Photographing Iceland - Part 4: Day 5 and 6

This is the fourth part of a six part series on Photographing Iceland -- The next part will be published next week.

The day dawns cloudy, but then clears fairly quickly as the sun rises.  Our first destination of the day is Dimmuborgir.  Translated, the name means “dark forts,” and it is an amazing geologic wonderland.  It is not to be confused with the symphonic heavy metal band from Oslo, Dimmu Borgir, who take their name from this location. (I cannot claim personal knowledge of this bit of head-banger esoterica, but was informed of it by a fellow photographer who is into all things Metal.)  The site is also of recent fame, as a location for some of the Game of Thrones exterior shots.

Dimmuborgir Lava Flow
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The lava fields here were formed only 2300 years ago when an eruption formed a 30 foot deep lava lake over a marsh.  Numerous vertical tubes solidified to vent steam from the water boiling underneath the lava flow.  Eventually, the roof of lava over the site collapsed, leaving behind the tumbled and intact towers of the steam tubes, forming a rugged and intricate network of pathways and blind alleys of basalt.  

We are told by our guide to take care while exploring, so as not to get lost in the lava maze.  Even with the admonition, one of our number does become misplaced and we are delayed for about an hour while the guides track the wayward soul down.  For a change, in this instance, the lost party was not That Guy or his companion.

Dimmuborgir Chaos
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