer vacation this year the destination was Portugal: one week on the coast and one week in Lisbon. I’ve only been to Portugal once before, almost 20 years ago. I liked it then and I like it still. It strikes the right balance of being clean, safe, livable and interesting for visitors. There are no massive hoards of tourists, the food is simple but good, with lots of seafood, and the local wines are excellent. I’m not an expert on Portuguese culture after two weeks, but everybody was friendly and helpful enough, and very much matter-of-fact, which is something I appreciate.
I brought my Fujifilm XE4, along with the XF16mmf1.4, XF23mmf1.4, XF16-55 and XF50-140. The XF16-55 is a great walkaround lens, if a tad large for the XE4. I recently tried the XF16-80, and I previously owned the XF18-55, and I can now honestly say that the XF16-55 is by far my favorite one.
On the coast
The first week we stayed near Sao Martinho do Porto, a small sea-side town with a nice beach. A bit further north is Nazaré, with an even nicer beach, and famed for its massive waves. I can recommend both towns. They are resort towns but almost all the visitors are locals.
Inland there was a big heatwave with forest fires and everything, but on the coast it was a nice 20-25 °C. Lucky for us.
There are other interesting places close by, such as Batalha, Peniche, and Óbidos, which are all worth a visit. Further north is Figueira da Foz, a bustling city of industry and tourism. In between there is the rugged Atlantic coast, which must be magnificent in a good winter storm.
Lisbon
After our time on the coast we went to Lisbon, where we stayed another week. The heatwave was over by then, although we did have a couple of very warm days in the city.
Lisbon is a bit more touristy, but still in a good, old-fashioned way, with cobbled streets and old trams and tuk-tuks transporting the tourists around. It’s all built on hills, and we stayed in Bairro Alto (Upper District) at the very top, on the third floor of an old building, so there was a lot of ascending and descending!
It’s not an expensive city, with good public transport, and very walkable. There’s loads of things for the visitor to experience, and also possible to take the train to Cascais and Sintra for a day trip. Definitely worth a visit.
The Westfjords
A trip to the Westjords in late spring
I have been wanting to go to the Westfjords of Iceland for a while. It’s a bit far to go so you need a long weekend at least, and the weather has to co-operate to some degree. Late May, the stars lined up: a 4-day weekend and a reasonable weather forecast meant that it was time to go.
I spent two days in the southern part and 2 days in the area around Ísafjörður. In the end, the weather was actually too good for photography, but at least I could enjoy a nice beer sitting outside in the sun at Ísafjörður.
The Westfjords are full of dramatic landscapes, with deep fjords and high mountains. It’s off the ring road, so there are relatively few tourists around.
My favorite places are Rauðisandur, Látrabjarg, Ketildalir, Dynjandi and the area around Ísafjörður, some of which I managed to visit during the trip.
Weekend in Switzerland
A weekend of photography with my brother
Went for a short trip with my brother to Switzerland. Simple plan: fly to Zürich, drive to Davos and stay for three nights, drive back to Zürich and stay one night and then fly back home.
I’ve not been to Switzerland properly before. It is of course pretty as a postcard and as an Icelander I can really admire the high mountains, deep valleys and dramatic mountain passes. The weather co-operated and the fall colors were great. So overall a few nice and quiet days during off-season, nothing much going on.
Hiking in Strandir
2 days in one of my favorite places in Iceland
Last weekend I went for a short trip to Strandir, a remote area in the north-east facing part of the Westfjords. The primary mission was to hike around Hvalsá in Ófeigsfjörður. This uninhabited area was more or less off the radar until plans were made to build a hydropower plant using the waters of the rivers Rjúkandi, Hvalsá and Eyvindafjarðará, causing much controversy.
Strandir is one of my favorite places in Iceland being isolated but still accessible and with quite dramatic scenery. There’s only a handful of farms, a little business around tourism and a short fishing season in the summer. Hiking in the mountains is popular and so is the swimming pool at Krossnes.
The long (18 km) hike around Hvalsá was interesting but not more than that. On our way back to Reykjavík we walked up Reykjaneshyrna from where the views are spectacular, highly recommended.
As this was primarily a hiking trip there was not a lot of proper photography, but I did manage some nice snaps. Definitely need to go again with more time on my hands.
The mountain Kaldbakur.
The lighthouse at Gjögur. Although functional, the foundations were in such a bad state that it’s amazing it still stands.
View to Drangaskörð over Ófeigsfjörður.
This little guy wanted to join us on our hike but we managed to tell him to go home. He was not happy with that.
The waterfall Drynjandi in river Hvalsá. This is quite a spectacular waterfall, would love to see it early summer when there is more water.
On our way back from Drynjandi the fog rolled in. This is the last bit of the track to Hvalsá, where it ends. After that there are no more roads.
In Ófeigsfjörður.
The old herring plant in Ingólfsfjörður, which has not been operated since 1952 The road runs through the plant.
My favorite image from the trip. The makeshift jetty uses an old tank from the herring plant. The Arctic tern overhead is on its way to attack me.
The mountain Reykjaneshyrna. The hike up only takes half an hour, from where you are rewarded with magnificent 360° views as shown in the gallery below.
Trip to Akureyri
Summer vacation in the north
In the middle of July I travelled to Akureyri where I rented a holiday cottage. This has been a yearly trip for some time now where various family members come and go and we spend a week relaxing and exploring the area.
