Drowning in ash? NO. Drowning in photos? YES.

Photos! photos! More photos! Are you sick of that volcano yet? As you can see, clearly I am not.

Yes, as irritating as that naughty ash cloud is for the people stranded at European airports, it certainly is a lovely sight for us island-dwellers. And by the way, if you had plans to visit Iceland this summer, don't wimp out and cancel your trip. It's really not necessary. Seriously. Contrary to what your local news sources may be telling you, we're not all covered in ash here. Far from it. Especially Reykjavik, which is at least 150 km to the west (2 hours by car). And contrary to what the Icelandic president told the BBC, Katla is NOT erupting and is NOT currently showing any signs of an imminent eruption. Oh, and Hekla is also NOT exploding.

So there. We are fine. Thanks for asking. Let's move on to some lovely photos now, shall we?


1. My second Eyjafjallajökull roadtrip:
The first trip to the volcano involved me, two friends, a Yaris, fabulous sunglasses, a frightfully cold day, and unfortunate roadblocks at Hvolsvöllur. This time it was me, my handsome boyfriend, fabulous sunglasses (again), lopapeysa sweaters (requirement for Icelandic countryside trips), awesome West Coast gangsta rap from the 90s (for ironic contrast), and one loaded V-Dub. And no roadblocks! Thus, we could drive past the clear skies and relative normalcy of Hvolsvöllur and into the eerie, ashy landscapes near Skogar.

First, we stopped and snapped some pics at Fljótshlíð, a scenic farming district in south Iceland that has gained popularity in recent months for its volcanic vistas (also location of the best webcam for live video). We then briefly visited the Country Hotel Anna in Moldnúpur--at the foot of Eyjafjallajökull--for a brisk, partial hike up the ash-laden mountainside followed by a well-deserved hot cocoa at the hotel restaurant. Yes, you read that right -- we walked up the same mountainside that's currently spewing ash right and left. "Why", you ask? Because we can. Finally, we made a short stop to Seljavellir (near the historic Seljavallalaug pool), where we donned our dust masks for a few otherworldly photo ops. Check out my Picasa album if you enjoy mediocre amateur photographs:

Fun with ash clouds!

2. "Úr iðrum jarðar" photography exhibition:

This photo exhibition at Reykjavik's Gallerí Fold features the recent volcanic activity at Eyjafjallajökull and Fimmvörðuháls. Over 50 magnificent photographs by 23 photographers are displayed until September, including two very talented friends of mine. Fellow expat and talented photographer Julia Staples snapped some AMAZING shots of Eyjafjallajökull for the Reykjavik Grapevine when it first started to dump ash over South Iceland. Another friend, Icelandic photographer Brjánn Baldursson, captured a particularly stunning shot of the 'lava falls' at the first "tourist" eruption, which you can check out on Brjánn's Flickr site.

And since this exhibit is focused on the volcanic activity, I thought it was very clever that the gallery offered the guests of the opening day some hraun and gos (hraun means lava, but is also the name of a very crunchy chocolate wafer candy, and gos means gas technically but that's also the name for soda beverages like Coke.) There was also a bucket full of fresh volcanic ash, which visitors could scoop into snack bags and take home as a souvenir. Rosalega snilld!

 

3. I hear ashy water is good for the skin.

This Icelandic photographer took some seriously cool shots of the old Seljavallalaug swimming pool at Seljavellir, an area that has been hard-hit by the ash fall. This gentleman's photos are surreal, but with a touch of humor. Seljavallalaug is Iceland's oldest swimming pool and is often featured in Icelandic advertisements due to its secluded location in a picturesque valley.

4. Time-lapse video going viral on the Interwebs:

Iceland, Eyjafjallajökull - May 1st and 2nd, 2010 from Sean Stiegemeier on Vimeo.

I think it must be mandatory for people who create homemade videos of the Icelandic wilderness to use a Sigur Rós song in the background.

5. Boston Globe -- mind-blowing images:

My photos look like a f**king joke next to these images compiled by the Boston Globe. This has been around for at least a month, so if you're one of the 50 or so people in the world who hasn't seen this yet, then get on it.