Iceland

Black sand beach at Vík í Mýrdal

This is the black sand beach at Vík í Mýrdal, the southernmost village in Iceland. I shot this picture last August and it was hard to believe it was summer; while in Reykjavik it was a balmy 68 degrees, at Vík í Mýrdal the wind was howling and the temperature couldn’t have been much above freezing.

Iceland is a beautiful place with a diversity of landscapes from frozen glaciers to erupted volcanoes (Eyafjallajökull; say that five times fast) to therapeutic hot springs as well as breathtaking beaches like this one. The sand on this beach is made up from volcanic rock and the columns in the background are called Reynisdrangar. Legend says that the stacks were created when three trolls attempted to drag a three-masted ship to land but they were caught by dawn and when daylight broke they became needles of rock.

I was in Iceland for a week but I could have happily stayed for much longer. I plan to return, in winter next time, and hope to capture the Northern Lights.