Photo Blog by Rajan Parrikar

Halldór Laxness

Rajan P. Parrikar — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 02:05:27 +0000

Halldór Laxness (1902-1998) was among the great literary figures of the 20th C and Iceland’s only Nobel Laureate to date. His home, Gljúfrasteinn, located in Mosfellsbær just outside Reykjavík, is now a national museum. A multimedia presentation on Laxness’s life and an excellent self-guided audio tour of the house are available.

Laxness responded to beauty in all forms, and Western classical music was an especially abiding obsession. His was a romantic life that even included an unsuccessful stint in Hollywood. An assessment of his oeuvre is found here.

Gljúfrasteinn is surrounded by great natural beauty. The visitor can today enjoy the many walking trails that so delighted and inspired Laxness.

Home of Halldór Laxness in Mosfellsbær
5D Mark II, 24-105L

Mosfellsdalur: view outside Halldór Laxness' home
5D Mark II, 24-105L

Halldor Laxness' 1969 Jaguar
5D Mark II, 14L II

Fjallabak Nature Reserve

Rajan P. Parrikar — Sun, 29 Aug 2010 07:31:13 +0000

Scenes from the Fjallabak Nature Reserve in the interior Highlands of Iceland.

Reflections: North Fjallabak route
5D Mark II, TS-E 24L II

Reflections, in colour
5D Mark II, TS-E 24L II

Fingers: North Fjallabak route
5D Mark II, 24-105L

North Fjallabak route
5D Mark II, 24-105L

Photographing in the Fjallabak Nature Reserve
Photo by: Guðmundur Eyólfsson

Folds in the Road

Rajan P. Parrikar — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 08:45:38 +0000

Route 87 is the interior gravel road linking the settlements of Husavík and Mývatn in northeast Iceland. In the right conditions it is a spectacular drive.

The corrugated route and in the distance, the snow-laced Náttfaravíkur mountains across Skjálfandi Bay.

Route 87 from Husavík to Mývatn
5D Mark II, 24-105L

Morning coffee on Route 87.

The simple pleasures of life, on Route 87
5D Mark II, 24-105L

A monochrome interpretation.

Route 87 from Husavík to Mývatn
5D Mark II, 70-200L f/2.8 IS II

Evening in Hof

Rajan P. Parrikar — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 06:27:34 +0000

We had come by the farm at Hof in southeast Iceland late in the evening to see the historic turf church. As we were driving out, a little girl ran across and a captivating scene unfolded. She was oblivious to my presence while she communed with the horse. The Icelandic horse, by the way, is a very special animal, deserving of an independent post.

A tender moment at Hof
5D Mark II, 24-105L

At the Hof farm
5D Mark II, 24-105L

The notes at Hofskirkja read:

The church was built in 1884, and was the last turf church built in the old style. It is one of the six churches still standing, which are preserved as historical monuments. The church is maintained by the National Museum but also serves as a parish church. The church was built by the carpenter Pál Pálsson. The lock and the hinges of the church were made by Þorsteinn Gisurarson, called “tool,” who was a well-known blacksmith. The water tub he used to cool hot iron can be seen south of the churchyard.

Hofskirkja
5D Mark II, TS-E 24L II

Frontview of Hofskirkja
5D Mark II, TS-E 24L II

Aldeyjarfoss

Rajan P. Parrikar — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 08:07:21 +0000

Located in the northern Highlands of Iceland, the waterfall Aldeyjarfoss is fed by the glacial river Skjálfandafljót that originates at Vatnajökull, the largest icecap in Iceland (and in Europe).

The judge in a waterfall beauty contest in Iceland has a tough task. There are so many of these cascading beauties competing for attention that one has to guard against foss-fatigue (foss = waterfall, in Icelandic). With its striking flanks of crystallized basalt columns and a bowl-like receptacle, Aldeyjarfoss is a masterpiece of geological art, a sight to treasure.

Also seen below is Hrafnabjargarfoss (hrafn = raven, bjarg = rock), another small waterfall nearby.

Aldeyjarfoss
5D Mark II, TS-E 24L II + Singh-Ray Vari-ND filter

Aldeyjarfoss - another view
5D Mark II, TS-E 24L II + Singh-Ray Vari-ND filter

Closer look at the basalt columns at Aldeyjarfoss
5D Mark II, 24-105L

Hrafnabjargarfoss
5D Mark II, TS-E 24L II + Singh-Ray Vari-ND filter

Canacona

Rajan P. Parrikar — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 20:14:40 +0000

Until around 2000, few outside Goa had heard of Canacona. This southernmost region of the state had it all: lush fields, forests, mountains, rivers, and secluded beaches. For long it had remained outside the ambit of the mass tourism circuit due to its relative remoteness and lack of facilities. But it all changed in 2004 when the movie The Bourne Supremacy came along, with its opening sequence of Matt Damon gamboling on Palolem beach. The last remaining citadel of Goa’s pristine wilderness had crumbled. Today it has turned into a playground for the coarse proclivities of the tourist hordes.

