Black Sand Beach of Iceland

Black sand beach Iceland

The Black Sand Beach in Iceland is a tourist destination along the main road in southern Iceland, east of Reykjavík. Here you can expect wedding photographers, tour buses, food trucks, patrolled paid parking and a few avid photographers.

Winter is a better time of year to visit the Black Sand Beach of Iceland.  There are some wonderful hotels nearby.  Winter is best from a photography point of view because the light is better with the sun lower in the horizon, bigger storms and larger icebergs on the beach.  During the summer months, the iceberg remnants are having a contest to see which can melt away the fastest.  In the winter it is a struggle of survival for the heartiest photographer.  I visited in the winter of 2015.  Iceland Winter Visit.  Our goal in 2024 was to photograph Iceland from the air, from both an airplane and a helicopter.  But first we need to travel to our tiny inland airport, photographing southern Iceland along the way.

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The Tale of Two Coastal Cities

colorful coastal buildings

For some reason, homes in coastal towns are often painted in colorful pastel colors.  Weymouth, England is no exception.

 

Our method of exploration of these coastal towns generally consisted of shopping for something we apparently feel we needed or forgot to pack, like warmer clothes.  We then search for a lunch spot in town to sample the local cuisine.  Indian food is very good across the UK, so that was often at the top of our list.  The local seafood was also good to find.  However, please note there is no Dover sole to be found in Dover, England.  No matter how good the food is on board, local cuisine away from the ship is a very welcome change.

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Cobblestone Streets of Sibiu, Romania

Courtyard Cat Sibiu, Romania

Courtyard Cat Sibiu, Romania

Sibiu, Romania is a charming maze of winding cobblestone streets, large open squares and fine restaurants.  It was a very welcomed relief from the gritty streets of Bucharest. I had seen the above blue wall and cat scene photo posted by  Vagabon and Dave sixty days earlier in their travel blog and instantly loved it.  So I cruised from Texas to Spain, flew from Barcelona to Bucharest, rented a car to Sibiu just to see these beautiful blue tones…..  Thank you Bonnie and Dave!
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Madrid, Spain

Madrid Av del Ensanche de Vallecas 51

Madrid Avenida del Ensanche de Vallecas 51

Bullfighting would be more likely associated with Madrid, Spain than its architecture.  However, the draw for me was some uniquely designed buildings and staircases.  The bullfights had ended about a month before my arrival.
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Valencia, Spain Home of Santiago Calatrava

Valencia Oranges at the Train Station

Valencia Oranges at the Valencia Nord Train Station

Valencia, Spain is home of the Valencia orange, many olive groves and birthplace of famed futuristic architect and engineer, Santiago Calatrava.  One of his larger installations is in Valencia, named the City of Arts and Sciences.
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Iceland in November

Icebergs and Northern Lights

Icebergs and Northern Lights

I was fortunate to have a photographer friend in Springdale, Utah, Seth Hamel, invite me on a November trip to Iceland at the same time as I was exploring my own winter Icelandic adventure.  It eventually all just fell into place and I was soon flying IcelandAir on my way to Reykjavik.
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