A Day from Reykjavík: Borgarnes & West of Iceland

A Day from Reykjavík: Borgarnes & West of Iceland

If the crowds on the south coast and the Golden Circle are not your thing, a tour of the west coast of Iceland might be just the ticket. The area has its share of natural wonders, with majestic waterfalls and deep lava caves, as well as a rich historical heritage.

About an hour north of Reykjavík is Borgarnes, a charming little town with cosy restaurants, a watery paradise of a swimming pool, and fascinating museums. The Settlement Centre is dedicated to the Viking settlement of the area, telling the story of Egill son of Skallagrimur, the fierce Vikning and clever poet who first settled in the area.

The Borgarnes Museum is just a couple of steps away and is focused on more recent history of the area, with permanent exhibitions on the history of childhood during the 20th century and the bird-life of the area, as well as temporary exhibitions.

The swimming pool is a popular destination for locals and visitors alike, complete with an Olympic-sized outdoor swimming pool, an indoor pool, three hot tubs, a wading pool, a steam bath, three waterslides of varying size and a gym.

Close by Borgarnes is Deildartunghver, the most powerful hot spring in Europe. You can see boiling hot water gush from the ground, bubbling powerfully and steaming. A little further along are Hraunfossar, the Lava waterfalls. This remarkable waterfall flos out from underneath a sheet of solid lava. A short walk away is another waterfall, the thundering Barnafoss.

Icelandic volcanic stones. Photo by Olga

Viodgelmir, Iceland’s biggest lava cave by volume, is a lava tube formed during a volcanic eruption, when the magma started to cool on the surface, but there was still a hot “river” of magma flowing beneath it. Then the magma flow stopped, leaving a hollow cave beneath the cool crust on the surface. A tour of the cave can be booked in advance. Nearby Surtshellir, similar in nature, is Iceland’s longest lava cave.

Finally, if you’re traveling with a specially outfitted vehicle and guide, you can kick the adrenaline into gear and drive onto Langjökull glacier, where summer never comes. If you’re particularly adventurous, you can even travel into the Glacier, in a recently opened man-made glacier cave, equipped with a chapel, bar and movie theatre.

If you want to take the scenic route back to Reykjavík, skip the tunnel under Hvalfjördur bay and drive around the fjord. On the way you can see the old whaling station or visit a museum dedicated to the American army.s occupation of Iceland during World War II. You can also visit a working farm or hike to the tallest waterfall in Iceland, Glymur

Fort Charlotte

Fort Charlotte, Nassau, Bahamas

Built in 1788 by Lord Dunmore, this fort was named after the wife of King George III, Queen Saharia Charlotte. The middle bastion, Ft. Stanley and the western portion, Fort D'Arcy were added later. The fort has a moat, dungeons, underground passageways.

Forty-two cannons were installed there. They only fired in training have never been used in an act of war. All the pictures have been taken by Elena.

More about Nassau and Bahamas: Photos of Nassau.

Fort Charlotte. General view.

Fort Charlotte, the largest one on New Providence at 100 acres.

Located one mile west of downtown Nassau, just off West Bay Street, the fort sits on a hill overlooking the far west end of the harbour, 

The Fort Charlotte commands an impressive view of Paradise Island, Nassau, and the harbour.

It is one of several English forts that are still standing in Nassau.

These canons have never fired in an act of aggression.

The downtown is only a short walk away from the fort.

 The fort sits a short walk west of downtown Nassau and the cruise ship terminal. 

The fort has never been used in battle.

The Gardens of the Way of the Cross

The Gardens of the Way of the Cross

(St. Joseph Cathedral Garden)

Located to the east of the basilica, the Gardens of the Way of the Cross are one of Saint Joseph’s Oratory’s best kept secrets and a very good place to meditate. The 16 stations unfold amidst an artfully landscaped terrain.

The project of creating a Way of the Cross out of stone, to replace the rustic wooden crosses, emerged in 1935. Work on the 200,000 square-foot area to the east of the basilica begun in 1942. Famous landscape architect Frederick Todd designed a pathway meandering around the flank of the mountain.

Montreal artist Louis Parent conceived this major artwork. His Way of the Cross has 14 of the traditional stations to which he added a marble monument depicting the Resurrected Christ and a reflecting pool with the Fountain of Redemption. In total, the grouping comprises 42 characters, each approximately 9 feet high, which the sculptor modeled in his workshop at the Oratory, between 1943 and 1953.

The statues in the Gardens of the Way of the Cross were carved out of Indiana limestone by Ercolo Barbieri, between 1952 and 1958. Louis Parent designed the pieces to blend harmoniously into the natural environment.

All the pictures have been taken by Elena.

Garden of the Way of the Cross. Picture by Elena.

Garden of the Way of the Cross. Picture by Elena.

Garden of the Way of the Cross. Picture by Elena.

Garden of the Way of the Cross. Picture by Elena.

Garden of the Way of the Cross. Picture by Elena.

Garden of the Way of the Cross. Picture by Elena.

