Iceland Day 1 - Travel Photography

We arrived in Reykjavik very late and ended up sleeping in our rental car because we screwed up our hostel reservation. It was certainly better than nothing but not much since the sun only really sets for around 3 hours this time of year here.

Our first day was extraordinarily busy and we ended up hitting a lot of the major things to do, the names of which are incredibly hard to remember because they are all in Icelandic.

Hallgrimskirkja

Because we did not sleep much, we were out and about around 8 A.M. We grabbed breakfast at a bakery downtown then set out for Hallgrimskirkja, the tallest building in downtown Reykjavik. It also just so happens to be a church. The trip to the top of the belltower was a little cramped in a tiny elevator but the view was certainly worth it.

Thingvellir

After our trip to the top, we decided that today was a good day to do the 'Golden Circle,' a three hour loop around the southwest of iceland with stops at many of the famous natural landmarks in the country.

First up was Thingvellir, the site where the North American and European plates meet (actually they are pulling apart from each other, making it possible for Iceland to exist). Essentially, when tectonic plates pull apart, they cause magma to be pulled towards the surface where it may or may not create a lot of volcanoes. In Iceland, that is the reason why it is has only existed above the water for 8 million years. 

The park itself was very easy to get to and the hikes to the different interesting parts of the park were very easy and short.

Geysir

Next up (after a long lunch detour) was Geysir, an active geothermal area around 40 minutes from thingvellir. This is where the name 'geyser' comes from even though the original Geysir now only goes off after earthquakes. There is still the Strokkur geyser which erupts every 8 minutes or so and is quite large as well.

Gullfoss

This was definitely the highlight of the day for me. This waterfall is really too much for words to describe so photos will have to do I guess. If a picture is worth a thousand words, here are 2000 on this waterfall.

Madrid Day 3 - Travel Photography

Last day in Spain :( I decided that the best way to spend my time would be to ride the metro around Madrid to some of the most and least well-known spots in the city.

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Madrid Day 2 - Travel Photography

Quite a lot of walking today in Madrid. We started the day at El Rastro, the Sunday-only flea market. Spanning 4 streets and countless blocks, to say that El Rastro was overwhelming is an understatement.

After lunch, we headed to El Prado to look at some art. I have never really been much of a museum-goer but I did really enjoy the exhibits of El Prado. 

Madrid Day 1 - Travel Photography

We woke up early this morning (well early by Spain standards) to catch the AVE from Sevilla to Madrid. The train itself was a lot shorter than I thought it would be but I guess it can only be 8 cars long in order to top out at 193 mph.

After the two and a half hour ride, we arrived in Madrid and made our way to our hotel, driven by a cab driver who quite an attitude but it was not really an issue. We then set out for an afternoon of exploring, heading towards the Mercado de San Miguel where we had a light lunch.

From the mercado, it was only a short 4 blocks or so to the Royal Palace of Spain. The place honestly makes the White House look like a log cabin in the woods. The architecture and detail in both the exterior and interior makes you realize why there was a civil war in the 30's. Pretty hard to justify living in poverty when your king lives there. Maybe thats why the White House is so much smaller.

I would have taken more photos today but the Spanish government decided to be extremely weird about photos being taken inside the palace.

ON RANT. Apparently the x-ray of my bag and person was not enough to make them believe that my camera bag was not a bomb. Also, I can understand not allowing flash photography to protect the paintings but come on Spain, its not like people aren't sneaking photos with their smartphones while you aren't looking (or DSLRs for that matter cough cough armor photo cough). I know people are not usually able to turn the flash on their iPhone on and off on command but thats beside the point. Maybe rather than staffing the place with the photo police, maybe use your country's tax dollars towards something that actually matters? I'm no politician but that seems like a no brainer. Ok RANT OFF.

We head to El Prado tomorrow and the flea market so that should be interesting (although, if I had to bet, they won't let cameras in El Prado. Photos of paintings on walls are boring anyway).