A couple of weeks ago, I went on a lark through Canacona. It was a glorious monsoon morning when I got to the tiny hamlet of Loliem. The noted Hindustani vocalist Anjanibai Lolienkar of Agra gharana was born here. Later, I stopped by the village of Painguinim (Poinguinim), home to the old temple of Parashurama, avatar of Lord Vishnu, whom legend associates with the origin of Goa. I will have more material on these villages and their socio-religious traditions in future postings.

Damodar temple in Loliem, Canacona
5D Mark II, 24-105L

Goddess Aryadurga in Loliem, Canacona
5D Mark II, 24-105L

Monsoon lushness in Painguinim, Canacona
5D Mark II, 24-105L

Temple of Parashurama in Painguinim, Canacona
5D Mark II, 24-105L

Puno Fato Velip in Barcem, Quepem
5D Mark II, 70-200L f/2.8 IS II

Farming in Barcem, Quepem
5D Mark II, 70-200L f/2.8 IS II

Monsoon Bliss in Chorão

Rajan P. Parrikar — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 07:43:15 +0000

This is a continuation of the Monsoon in Goa – 2010 Edition theme.

These photographs were shot over two consecutive rain-soaked days in the idyll that is the island of Chorão, also known as Chodna or Chodan. My forbears came from this part of Goa, and were impelled to move out after the sacking of the village and the Hindu temples by the Portuguese in the 16th C.

The final photograph in the series below was taken in the face of an intense rainstorm advancing in my direction. Seconds later I had to dive into my car. These are moments to live for.

St Bartholomew church, Chorão (1569)
5D Mark II, 24-105L

The lone sentinel on a dark monsoon morning
5D Mark II, 70-100L f/2.8 IS II

Nossa Senhora de Saude chapel
5D Mark II, TS-E 24L II

Mae de Deus church of Pomburpa seen from Chorão
5D Mark II, 70-200L f/2.8 IS II

Advancing rainstorm (Pomburpa church is seen to the left)
5D Mark II, 24-105L

Monsoon in Goa, 2010 Edition

Rajan P. Parrikar — Sat, 17 Jul 2010 09:39:37 +0000

Those of us who grew up in and around Panjim took the pleasures wrought by the monsoon for granted. All I had to do was look out of the window and luxuriate in the luscious sight of waterlogged fields and foliage. That Panjim no longer exists, swiftly wrecked by indiscriminate construction. With developers aggressively on the prowl throughout Goa, open spaces are shrinking. And with every passing year, the renewal of the Goan monsoonscape looks more and more tenuous.

Mounted below are the varied moods of the season experienced this past week. Earlier editions of the Goan monsoon may be seen here.

In the village of Talaulim
5D Mark II, 24-105L

Dhargal in north Goa
5D Mark II, 24-105L

Lush Pilerne
5D Mark II, 70-200L f/2.8 IS II

Dark morning at the Candolim church
5D Mark II, 70-200L f/2.8 IS II

Fishing in Nerul during a rainstorm
5D Mark II, 24-105L

Farmer in Talaulim
5D Mark II, 24-105L

Lakagígar

Rajan P. Parrikar — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 15:38:04 +0000

The recent eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland and the resultant disruption of air traffic made international headlines. But few outside Iceland know that Eyjafjallajökull is a minor blip compared to the cataclysmic event that took place not long ago. In 1783, over 130 craters opened up near Laki in a violent emetic fury that had geological, climatic, and human consequences extending well beyond Iceland, into regions as distant as Japan and India. Over a quarter of Iceland’s population was wiped out, and an estimated 6 million worldwide were killed. Read the details here.

Laki was the largest eruption since the settlement of Iceland. Even the casual visitor cannot fail to notice the grim sight of Eldhraun (“fire lava”), a vast swath of moss-covered lava bisected by the Ring Road west of the village of Kirkjubæjarklaustur. As the lava came cascading down towards the village, Reverend Jón Steingrímsson and his congregation gathered in the local church where he delivered what has come to be known as the “Fire Sermon.” His eye-witness account, Fires of the Earth, is now available in English translation.

