It's Like We've Always Known Winter This Way

Out at Seltjarnarnes on a lovely crisp winter's day 

(This post is published solely on IcelandEyes.com. If you've found it reposted without permission on a click-bait blog with any other title or a URL that doesn't include the words IcelandEyes, please do yourself a favor and visit the original Iceland Eyes website instead:)

I've taken quite a few Iceland Eyes photos out at Seltjarnarnes over the past twelve years, including shots of midnight golf and walks along its beach, that it feels a bit like cheating to share another one.   It's such a photogenic spot, though, and so close to the Reykjavik city center where we live. 

This isn't the greatest picture in the world, but I chose it for a few reasons. For starters, it shows

On Tide Pools and How Kids Play

The heated foot bath at Seltjarnarnes 

As if someone turned on the lights, or as if the tide of seasons has turned, life in our city is bustling again. We can't honestly say winter is over, but most of us who live in cold climates will admit that we're willing to handle cold. It's dreary, murky darkness of the post holiday season and its slicing winds that do our souls in. We hunker down deeper into our parkas and wait for the sun to return.

 Make no mistake, it's still hovering around the frost mark here on our island, and some regions, like at the east coast fjords, haven't even seen beneath the past winter's snows yet (here's a link to live cameras over in the Reyðarfjörður area where

Calmness on the Nes - A Lovely View of Seltjarnarnes

Retro Iceland Eyes, first posted in February 2007

After the smá útrás, or little bit of venting I did in the last post (and by the way, thank you to all of you who took part in the discussion. I shared your comments around - they were very astute, thought-provoking and much appreciated!) I thought I'd chill things out a bit with a nice, calming view.

This photo is consistently chosen by readers as one of their favorites, and here's the text that accompanied its original posting:

This view is found on the little island of Grótta, just outside of the town of Seltjarnarnes (Seal Pond Point) which is a tight-knit and slightly snobby community at the very tip of the peninsula that Reykjavik sits on. It's a nature reserve and bird sanctuary that is connected to the mainland by a thin spit of land that exposes at low tide. There's a golf course out there, a nature center, old war bunkers and a very wonderful stretch of beach that reminds me of a typical Northern California strand, with cold-water waves crashing against the sands and rocky outcrops. It's a lovely place for a walk, especially as winter fades away and the days lengthen once more.

Have you tried Dynamic Viewing yet? Five new views in all. Use the blue tab at the top of the view page to check them all out : )

Adventures in Taking the Bus Just for Fun

It's been a super busy week for me here on the Lava Rock, pretty much all good stuff. For starters, I was on BBC World Service again last Tuesday. I was sitting in my kitchen nursing a rare cold brought home by my son from school and feeling a bit blue the way colds make you do, when an unlisted number called. I don't know who I thought it would be, but definitely not a producer from an international radio program! She introduced herself and asked if I'd be willing to go live on World Have Your Say in two hours' time, and I said yes.

Nesstofa

Seltjarnarnes is one of my favorite spots to go for an easy seaside stroll (or midnight golf) as well as for an almost guaranteed great photo or two. This shot, taken at midnight on a lovely June evening, is of Nesstofa, a 1760's fusion of Danish architectural expertise and Icelandic esthetics. It currently houses the Medical History Museum of Iceland and has recently been the focus of an archeological investigation.

For anyone coming here I highly recommend you pick up a copy of the very popular 25 Beautiful Walks of the Greater Reykjavik Area, which I had the pleasure to translate into English, and which includes a wonderful and detailed description of the nature and history of this area (and the website selling it online, nammi.is, is pretty cool itself, though of course you can also find it in all bookstores here on the island.)

Have you tried Dynamic Viewing yet? Five new views in all. Use the blue tab at the top of the view page to check them all out : )

Self Portrait

Some praise for Iceland Eyes:

"I just wanted to say that I think your blog is great. You have a fantastic photographic eye. I believe, having never actually been to Iceland, that the imagery you’ve posted shows what I think is the real Iceland – fantastic composition that shows the balance between the natural beauty of the country and the life and verve of the people." GK, Canada

"Came upon your blog today and I'm very appreciative of your photos. I have never been to Iceland but have read many of the Icelandic Sagas and Norse mythologies, so I thank you for keeping my interest as one day I hope to visit." MF, Switzerland

"i've just seen your blog beacause i was looking about informations on your country, and your photos are really beautifull, i like so much the photo BALANCE." YD, France

"Iceland Eyes is a wonderful blend of spontaneity and sophistication. Thanks for sharing your photographs of Iceland's beauty. It is my favorite of all the nations I have visited." RJ, USA

"I was looking through the net and found a few photographs but nothing compared to the ones you post
on your blog." KL, Canada

Gracious thanks to everyone who has emailed me kind words and/or commented on Iceland Eyes. You make this little hobby of mine worth the love and effort : )

(this self portrait in a tiny bubble was taken out at the beach on Seltjarnarnes.)

Golf

It's midnight on Seltjarnarnes and a lone golfer takes in a game at the Nesvöllur golf course.

Pond

This view is found on the little island of Grótta, just outside of the town of Seltjarnarnes (Seal Pond Point) which is a tight-knit and slightly snobby community at the very tip of the peninsula that Reykjavik sits on. It's a nature reserve and bird sanctuary that is connected to the mainland by a thin spit of land that exposes at low tide. There's a golf course out there, a nature center, old war bunkers and a very wonderful stretch of beach that reminds me of a typical Northern California strand, with cold-water waves crashing against the sands and rocky outcrops. It's a lovely place for a walk, especially as winter fades away and the days lengthen once more.

Bright Lights

A beautifully decorated home in Seltjarnarnes. The yard was full of pretty lights as well, and the overall effect in person was cheery and charming.

Something about the angle from which I took this shot makes the photo kind of spooky, though. Unsure why...

Hot movie tip: If you haven't seen The Corporation, be sure to rent it. Check out the web site if you can't find it in your local independent video rental, cause you won't find it at Blockbuster!