Strange times indeed! Sitting in lockdown in Edinburgh writing this post seems somehow sureal – especially as it is just one month since we left Iceland… The story started several months back when Urzula was invited to speak in Toronto – so we bought tickets via Iceland (much cheaper then…) and on the way back took our well-deserved free 5-day stop-over-break there.

Originally we had planned to drive from Keflavik to Myvatn, but the weather was somehow against us. With the prevailling high pressure over the North Pole Iceland is (still) very much in deep winter – ranging from -5 to -13°C in March. So we flew from Reykjavik to Akureyri on a domestic flight. As there are no connections in Akureyri there was no (0) security control and you could bring anything on board (gin, water, etc.) – actually why not, you cannot go anywhere from there and the country is safe (as it used to be in most places around the world).

Arriving in Akureyri and after finding the car the fun started – driving on winter roads with studded tires… Not for the faint-hearted, especially not coming from Scotland or say Edinburgh with the non-existing winter.

Yet our favourite caldera looked so snug in winter costume…

Ice is everywhere and the frozen areas are just a pure wonderland

Some larger volcano (which erupted under a glacier – you can see that by the form) in the far distance

Ice again 

drops on the wire frozen to it

a winter hike in the pro-caldera area around lake Myvatn’s northern shore

And a small village in winter hibernation

The whole area is sprinkled with eruption burps – these are not real caldera, more like erupted spots where the gas went… (you get the picture…)

Ice constellations

Interesting, when the ice forms crystal-like structures

Murder someone?

More ice structures

Volcanic wonderland

The colours are extremely intense in the fading light

And even the mud-bubbling cauldrons are covered

Prevailing wind direction

We assumed something oily bubbling up and staying

Dwarfed and in awe by nature

The weather sometimes was not for the faint-hearted with strong snow, cold spells and loads of gusts. Funny there is the fact that the road is heated by volcanic water rushing to the power plant

As you can see – you cannot see a lot…

Rivers are covered

Time to get back to the hotel…

These guys tried to drive where they were not supposed to…

Another day – another weather. Cold (-13°), but amazing weather!

Hiking up our beloved volcano with amazing views of the landscape

The dimensions only get real when people as a comparison are involved

Summit break (boaring wait for the photographer ;-))

Deep breaths

Many other calderas in the distance

With the snow it’s the first time we could see the line of calderas properly (usually they are black on black…)

Snow drifts create wonderful patterns

And again the line

The wind is fierce and like a sandblast

Creating amazing formations again

Final view before the descent

An evening picture

Lake Myvatn in peace

And a full view once more

The volcanic water power plant

Hot volcanic water gushing down the stream

Creating sediment (pretty much like a stalaktite – just horizontal)

molten caves of ice

Fancy a bath?

A hot spring from the distance

The final night we took a rental car from Reykjavik airport to the hotel next to Keflavik and drove down the inland route. Amazing sky and they shot a movie (we guessed for a music video…). Gory stuff 😉