Two weeks in Iceland
Some of the sights and sounds of a memorable road trip, August/September 2014
Staggering
Hallgrímskirkja 'Church of Hallgrímur' is the largest church in Iceland, standing 73m high and taking 38 years to build, being completed in 1986. It is named after Hallgrímur Pétursson, a poet from the 1600s. The structure is inspired by basalt columns, which can be found in several places on the Icelandic coast.
The Sun Voyager
An informal car enthusiast gathering outside Harpa concert hall and entertainment venue
The suburban edge of central Reykjavik
Þúfa
Thufa is a new art piece by artist Ólöf Nordal – a turf mound adorned with a fish-drying hut. There is a relaxing view of Reykjavik's harbour activities from the top.
Artist's Vision
"Poor Ugly" street art in progress in central Reykjavík. See the finished art at tinyurl.com/zxnpmrx
Inter-continental swim
The crystal clear waters of Silfra attract drysuit-clad snorkellers and divers from around the world. Formed by the divergence of the Eurasian and American tectonic plates, it continues to widen by 1-2 cm each year. In Summer, the glacial runoff water 'warms' to 3 degrees Celcius.
Hardcore divers ahead
Not your usual road-side warning!
A diver negotiates one of the shallower sections of the crack. The deepest section of Silfra is 64m in a cave under the car park, however tours are only allowed in open water, to a maximum depth of 18m.
A diver heads back across an old lava field with 30kg of equipment at the end of the day. With hood, gloves, drysuit, insulation suit and thermals, you can remain pretty warm and dry for an hour or two in the near-freezing water.
Only the hardest plants grow in old lava fields, including moss and wild berries.
Menningarnótt (Culture Night) festival in Reykjavik is a day of art, food, music and fireworks. Laugavegur, shown here, is the main street in 101 Reykjavik [editorial use only, faces have been blurred]
Skálmöld
Skálmöld at Menningarnótt [editorial use only]
Mammút
Mammút playing at Menningarnótt [editorial use only]
Vilborg Ása Dýradóttir
Arnar Pétursson
Katrína Kata Mogensen & drummer, Andri Bjartur Jakobsson
Kata (R) and Alexandra Baldursdóttir
During the Culture Night festival, people could play Pong on the side of the Harpa building, using a free app
Culture Night
Over 100,000 people attended the Menningarnótt (Culture Night) festival which closed with fireworks beside Harpa
Seljalandsfoss, famous for the path that runs behind the falls
The ferry from Landeyjahöfn to Heimaey, a 45min trip.
A tourist boat lines up, ready to head through a cave tunnel at Vestmannæyjar
![Menningarnótt (Culture Night) festival in Reykjavik is a day of art, food, music and fireworks. Laugavegur, shown here, is the main street in 101 Reykjavik [editorial use only, faces have been blurred]](https://photos.smugmug.com/Landscapes/Europe/Iceland/i-LZvpgWh/773/00446d35/S/Laugavegur_GoWildImages_ICE6795-S.jpg)