From: http://www.glenreva.com/gen/e001/runolf1772.htm
One Sunday, as the eruption reached its peak, Father Jón Steingrímsson held a service in his church in the small town of Kirkjubæjarklaustur. A month and a half had passed since the eruption had begun. Father Jón considered the eruption to be a punishment from God for debauchery, laziness, and sinful living. The lava flow was bearing down on the town at speed with thunderous rumblings and crashes. The terrified residents believed their only hope lay in the church. A service began and Father Jón called to God, promising that his congregation would repent their wicked and sinful ways. As the service continued, the lava-flow reached the course of the Skaftá river near an outcrop called Systrastapi, just outside the town. And there it stopped. This remarkable event was attributed to Father Jón’s compelling prayers and his address to the congregation is now known as the “Sermon of Fire”.

Visiting Lakagígar (“Laki craters”) takes some effort as there are no paved roads in the interior and there are potentially treacherous glacial rivers to ford. Specially fitted 4WD vehicles known as superjeeps are usually deployed to negotiate the rough terrain, and the site is a good couple of hours of bone-rattling ride away from the Ring Road (the main road in Iceland).

At Lakagígar you are met with, to put it mildly, an astonishing sight (the Sanskrit word adbhuta comes to mind). One senses a faint echo of the elemental forces of Nature, and for a few disorienting moments one wonders if one has been beamed to an alien world. A full appreciation of the crater row pattern can only be had from the air.

We went to Lakagígar with our personal guide Guðmundur Eyjólfsson, among the finest adventure professionals in Iceland.

At the Laki craters
5D Mark II, TS-E 24L II

Tjarnargigur, the crater lake
5D Mark II, TS-E 24L II

Lava field at Lakagígar
5D Mark II, TS-E 24L II

Lambavatn at Laki
5D Mark II, 24-105L

Laki's aftermath: Eldhraun, the lava field near Kirkjubæjarklaustur
5D Mark II, TS-E 24L II

Our superjeep in the volcanic sand of Laki
5D Mark II, 24-105L

Negotiating the terrain near Laki
5D Mark II, 24-105L

Guðmundur Eyjólfsson with his superjeep
5D Mark II, 24-105L

Kleifarvatn

Rajan P. Parrikar — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 15:26:59 +0000

The Reykjanes Peninsula of Iceland is a place of haunting beauty. Descriptions of the region are usually dotted with clichés such as “stark,” “surreal,” “desolate.” That is because Reykjanes is, in fact, stark, surreal, and desolate.

Andrew Evans in Iceland, Bradt Travel Guide, 2008
p. 187

The southwest peninsula of Reykjanes or ‘smoky point’, is an utterly strange region of surreal landscapes and desolate volcanic fallout. There are only crumbled lava rocks carpeted in thick grey-green moss as far as the eye can see. There is no soil – only shifting, metallic-black sand. The low mountains on the horizon are sleeping volcanoes, the crusted spouts whence flowed all this lava. As an active geothermal hotspot, the broken ground exhales the wispy puffs of steam that gave the peninsula its name. The wind blows without cease and the frontal gusts of the Gulf Stream shoot out from across the ocean. The land is forever streaked with drizzle or sleet…Stark and almost uninhabitable, the Reykjanes Peninsula was overlooked as a fruitless wilderness until the American military thought it the perfect place for a top secret naval base….Reykjanes does not feel like planet earth. But then neither does much of Iceland.

…Reykjanes is a surface worth scratching beneath…There is great hiking to be done, a magnificent coastline to explore, and pure heat bubbling up from the depths.

Lake Kleifarvatn in Reykjanes is an atmospheric sight and not a little spooky, especially on days with low-hanging fog. We spent a good deal of time last month in the bowels of Reykjanes, and were unlucky to be spared the gale-force gusts and the punishing weather for which the area is renowned. I can well imagine what it must be like in those conditions, especially in Winter when howling winds are paired with painted heavens in the form of Northern Lights.

I was having some difficulty framing a composition of Kleifarvatn that would adequately convey a measure of the forbidding unease it evokes. On one of my last rounds, I finally ‘saw’ it and it registered in my mind’s eye right away as a monochrome image. Legends speak of a monster in the shape of a worm living in Kleifarvatn. I may well have captured the critter on camera here!

En passant – an earthquake in 2000 caused water levels in Kleifarvatn to drop which in turn inspired the macabre thriller, The Draining Lake.

Lake Kleifarvatn in Reykjanes, Iceland
5D Mark II, 24-105L

Lake Kleifarvatn - colour rendition
5D Mark II, 24-105L