Landscapes
Iceland is all about the scenery. Land, lava rock and endless sky.
This photo was taken inside a fjord. The tiny white dots at the bottom are sheep, which attests to this massive lava rock.
The sand is black due to the lava rock.
Very little greenery here, but moss is…
First Glimpse
The ship passage from Iceland to the southern tip of Greenland was two days north across the gray Arctic Sea. We arrived at 6 am on a cloudless morning under brilliant blue skies and spent the entire day traversing the island via a fjord running from the east to west coast. …
The Torngats Mountain Base Camp is a miracle of sorts. Camping in the US is a popular activity and some camp sites have water hookups, electricity and toilets. But bringing electricity, flush toilets, fuel and food to such a remote area as Nain, Labrador, takes some doing. Nothing is easy here and every activity is…
Canada’s 42nd National Park is a cooperative development between the government and the native Inuits, who have lived in northern Labrador for thousands of years. The Torngats Mountaon Base Camp, where I am currently, is owned by the Inuits and their ancient burial ground is back in their possession. Archeologists dug up the Inuit graves…
Newfoundland is green, green, green. Until it’s not. What is going on with all the dying trees? I wish Thompson was here; he would have told me immediately. Thompson, an entomologist, was my mother’s second husband. I would go on a nature walk with him and return transformed by all that he taught me…
Never have I pondered this question until I visited Lobster Cove Head Lighthouse historical museum near Gros Morne National Park. Lighthouse keeping is a family business. You are a keeper until you die, then your eldest son becomes keeper. A keeper never leaves the lighthouse; if there is business to be conducted with the keeper…
The island of Newfoundland has a population of 525,000 and a third of these inhabitants live in the capital of St. John’s. Corner Brook, the second largest city, where I stayed upon arrival, has about 20,000 residents, a veritable metropolis compared to Glenbournie-Birchy Head- Shoal Brook, where I am lodging for the next three days…
Why Newfoundland? First, because of the Broadway play “ Come From Away” about the town of Gander that took in 7,000 stranded airline passengers on 9/11. I had to meet these generous people. Second, I read Michael Crummey novels about the early settlements along the harsh, unforgiving coastal areas in Eastern New Foundland. What a…
Iceland’s winter, August to April, is the only opportunity to see the northern lights. As well, they are visible primarily in the dead of night and the sky must be totally clear. It has been mostly cloudy this trip with intermittent rain. Last night the sky cleared and we were told we might…
Who knew there is a year round tomato farm in Iceland? The featured image shows my granddaughter, Rowan, sitting at a table decorated with a vase of fresh basil. We had lunch here this afternoon. The entire menu features only tomato recipes: tomato beer, bloody Marys, soup or a stack of tomatoes on a skewer…