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Iceland

a wee visit

By Johnny Graham

June 7^th, 2017

"Iceland, a land of fire and ice, and also of a damn right tasty lamb shank"

Iceland, a land of fire and ice, and also of a damn right tasty lamb shank and an infatuation with hot dogs that could rival any American city.

We came to Iceland for the epic scenery with its well documented photography potential and hopefully a taste of the Northern Lights at a far more northerly latitude than my home of Scotland can provide. When we see the Northern Lights in Scotland it’s more than likely to be a band of dim colour on the Northern horizon that you have to squint too see and shoot long exposure to catch in a photo. Iceland with its prized position just kissing the arctic circle the Northern Lights can blaze away merrily right above you from horizon to horizon. Naturally the week I am in Iceland nothing happens.

Sunset over Sólheimasandur, Iceland.

We make up for that lack of Northern Lights by gorging ourselves at the endless supply of restaurants, burger bars and hotdog stands Reykjavik and the surrounding area offer. Heck even their KFC(with a Taco Bell menu inexplicably attached) tastes better than the UK offering. Oh yeah the beer is pretty good as well.

Drangshlíðarfjall and the Skógá river near Skógafoss, Iceland.

The highlights include the iconic waterfall Skógafoss. Visiting arguably the home of the world's oldest parliament at Þingvellir National Park as well as the fault line between between the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates. I cant also forget the great wee city that is Reykjavik itself. It's modern, clean, it has plenty of history and sights to visit including Perlan, a revolving restaurant built on converted water tanks on a prominent hill with excellent views of the city.

I can’t forget the lamb shank either, this was at a restaurant called Vegemot just off the main shopping street of Laugavegur in Reykjavik. My stomach highly recommends it, burp.

One day we will return for another shot at the Northern Lights, and the lamb.

Sólheimasandur, Iceland.

Kerið Crater, Iceland. A volcanic crater in Iceland that's a very popular tourist destination.

Hveragerði, Iceland.

Þingvellir National Park, Iceland.

Skógafoss, Iceland.

Volcanic plain and the distant snow covered mountains near Sólheimasandur, Iceland.

Sólheimasandur, Iceland.

Volcanic plain near Sólheimasandur, Iceland.

Steinafjall, Iceland.

Night Sky and Distant Lights of Reykjavik over Þingvellir National Park, Iceland.

Reykjavík Habour, Iceland.

Reykjavík Habour, Iceland.

Reykjavík, Iceland.

Reykjavík, Iceland.

Reykjavík Habour, Iceland.

Reykjavík, Iceland.

Sólfar, Reykjavík, Iceland

Perlan, Reykjavík, Iceland.

Reykjavík, Iceland.

Footnotes

Visited Iceland December 2013 | All photos shot on Nikon D700, Nikon 16-35mm & Sigma 70-200mm.

FootNotes

Visited Iceland December 2013 | All photos shot on Nikon D700, Nikon 16-35mm & Sigma 70-200mm.

© 2026 Johnny Graham

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Paisley, Renfrewshire, Scotland

And so are the lambs

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