Iceland- the East

Evening on the outwash plains near Hornafjörður hFF folks!

Looking towards Vatnajökull from the outwash plains of Hornafjörður

Öræfajökull, seen here from Höfn across Hornafjörður, is the most SE point of Iceland and has always been a landmark for sailors. The name means "wasteland glacier" and denotes both the glacier and the stratovolcano lying underneath it. Looks are deceptive, Öræfajökull is thought to be Europe's 2nd largest stratovolcano after Etna with a massive 600-700m deep ice filled caldera and an altitude of 2110m, making it Iceland's highest mountain. The white flowers in the foreground are Angelica sylvestris (see note), www.vatnajokulsthjodgardur.is/en/areas/skaftafell/interpretation-and-knowledge/about-oraefajokull de.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%96r%C3%A6faj%C3%B6kull

One of the many outlet glaciers of Vatnajökull seen from Höfn, two more in the notes. www.vatnajokulsthjodgardur.is/en/areas/hornafjordur/interpretation-and-knowledge/about-hoffell All are retreating at a rapid rate though Vatnajökull itself due to its enormous size of 8100 km² is expected to still be existence by the end of the century. It might be the only Icelandic glacier left by then if mankind doesn't manage to get a grip on itself - which sadly doesn't look likely after Cop27.-( Skálafellsjökull Heinabergsjökull

seen from Höfn Vestrahorn consists of gabbro and granophyr, it was once part of the magma chamber of a long extinct volcano.

On the spit sheltering the lagoon of Lónsfjörður from the open sea. Apart from the many attractive pebbles (among them semi precious stones like jasper) there is also plenty of birdlife- thousands of whooper swans in the lagoon and seabirds like fulmars, puffins and guillemots out at sea. Lónsfjörður not every young swan survives, ravens and skuas also want to live... Fulmarus glacialis

11,5m high Hvalnes Lighthouse was built in 1954 and has been in operation since 1955. It stands on the cape below Eystrahorn, to the west are Lón lagoon and Vestrahorn.

Eystrahorn ( 756m) lies at the eastern end of Lón lagoon and just like Vestrahorn at the western end is part of an ancient volcano, consisting of gabbro and granophyr. de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krossanesfjall

The unstable rhyolite screes of Mælifell mountain are traversed by the ring road. In former times this passage was feared for its frequent landslides and slippery surfaces but now the road has been considerably improved. The coastline with its small sandy coves and black lava beaches displays the plumbing of an ancient, long extinct volcano laid open by water erosion.

34 sculptures by Sigurður Guðmundsson in Gleðivík Bay, Djúpivogur show the eggs of 34 bird species nesting in the area. Recently the Guardian ran an article about Djúpivogur and it's cittaslow status- 3 years after the fact, as Icelandic papers promptly pointed out;-)

Find the fence;-) HFF, folks! Beinageitarfjall is an over 1100m high mountain in East Iceland, situated between Borgarfjörður eystri and Héraðsflói. de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dyrfj%C3%B6ll

The pass over Fjarðarheiði connects the ferry port of Seyðisfjörður with Egilsstaðir on the Ring Road. As the pass (620m) is often impassable in winter( and even spring) there are plans to build a tunnel. The panorama was taken from the viewpoint halfway up the pass and shows Seyðisfjörður (650 inhabitants) in the distance- see notes. Der Pass über Fjarðarheiði verbindet den Fährhafen Seyðisfjörður mit Egilsstaðir an der Ringstrasse. Weil die Strasse (Passhöhe 620m) im WInter und selbst im Frühling öfter unpassierbar ist, ist ein Tunnel geplant. Das Panorama ist vom Aussichtspunkt in halber Höhe aufgenommen, Seyðisfjörður ist in der Ferne zu sehen (s. PiPs). Panorama stitched from 14 verticals EXIF: 1/200 • f/10.0 • 35.0 mm • ISO 100, Canon EOS 6D, EF24-70mm f/4L IS USM

This fence belongs to the only working farm left this side of Seyðisfjörður which like all of the East Fjords has been plagued by rural depopulation. Der Zaun gehört zum letzten verbliebenen Hof auf dieser Seite des Fjords. Seyðisfjörður leidet wie die übrigen Ostfjorde massiv unter Landflucht . HFF, folks, have a great weekend!

HFF everybody, have a great weekend!

Fog creeping in over Seyðisfjörður. The place in the foreground is where Allied barracks stood during WWII. The landing strip is still in use for (civilian) emergencies, especially in winter when the roads are closed. Nebel über dem Seyðisfjörður. Im Vordergrund hatten sich im 2. Weltkrieg die Allierten eingerichtet. Die Landepiste wird auch heute noch für Notfälle genutzt, wenn im WInter die Strassen unpassierbar sind. I'm back from holdays and will try to catch up but it will take time, so please bear with me!

Skálanes used to be a farm at the mouth of Seyðisfjörður and now is a private lodge and nature reserve with bird cliffs nearby. Between the mountains in the background lies Loðmundarfjörður, one of the many fjords in the East that have been deserted by its former inhabitants. It can only be reached by boat or by a very rough 4x4 track from the north. Skálanes an der Mündung des Seyðisfjörður war einmal ein Bauernhof und wird nun als private Lodge mit Naturschutzgebiet betrieben, Vogelfelsen sind ganz in der Nähe. Zwischen den Bergen im Hintergrund liegt der Eingang zum Loðmundarfjörður, einem der vielen Fjorde im Osten, die von den Bewohnern verlassen wurden. Der Fjord ist nur mit dem Boot oder über eine üble Allradpiste von Norden her erreichbar.

Seyðisfjörður is a small town (some 600 inhabitants) at the head of a fjord of the same name. It is the port for the ferry Norröna from Denmark/ Faroes and once was a prosperous herring port. Many of the historic wooden houses were prefabricated and shipped from Norway. Between up to 1000m high mountains the sun disappears quickly even in summer. The main photo was taken around 7 p.m., the note 2 hours later. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sey%C3%B0isfj%C3%B6r%C3%B0ur Seyðisfjörður ist eine kleine Stadt (ca. 650 Einwohner) am Ende des gleichnamigen Fjords und der Hafen für die Fähre Norröna aus Hirtshals/ Färöer. Ehemals war es ein wohlhabender Heringshafen und viele der historischen Holzhäuser sind frühe Fertighäuser, die man per Katalog aus Norwegen bestellen konnte. Da der Ort von bis zu 1000m hohen Bergen umgeben ist, verschwindet die Sonne selbst im Sommer recht früh. Das Hauptbild ist gegen 19 Uhr entstanden, das PiP 2 Stunden später. just-iceland.com/de/island-seydisfjordur

View across Borgarfjörður eystri towards Njarðvík, in the note the harbour seen from Hafnartangi