Akureyri is the biggest town in Iceland outside the capital area. It’s situated at the bottom of Eyjafjörður which also hosts a number of other villages that, together with Akureyri, create a vibrant cultural and economic community in the northern part of Iceland. It’s a perfect location for day trips to many of Iceland’s finest tourist attractions such as Mývatn, Námaskarð, Dettifoss, Ásbyrgi, Goðafoss, Húsavík and Siglufjörður. And for the more adventurous travelers there are mountains and remote areas to explore on foot or by car.
My first excursion was to Hvalvatnsfjörður. This is a now uninhabited valley which can be reached by track F839, for which you need a proper 4x4 that can cross rivers and handle the really bad track.
It was a nice day for photography with good light and clouds, but very windy. For next time I think a hike west to Þorgeirsfjörður would be interesting. It’ about 4km each way and there’s a bridge over the river, so it’s quite easy.
Next I took a short trip to the bottom of the valley south of Akureyri (Eyjafjarðardalur), which is an area I’ve never been to before. There’s a lot of farms but when you get off the beaten track there are deep valleys with high mountains and glimpses of glaciers and areas to explore on foot. In particular I think Djúpidalur looked like an interesting place to have a closer look at.
It was an overcast day but with nice clouds and the sun broke through once in a while.
On Sunday I took my parents to Flateyjardalur, which is the next valley east of Hvalvatnsfjörður, also uninhabited now. You get there by track F899 for which you need a 4x4 vehicle, particularly for the many river crossings. I managed to cut a tire when crossing a difficult river so me and my father had an interesting time figuring out how to get the spare tire from underneath a Toyota Land Cruiser. Nice job on the user manual Toyota, we managed it!
The track takes you to the sea and then you can drive across the shore line and up on Víkurhöfði, from where there are spectacular views of the area. To the north there is the island of Flatey, the last inhabited place in the area, after which the valley is named.
It was a sunny, mostly cloudless day so conditions for photography were not great. On the plus side I a saw a rock slide for the first time in my life and managed to take a photo of it.
Akureyri itself is worth exploring for a day. My favorites are the old town, the botanical gardens, the town center and the industrial area in Oddeyri. The botanical gardens are the finest in Iceland and, if you like using your macro lens to photograph flowers (as I do), you can easily spend a few hours there. And when you need sustenance there’s a nice bistro as well.
The Final trip was to Hrísey, a small island in the middle of Eyjafjörður. It was the warmest day I can remember in Iceland (27C°!) and clear blue skies, so not so nice for photography. I walked from the harbor all the way to the northern tip of the island from where there are views to the open sea.
If you want to enjoy nature in solitude Hrísey is highly recommended. You can walk to the northern tip as I did, but there is also a spot much closer to the harbor (65°59'36.0"N 18°21'20.0"W) where you can enjoy the view to Látraströnd and feel completely alone in the world. Truly a magical place.
Note: If you do go to the northern tip you need to call the landowners and ask for permission. There’s a telephone number on a sign by the road. The lady that answered was very friendly and just wants to get notified that there are people on the land.
Snæfellsnes
Me and my brother go to Snæfellsnes on a whim.
My brother (and fellow photographer) Stefán called me on a Friday and suggested a trip to Snæfellsnes that same evening. Apparently his wife was having a small dinner party for her female friends and his presence in the house was “not required”. We drove to the village of Stykkishólmur and checked into the Foss Hotel where we had an excellent Christmas dinner. Hot tip: the restaurant at Foss Hotel is worth taking a trip for - highly recommended. Also, we packed some craft beers from Borg and a bottle of Nikka whisky so we were already winning before we started.
On Saturday morning we made our way along the north coast of the peninsula to Öndverðarnes before driving back to Reykjavík. At this latitude the sun is only up for 4-5 hours in mid December, rising to 3° above to horizon, so the time you have for daylight photography is limited.
The landscape bore the marks of recent snows and frosts except for the tip of the peninsula which, sticking out into the warmer sea, never really gets cold. Pretty flat light but, as often in Iceland, the clouds saved the day.
The mountain Gjafi is located at the bottom of Hraunsfjörður which is a fjord that Berserkjahraun lava field has almost closed off from the sea. On a calm day the mountains reflect beautifully in the water.
GFX50R + GF32-64 @ 64°56'41.8"N 23°00'54.5"W
Krákuhyrna (Crow’s horn) is just west of Gjafi. Still half an hour to sunrise but there was a little bit of color in the sky.
GFX50R + GF32-64 @ 64°56'41.8"N 23°00'54.5"W
Kirkjufell reflected in Lárvaðall lagoon, which was thawing up after a recent frost.
GFX50R + GF32-64 @ 64°56'25.1"N 23°22'36.7"W
The area on the northwest tip of Snæfellsnes is called Svörtuloft (black skies). It’s a desolate place of lava fields and cliffs where only seabirds live.
GFX50R + GF32-64 @ 64°51'50.2"N 24°02'22.8"W
Cliffs at Svörtuloft.
GFX50R + GF32-64 @ 64°51'50.2"N 24°02'22.8"W
Skarðsvík beach is a beautiful spot with golden sands under the black volcanic rocks. Best time for photography is at mid-tide.
GFX50R + GF32-64 @ 64°52'53.1"N 23°59'10.5"W
Skarðsvík beach.
GFX50R + GF32-64 @ 64°52'53.1"N 23°59'10.5"W
Cliffs east of Skarðsvík beach.
GFX50R + GF32-64 @ 64°53'00.3"N 23°58'53.9"W