Garden of the Way of the Cross. Picture by Elena.

Garden of the Way of the Cross. Picture by Elena.

Phone Cases

Phone Cases

iPhone cases and skins based on interactive artwork by Megan Jorgensen, a famous iPhone cases artist

iPhone cases and skins art is a new form of painting and illustrative art that. It is produced usually paint apps such as Brushes, Poser and ArtRage.

iPhone art evolved from wall-mounted displays in galleries and museums, but it has its own characteristics due to the portability and small dimensions of the material support (meaning the case). This miniature form of art is currently booming and many ancient well-known “chef-d’oeuvres” are being adapted to the iPhone.

Some of the first iPhone artists have already become famous, and some of them have held art exhibits with art made exclusively on iPhones.

An internationally acclaimed artist  Megan Jorgensen is one of the rising stars of this new industry, as she sells hundreds of her artworks, many of which have become bestsellers. She believes, iPhone art may pose a threat to traditional gallery distribution of digital art because individual artist can distribute created images directly to the general public without working through a gallery dealer.

To see all Megan Jorgenson iPhone Art Images go here:

Here are some of Award winning iPhone Art images by © Megan Jorgensen (Elena).

Princess on purple magic horse. Fantasy art.

Cosmos and us.

Blue pink hot pink and yellow

Another World.

A couple of Elves in a Magic Forest.

Borgs destroyed.

Magnificent.

Eternal squares.

Nice Elf, Cosmos.

Dark sphere.

Princess and butterfly wings on mythical horse.

Morgning.

Space art meets science.

Gorgeous Pattern texture

Waterpaint Sketch

Sunset.

Death Wave

Death Wave

By Ben Bova, excerpt

Assassination

Everything seemed to happen at once. Standing on the stage at the front of the studio, Jordan saw the yuong man aim the pistol at him. An equally young woman got to her feet beside him, screaming, “Kill the alien-loving bastard!” From the side of the studio one of the security people whipped a gun from beneath his jacket.

Jordan stood frozen at the lectern, his mind inanely telling him to duck behind the lectern but his body unable to respond. The gun was pointed right at him, its muzzle looking like a tunnel to eternity.

This is no ruse, Jordan realized. They really want to kill me!

He saw the pistol's muzzle erupt in smoke and heard something whip past his ear like an angry bee. People were diving to the floor, yelling. The lectern shattered into a thousand pieces. One of the news correspondents grabbed at the gunman while the security man off to the side pushed through the crowd, pistol in hand, knocking people over as he rushed for the would-be- assassin.

The studio was filled with shouts, screams, curses. The gunman seemed to collapse while the woman beside him clawed at the correspondent who had wrapped his arms around the man. The security guard reached them as a second security man came in from the opposite direction and pulled the screeching woman off the correspondent's back.

Death Wave. Photo by Elena

And then it was all over. People got up off the floor, dazedly. Overturned chairs were set right again. Several more security people had two young women in their grip. The gunman lay sprawled across several chairs; unconsciouos or dead, Jordan couldn't tell which.

Then someone said, “You're bleeding, Mr. Kell.”

Jordan looked and saw that his shirt was soaked with blood. The lectern was smashed to splinters. People were on their feet, gaping.

From his office, Otero watched the whole incredible episode, thinking. This is all going out on the air, live! A real assassination attempt! And we've got it all on camera!

The security team hurried Jordan, his hand pressed to his bleeding side, to the small infirmary on a lower floor of the Otero Network building.

Walking beside Jordan, Hamilton Cree said, “It doesn't look too bad.”

Jordan thought of Mercutio's line from Romeo and Juliet and quoted, “No, this not so deep as a well, nor so wide as a church door...”

“If I had reacted faster...”

“You did fine,” Jordan said. “Is he... did you kill him?”

Cree shook his head. “Nerve jangler. Paralyzed him. We're not allowed to carry lethal weapons..

“But they do.”

One of the other security men, older, grimmer, said. “The three of those nitwits carried their gun in separate pieces, mostly plastic. Didn't see off the scanner alarm. Then they put it together once they were seated in the studio.”

“Who are they? Why did they want to kill me?”

“We'll find out, don't worry.”

A registered nurse and a diagnostic robot were waiting for them at the one-room infirmary.

“I don't think it's very bad,” Jordan said to the nurse.

“Let's see,” she said.

They laid him on the examining table and cut away his blood-soaked shirt. The robot ran its metal arm, filled with beeping, chirping sensors, up and down Jordan's body.

“No internal injuries,” its synthesized voice pronounced.

The nurse bent over Jordan's abdomen, a tweezers in one hand.

“This may twinge a bit,” she muttered.

It did twinge, but only for a moment. The nurse held up the tweezers, a bloody sliver of wood in its grip.

Hamilton Cree said, “He had a semi-atomatic pistol. Got of three shots. Two of them hit the lectern and shattered it. You got hit by a splinter.”

“And that's it?” Jordan asked.

“That's it,” said the nurse, beaming happily.